Hlekani Homestead

from The Logbook. March 2020. Issue.

Hustyns Glamping Village, Cornwall

HLEKANI HOMESTEAD South Africa Looking after all guests animal and human

Hlekani Homestead was opened in 2016 by owners Steve and Cheryl Sturlese, avid conservationists they have always shared a deep affection for safari and over the years have committed themselves to the preservation of African wildlife. Wanting to do their part, the couple set up their homestead destination in Mkuze in KwaZulu Natal South Africa, which offered a prime location for an animal safe haven. In turn, this provided the opportunity to protect, educate and engage their guests, both human and otherwise.

INSPIRATION Steve explains that Hlekani Homestead is a family owned lodge that was specifically built to overlook the Ubombo Mountains and is situated in the heart of the Manyoni Private Game Reserve. This is one of the largest privately owned reserves in Mkuze and spans an impressive 23,000-hectares. The homestead derives its name from the Zulu word meaning Laughter and offers a warm, happy and relaxed environment for all those who visit this luxurious destination.

“This area is renowned for its African wildlife and rich cultural heritage,” he says, “This whole area has been deeply involved in the history of South Africa and today it is a destination for guests to experience freely roaming wildlife and the height of African hospitality.”

Offering the best quality accommodations, topend service and the most wondrous experiences all at a great value for money. Hlekani Homestead was given a 5 star rating by the well-known Warner Bros and also hosted the Swedish version of the television show The Bachelor.

“It is our aim to be the best choice for breath-taking safari adventures,” Steve says, “Keeping in mind everything that makes an African adventure great. The combination of endless landscapes to expand the mind, wildlife adventures to get the heart racing and the most comfortable beds to rest the body at the end of the day.”

THE TEAM Working with a team of roughly ten staff members, Hlekani Homestead values the people they work with and their influence on the guest experience. They have a private chef that makes the meals and a private game driver who is one of the best in the region and knows all the right spots to get the special views to enthral the modern safari lover.

“Communication with staff is key,” Steve says, “Teamwork is impossible without good communication, clear goals and established standards of practice. We all need to be on the same page and working together after all.”

All of the team members are employed locally, including their mascot Woolie. Woolie is a crocodile that used to live in the Zenzulu Dam and took a liking to Woolworths sausages that were fed to her as treats by a local game ranger, hence her nickname. Eventually however, after swimmers in the Zenzulu Dam realized that they were sharing the water with a crocodile, albeit a perfectly amicable one, Steve decided that Woolie would be more comfortable in her own dam and was rehomed to Hlekani Homestead.

“We thought she would prefer a bit more privacy,” he explains, “And she seems to be very pleased with the change and meets me every morning without fail expecting her morning chicken.”

OTHER UNIQUE ASPECTS OF HLEKANI HOMESTEAD Apart from having a partially domesticated pet dinosaur on the premises, there are a number of other unique treasures to be found here. Mkuze consists of a varied landscape of mountains, open plains, acacia thornveld and dense riverine woodlands.

It is a prime location for those looking to spot the Big 5, along with these there are over four hundred types of birds and seventy mammal species. Here, visitors soon understand why the country is called the Rainbow Nation with so many colours being represented.

There are the highly social hyena breeds of spotted and brown, wildcat servals and blackbacked jackals. Blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, a number of bucks including the common and mountain reedbuck, bush buck, steenbok and the red and grey Duiker. Definitely worth a mention, is that they have been able to reintroduce some

endangered species including, the cheetah and the African Wild Dog, potentially saving the species from extinction.

Guests have an idyllic African setting to settle into, complete with all the right characters including the grumbling but playful warthog and bush pigs, the ostriches complete with their enormous ruffles and the gossiping hyenas who always seem to be sharing a joke that nobody else can hear!

AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY The reserve was confirmed in 2005 as a release site by the WWF for endangered animals and in 2009 the reserve was proclaimed by the government as a Nature Reserve under the protected areas act, giving it a strong focus on conserving biodiversity.

“This has given us a chance to let our guests engage with these wondrous animals as part of our activities,” Steve explains, “For example, one of the things that we offer are personal meetings with our habituated elephants Rambo, Rachel and Jabulani.”

Ensuring the health and wellbeing of the elephants and guests, these interactions which include touching their skin, tusks and even their tongues is done under the strict guidance of the rangers.

For those seeking a less hands-on experience, there are invigorating game drives, bird watching, visits to the cheetah rehabilitation centre, fishing and of course the not-to-be-missed diving at Sodwana Bay.

ACCOMMODATION With a high-end African style, there are twelve units in total that were designed to offer guests an intimate reconnection with nature and each other. There are the choices of ensuite rooms or family chalets depending on taste and for small families they offer adjoining rooms which can accommodate five people in total.

The main room, comprising of a single Queen bed and a semi-private deck for bird enthusiasts

features many must-have amenities. Indoor and outdoor showers, a television with over a thousand available movies, WIFI and air conditioning. The adjoining room, comprising of one double bunk bed and two single bunk beds, shares matching touches and has a deck that offers bushveld views.

“The lodge can accommodate a maximum of fourteen people at any time,” Steve reveals, “And this limited number means that it is never crowded and distracting, and prices include three meals a day, conservation levies and two game drives with snacks.”

TO KEEP IN MIND Along with the usual essentials such as hats, sunscreen, sunglasses and a keen respect for the sunshine and communities of the country there are some other little details worth remembering.

This is a very warm, humid location which is why there is such an abundance of wildlife. Sometimes, this wildlife can come wandering into the rooms. These visitors can include bats, scorpions, ticks and spiders. To ensure that surprises are kept to the absolute minimum, all of the rooms are cleaned daily and proper procedures are followed for the safe removal of various goggas, the South African term for creepy-crawly.

“We’ve made a pledge to protect all wildlife,” Steve reminds us, “As part of this we do our best to ensure that it doesn’t come exploring into the rooms where they can potentially get crushed under panicked feet.”