Ulusaba Safari Lodge

The Safari Room at Ulusaba Safari Lodge is located next to the main area of the lodge, and can sleep two people – making it perfect for couples. The room is spacious and filled with bright, natural light through sliding glass doors, which when open also fill the room with a fresh South African breeze. Exposed thatch ceilings add a touch of authentic safari charm.

A large king-size bed sits in the centre of the room covered in crisp white bed linen and plush cushions. The bed is draped with mosquito netting allowing guests to have a bug free sleep. A natural colour palette and wooden furnishings create a space which brings the outside in. The safari room comes with an en-suite bathroom which comes complete with a large, deep freestanding bath, perfect for a relaxing soak.

A private decking is accessible through the sliding doors, and allows guests to spend time in the fresh air, looking at the vivid bushveld and keeping an eye out for any wandering animals. The safari suite can also be interconnected with the Safari Suite creating a suite that sleeps up to 4 guests.

Built above the bush in a treehouse-style are the Elephant Rooms of Ulusaba Safari Lodge. These rooms can be booked separately or all together for a group of friends or family. The rooms are comfortable and authentic, with polished wooden floors, and exposed thatch ceilings adding a touch of safari chic.

A large king-size bed, which can be separated into twin beds, sits in the centre of the room, covered in a cosy duvet and with soft cushions. The bed is draped with mosquito netting for a bug-free nights sleep, and the room is filled with natural light through floor to ceiling glass doors. All the elephant suites come complete with their own ensuite bathroom.

A private decking sits outside the front of each Elephant Room, and offers guests an exclusive space to unwind and marvel at the vivid trees and thick grasses of the bushveld from high on their perch.

The River Rooms at Ulusaba Safari Lodge are also built on stilts, offering guests sweeping views from their balconies. There are four river rooms, of which two have sparkling private plunge pools. The rooms are docketed in a traditional safari chic style, with exposed thatch ceilings and polished wooden floors and furniture.

Large and comfortable king-size beds sit in the centre of the room covered in crisp white bed linen and colourful bed runners which add a splash of colour. The beds are draped with mosquito netting which guests can draw around the bed for a bug-free night’s sleep. There are wooden framed sliding doors and wide windows which fill the space with bright light, and help to bring the outside in.

All River Rooms come with their own ensuite bathroom which includes a deep freestanding bathtub where guests can enjoy a relaxing soak, and a walk-in shower. All River Rooms come with a private balcony where guests can spend time gazing over the horizon with a drink from their mini bar, and if guests are staying in River Room 2 or 4 then guests can enjoy a refreshing dip in their own private plunge pool.

The Treehouse Suite at Ulusaba Safari Lodge is a secluded and exclusive safari lodge set on the banks of the Xikwenga Dam. Guests can access the treehouse suite by a 10-minute walk across swing bridges and wooden walkways.

The suite is spacious and open plan, with dark mahogany floorboards and exposed thatch ceilings adding authentic rustic safari character. Covered in crisp white bed linen and a vivid green bed runner, the king-size bed sits opposite sliding glass doors which allow guests to enjoy the sweeping view of the sparkling dam and thick woodland without having to leave the comfort and warmth of the bed.

The treehouse suite comes with an ensuite bathroom and an expansive private decking area where guests can enjoy a drink from the in-room minibar while gazing over the water of the dam looking for the bathing hippos and elephants which frequent this area.

The Safari Suite is located next to the main lodge at Ulusaba Safari Lodge. Guests can enter the lodge through a colourful private garden and boma area. The suite is spacious and modern, with exposed thatch ceilings which add a touch of authentic safari character to the suite.

The suite contains a main bedroom and a guest bedroom, both with comfortable beds covered in crisp bed linen and with mosquito netting, a cosy lounge area and an ensuite bathroom which includes a large bathtub and walk-in shower. Wide windows and sliding doors fill the room with natural light and fresh South African breezes.

An expansive decking area offers guests the perfect place to unwind as a family or group of friends, with a large dining table where private dinners can be served. A plunge pool and outdoor shower can also be found on the decking. And guests can spend their evenings around the crackling fire in the private boma, enjoying a drink from the in-room minibar.

