For some people, the day begins when the train passes by in the
distance or a high-pitched alarm pierces the early morning quiet. They
get moving with a cup of takeaway coffee, absent-mindedly scanning the
morning paper, getting stuck into their email inbox or dodging traffic
on the way to the office.
The mornings at Singita are a little bit different. The drone of
cars, the ping of cellphones and the whoosh of the espresso machine are
replaced by the chatter of birds and the far-off cry of a scavenging
hyena. The resident Cape buffalo grunts with contentment as he scratches
against his favorite rubbing post shortly before sunrise, then slips
away quietly to find a shady spot to rest for the day.
Ambling to the main lodge with the cool morning air in your face,
damp earth disturbed by little paws and fresh spoor on the road is the
only evidence of evening visitors. Arriving at the lodge one normally
finds a scrub hare getting the last of his fill on the dew-spangled lawn
before dashing to the lavender bushes to hide for the day.
The well-rested guests faces are filled with anticipation as they
chat excitedly on the veranda while the sun peeps over the horizon in
the east, a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
The babblers and hornbills hop about the lodge, signalling that it is
indeed time to rise and shine. When the vervet monkeys start stretching
their legs on the lawn playing rough and tumble, our guests set off in
the open game-viewing vehicles to enjoy a slow bumble across the plains.
Brad Murray, Lodge Manager at Singita Sasakwa Lodge in Grumeti, Tanzania,
describes an average morning for him and his team. Stylish and
graceful, the turn-of-the-century manor house and private cottages at Singita Sasakwa Lodge are
a blend of authentic European style and East African influences, and
surrounded by breathtaking vistas of the Serengeti plains.
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