KwaZulu Natal tops for splendid ‘spafaris’ KwaZulu Natal has developed a number of top-notch ‘spafari’ venues, offering packages that combine accommodation with game drives and spa treatments, or day spas near wildlife resorts. Niki Moore takes a look… THE spa experience used to be synonymous with high-speed detoxification, a steady diet of lettuce leaves and carrot juice, and a team of masseuses to bully all the toxins out of your system. Nowadays, the emphasis is on luxury and hedonism, with chocolates and wine and classy nibbles as part of the package.  Spa holidays are firmly established in Europe and the US, but South Africa has come up with a new spin – the ‘spafari’ – a bush spa where game viewing is interspersed with pampering and pummelling.  To add an even more exotic flavour, the spas use indigenous African treatments. Open-air massages take place with sweeping views of bushveld or coastal forest, and the only sounds are the call of the wild. An ever-increasing number of luxury safari lodges offer spa facilities and treatments to fill the quiet time between morning and evening game drives. Southern Spoor md, Anita Vernes, says Thanda Private Game Reserve has seen growth in interest in the safari-style spa experience. “It appeals to groups of women travelling to the bush, as well as couples and honeymooners. The trend at the moment is very much towards wellness in general and a spa and safari combination delivers this.”

KZN’s superlative ‘spafari’ experiences

Falaza Game Park Falaza Game Park is a private game reserve on the borders of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. It offers game drives, bush walks, boat cruises and horse trails, led by qualified and experienced rangers. The reserve, in the heart of the Zululand bushveld, promises a rejuvenating experience of up-close-and-personal animal encounters and a wide range of specialised spa treatments. AmaKhozi AmaKhozi in Zululand has discovered a rather novel take on game drives. After gazing from afar at the Big Five, guests at Amakhozi get to look closely – at frogs. The lodge offers night-time frog safaris where guests can marvel at the spectrum of colours and the loud calling of mating frogs. AmaKhozi means ‘the Place of Kings’ and the spa regimes that intersperse the wildlife excursions promise to treat you like royalty. The lodge is situated on a river, so treatments can take place on guests’ private deck overlooking the water. Wetlands Earth Spa Wetlands Earth Spa can be found in the town of St Lucia on the doorstep of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the Hluhluwe Game Reserve. The town is the accommodation hub for a range of wildlife activities in this World Heritage Site, from estuary cruises to game drives and turtle tours. The Wetlands Earth Spa bases its treatments on traditional South African products. Thanda Private Game Reserve For total luxury (at a price) there are few experiences more rewarding than Thanda Private Game Reserve. The international award-winning Wellness Centre combines the romance of the African bush with almost unbelievable pampering. The reserve was rehabilitated from degraded farmland in Zululand with no expense spared to make it the top lodge in the country, and to this end it has won several international awards.