Singita Lebombo Lodge

Kruger National Park

The Kruger National Park, a true jewel of South Africa, is a vast stretch of land with an incredible variety of landscapes representing a treasure in terms of biodiversity. Located in the northeast of the country, the park’s 350 kilometers runs along the Mozambique and Namibian borders. Open to the public since 1927, the site owes its preservation to the initiative of Paul Kruger, the president of Transvaal. It’s the largest park in South Africa and is now linked to the national parks of Gonarehou in Zimbabwe and Limpopo in Mozambique. Kruger itself is an authentic animal sanctuary; an absolute must for anyone wishing to track the “Big Five”: buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhinoceros. Divided into six ecosystems, the site contains 2,000 plant species one of which is the only variety of African cactus located at the foot of the majestic Mount Lebombo.

Suspended in flight

In the southeastern part of Kruger Park, isolated on an immense and partially unexplored territory, the Singita Lebombo Lodge rises in the shadow of the Lebombo Mountains at the confluence of N’wanetsi and Sweni Rivers. In the heart of this wild domain, the suspended suites of Lebombo lie nested at the side of the cliff. With a lightness of touch, these structures brush the land as if frozen between land and sky. Discretion is the term that comes to mind regarding the Lebombo whose architecture takes its inspiration from the camouflage developed by the neighboring fauna. “When we designed the Lebombo Lodge, our objective was to adapt the rules for sheltering animals to man”, according to the architect Andrew Makin.

Steel beams, glass partitions, and saligna wood are the materials used to give the lodge the feeling of nests dominating the long stretch of flora. “It’s a world where nature rules from your window, you can see antelope, crocodiles, hippopotamuses at the bottom of the river, lions, leopards and rhinos in the high grass of the savanna, and baboons climbing the cliffs behind your room”, explains Boyd Ferguson, director of the Cecile and Boyd design offices.

Designed to become part of the landscape, the lodges’ silhouettes are in half tones, often creating the illusion of being so close to certain animals that guests have to be escorted back to their suites. The minimalist architecture and the omnipresent branches contrast with the contemporary touch which embodies the design of this luxurious lodge. The decorations vary between modern, crafted, sophisticated and rustic.

“We wanted to communicate the sensation of a dwelling suspended between earth and sky. The usual way of creating an infrastructure that respects wild, African nature is to dig the foundations in the ground, build earthen walls and cover the roof with thatch. Our approach lies in the use of more subtle materials.” Andrew Malkin – member of the OMM design workshop, responsible for the architectural direction of the lodge.