Londolozi shot to prominence in the early 1990s when it was the first private reserve to receive Relais and Chateau status. But it was the model of wise land use –promoting the well being of land, animals and surrounding communities – and the praise it received from Nelson Mandela that truly secured Londolozi’s international fame. Furthermore, Mandela’s endorsement created the space for the model to be exported across Africa.

By the turn of the century the economics of the Londolozi model was proven beyond a doubt. However, there is increasingly a trend towards questioning the potential harmful impact of ecotourism. Tourism and ecotourism are growing rapidly, compounding the stress on the environment, as increasing numbers of people want to get out and enjoy the natural and cultural wonders of the world. The question is now being asked: ecotourism at what price?

While Londolozi was being run under a management contract Dave Varty was in the privileged position of being able to observe the direction the industry was taking without actually being part of the trend. The lessons learnt through observation have set the ground for a fundamental shift in the Londolozi conservation approach.

As before when the Varty’s took their farm from hunting to ecotourism the new shift in direction comes from a perfect alignment of virtue (protecting the last wilderness spaces) and necessity (the land’s true value is being rapidly undermined).

The Varty’s do not subscribe to the chain of lodges approach that most ecotourism operators are adopting nor do they think it wise to overburden the land with bricks and mortar infrastructure. The new Londolozi model has at its core a reduction of the lodge operation’s footprint, an increase in land and a focus on the richness of experience inherent in the African bushveld.

Land Care
Man and the land are inseparable – this has been the long lesson of conservation – and consequently man is obliged not just to protect but also restore the land. Indeed, this responsibility extends beyond the land and the creatures it supports to all vestiges of natural and cultural heritage.

At Londolozi the care of the land has been an enduring theme and one where human intervention has proven sound and beneficial.

At the outset a primary objective was to demonstrate that man and wildlife can interact on a sustainable basis. The approach was to create a model of wise land management by using the many qualities of the natural systems and by integrating visitors, local people and the environment – to the benefit of all.

The relationship started in 2003. Londolozi has match-funded the project which is now reaching a figure close to R500 000. It has been very successful in combating erosion and silting of the Sand River and ultimately helping the land retain water.

It is a very labour intensive and all labour is employed from our neighbouring communities in Justicia, Lillydale and Huntington.

With Londolozi’s land becoming more resistant to drought and the scores of animals gathering in rehabilitated areas, we are already seeing the benefits of this project.

Alien Plant Control
We have also reached an agreement with Working-for-Water to remove alien plants from Londolozi. The clearing of the aggressive invader – lantana – has gone well and we have reduced density from 14% to 3%.

Londolozi now has the cleanest river bank of any lodge in the Sabi Sand Wildtuin, according to the Working-for-Water organisation.

Leopards of Londolozi
Over the past thirty years the leopards of Londolozi have developed legendary status, owing to the truly remarkable partnership between the leopards and rangers and trackers. These naturally elusive creatures have become Londolozi’s icon species and guests regularly witness remarkable leopard sightings.

The relationship between man and leopard began with a brief meeting in a dry riverbed.

John Varty was trundling his battered Landrover through the thick sand when to his absolute astonishment he spotted a young leopard casually sharpening her claws on the bark of a thorn tree, unfazed by his proximity. For what seemed like both an eternity and a fleeting moment he sat captivated, incredulous.

In the days that followed he and master tracker Elmon Mhlongo fervently searched for this young female who had been so calmly confident under his watchful gaze. Their joy when they found her, and she allowed them into her presence for a short while, was inexpressible.

In the five years of careful land management and conservation that had preceded this sighting leopards had remained almost entirely elusive. The appearance of this young female – who was to become known as Mother Leopard and produce nine litters of cubs – was the beginning of a relationship between man and wild leopard the likes of which the world had never seen.

Mother Leopard was the matriarch of the Leopards of Londolozi – now famous around the world – and today guests are privileged to experience the same heart stopping intensity when one of her progeny steps suddenly and silently into view.

This partnership of man and animal, which has endured over the decades, has become symbolic of a search for a new way forward. While the lessons learnt have ostensibly been about leopards they are simultaneously about humility and respecting sanctity – recognising a world where it is possible to share each other’s space in harmony and for mutual benefit. Through the revelations of Mother Leopard the Londolozi family have moved towards a deeper understanding of sustainable future for all.

Adapted from The Way of the Leopard by Gillian van Houten

22nd Century & Beyond
Complete annihilation awaits in the business as usual approach. Bold action and a completely new way of doing things is required to change the course that mankind has set. At Londolozi, where nature’s abundance is so apparent, this change has already been set in motion.

A holistic approach ensures not only that Londolozi has aesthetic appeal but also that we honour the dignity of all persons and all species.

At Londolozi it is clear that we are part of a web of global forces that are now at work to protect the planet for our great great grandchildren.

Clearly the massive explosion in ecotourism and the expansion of game parks are signs of an inevitable dawning of a new age, the age of restoration and the return to Eden in South Africa.

Game Ranger Records
Londolozi has unsurpassed game viewing, partly because of the habitat and game density but also because of the professional excellence of the game rangers and trackers. Of the only sixteen master trackers in South Africa, four are at Londolozi.

Londolozi saw 54 different leopards in 2005. In May 2006 we saw an astounding 128 different leopard sightings and in the early months of 2007 the sightings have been phenomenal.

Our leopard family tree boasts 18 different individuals all of which we see on a regular basis. The trusting relationship between leopard and people at Londolozi represents a climax in the development of the relationship between animals and human beings on our planet.

Five different prides of lion are seen at Londolozi. Right now a large male lion is taking over the territory of two younger males and much action is predicted over the next 18 months. Cheetah and wild dog are also regularly seen on Londolozi’s vast open tracts of land.

The Londolozi property comprises large open savanna clearings in the south and more densely wooded areas in the north. Acacia thornveld, grassland savanna and riverine woodland are the three major habitat types. This diversity of the habitat ensures the greatest number of antelope and plains game. Zebra and wildebeest are also constantly moving over the Londolozi land. And northern Londolozi has the highest density of giraffe in the Sabi Sand complex.

Unparalleled elephant viewing is ensured by the Sand River, which flows through the heart of Londolozi. We have 950 elephants in the Londolozi area and 45-percent of the total hippo population in the Sabi Sand complex.

We are very proud to be able to claim the cleanest stretch of Sand River bank in the Sabi Sands Wildtuin thanks to our aggressive long-term strategy to control alien plants. Our Lantana density is down from 14% in 2001 to 3% today.

An active micro-catchments management programme, aiding the land to retain its water, has helped make Londolozi largely drought resistant. We have spent an average of R1-million, every year for the past 12-years, on habitat restoration projects and our land care programme is overseen by some of the world leaders in rangeland ecology.

All our animals are free to roam in 2-million hectares. We view our animals doing exactly what they would do even if we were not there. We are the privileged observers of the daily lives of wild animals.