With plenty of opportunities to eat throughout the day, guests of Ulusaba Safari Lodge will not go hungry. The talented chefs will create delicious dishes which are inspired by African flavours and local ingredients and meals can be enjoyed in the main dining room of the lodge, around the crackling boma, or in the heart of the bush, underneath the wide sky.

Journey through the bush in the comfort of a 4×4 safari vehicle for the opportunity to see some of the amazing animals of the bush up close and personal, in their natural habitat on the classic safari activity. An expert guide and tracker will be able to take you to all the best viewing spots and will be able to point out animals lurking in the grasses which an untrained eye might miss.

The close-by Ulusaba Rock Lodge offers a spa where guests can book to enjoy a stress-relieving massage or refreshing facial with Africology products which use local active ingredients to pamper you in the most natural way. All spa treatments are available at an additional cost.

Spend the evening in Ulusaba’s very own observatory in the bush. Gaze up at the unpolluted night sky and marvel at the ethereal beauty of it. There is no experience like looking up at the sky and seeing it blanketed with stars and far away planets. See if you can spot the centre of the milky way, which is visible in the Southern hemisphere, or the southern pointers.

With a friendly and knowledgeable guide explore the Ulusaba Private Game Reserve on foot. Immerse yourself in the wild surroundings, and get up close and personal with some of the smaller workings of the reserve. Your guide will be able to point out things which may be missed by the untrained eye, such as micro-ecosystems and animal tracks.

There is a fully equipped private gym at Ulusaba Safari Lodge which guests can use to get in an early morning workout before the day begins, followed by a quick dip in the sparkling swimming pool or if guests so wish then they can enjoy a game of tennis – with equipment provided – on the floodlit tennis courts.

Organised by Pride ‘n Purpose, which is Ulusaba’s charity, are community tours where guests can engage with the local people, and learn more about their culture and their life. There are three types of tour on offer to guests; the ‘Justicia Village Tour’ which has a focus on the local culture, the ‘Day in the Life Village Tour’ which looks at the charitable programmes which are currently being completed, and the ‘It’s Child Play Tour’ which involves more hands-on activities for guests to take part in.

All profits which are made from these excursions are directed straight back into these communities.

Guests can explore the wonders of the natural world in this region on a canyons, cultures, and contrasts tour. On this tour guests will visit local villages and towns, as well as natural wonders such as Blyde River Canyon, God’s Window, Lisbon Waterfalls, and Bourke’s Luck Potholes. This is a full-day excursion, and lunch is enjoyed at Harries Original Pancake Restaurant.

Guests can also go on the canyons and cascades spectacular, which is a thrilling tour that includes a magnificent helicopter ride over the surrounding gorges, valleys, and waterfalls. Fly over God’s Window and Blyde River Canyon for a unique birds-eye perspective of the stunning savannah. A picnic lunch is provided at a site with breathtaking views of the Mpumalanga Lowveld.

With an emphasis on supporting the local communities which surround their properties, Virgin Limited Edition has initiatives and programmes which help to empower the communities. One of their charity partners, Pride ‘n Purpose, spends the whole month of September creating fun projects which help to improve life in the local community. The guests of Ulusaba are encouraged to join in by planting fruit trees, which they will be kept updated on by the Virgin Limited Edition team.

Local children are invited into the Ulusaba Lodges for two days of the year, to spend time in the kitchens and learn about nutrition, healthy eating and the local produce of the communities. In their lodge in Kenya, Virgin Limited Edition encourages guests to visit the local Massai community, to gain a wider understanding of this ancient culture. 100% of the profits are divided out, with 60% going to the Maa Trust, and 40% going directly to the host families.

A selection of treatments available at the spa at Mont Rochelle goes towards supporting the Kusasa Project. A minimum of 15% of the price will help them in their work promoting life skills, both academic and sporting to underprivileged children in South Africa.

