There are just eight luxury residences – each accessed by a meandering boardwalk – with earthen walls, thatched roofs and a private deck overlooking a small waterfall that trickles down to a watering hole right by the dining area and pool. Shambala’s camp structure is built upon the design principles of traditional Zulu dwellings. The air of remoteness is entirely intentional: it’s about total immersion here in the bush. Set in 30,000 acres of wilderness in the Waterberg region, it exudes a rustically secluded yet sophisticated charm. Shambala is just a three-hour drive from its sister property, Johannesburg’s legendary Saxon hotel, but it might as well be on another planet. We joked with Sean that he was our ‘big sixth’: his passion for sharing his knowledge of the local fauna and flora turning him into an attraction in his own right. Campfire stories are, after all, part of the experience of being this deep in the bush, as well as the promise of spotting the reserve’s famed ‘big five’. His stories of dazzling, diligent, dutiful and sometimes even dangerous encounters came vividly to life as we sat around a roaring firepit under the famously star-encrusted night sky. It comes from years of training and experience out here in the South African bush. Sean Jones, our convivial head ranger at Shambala Private Game Reserve is made up of equal parts tracker, security expert, naturalist, conservationist and raconteur.
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