Rhythms of The Wild: Heartbeats of Londolozi

Sanctuary in Changing Times

As Londolozi’s story flows into its third decade, a world emerging from war finds new rhythms, while the ancient pulse of African wilderness continues its timeless beat at Sparta Farm. The post-war years bring profound changes across the globe—the United Nations gathering for the first time, the Cold War casting its long shadow, India breaking free from colonial rule. Yet here, on the banks of the Sand River, time moves to a different melody.

“Sparta remained our sanctuary from the noise of civilization. While the world rebuilt itself from war, invented televisions, and discovered rock and roll, we sat beside campfires listening to the most ancient music of all—lions roaring in the darkness and the whisper of wind through thorn trees.” – Dave Varty 

Sacred Winter Pilgrimages

The ritual of winter journeys to Sparta deepens in meaning for the Varty and Taylor families with each passing year. Dave speaks of these formative days with reverence:

“Our bushveld farm Sparta had a profound effect on my early life. My first lessons were in hunting. We were brought up to track and shoot lions in the belief that the reduction of predators would assist the rebuilding of game numbers.”

Yet within this hunting tradition, seeds of transformation quietly take root. A moment of awakening arrives, and Dave recalls it with clarity:

“Then one day I knew that the killing was over. A new understanding permeated my being: nature’s forces and wilderness restoration were a far greater challenge and a more rewarding option.”

Women Keeping the Flame

While adventure narratives often spotlight the men, it is the women who tend the heart and continuity of Sparta. Maidie Varty lovingly keeps the “Sparta Game Book”—a treasured chronicle recording not merely factual details of trips and sightings, but the emotional texture of life at the camp. Her careful hand preserves moments that might otherwise drift away like smoke from the evening fire.

Betty Taylor, with her gentle wisdom and deep communion with the natural world, helps nurture a shift in the younger generation’s relationship with the land—moving from conquest toward stewardship, from taking to protecting.

Evenings of Harmony

As the wider world discovers Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel,” evenings at camp unfold to a different soundtrack—guitars strumming beside dancing flames, stories flowing in the golden glow of paraffin lamps, all woven together with the nocturnal symphony of the bushveld. This tradition of gathering around the fire in Varty camp boma continues to this day, a living thread connecting past and present in the eternal dance of wilderness and human heart.