With a focus on seasonality and local ingredients in their menus, the properties of Virgin Limited Edition have a drive on resourcing their food more sustainably. A total of four Virgin Limited Edition properties are part of the ‘Sustainable Restaurant Association’ which is a not-for-profit organisation that helps businesses which serve food to be as sustainable as they possibly can be.

The properties are rewarded with star ratings, and up to three stars can be rewarded to the most sustainable practices. Both The Lodge in Verbier and all three lodges in Ulusaba Private Game Reserve have the highest reward; three stars. Mont Rochelle in South Africa, and Kasbah Tamadot in Morocco have both achieved two stars.

Pride ‘n Purpose was established in 2003 by members of the Ulusaba family to help disadvantaged communities near the Sabi Sand Reserve. Today, all the running expenses are paid for by Virgin Unite – Virgin Limited Edition’s non-profit foundation. With 100% of donations they receive go towards the projects it supports, it is estimated over 35,000 people have benefited, across six different communities. With an emphasis on sustainable initiatives, Pride ‘n Purpose aims to empower the communities to be able to continue helping themselves.

Pride ‘n Purpose has installed 29 water storage tanks, as well as drilled 4 new boreholes, and has created what they have termed the ‘fun pump’. This is designed as a merry-go-round, and whilst the children play on it, it pumps water into a water harvester which the whole community have access to. As well as this clever initiative, they also have a focus on education, particularly for pre-school and primary school children.

So far Pride ‘n Purpose has helped build 12 pre-schools, which benefits over 500 children, and they have partnered with the Good Work Foundation to build a digital learning centre, and have built 3 literacy centres.

Two partnerships, with Trees for Africa and Foundations for Farming, have helped more food gardens be built in the local communities and at the local schools. Children from the local schools are being trained in cultivation and healthy vegetables in these gardens, which produce food for 700 pupils.

With Ulusaba being a big source of employment, Virgin Limited Edition has worked out that on average each employee supports up to 10 members of their household or family. Pride ‘n Purpose has set up various entrepreneurial schemes which attempt to create more accessible jobs for members of these communities.

They have an Entrepreneur Scheme which helps support businessmen and women who have just begun a starting venture and are currently fundraising for their ‘Ku-Humelela’, which is going to be a rural lifestyle centre that will create approximately 40-50 jobs and will include a curio shop, office space for Pride ‘n Purpose, a functional garden and a craft workshop.

Virgin Limited Edition supports various charities and initiatives to help them in their commitment to community support and sustainable practises. Founded in 2004, Virgin Unite is a non-profit foundation which works to help people who have bold entrepreneurial ideas make them a reality. 100% of the donations this charity receives go directly to the projects. The Eve Branson Foundation is another charity that is ‘dedicated to enhancing living standards in some of the most impoverished rural communities in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.’ Currently, a craft house which is managed by some of the local women and a carpet workshop has been opened.

Ulusaba are part of Pack for a Purpose which is a charity and initiative where guests can pack vital supplies in their luggage, and these will be dropped off at local schools – where they are needed most. Notebooks, pencils, pens, and textbooks are all supplies needed regularly, but Ulusaba will have a list of the specifics which are needed if guests are interested. Virgin Limited Edition also has a non-for-profit based in the British Virgin Islands called Unite BVI, which aims to unite people with great ideas which will help the community and environment.

Many of Virgin Limited Edition’s properties have solar panels to generate some of their electricity. This includes Ulusaba, who use solar panels to heat their water and generate electricity in their lodges. With an aim to reduce their carbon consumption they used LEDs and various energy-saving light bulbs to reduce the usage, and they have also installed motion detectors and time devices to reduce the amount the lights are on.

None of Virgin Limited Edition’s properties use plastic straws, all having made the switch to bamboo straws. Guests are encouraged to use a reusable water bottle and fill it up from water filter machines. There are now no Virgin Limited Edition properties which use single-use plastic water bottles. There is an eco-consciousness down to the housekeeping, guests are encouraged to not change their towels daily to help reduce water and energy consumption.

All Virgin Limited Edition Properties try to reduce the amount of waste they produce and try to recycle as much as possible. One such way they do this is with their brochures and feedback forms, which are printed on recycled paper.