If you’ve been to Londolozi, you’ll know… From wildlife to cuisine, service, in-camp experiences and more, Londolozi has been known to be a home-away-from-home to many. Something changes you after just one visit. Here are the 15 signs that we think show The Londolozi Effect has occurred within you:
1. You’ve gained a couple tracking skills along the way. So much so that your pets’ paw prints around your yard are no longer just marks, they tell a story and you treat them as evidence in an investigation to find its location.
2. Your favourite foods now include pap, sheeba, the Londolozi Muesli and malva pudding.
3. Your regular television episodes just aren’t making the cut for your evening’s entertainment anymore. Sitting around a crackling fire in the boma with the Londolozi Choir singing is now your classification of bliss. You need your bush TV back!
4. You actually considering changing your profession and working as a therapist just to spend your days in The Healing House!
5. Your butler has almost become part of the family and you’ve learnt to pronounce the word “Avuxeni” and “Inkomu” and are determined to get at least one whistling word correct.
6. Watching Animal Planet just doesn’t satisfy your safari craving anymore, you just need to see The Leopards of Londolozi in real life. Nothing compares!
7. You’ve done the Healing House’s Body Activation, and you’re improving on your plunge time of 3 minutes in the freeze pool.
8. You look at the birds in your yard a bit differently now, you take note of their calls, their behaviour and might even tick them off a birding list. You might even consider yourself a birder, and take a stab at Londolozi’s ‘What Bird Is This?‘ quiz, imagine that!
9. You had no idea you could take such exquisite photographs of wildlife! Your amateur photographs around your house are being replaced with masterpieces. Of course, the talent was all you, but your Photographic Studio Session might have helped too.
10. Your morning coffee is okay…it just isn’t the same after your Londolozi-Amarula-Coffee. You are tempted to get some of that liquid magic shipped to you.
11. You have already watched the trailer of the new Lion King and intend on catching it as it comes out, but you now have a soft spot for the hyenas and picture one of the Birmingham males every time you see Mufasa. You also think that Ximpalapala Koppie would be a perfect Pride Rock.
12. You wish you could replicate the ceiling of your home with that of the African night sky..
13. You enjoyed your local yoga class, but after Londolozi, your standard has raised to yoga-with-a-view. While doing your Downward-Facing Dog you keep a look out for elephants grazing in the Sand River and Vervet monkeys swinging in the Ebony trees.
14. Your new sundowner drink of choice is a South African, botanical infused Gin and Tonic! It also needs to be poured on the hood of a Land Rover, else it doesn’t taste the same.
15. Your daily magazine and newspaper are no longer that riveting; reading the blog is part of your daily routine and you’re up to date with all the ins and outs of the bush! And of course, you’re rooting for the survival of the Nkoveni, Nhlanguleni and Ximungwe females’ cubs!
16. Reading the last 15 points have made you nostalgic – it’s time to come back for a dose of The Londolozi Effect!
I’m sure we’re missing a couple signs. We’d love to hear how your trip/trips to Londolozi have made an impact on you in the comment section below…
Perfectly described “if” explanations, evoking the very best memories.. …. thank you Jemma.
Oh Jemma I am feeling nostalgic reading this blog. From the first time many years ago up to the 12th time nothing compares with the magic. It is all about the little things that make it so special. Sitting outside your room takìng in the peace and quiet of the Sand river. The friendly butlers and camp managers. The knowledge that we gain on the game drives. We learned so much about the bush over the years. The food. The boma and the choir. The amarula coffee. The bubbles. Amazing.
Thanks Marinda for adding some of the experiences you’ve loved while staying with us.
I am still living at Londolozi Tree Camp through your daily blog. I cannot wait until it pops into my computer every morning! My husband, John and I are definitely and happily suffering from the Londolozi Effect. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Glad to hear the bug has bitten you two! Tree Camp is looking forward to having you back x
All good!
One additional effect for us: planning the next visit!
Brilliant! That should have been number 16, thanks Vin.
And 15 reasons to return as soon as possible…… I’m still basking in the glow of the Londolozi effect, all senses heightened by the experience. I’m still longing for more of the mouth-watering rusks that I discovered in the glass jar next to my coffee service, the gentle music soothing my soul during an amazing massage, meals with a view, and so many smiles!! Thanks for reinforcing the memories!!???
Thanks for your comment Denise, the rusks are very tasty indeed! The rusks and the Healing House will be here for you when you come back. Glad we were able to touch on some of your fond memories.
Londolozi will always hold a special place in my heart! We felt so welcome and so grateful for all of the wonderful interactions with the staff and special sightings of ALL of the animals we were privileged enough to see. I hope to one day return with other family members, until then, love, peace and happiness.
It’s wonderful to hear what an impact Londolozi has made on you Nickolette, we are looking forward to having you and your family back. Hope you had a lovely festive season.
Totally guilty of 10 and 14. The lion king is next but it will not be the same.
Luckily for us, our local liquor store, Total Wine and More, carries Amarula. I checked before I left South Africa 🙂 Our Tracker Bennett made delicious ‘Bennette Specials’ every morning. That’s coffee and Amarula with coco mixed in. Delicious!
Amazing, how convenient! Will pass your praise onto Bennet, I’ll have to ask him to make me a “Bennette Special” too!
We have been 4 times. I always say I am saving the best for last. You are a wonder beyond belief. We will be back in 2020, celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary and my 70th birthday. Can’t wait?
How exciting Joan! We are looking forward to having the both of you and to sharing in your celebrations.
Five visits, starting in 2010, and the next scheduled for 2020…oh yes, I know the ‘Londolozi effect!’ I amaze my friends – and trackers – by showing photos on my phone of
Nanga and Nkoveni as cubs!
#15 for sure! Sometimes this blog is the best part of my day. I would also add, You Would Cheerfully Get Up At 5:30am Every Morning Forever if You Knew You Were Going on a Game Drive. I am painfully introverted, and my social circle is small, but at Londolozi I felt like I met people I could be life long friends with. I am already scheming how to make my next trip happen.
Tick, tick and tick again. When I go to my weekly yoga class in my village hall, I close my eyes as much as possible so I can try to pretend I’m back on your wonderful yoga deck. Roll on September when I’m back for real. I call Londolozi “my expensive addiction”!
I’ve defintely experienced 8, 11, 12, 9 and 15, and 1 and 3 to an extent and I haven’t even been to Londolozi yet!!
Until I came to Londolozi, I figured I knew all I needed or wanted to know about the land and animals of the African veldt from the Nature programs on American PBS. W R O N G!! I was astounded and delighted by all that I saw and learned from my ranger and tracker. I could not believe the beautiful people, accommodations, cuisine, and just the total ambiance I thrilled in every day and night at Londolozi. I really hope to return someday.
I’ve been to South Africa three times but finding a place at the Londolozi seems like an impossible mission. You should book at least two years before. But who knows if I’ll still be alive! But even if I have not been with you, I continue to find myself in all the fifteen points listed. I read you every day. I miss the bush. I miss the smell and taste of food. The smells of the earth and the trees. I miss the emotions experienced in seeing leopards, cheetahs, lion cubs, lions with huge ridges, snakes, birds, the elegant impala, the gentle giants, the buffaloes, the ancient rhinos, the fascinating crocodiles, the colorful birds, the very nice dots hens, the hateful wilddogs and the unbearable hyenas. I want to come back. I would like to come back to stay, forever. I love South Africa and its people and the principle of UBUNTU. Sincerely.