You could hardly find a better candidate for testing the effects of a few days at a wellness sanctuary than the stressed and frazzled person who pitched up at the newly opened Motswari African Retreat one sunny Tuesday morning a few months ago, me.
Irritable? Check. Distracted? Check. Fatigued? Check. Drained? Check. The offer to experience Motswari's latest venture couldn't have come at a better time and, until I was there, basking in the gentle noises of the bush, I didn't know how badly I needed a break from the hectic, frantic city and the endless demands of deadlines and duties.
African Retreat is a private game-reserve experience with a difference, offering guests something quite new in the safari space. South Africa and safari are almost synonymous to the overseas tourist. Going on safari is what a lot of travellers want to do most when they alight on our shores, but the experience has changed a lot in the past few decades.
HUNTING FOR A WELLNESS EXPERIENCE
Once, the African adventure was based around the hunt, white men decked out in safari suits brandishing big guns as they posed, resting a foot on their elephant/lion/antelope trophy — images of US president Theodore Roosevelt and writer Ernest Hemingway spring to mind. In fact, Now, hunting animals is pretty much abhorred, unless the only shots taken are with a Canon EOS-1D X Mark III. Instead, eco and wellness tourism are the trends du jour, with wellness tourism expected to hit $1.3 trillion by 2025, according to Conde Nast Traveller. This is part of the reason this new wellness concept in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, on the western edge of Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga, is so timely and clever.
Motswari is already known for the exquisite attention to detail at its main lodge as well as the separate Geiger's Camp and its overnight hideaway for two, Giraffe's Nest. Its latest addition, African Retreat, is a camp of just four private bungalows situated around a circular building, where yoga, stretch and breathwork classes are offered and encouraged.
Each of the four bungalows has been individually appointed with intriguing décor and small, considered touches to delight, surprise and shift your mindset during your stay.
And what the new venture sets out to do for its guests really works. In just three days, I was unrecognisable from the person I was on arrival, having a breakdown because there was no Wi-Fi in my room (there is Wi-Fi in the communal, central area).
HOW MY JOURNEY BACK TO SANITY UNFOLDED...
Roeline Hansen radiates a calming aura. Stepping down from the game vehicle that delivered us from Motswari's main camp, where we'd checked in, to African Retreat, about 10 minutes away, we started to hand over to her our petty stresses and malignant mental states as she introduced herself and went through the programme for the next three days.
Hansen is the retreat's wellness facilitator, a qualified yoga instructor, massage therapist, Vipassana meditation coach and certified breath coach. But with all those qualifications, what stands out most about her is that she is an obvious natural healer — this was made very evident by the massage therapy we all got a chance to experience with her. Her voice and manner immediately have a soothing effect. Imbued with a radiating inner light, she is soft-spoken yet firm about what she wants to achieve with us — nothing less than a restoration of a healthy balance in mind, body and soul.
Her navigator on this wellness flight is Musa Khosa and fuelling the trip is Motswari's head chef, John Roux, also known as The Badger for his restless, humorous, nonchalant energy. Piloting the mission is our game ranger for the next few days, chief information officer and light-relief dispenser, the charming Jeremy Schreiner, veritable encyclopedia of knowledge about the bush. And captaining the crew that she hand-picked herself is Marion Geiger-Orengo, whose father Paul Geiger bought a share in the property on which Motswari now stands and then acquired it in its entirety in 1981, turning it into a bush lover's paradise.
After meeting Geiger-Orengo, it's impossible not to discern her artistic touch — she is a also a well known and award-winning artist — on every detail in each of the camps. Together the crew give us a tour of the retreat and then allow us to rest up in our very spacious rooms (each individually designed with its own delightful details).
