Londolozi Varty Camp
Londolozi Varty Camp Is A Family-Friendly Luxury Lodge In Prime Big Game Territory
Londolozi Varty Camp is the largest of the Londolozi portfolio, and arguably the most family friendly too. Located on the original Londolozi site overlooking the Sand River, Varty Camp has a friendly feel and gentle buzz to it. Central to the Londolozi operations, guests from the smaller Londolozi camps are able to visit Varty Camp to use the health spa, fitness centre and photographic studio. The accommodation is luxurious, though the overall levels of sophistication are a small step down from the most exclusive Sabi Sand lodges.
Rooms
Accommodation is for up to 20 guests in eight Standard Chalets and two Superior Chalets, all set on raised decking under the canopy of trees, with en suite facilities (including indoor and outdoor showers and an indoor bath) and private plunge pools. The standard options are located in semi-detached chalets, with each set of two rooms having inter-leading doors, making them ideal for families. The chalets have a light and contemporary décor and are equipped with all mod cons including air conditioning, ceiling fans, mini bar, tea and coffee making facilities and hair dryers. The bathroom and bedroom in the standard chalets are separated by a curtain. The two standalone superior chalets are larger and have a separate bathroom.
Central Areas
Varty Camp is the hub for all the Londolozi Camps and guests at all Londolozi Camps can make use of the facilities here. This includes an excellent spa called the “Healing House” which offers a comprehensive range of holistic treatments and wellness options (ask us for more details if you are particularly interested in holistic wellness); a fitness centre; a photographic studio where you can edit and print your own photos; and a boutique. Meals are taken either on the central decking or in the lounge area when the weather does not allow for outside dining. There is also a shared swimming pool.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for Charging – Yes
Swimming Pool – Yes (and private plunge pools)
Habitat & Wildlife
The Sabi Sand Nature Reserve lies on the western edge of the famous Kruger National Park with which it shares an unfenced boundary. The reserve is made up of a consortium of old farms, which over the last 40 years, have reverted back to nature and created the wildlife haven it is today. Many of these old properties are individually owned and host some of the best known safari lodges in Africa, of which Londolozi is one.
The Sand River flows through the reserve and provides a welcome source of water year round. The habitat of the region is predominantly mixed woodland (from dense riverine forest to acacia-combretum bushveld), with open grassland plains and rocky outcrops. Animal species likely to be seen include elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, rhino, buffalo, impala, duiker, giraffe, kudu, waterbuck, bushbuck, zebra, hippo, warthog and wild dog. Sable antelope are also returning to the region.
During your stay at any of the safari camps, you’ll no doubt have the opportunity to experience the bush after dark. Using a spotlight on the vehicle, you may have the luck to see some of the many nocturnally active species of wildlife – honey badger, leopard, civet, serval, genet, aardvark, pangolin, bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal, and hyaena. The birdlife of South Africa is exceptional, and Sabi Sands is no exception. Birds likely to be seen include the beautiful rollers (Lilac Breasted and European), various kingfisher species including the woodland, as well as a variety of species usually associated with the bush – shrikes, widowbirds, babblers, starlings, vultures and raptors.
Activities
Londolozi is one of the larger properties in Sabi Sand and shares only very limited traversing rights with one neighbour. Game-viewing activities are concentrated around morning and afternoon game drives. The morning drive will leave around sunrise, and return to camp around 09h00/09h30 (depending on the season). The afternoon drive leaves after tea (15h30-16h00) and returns around 19h30, using a spotlight after dark to look for nocturnal creatures. Nature walks are also available, usually hosted by your guide after the morning drive.
Seasons
Londolozi Varty Camp is open all year. Game-viewing is superb all year round, though you could experience rainfall from late October through to early April.
Children over the age of six are welcome at Varty Camp, making this camp the most family friendly of the Londolozi collection. Some of the chalets are inter-leading which is ideal for families. For younger kids (typically 6 to 12 years), there is a Cubs Den Programme which includes a creative station with lots of arts and crafts as well as offering fun activities to learn bush skills.
Londolozi was established in the late 1970s as a for-profit conservation development model, pioneering a blueprint for conservation which set benchmarks for operating, training and empowering rural people throughout the safari industry. Today, Londolozi continues to innovate ideas and practices to promote sustainable conservation and community upliftment alongside a first class guest experience.
The Londolozi Ripple Fund provides seed capital to empower small businesses, individual entrepreneurs, NGO start-ups, and projects that might normally go unnoticed, flourish with the right level of support. Every guest contributes to the Ripple Fund through the conservation contribution levy, with an additional 1% of Londolozi’s profits going directly to the fund. The Ripple Fund’s projects are focused on six categories:
Restoration – funding projects focused on landscape and mountain river catchment restoration, such as the Save the Sand Project which uses modern technology – including drones and satellite imagery – to highlight the importance of this river system. Londolozi is advoctaing for the vigorous protection in the upper catchment areas and wetlands that are vital to the continued health of the Sand River ecosystem.
Innovation – they support local entrepreneurs to thrive, which includes investing in numerous local families involved in innovative permaculture farming techniques.
Protection – supporting projects that protect rhinos and other endangered species. such as partnering with Tracker Academy and Rhino Guardians. Londolozi is an important partner of the Tracker Academy, with the Ripple Fund providing initial startup capital and a permanent training base with full bed and board facilities. The Academy was established to teach the traditional art and indigenous knowledge of tracking animals in the wild in a formal education and training environment. Whilst on site, students have access to the Londolozi Learning Centre and the Medical Clinic. The Academy now enrolls 32 tracker students a year, the majority of which are recruited from local areas surrounding Southern Africa’s large national parks. The Tracker Academy launched the Rhino Guardians, a project which trains trackers specifically for wildlife protection, especially Rhino, proving that traditional tracking skills and ancient wisdom is critical for counter-poaching efforts.
People – upskilling young members of the families surrounding Londolozi, especially women, such as the organic farming movement being led by Khensani (read more in page
Leadership – investing in supply chain enterprise development that includes fresh produce supplier development and free-range chicken and egg farming
Education – Londolozi is patron and founding donor of a not for profit organisation called The Good Work Foundation. This digitally based futuristic schooling model has a central campus 100 kilometres from the Reserve, which supports five satellite campuses located in the villages adjacent to the Reserve reaching approximately 12,000 learners a week. The Foundation is a supplement to the formal education system, boosting learning for school children and providing preparation for school leavers to improve access to further education.
Londolozi works with the Youth Employment Service (YES), an initiative that calls on businesses to help the government create critical work experience for young people across the country. All the interns that are assigned to Londolozi live in the immediate vicinity of the Sabi Sand and at the end of each year, Londolozi employs those interns that have really stood out – they currently employ seven interns in permanent positions.
A major part of Londolozi’s model is continuously developing new systems for sustainable living looking at carbon emissions, waste reduction and management and maximising energy efficiency and renewable energy production, through state of the art technology and community engagement. For their centenary year, 2026, they are aiming to migrate their entire fleet of game drive vehicles to a sustainable safari vehicle option.
