We (Hayley & Dom!) recently attended a brand-new safaris lodges soft launch weekend. This took place 3 weeks before their official opening date.
The lodge is incredibly unique, as the first plant-forward safari lodge in South Africa. They serve mostly plant-based meals, with a wellness ethos.
We have been assisting them with recruitment & consulting in the lead up to their open day!
We would love to share our experience of the weekend with you, let’s start with our drive into the reserve, keeping in mind we are in the bush so this is a big five reserve where you could see a variety of wildlife, and we did – we saw a herd of Elephants just before our arrival.
On arrival we were greeted by the owners followed by a welcome from their spa team who gave us a hand cleansing ritual with essential oils and river sand that they had collected – what a lovely and unique touch!
After this we were presented with some homemade iced tea followed by signing our indemnity forms as we are in the wild and indemnities are required!
We were checked into our beautiful river view room; this is a perineal river meaning it flows year-round and after some recent rains it was quite impressive to see.
Our room was beautifully decorated with attention to detail in every aspect. They had bags and hats for us to use on the safari as well as our own yoga mats and meditation pillows!
The beds had Elephant towels on, which we decided not to use because they were just too well created for us to ruin the effort.
We went for lunch not long after check in, this was buffet style and all plant-based and healthy. They have an open-plan kitchen which I always enjoy, and the chefs are very proud of their work (as they should be).
Lunches during our stay consisted of a cous cous/quinoa type salad, a more vegetable based salad, a homemade bread of sorts as well as a veggie hummus. They are trying very hard to limit waste so although there wasn’t much left over, they put salad together of any left overs into individual glass jars which stay in a fridge that is accessible by the guests, so if a guest does feel like a snack or perhaps a guest misses lunch because they are resting, they can still get this in jar version!
We had a bit of downtime to relax in one of the many areas that are perfect for reading a good book or even a day nap. There are day beds, sun loungers & bali-inspired pods dotted around. There is even a swing and a bench close to the river.
I attended a yin yoga class in their yoga studio which was very tranquil, and they provide everything you could possibly need.
We then had drinks and dinner before getting an early night because our alarm was set for 4.30am, although the bird sound wakes you up then anyway. Before going to bed actually we had Lions roaring not too far away, across the river. How special!
The following morning, we meet with everyone at 5.30am and had a chia pudding and some lovely cookies before heading out on a bush walk with our two guides along the river. Although there is every chance of seeing a big animal while out on a walk, walks are more about the small things – the plants, trees, insects, flowers, tracks etc and this was a highlight of my trip as I love walking in the bush.
We ended off our walk by climbing a small rocky hill and one of our guides who is also a yoga instructor gave a guided meditation, and it was nice to just sit in nature, overlooking the river with the birds flying above us and to be quiet and still.
Once back at the lodge we had breakfast which was toast loaded with avocado, leaves and flowers picked from their garden and some homemade juice.
After a tour with the owners, we took a swim in their huge pool and just looked out over the river.
After a healthy buffet lunch, we went out to visit their community non-profit camp, Koru Camp. They are currently creating a brand-new camp which is a big upgrade on what they have currently, and it was really exciting to hear the vision behind this and how Sashwa although a for-profit company, will be directing profits to Koru Camp. The camp predominately accommodates students of various ages and allows them to have an amazing bush experience where they get to feel like guests, while learning about the natural environment and conservation at the same time. We hope to be helping Koru camp as a non-profit partner in 2025!
We then had a surprise sundowner stop on their deck which has beautiful sunset views, we had some wine and snacks before taking a slow drive back to the lodge for drinks and dinner.
Dinner was on their deck right on the river’s edge and they served bean based ‘’meat’’ balls and a meringue-based dessert – all delicious.
The next morning, we got up very early to join a morning meditation on the deck, after this (and a snack of course!) we went on a game drive before returning for breakfast and unfortunately departing as our visit had come to an end.
Sashwa also offers holistic spa treatments and although we didn’t have time to experience this, the spa looked beautiful. They have experienced therapists who offer a range of treatments, ideal to do in-between activities.
Sashwa is a Vegan Hospitality certified property, and they have just received our signature staff training video which is going to be a huge help to help as they officially open their doors to welcome guests.
If you would like to find out more about them or book a plant-based safari experience in Africa, you can go to their website: https://sashwa.org/
You can also find out more about what they are doing at Koru Camp here: https://korucamp.org/
Contact us to find out more about our services.
Training – marielouise@wilddreams.co.za
Recruitment – jobs@wilddreams.co.za (clients only)
Consulting – hayley@wilddreams.co.za
We (Hayley & Dom!) recently attended a brand-new safaris lodges soft launch weekend. This took place 3 weeks before their official opening date.
