This original camp is a tapestry of brick paths, dolerite rock walls, waterfalls and tangled vines echoing simple spaces with unencumbered river view backdrops. The tones of the camp reflect the owners’ almost 100-year love affair with this land and therefore place an emphasis on family and heritage.
Children over the age of six are welcome at Varty Camp and with some of the chalets inter-leading, Varty Camp is perfect for families. Each room has its own private swimming pool, outdoor shower and outdoor dining sala, framed by timber decks raised off the ground under the shade of an ancient riverine forest.
Many guest activities can be found within the surrounds of Varty Camp. These include the Guest Gym, Photographic Studio and Living Boutique as well as the restorative Healing House. The charming “original Sparta Camp” located in the heart of Varty Camp, represents generations of history which echoes a bygone era before Londolozi existed.
Explore Londolozi Camps
See blogs written on our camps here.
FAQ
The campfire has burned at Varty Camp for over 90 years, making this place the symbolic heart of Londolozi. This original camp is a tapestry of brick paths, dolerite rock walls, waterfalls and tangled vines echoing simple spaces with unencumbered river view backdrops. The tones of the camp reflect the owners’ 90-year love affair with this land and therefore place an emphasis on family and heritage.
Children over the age of six are welcome at Varty Camp. Each room has its own private swimming pool, outdoor shower and outdoor dining sala framed by timber decks raised off the ground under the shade of an ancient riverine forest.
Many Londolozi guest activities can be found within the surrounds of Varty camp. These include the guest gym, photographic studio and Living Boutique. Guests from all camps are invited to make use of these facilities as well as the Yoga Deck situated next to Founders Camp.
Also found within Varty Camp is the newly appointed Healing House – a concept that takes you beyond the spa, with a beautiful return of wellness to wildness. Bodywork (massage) and specialized alternative wellness treatment facilities are available. The charming “original Sparta Camp” is also located in the heart of Varty Camp representing where Londolozi began in 1926.
“We’ve discussed and debated a children’s program at length at Londolozi. Some people like things set in stone and have demanded from time to time the ‘Program’. Generally at this point we give them a list of activities that children can participate in and while some grudgingly accept this list, others actually still demand ‘the program”. Technically speaking we don’t have a Londolozi Children’s Program. We have a Londolozi Children’s Philosophy and there is a whale of a difference between the two!
A children’s program is often set out with the intention of keeping little ones busy while the parents relax. It has a fairly rigid timetable and is usually unchanged season to season, year to year. A Children’s Philosophy embraces the fact that each child is unique and he or she has a different departure point to fun. Our philosophy therefore promises that while the parents relax we’ll find that departure point for your children and maximize their pleasure in this exciting environment. This philosophy comes as you can see from Londolozi’s 90 year history as described above.’ | Tom Imrie, father of two and former Londolozi Ranger.
What’s on Offer
First the safari game drive is crucially important. We’ve never made the mistake of aiming a safari at the adults while the children in the vehicle loll their heads in boredom. If a family come to Londolozi we believe that it is essential to aim the game drive expe- rience at the children. That means that the eight hours a day spent in the vehicle looking for animals becomes a wonderful learning experience for little ones and a place where the family can interact together.
Family Land Rovers* can stop often for kids to jump out and utilize their senses. Touching, feeling, smelling, throwing – it all comes into the mix and we recognize that a four hour game drive can be a long time for a child to sit still. We believe it is essential to get the little ones off the vehicle as often as possible, even if it’s just to identify tracks.
Between drives and after hearty meals, the activities for kids are as varied as their individual personalities.
*Please be sure to book a private Land Rover.
Other Activities Include:
- Tree climbing for the adventurous
- Archery
- Track moulding using Plaster of Paris
- Baking – muffins, pancakes, flapjacks, all those tasty things!
- Pizza making
- Fishing
- Soccer and rugby with the other children, rangers and trackers
- Boule
- Dung spitting contests
- Storytime
- Movie nights
- Seasonal sand castles in the riverbed
- Sling-shot competitions
- Arts and crafts – drawing, painting, face masks, fridge magnets
- Pool activities
- S’mores
- Masterchef
- Photographic walks through camp
Then there’s the Den
Added to this we have a ‘Cubs Den’ where little ones, if they’ve opted out of a midday swim can run around in a safe environment. Here there’s a creative station to explore and tons of arts and crafts to get involved with.
After the evening drive there are pizzas to design, to a child’s artistic whim, and marshmallows or s’mores to be toasted on an open fire. If the stars are out then the kids can play with the telescope or even get a simplified, mind-expanding star lecture to enjoy whilst Mom and Dad finish their glass of red.
