Drakensberg mountain game lodge, South Africa
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Wildlife:
We have game fenced our farm and convinced our neighbor to join us in creating a game reserve where we have brought in Zebra, Blesbuck, Red Hartebees to join the already present Oribi, Reedbuck, Bushbuck, Eland and Duiker. These specie are endemic of this area and has already delivered us beautiful babies. Oribi is endangered and the original three has already grown to five. We have a good working relationship with the local Wildlife Authorities and patrol our fences together with them. We also have an Enviromental Management Plan developed for the Reserve and are currently busy with wetlands rehabilitation. Guests has also been supporting our Plant a Tree campaign, where guest buy and plant a tree (S) on the Reserve. These indigenous trees are bought from a local supplier.
Buildings:
The interiors of the lodge have been exclusively manufactured to encompass the style, form, raw material and skills of Africa, but delivered in a fusion form intended to bring a contemporary signature to our heritage.
Furniture:-
Each piece has been hand made specifically without the aid of automation to ensure the raw skills of carpentry at a basic level are drawn into a viable commercial aspect which would normally be denied to the traditional craft type alternative.
Tube lights were manufactured by beating sheets of Aluminum in the old Rhodesian beaten Copper craft. These sheets were then rolled and electrified to provide attractive mood lighting throughout the Lodge.
Two solid wooden basins were commissioned for the Guest Loo and Room 2 these were hand carved in perfect symmetry without the aid of machinery to determine the accuracy of cut.
Solid wooden Coffee Tables from Jacaranda and Yellowwood were similarly hand carved for the lounge area and Library. Placed on fine Stainless Steel legs to lift them to a practical height and give the impression of floating.
All light sculptures were made from solid slabs of natural edged timber with hand blown glass beads and Zulu teething beads threaded painstakingly and occupying many hours of basic labour. These are complimented with the latest, state of the art 220v LED globes which draw less than 0.4 amps each to ensure the lowest possible carbon intrusion.
The bedroom furnishings were made from Camphor wood which is a natural repellant, the purpose of which to discourage the intrusion of unwanted insects without the invasive use of pesticides.
Hand knotted rag carpets were used rather than commercially available carpeting.
Coatings:-
Sourcing a number of alternative raw materials as pigments, pursuant of the age old Koi traditions and binding them with an eco-friendly water based resin, we manufactured our own coatings as follows:-
- Kitchen Ceiling - Lime and Steel Slag
- Kitchen Wall Waste Coal Dust
- Lodge Walls Lime rejected for particle size
- Kitchen Floor Local Cave Stone Dust (As used by the Koi)
- Wine Cellar Grape Skins from the local winery
- Water Feature Wall Manganese Slag Waste
- Entrance Hall Wall and Lounge Fireplace Wall Sawdust.
- Guest Book Cover Recycled Crushed Glass.
Glass:-
Hand Blown Glassware in the form of ashtrays, T-lite holders, Wine Coolers and Decanters were commissioned by a local artist to compliment the tableware.
All the drinking glasses were sourced from a company who use recycled glass to manufacture.
Tableware:-
Table mats made from hessian impregnated with Steel Slag and Manganese slag bring the Eco to the table with a series of hand turned, natural edged bowls and mustard pots to compliment.
Timber:-
Through the Dept of Forestry, virtually all the timber is certified by this responsible and sustainable source. A variety including Australian Blackwood, Cedar, White Stinkwood, Qaur, Coastal Red Milk Wood, Jacaranda, Japanese Cedar , and many others were used. Natural wax was used to feed rather than coat the timber a process that requires ongoing attention through maintenance, but reduces the chemical intrusion of commercially common paint and varnish coatings.
All the above are both time consuming and more expensive than the mass produced alternatives and hopefully will represent an attempt to fuse our African Heritage with a more pressing need to respect our environs and educate others as to the eco possibilities that do exist in this field.
Community
Volunteering:
We have assisted now in building two feeding kitchens in the community for local kids at two schools in the area. The community saw that there was a need to ensure that the school kids get at least two healthy meals at school every school day. Together the community got donations for building material, equipment and labor and completed these projects successfully and also monitor these for sustainability. We also do donations to the local schools for sport days and cultural events.
Local Craft and Culture:
We sustain jobs for the local community on a permanent basis and day labor as required. We also sell locally made products in our curio shop. We further actively market the Bushman Rock Art Center on neighboring Kamberg Nature Reserve, that is run by the community. We buy local herbal products made from local Zulu plant extracts and tradition. We support the local cultural tours by marketing them actively at the lodge. This is an important income stream for the community.
Friends & neighbours:
We buy all the indigenous trees from a local supplier in Kamberg and actively promote the participation by guests. We also challenge other establishments in the area to become part of our Plant a Tree campaign. Our additional activities at lodge support the local community. We also purchase local products for use at the lodge as far as possible and also give away for the needy any access vegetables and herbs that we grow at the lodge.
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