Passion Points: Giving Back

Safari with Heart: Doing Your Part at Singita Text Size A A A
Ever since Singita Game Reserves raised the bar on safari style when it opened its first lodge in the 1990s, the company has been hailed for its stunning African interiors, which are bold statements in lush bush living. Its owners have been more understated, but just as passionate about their commitment to local communities and conservation. The lodges, which are located in South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, contribute to conservation initiatives, support local communities and schools, and train and employ locals as wildlife rangers. For example, at Singita’s newest and most buzzed about property, Pamushana Lodge, the former private retreat of philanthropist/investor Paul Tudor Jones II in Zimbabwe, guest fees fund a project that feeds 23,000 school children a healthy meal daily. Now Indagare members who visit Singita lodges can participate in a special philanthropic package. Travelers, who book a minimum of three nights with Singita, can elect to assist a teacher at a local school for a half day, attend a traditional community dinner complete with costumes and music and can spend a day with a private guide, learning about the company’s community projects and meeting with local people.
The package is available at all nine Singita properties, which span three countries and multiple wildlife reserves. South Africa is where the company first made its mark and lodges there include Lebombo and Sweni (in Kruger National Park) and, at Sabi Sand Reserve, Ebony, Castleton and Boulders, the latter of which is known for its 12,000-bottle wine cellar. Tanzania’s Grumeti Reserves, also owned by Jones, offers three lodge choices: the colonial Sasakwa Lodge Hill, Sabora Plains Tented Camp and Faru Faru, a river lodge near the Grumeti River. For more information on which lodge is right for you, read an article on Singita’s Grumeti lodges as well as a postcard from a member who visited both the Grumeti and Singita Boulders properties.
Three-night minimum stay; rates vary from property to property and the full-day guided tour costs an additional $600.
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