The lodge is incredibly unique, as the first plant-forward safari lodge in South Africa. They serve mostly plant-based meals, with a wellness ethos.
We have been assisting them with recruitment & consulting in the lead up to their open day!
We would love to share our experience of the weekend with you, let’s start with our drive into the reserve, keeping in mind we are in the bush so this is a big five reserve where you could see a variety of wildlife, and we did – we saw a herd of Elephants just before our arrival.
On arrival we were greeted by the owners followed by a welcome from their spa team who gave us a hand cleansing ritual with essential oils and river sand that they had collected – what a lovely and unique touch!
After this we were presented with some homemade iced tea followed by signing our indemnity forms as we are in the wild and indemnities are required!
We were checked into our beautiful river view room; this is a perineal river meaning it flows year-round and after some recent rains it was quite impressive to see.
Our room was beautifully decorated with attention to detail in every aspect. They had bags and hats for us to use on the safari as well as our own yoga mats and meditation pillows!
The beds had Elephant towels on, which we decided not to use because they were just too well created for us to ruin the effort.
We went for lunch not long after check in, this was buffet style and all plant-based and healthy. They have an open-plan kitchen which I always enjoy, and the chefs are very proud of their work (as they should be).
Lunches during our stay consisted of a cous cous/quinoa type salad, a more vegetable based salad, a homemade bread of sorts as well as a veggie hummus. They are trying very hard to limit waste so although there wasn’t much left over, they put salad together of any left overs into individual glass jars which stay in a fridge that is accessible by the guests, so if a guest does feel like a snack or perhaps a guest misses lunch because they are resting, they can still get this in jar version!
We had a bit of downtime to relax in one of the many areas that are perfect for reading a good book or even a day nap. There are day beds, sun loungers & bali-inspired pods dotted around. There is even a swing and a bench close to the river.
I attended a yin yoga class in their yoga studio which was very tranquil, and they provide everything you could possibly need.
We then had drinks and dinner before getting an early night because our alarm was set for 4.30am, although the bird sound wakes you up then anyway. Before going to bed actually we had Lions roaring not too far away, across the river. How special!
The following morning, we meet with everyone at 5.30am and had a chia pudding and some lovely cookies before heading out on a bush walk with our two guides along the river. Although there is every chance of seeing a big animal while out on a walk, walks are more about the small things – the plants, trees, insects, flowers, tracks etc and this was a highlight of my trip as I love walking in the bush.
We ended off our walk by climbing a small rocky hill and one of our guides who is also a yoga instructor gave a guided meditation, and it was nice to just sit in nature, overlooking the river with the birds flying above us and to be quiet and still.
Once back at the lodge we had breakfast which was toast loaded with avocado, leaves and flowers picked from their garden and some homemade juice.
After a tour with the owners, we took a swim in their huge pool and just looked out over the river.
After a healthy buffet lunch, we went out to visit their community non-profit camp, Koru Camp. They are currently creating a brand-new camp which is a big upgrade on what they have currently, and it was really exciting to hear the vision behind this and how Sashwa although a for-profit company, will be directing profits to Koru Camp. The camp predominately accommodates students of various ages and allows them to have an amazing bush experience where they get to feel like guests, while learning about the natural environment and conservation at the same time. We hope to be helping Koru camp as a non-profit partner in 2025!
We then had a surprise sundowner stop on their deck which has beautiful sunset views, we had some wine and snacks before taking a slow drive back to the lodge for drinks and dinner.
Dinner was on their deck right on the river’s edge and they served bean based ‘’meat’’ balls and a meringue-based dessert – all delicious.
The next morning, we got up very early to join a morning meditation on the deck, after this (and a snack of course!) we went on a game drive before returning for breakfast and unfortunately departing as our visit had come to an end.
Sashwa also offers holistic spa treatments and although we didn’t have time to experience this, the spa looked beautiful. They have experienced therapists who offer a range of treatments, ideal to do in-between activities.
Sashwa is a Vegan Hospitality certified property, and they have just received our signature staff training video which is going to be a huge help to help as they officially open their doors to welcome guests.
If you would like to find out more about them or book a plant-based safari experience in Africa, you can go to their website: https://sashwa.org/
You can also find out more about what they are doing at Koru Camp here: https://korucamp.org/
Contact us to find out more about our services.
Training – marielouise@wilddreams.co.za
Recruitment – jobs@wilddreams.co.za (clients only)
Consulting – hayley@wilddreams.co.za