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“Makweti Safari Lodge was inspired by our family’s love of the wild places in Africa.

It grew from the excitement of my parents, who journeyed to the Kruger park when it was first opened in 1926. They would travel in a Ford Model T and set up camp in the only facility provided in the southern section of the reserve.

“My husband’s father served in the King’s African Rifles in Ethiopia. He was a member of the South African medical corps and performed surgery in the field hospitals of the time. In an incredible set of circumstances, he adopted an orphaned cheetah cub that travelled with him in the back of the ambulance!

“Growing up on legends like these, we were imbued with the love and deep desire to preserve wild lands for the generations to come. We’d take every opportunity to see the beauty and to seek the adventure that Africa always promises. We have been fortunate in that our children and grandchildren have followed this same path, immersing themselves in the fun of safari from a very young age. Having learned how fragile this environment is, they are also committed to conservation. They understand how threatened this natural world is, now more than ever, with pressure from all sides. We all know the story: global warming, pollution and expanding populations.

“It is with this legacy we built Makweti Safari lodge. Respecting the sensitive sourveld savannah of the site, we were careful to lay out the pathways first. Not a tree was disturbed. The largest piece of equipment was a wheelbarrow and a hand-turned cement mixer. Only natural stone and thatch were used to create our African home.

“Makweti is an intimate, luxurious five-star camp embracing our love of African culture and art. It has evolved over the last 25 years into a haven for friends, family and guests from all over the world. People have not only come for the viewing of the incredible game that moves through the camp. They have visited for the congeniality of meeting interesting fellow travellers and the team.

“Oh, the team! Or, as we fondly call them: the Makweti family. As much as we love the camp and its environment, Makweti would not be the same experience without the loyal and talented people who have created this home away from home. It is a home where joy, excitement and awe are experienced on arrival, and a tear is shed on departure.

Friendships are made and lives are enriched – and this is what we had dreamed.”