Obviously all of these activities need to be conducted in a safe and fun manner and so we have recruited a large and enthusiastic team of guides. The local industry expression for this is being ‘over the top’ in terms of guides required to conduct core business. At Londolozi we feel that three extra guides is just right to cope with the energy of creating fun filled children’s safaris. We also have a full time facilitator to oversee all activities and conduct the in-camp activities. Recognizing that different guides also excel at different elements of a successful safari, embedded within the team are children specialists, those guides who love to get in the rough and tumble with kids and see the world through their eyes.
A child who arrives at Londolozi is always assessed by the ranger and facilitator and the plan is drawn up from there. It’s flexible and energetic and done only once the child has been met. That way we ensure that we’ll never bottle a child into a mundane activity that doesn’t appeal to him or her.
Do we have a cast iron Children’s Program? No – better than that, we have a Londolozi Children’s Philosophy that will search your child’s departure point to tremendous fun and an unforgettable life experience.
*Varty and Founders camp both accommodate children between the ages of 6 and 16 years old. Children of 6 years and over are welcome on game drives.
Rates
Life at Londolozi is dictated by the seasons; the vegetation and the animal behaviour shift with the rains of summer and the chill of winter. What is unchanging is the warmth of your welcome by your Londolozi Family and the opportunity to experience a deep and authentic connection with the natural world.
Summer Safari Schedule
Getting into step with the rhythm of nature is the first order of business. Witnessing the start of the day in the African bush is like being invited to partake in a daily miracle. A dawn chorus of birdsong and the haunting calls of fish eagles, the air rich with the night flowers’ perfume and delightfully cool.
On returning from the drive and fortifying yourself with breakfast you can either retire to the cool sanctuary of your chalet or indulge a myriad of bushveld activities which include the following: Between Game Drive Optional Activities: Bush Walk/Photographic Studio/Village Experience/Massage/Good Work Foundation Community Experience/Inclusive Yoga Class/Boutique Shopping
In spring and summer, the early evening air along the Sand River often carries the aroma of baked potato. Far from drifting from the camp kitchens, this scent comes emanates from the tiny pink flowers of a scrambling scrub called the Potato Bush. Breathe in this most distinctive of bushveld smells and let it come to be associated with the anticipation of your evening game drive.
Winter Safari Schedule
The bushveld is breathtaking during the cool, dry months of winter between April and September. The days are balmy, the mornings crisp and clear, and the bush is a miracle of changing colours and unobstructed game viewing.
We encourage you to rise before first light to join the early game drive – your every sense will be rewarded. As the sun rises, the booming snorts of hippo fill the air, while lions can be spotted in pursuit of any last traces of nocturnal food.
On returning from the drives and restoring yourself with breakfast you can either retire to the sanctuary of your chalet or indulge a myriad of bushveld activities which include the following: Between Game Drive Optional Activities: Bush Walk/Photographic Studio/Village Experience/Massage/Good Work Foundation Community Experience/Inclusive Yoga Class/Boutique Shopping
Winter evenings are also a feast for the senses. Drink in all the postcard images around you: the bare thorn tree, silhouetted against a vast red sunset as the first glimmering stars appear.
Game Drives
Game drives at Londolozi are taken by professional, passionate and knowledgeable rangers and trackers, who have 350 years of experience between them. With over 16,000 hectares of traversing wilderness, no two game drives are ever the same. Trackers sit up at the front of the Land Rover looking for fresh animal tracks, while rangers drive with astonishing skill into ravines and through thicket in pursuit of rare animal sightings, simultaneously wowing guests with their outstanding knowledge and unforgettable stories.
The historical safari dates back to the age when reserves were hunting concessions and value was placed on an animal according to its potential danger when hunted on foot. In today’s safari practice, rifles have been replaced with cameras, and the only shooting we do is to photograph the majesty of animals, birds and trees. Londolozi’s rangers specialise in photographic safaris and, where possible, will position the vehicle for guests to get the best angle for photography. They will also share advice and knowledge where they can so you can capture the moment in all its glory.
Many of Londolozi’s rangers and trackers grew up in this region, living close to the land. This gives them an unmatched knowledge of the terrain, flora and wildlife on the reserve. Londolozi boasts two Lead Trackers, meaning our game drive experience is truly world class.
Our field guides primary mission is to showcase the wilderness and bring you in tune with nature’s harmony.
* Activities to ask about: The Londolozi Photographic Studio, The Londolozi Living Boutique, The Healing House, The Londolozi Village Walk.
