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DJUMA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

Djuma Private Game Reserve occupies some 24,000 acres in the north of the game-rich Sabi Sand Reserve in the world-famous Kruger National Park.

This south-western section of Kruger is home to Africa's greatest diversity of animals, and guests have the opportunity to view, in privacy and at very close quarters, such magnificent animals as elephant, lion, rhino, leopard, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, as well as a host of other species, large and small. Djuma is perhaps most famous for the pack of rare and endangered African painted wolves ('wild dogs') that have denned on the reserve for the past five years, making it probably the best place in the Kruger Park to encounter these super predators.

Djuma offers the full array of safari activities - game-drives in specially adapted open Landrovers, with professional guides and trackers, night drives with spot lamps to view nocturnal species, and guided interpretive bush walks. In addition, guests at Djuma have the unique opportunity to the local community which borders the northern section of the Sabi Sand Reserve. Most guides and trackers at Djuma are drawn from this village, and the excursion offers a wonderful opportunity to interact in a natural and uncontrived manner with a very authentic rural African community.

Vuyatela Lodge is a celebration of modern Africa. Its setting and architecture creatively and purposefully combine Africa's most fascinating elements, nature and culture. The main lodge is constructed of dark hardwood and stainless steel. Common areas include an expansive deck, with a towering viewing platform overlooking sweeping game rich grasslands; an open-plan sitting room, subtly illuminated with hand painted papier mache light fixtures; and a dining room which features a long dining table stretched beneath two extraordinary chandeliers made from hundreds of clear Coca-Cola bottles.

Accommodation at Vuyatela is equally eclectic and wonderful. There are eight spacious chalets, all with private decks, en suite bathrooms, plunge pools and detached sitting rooms. The attention to detail is exquisite, with hand made mosaics decorating the bathrooms, and the exteriors cleverly painted by local Shangaan villagers.

Djuma is by far the most unusual safari lodge we have ever visited, but it is also one of the best; imaginatively, intelligently and passionately inspired by its owners.

Ecotourism angle

Djuma is one of only a handful of properties in the Sabi Sand Reserve to really embrace the rural Shangaan communities that live adjacent to the reserve. Out of respect to the local people, when Vuyetela Lodge was still in the early stages of planning, a local 'sangoma' (tribal healer) was consulted, to ensure that the all-important ancestral spirits gave their blessings to the new lodge. The design of the lodge and individual chalets is very heavily influenced by the architecture of the houses in the nearby African village, and artists and craftsmen were commissioned from the village to provide much of the decoration and artwork found throughout the lodge. No heavy machinery was utilized in the construction of the lodge - the owners insisted that builders be recruited and trained from the local community. Vuyetela is highly regarded by the local villagers, who benefit significantly through jobs and investment from the lodge.

To find out more about Djuma Private Game Reserve, or make a reservation, call on 27-11-463-7889 or email us.

LIYATSHWA SAFARIS PORTFOLIO - Kruger National Park