Being the host sponsor of the weeklong Safari Guide of the Year 2024 competition was an amazing experience for everyone at Mhondoro Safari Lodge and Villa. The lodge and all its staff found it to be inspirational to be involved so intimately with the competition which was superbly complimented by the venue provided. This is a short insight into this magnificent lodge.
Located in the Welgevonden Game Reserve in the Waterberg Mountains (Limpopo), Mhondoro Safari Lodge and Villa is a luxury safari destination of note. A mere 2h45 drive from Johannesburg, the landscape is breathtakingly rich and diverse, stretching across almost 40 000 hectares. The reserve is home to the Big 5, including a large white rhino population that is protected within the malaria-free reserve. The lodge offers guided walks which are popular with guests, as is watching a ‘resident’ herd of elephants who visit the waterhole at the lodge several times a week and who love a drink from the natural, salt-water swimming pools.
The superb wildlife experience is complemented by Mhondoro’s luxurious accommodation, indulgent spa treatments, fine cuisine and passionate service. Dutch-owned, Mhondoro is a fusion of African chic and edgy European influences. The exclusive 5-star lodge sleeps 24 guests, with accommodation that includes two child-friendly family suites, a romantic honeymoon suite, and a 2-bedroom executive suite. Guest suites are spacious with full bathrooms, outdoor showers, private decks and most have private plunge pools.
Mhondoro Villa is the ultimate in luxury and privacy for families or friends travelling together. It features a magnificent master suite and two additional bedrooms and comes with a private gym, yoga or massage room and a heated swimming pool, a game-viewing safari vehicle with personal guide, and the services of a chef, butler and housekeeping staff.
Unique features at Mhondoro include the ultimate photographer’s dream: a waterhole with an underground hide that is connected to the main lodge by a tunnel. There is also a star deck and heated swimming pools with an infrared sauna. The Spa offers facials, manicures and pedicures, as well as a private, outdoor spa deck overlooking the reserve to offer the ultimate relaxation experience.
“Besides a luxury, 5-star product offering to our guests, we are proud of the fact that everything we do here at Mhondoro is based on environmentally safe principles. Internationally there is a lot of talk about so-called greenwashing, but the capital investment in our solar plant, that takes care of all our power requirements, is another tangible example of the vision of the Dutch owners, Frank and Myriam Vogel, to further reduce the carbon footprint of the lodge,” says Ronel Breytenbach, Marketing Manager.
Various other eco-friendly initiatives have also been put in place at Mhondoro, including the installation of a grey water filtration system for irrigation around the lodge, and a water purification plant that produces drinking water fresh from the surrounding Waterberg mountains. The lodge uses glass decanters and personalized steel water bottles for guests to minimize the use of single-use plastic water bottles. All glass, paper and plastics are recycled, and Mhondoro has an agreement with Nespresso to recycle used coffee pods and grinds. Furthermore, guest check-in is being done digitally to reduce the use of paper and re-usable leather wallets are used for staff gratuities – that alone saves using more than 2000 paper envelopes per year!
Mhondoro has embarked on producing as much of its own fresh produce as possible. The owners purchased two farms adjoining Welgevonden Game Reserve, a section of which is utilized to grow fruit, vegetables and herbs in two greenhouses. A chicken coop has been successfully established to supply farm fresh eggs for use at the lodge. The balance of the 2400 hectares of farmland is being rehabilitated and over time will become protected wilderness areas.
Mhondoro Safari Lodge and Villa – an honestly sympathetic ‘eco lodge’, environmentally savvy and concerned.
Truly a dream destination, in a dream environment, for the discerning traveller.
Mhondoro Safari Lodge and Villa contact details: Tel +27 87 150 2314, Email: res@mhondoro.com, www.mhondoro.com, FB: mhondorosafarilodgeandvilla, Instagram: mhondorosafarilodgeandvilla.
