Located in the heart of South Africa’s world-renowned Sabi Sand Game
Reserve, Londolozi traces its origins to 1926, when the Varty family
became the first arrivals to the area, purchasing a bankrupt cattle farm
and beginning an ambitious process of land restoration and
reconciliation. In a bold and forward-thinking move for the 1920s, they
encouraged neighboring landowners to consolidate their properties for
the protection of wildlife—laying the groundwork for what would become
the Sabi Sand Game Reserve.
From these pioneering beginnings emerged not only one of the most
celebrated conservation areas in the world, but also the foundations of
the modern safari industry in South Africa. Known as a “protector of all
living things,” Londolozi is famous for its highdensity leopard
sightings, pioneering adventure, and five distinct, eco-conscious Relais
& Châteaux camps. Marking the reserve’s 100-year anniversary, Londolozi: The Safari That Changed Everything
celebrates five generations of Varty family hospitality,
multigenerational stewardship, unsurpassed luxury, and a legacy that
helped form a safari blueprint—redefining the industry through a
conservation development model.
Written by American writer,
editor, and photographer Hailey Wist, the title traces how a once
degraded cattle farm evolved into one of the most influential safari
destinations in the world. Among the first private pioneers of safari in
South Africa, Londolozi quickly shifted from a traditional tourism
model to a progressive conservation and community development
enterprise—creating a ripple effect that reshaped wilderness travel
globally. Following the Varty family across five generations, from the
property’s early days as a 1920s hunting camp to its evolution as the
first safari lodge in the world to be awarded Relais & Châteaux
status, the book documents how the reserve redefined the essence of
being in wilderness—moving beyond observation toward participation,
purpose, and protection.
Each chapter explores landscape and
legacy, wildlife and wellness, community and creativity—revealing how
Londolozi operates as a living ecosystem guided by its philosophy of
“Care of the Land, Care of the Wildlife, and Care of the People.” Home
to one of the oldest documented land rewilding projects in the world,
the reserve stands as a 100-year case study in regenerative land
management. Its renowned leopard sightings are underpinned by the
longest-running citizen science project dedicated to wild leopards on
the planet, inviting guests to become active participants in
conservation. Integrating high-end ecotourism with community upliftment,
sustainable land management, and wildlife protection, Londolozi
represents a 100 year-old, family-run, for-profit conservation model
that continues to influence a new way of doing business.
Londolozi:
The Safari That Changed Everything also captures the reserve’s
pioneering approach to healing and wellness in wilderness—extending far
beyond the traditional spa model to embrace nature as teacher, mirror,
and catalyst. Through storytelling, intentional hospitality, and
immersive connection to the natural world, the book portrays experiences
guests describe as transformative, redefining what luxury in the wild
can mean.
