The long and winding road, that leads to your door…
The lyrics of this Beatles classic were playing in my head as we drove up this road for a return visit to the camp.
It had been a decade since my previous visit and almost three decades since I first visited the camp when was built back in 1995.
When Chris Lucas built the camp it was to train students from the guiding course that he was running at the time.
Like many things in my life, I started the course and then ‘ life’ got in the way and I was not able to complete it (I did eventually complete an online guiding course that took me 21 years to finish a course that should have taken a year…but more of that another time)
The camp is still owned by Chris and June Lucas.
Their daughter Caroline now manages the lodge and she is doing an excellent job of keeping the camp current and eco-friendly.
These have to be the MOST photographed paraffin lamps in the world.
This is how the camp is illuminated as there is NO electricity in the camp…not even to charge devices (although that can be done by the camp management)
So you are encouraged to bring your power banks etc. to keep your electronics ‘happy’.
The one area that has not had any major changes is the lounge and bar area.
Here guests can relax, read a book or perhaps engage with others in a board game or two?
From the inside out. From the lounge looking towards the far accommodation cabins.
You can just see the corner of the dining room trying to creep into the shot.
The dining room.
This area was destroyed by fire several years ago but was reconstructed and the biggest table was installed in it. There is a story to how the table eventually found a home here, but if you visit the camp, they will tell you the story. I don’t want to spoil the surprise.
Just as the camp is eco-friendly, so is the food. Although there might not be biltong and dried wors on a game drive, the chef can whip up a mean burger.
As a certified carnivore I most certainly did not go hungry and the carrot sticks to snack on at sundowner time were a welcome change from raw protien.
There is no running water in the camp however this bowser has water that is used for ablutions.
Drinking water is available in the dining room and lounge.
If you look at the tyres you will realise just how long this has been sitting in this position.
A donkey boiler provides hot water for the camp. You put cold water in and get hot water out. A most effective system.
It is basically a drum that is heated by a fire and can be kept going all day long if required. No electricity is involved at all.
This is the major change since my last visit. Each cabin now has its own shower and toilet and although not attached to the bedroom, the ablution block is only a short walk away.
The jug contains water for brushing teeth or washing hands.
If you have never used a bucket shower, this is an ideal opportunity to try one.
Guests are always amazed by how long a shower you can get out of one bucket of water.
The water is collected from the donkey boiler when both hot and cold water are mixed to give you the correct temperature.
This bucket is then lowered using a pulley system, filled and then raised to the correct height.
And voila, it is shower time. If you are uncertain of how much water you might require, you can always bring a second bucket…just in case.
You certainly don’t want to be stranded soaped and naked with no water to rinse the lather off.
This is a VIP toilet.
Look carefully and although it looks like a regular toilet, however, that is where the resemblance ends.
You will see that there is no cistern and there is a bucket standing on the brickwork close by.
This is probably the best long-drop toilet ever designed!
Because of the way it is vented, there is no odour at all and for all practical purposes, it functions as a regular toilet.
The only difference is that instead of wasting a cistern full of water, you can utilize a small amount from the bucket.
When the camp staff decided to leave the mirror in this toilet so as not to disturb the resident pair of frogs who have made the frame their home.
The accommodation has been re-roofed with thatch, making it cooler in summer as Madikwe can get extremely hot during those months.
“It has always been our mission to provide an exclusive, unique wilderness experience for our guests, with minimal ecological impact on our surroundings”.
Time to reflect…
The devil is in the detail. Or should I say in the towel rail?
No need to worry about getting caught out at night.
This ‘pee bucket’ eradicates the need to visit the loo after dark.
Guests are asked to empty and rinse it in the morning and the staff will sanitise it before placing it back on the shelf.
Very comfy beds with the ubiquitous mozzie net to keep the pesky insects at bay.
Madikwe is a malaria-free area, but the whine of a mozzie in the dark as it circles your ear can be annoying.
And repeatedly slapping yourself in the face trying to kill it is sore and embarrassing.
A touch of bush decoration.
When I took this picture of the guest book, I was unaware that it was my wife who had made these comments.
To quote the official website…
“Come get the dust of Africa on your feet”
Click on the logo above to learn more about what the lodge offers.
Travel is the proud winner of this prestigious award from the digital British lifestyle magazine Luxlife. The award is in the category Best Travel & Experiences Blog 2024 – South Africa.
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“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?”
Edgar Bergen
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