Lavish African retreats

Clinton Moodley

Five wellness destinations on the continent to get away from it all

IN Nine Perfect Strangers (streaming on Amazon Prime Video), a series adaptation of the New York Times best-seller book by Liane Moriarty, nine travellers go on a once-in-a lifetime 10-day health and wellness retreat.

The guests check into Tranquillum House, a luxury retreat set in the fictional town of Cabrillo in California. On arrival, they turn in their phones, eat healthy and wholesome food and engage in intriguing, and sometimes creepy, activities.

With no communication from the outside world, they begin their journey of healing and soul searching. The show was filmed at two locations in Byron Bay in Australia – Lune de Sang, a 146-hectare registered cabinet timber plantation, and Soma Retreats, a wellness and yoga centre. Travellers like the fictional guests at Tranquillum House want a place to escape, unwind, and discover themselves.

They yearn for bespoke experiences coupled with all the perks of a lavish holiday.

Here are wellness destinations in Africa you can visit to get away from it all:

Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat, Western Cape, South Africa

Dubbed “an oasis in the wilderness”, Bushmans Kloof is set on a 7 500-hectare private reserve. Getting there is an experience in itself, showcasing the charming seaside town of Paternoster and one of the oldest towns in South Africa, Clanwilliam.

The three-hour drive from Cape Town stretches along the rugged Cederberg mountains. Alternatively, guests can fly to the reserve via a private airstrip.

Bushmans Kloof offers 16 rooms and suites as well as two private villas. Here, you will find more than 130 ancient San rock art sites and the Cape Floral Region, a World Heritage Site. The pièce de résistance is The Spa at Bushmans Kloof that showcases soothing whitewashed walls, vernacular architecture and reflexology-inspired pebbled floor. Guests can savour bespoke spa experiences and world-class facilities like a crystal steam room, tranquillity lounge and more.

Rates start from R10 360 a night, including all meals, evening game drive, morning rock art tour and select activities.

BUSHMANS Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat

Kisawa, Mozambique

Kisawa, on Benguerra Island in Mozambique, celebrates culture and nature. To get there, travellers take a flight to Vilankulo Airport with the option of then travelling via helicopter charter or a private boat.

Kisawa features the renowned Natural Wellness Centre that boasts a spa specialising in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic offerings.

With a selection of treatments and yoga rituals, including the 5 Element Ku Nye and Inhambane Honey, guests leave Kisawa feeling renewed and rejuvenated.

Other activities include diving, paddleboard yoga, birdwatching hikes, breakfast with reptiles at Crocodile Lake and more.

There are 12 bungalows at this 5-star resort that overlook forest, beach and dunes. Each luxury villa boasts a private beach, a sundeck, an infinity pool, an outdoor day area, a kitchen and other amenities.

Kisawa

GocheGanas, Namibia

Perched on a hilltop, GocheGanas offers a perfect blend of wilderness, nature, and wellness, and the views are out of this world.

The 6 000-hectare nature reserve is a short drive from Windhoek, Namibia’s capital.

Besides the game drives and walking activities on offer, guests come here for their state-of-the-art Wellness Village.

Its 11 specialist treatment rooms, an indoor heated pool enclosed under a cathedral-like masonry vault, and granite baths (cave saunas) invite guests to escape into tranquillity.

There are 16 secluded Private Chalets, 15 Elegant Chalets and a Family Chalet designed to celebrate Namibia’s culture. Rates start from R3 576.

Baraza Resort and Spa, Zanzibar

Baraza Resort and Spa is arguably Zanzibar’s most exclusive boutique resort. The 5-star all-inclusive hotel boasts 30 villas with Arab, Swahili and Indian architectural styles; think Swahili arches, carved cement, antiques, handmade furniture and brass lanterns.

A stay here brings solitude with The Frangipani Spa boasting treatments and therapies to relieve stress and exhaustion. The spa features a lap pool with underwater music, indoor and outdoor relaxation rooms, and the Sultans bath. Rates start from $1 104 (about R15 700) a night.

Baraza Resort and Spa

Brookdale Health Hydro, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

An hour’s drive from Durban will take you to Brookdale Health Hydro. The Nottingham Road attraction in KwaZulu-Natal Midlands offers a holistic health package designed to bring balance to your life. The property encourages guests to invest in their well-being, with their Nutrifit Lifestyle Management programme based on healthy eating, moderate regular exercise and stress management.

Brookdale prides itself on offering one-of-a-kind activities to keep travellers gainfully occupied. These include guided morning walks, aquacise classes, pilates, guided relaxation classes, biokinetics and nutrition consultations, cooking demonstrations and spa treatments.

Other amenities include a heated indoor swimming pool, hydrotherapy baths, gym, studio, private mosaic steam room, jacuzzi and sauna.

There are two, three, four and six-night packages available and themed getaways throughout the year that offer insight on gut health, journalling and yoga.