Dorienne's Impressions...

Notten's Bush Camp  
 

Thank you for taking time to visit me here on my impressions page.

This is where I tell you about the places I have stayed at in the past weeks. And actually, some don’t leave any impression at all not because they are bad or didn’t offer good service but because they just weren’t different!


I like to see unusual and classy…..if a place was built in the 1800’s it’s obvious that it has some historical or cultural significance so I don’t want it to look “slung together “without care or kindness.


Let me now tell you about Notten’s Bush Camp in the Sabi Sands game Reserve. I was there in April and from the very moment I walked in I was charmed and enchanted. It’s gorgeous!

As I arrived, the staff came to greet me and we moved to the large cool verandah there to enjoy a delicious tea with fabulous cakes and savoury snacks. The verandah looks over a vast plain and at the end is a waterhole. I don’t think I’d been there for more than 5 minutes when I saw a huge impala herd and just behind, 3 majestic kudu bulls and a warthog family. Notten’s Chief game ranger then came over to introduce himself and I told him that I was particularly interested in the birds. Immediately he helped me identify the birds in the vicinity but here’s where the charm took over. Joseph is a fabulous mimic – he makes every sound of both bird and beast and it’s utterly delightful. He also moves his body to show a flight pattern or how a leopard crawls. What a treat!


After the tea, I was shown to my very special room with a huge deck looking over the endless plain.

Notten’s Bush Camp, like many others in Sabi Sands isn’t fenced and exclusively it also doesn’t have electricity in the rooms.

I went with Joseph and Gideon his tracker on an evening drive and when I came back it was already dark. But what a beautiful sight unfolded in front of me……flickering lamps and candles everywhere. It was mystical and magical all at once.

The bedroom was also washed in gentle soft light from glowing lamps and I sat on my verandah with a chilled port listening to lions roar and hyenas cackle and giggle.

Dinner was perfect. I had warned the chef that I was a fussy eater and sent him a list of likes and dislikes and he’d prepared a feast – not a meal….but the best was a chocolate fruit pudding that was food-art!

The next day, I woke up fairly early to the sounds of the African bush.  I peeked through the curtains to see 4 hyena cubs scrunching the wooden table on the verandah!!!

Overall game viewing was a 9/10. We saw the Big 5, identified a number of first sightings and if you want a photo safari, then this is the place to be.

It was a wonderful stay and I would feel absolutely confident recommending it to you.