My visit to Singita Lebombo and Sweni camps in the Kruger
I recently had the good fortune to visit Singita Lebombo and Singita Sweni lodges, both in the Kruger National Park of South Africa. The Singita Kruger lodges make an excellent combination with the Singita Sabi Sands lodges of Ebony and Boulders, or indeed with any lodge in the private game reserve of Sabi Sands or Timbavati, as the terrain and therefore the game-viewing is quite different. The game-viewing was good at Singita despite the summer rains during our stay. Here you see larger herds of animals – big herds of zebra, wildebeest, nyala, kudu, and there are two large resident prides of lion on the concession so chances of seeing lion are high. The one animal that you may not see easily is the leopard which typically hides away in the rocks, unlike in the Sabi Sands.
Singita Lebombo and Singita Sweni lie in the foothills of the Lebombo mountains which form the eastern edge of the Kruger National Park. Unlike some other Kruger concession lodges, Singita Kruger, (as the two lodges are collectively known), sticks to game drives on its own concession, thus maintaining the aura of exclusivity. It is a huge concession of 15,000ha so you probably won’t even see another game vehicle on your drives. The rangers are allowed to go off road for sightings but this must be carefully documented which I think is appropriate and ecologically sensitive.
Singita Kruger also tries to differentiate itself from the Sabi Sands by being a little more flexible in their game activities (which reinforces the argument for combining the two areas). They do not stick so rigidly to the “two game drives with short bush walk after breakfast formula”. They try to incorporate bush walks into their drives and guests can opt to go on a longer morning bush walk instead. Archery is another activity guests can enjoy and they’ve just introduced guided mountain biking in the concession. At the lodge itself, you can spend time at the Trading Post which is a collection of open spaces/rooms selling beautiful African crafts, jewellery and curios. The spa and gym is in the same area so it naturally fits together to enjoy a treatment followed by a little retail therapy… Lebombo has its own wine cellar and wine-tasting is offered on request by their resident Sommelier.
Now to the lodges…
Singita Lebombo is on a ridge with panoramic views of the surrounding bush, whereas Sweni lies below it nestled in the bushveld alongside the river.
We stayed at Singita Sweni, and though this probably swayed us, it was interesting most of us preferred Sweni to Lebombo – albeit marginally. I loved the intimacy of the smaller lodge (with only six suites), the setting right on the river, the stylish airy interiors both of the public areas and the rooms.
The six suites fan out on either side of the main lodge and are simply glorious. They are modern in style but in an approachable way. The rooms are completely made of glass but bamboo rods form a shaded back- and side- drop to the rooms and also give you the necessary privacy when showering etc. The colours are neutral with soft greens, beiges and browns but it has a light airy feel. There’s a spacious bedroom and a deck with a comfortable day bed for those afternoon siestas. The bathroom is open plan with sunken bath, indoor shower and outdoor shower. Sweni also has a second toilet which is useful for the early morning rush to get out on game drive and a second indoor shower (which I thought was a bit of an overkill.)
I have to confess that I wasn’t convinced I’d like Singita Lebombo having seen the glossy pictures. I thought it might be too divorced from its bush surroundings and too avant-garde. However this was not the case. The very openness of the lodge design means that you are always aware of the surrounding bush and feel part of it. Yes, the design and décor is very contemporary and wouldn’t look out of place in New York or London, but it doesn’t jar either. Nearly everyone who opts to stay here knows that it is one of the ‘new design’ game lodges.
The public areas are less intimate and more glamourous than at Sweni with lots of use of white furnishings, signature pieces of modern furniture and spectacular glass chandeliers. You have an overwhelming sense of space here.
The rooms at Sweni and Lebombo are basically the same design but with the use of the signature white décor more evident at Lebombo, the glass chandeliers and also no second indoor shower at Lebombo. Most of the suites have a panoramic, rather than the more intimate riverine view at Sweni, but this is not guaranteed.