The rooms overlook the riverbed that we'll cross early the next morning for a silent walk through the reserve led by Schreiner. We'll be up at dawn and in the riverbed the following day too, according to the programme, for a sunrise meditation and breathwork ritual along with a beginners' course in Tai Chi and Qigong movements, led by Hansen, to find tranquillity in motion. At other times of the day we'll do breath-discovery classes and restorative yoga; meditations for gratitude and reflection; or dynamic mobility yoga.
WORKING ON DOING NOTHING
And of course, there are also the requisite safari drives to explore and discover the Umbabat and Timbavati. For me, this is the most relaxing and restorative activity you can undertake in the bush: the rumble of the open-air game-viewing Landy; the constant flow of fascinating stories from Schreiner; the fresh bush air carrying the scent of natural herbs like wild sage, marula, devil's claw and aloe vera; the sightings of doe-eyed duikers and other buck; spotting a crocodile catching the last rays of evening sun at a watering hole with a blue crane for company; coming across a large pride of lions relaxing ahead of that evening's hunt — the young studs play fighting like kittens in the long grass; and, to top it all off, the bush staple, a sundowner enjoyed from a tin cup with biltong, nuts and a fiery red sunset on the side.
Described as a sensory connection with nature to unwind from daily stresses, the guided walk experience is amazingly effective in shutting down the usual ruminating thoughts about the demands of job, home and other people. Most of the walk is done in silence, but when there's something interesting to tell us — such as the legend of the white lions, endemic to the Timbavati — Schreiner breaks it. For the inhabitants of the region, these felines are sacred, considered the children of the Sun God and the reincarnations of the great chiefs. The local Sepedi and Tsonga people considered them “the most sacred animals of the continent African”. Having seen no white lion or any other big game on the walk, but nevertheless buoyed by the wealth of bird sightings, new knowledge about plants, insects and reptiles and loving the feeling of tranquillity from just ambling along in a silent line in the wild, we came upon a surprise picnic breakfast lavishly laid out for us on a flat rock.
FEEDING MIND AND BODY
Chef Roux is good at making delicious breakfasts. He's good at making incredible lunches and dinners too, which made mealtimes at African Retreat something to really look forward to. Most of the food is vegan and vegetarian, dishes such as carrot, sumac, chickpea and coconut salad; savoury rice with goji berries, parsley and fresh turmeric; or Waldorf salad with grapes and caper dressing for lunch.
The dinners were exceptional and served either in the boma, which Schreiner told us stands for “British Officers' Mess Area”, where we started with conversations around the fire, or in the open-air lounge area that overlooks the river bed. The dinner menus were a number of small courses, beautifully presented. It really was like eating art on a plate. Roux has a way with a turnip and a beetroot, putting the humble vegetable food group on an audacious stage. His connection to nature is reflected in all he creates, with ingredients sourced from the surrounding lands and local communities.
FOSTERING FRIENDSHIPS
It was Geiger-Orengo's idea to turn the family-owned lodge (for their private use) next to Motswari's main camp into this centre for rejuvenation, rest, health and peace of mind. A hugely creative force and incredibly talented maker of beautiful things, she is also a wonderful host and committed conservationist. Joining us for dinners and game drives, she tells us stories about her family's connection to this part of the Kruger and about her life split between the healing magic of the bush and the creative energy of cities around the world.
She can personally vouch for how the various activities offered at the retreat can restore mind-body harmony and deepen our connection to nature.
“African Retreat allows guests to unplug from life’s demanding rhythms and indulge in experiences crafted to induce relaxation and promote restorative wholeness,” she says.
PLAN YOUR TRIP
WHERE IT IS: Motswari Private Game Reserve traverses the Timbavati and Umbabat reserves, sharing unfenced boundaries with the Kruger National Park. It is roughly 500km from Johannesburg. The nearest airport is Hoedspruit Airport, about a two-hour drive away.
RATES: Motswari African Retreat is from R7,650 per person sharing per night. Includes all meals, soft drinks and wellness activities.
MORE INFORMATION: E-mail reservations@newmarkhotels.com or visit the website.
