Discover why the very exclusive Shambala has been awarded “Worlds Leading Private Game Reserve” by World Travel Awards for eight years in a row! All-inclusive, family friendly, featuring the Big5 plus so much more, and conveniently accessible from Johannesburg, Shambala is offering special discounts for SA Residents.
Shambala Private Game Reserve, based in the magnificent Waterberg region of South Africa, won the World Travel Awards 2020 “Worlds Leading Private Game Reserve” award, making it the eighth year in a row that Shambala has won this prestigious award.
For more information about Shambala you should visit: https://shambalaprivategamereserve.co.za/
The results follow a year-long search for the world’s top travel, tourism and hospitality brands. Votes were cast by travel industry professionals and the public, with the nominee gaining the most votes in a category named as the winner.
Graham Cooke, Founder, World Travel Awards, says: “Our World winners represent the best in global travel and tourism and my congratulations to each of them. They have all demonstrated remarkable resilience in a year of unprecedented challenges.”
Shambala offers you the experience of a lifetime when you visit this very unique game reserve in the Waterberg region of South Africa. The name ‘Shambala’ comes from the Tibetan word, meaning ‘Paradise on Earth’.
In a country that offers you hundreds of luxury game lodges across all of the country’s provinces, Shambala combines numerous unique and remarkable experiences that has earned it the award of World’s Leading Private Game Reserve for an astonishing eight years in a row, starting back in 2013.
Shambala Private Game Reserve covers almost 10 000 hectares under the watchful guardianship of the stunningly beautiful, malaria-free Waterberg mountains. It is more easily accessible than most other reserves in Southern Africa - you could take a relatively short drive from Johannesburg, a quick charter flight to nearby Vaalwater, or a short helicopter jump to the helipad located conveniently close to the two lodges in Shambala.
One of the most prized advantages Shambala offers you is the surprising and unusual lack of other vehicles to interfere with game drive sightings. Very rarely are there more than one or two vehicles on game drives in the entire reserve, allowing you and your family or friends lengthy and peaceful encounters with the rich diversity of wildlife resident to Shambala.
Shambala has also been creative in rewarding guests with a wide range of activities to enrich the overall experience, more than any other Luxury Big 5 game reserve in South Africa. You can, for example, enjoy a Sundowner Cruises with snacks and cocktails on Shambala’s 30-hectare Douw Steyn Dam, the largest man-made dam in southern Africa.
For other activities you could try Fishing, Quad Biking, Stargazing, a Shooting Range, as well as private Bush Walks and Bush Picnics.
Shambala is actively involved in wildlife conservation and also features a comprehensive anti-rhino poaching programme. In addition to the Big 5, Shambala Private Game Reserve is home to the endangered sable antelope, black impala, tsessebe and black rhino, as well as disease-free buffalo.
There are two luxurious and individually spectacular lodges in family friendly Shambala: Zulu Camp and the Nelson Mandela Villa.
Zulu Camp is built in traditional Zulu style with streams from the nearby river running through the camp, creating a unique large private waterhole right next to the lodge that often features hippos for you to safely enjoy viewing from the dining tables, swimming pool or bar area.
Each of Zulu Camp’s 8 chalets is decorated in elegant Afro-French Provincial style, with a double bed dressed in the finest linens, French armoire and full-length mirror.
The luxurious bathrooms with both a bath and a shower lead out to a refreshing outdoor shower on a private deck overlooking the surrounding bushveld.
Zulu Camp also features a charming newly decorated, romantic Honeymoon Suite.
The Nelson Mandela Villa offers you and your party a five luxury bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and a spectacular Presidential Suite. This villa is typically booked by a single party and features a dining area with 14-seater table, two lounges with fireplaces, an outdoor deck with casual lounge area, two private studies, and an indoor/outdoor heated swimming pool situated on a viewing deck that overlooks a private waterhole.
The Nelson Mandela Villa also features a full business center and boardroom facilities. These are a legacy from one of the most noteworthy and least known aspects of the Shambala Private Game Reserve: It’s rich history with former President, Nelson Mandela.
Inspired by the legacy and by his deep friendship with the former President, Shambala owner Douw Steyn commissioned the building of the Nelson Mandela Centre for Reconciliation in Shambala Private Game Reserve. This special retreat gave Mandela the opportunity to work uninterrupted in peace and solitude and would provide him with the space and tranquility to strengthen his considerable efforts towards global and local reconciliation.
You will that the exclusivity and privacy of this special piece of paradise, the Nelson Mandela Villa, set deep in the African bush is unique and unsurpassed.
For all meals, Shambala chefs create sumptuous dishes, tailored to your individual preferences at both Zulu Camp and Nelson Mandela Villa.
Both lodges feature a personal Butler, who is on hand to turn down your room in the evening and to assist at all times.
Recently upgraded Wifi is complimentary and available for you to use in all rooms and lounge areas.
The Shambala Spa is a unique, intimate wellness retreat situated in a secluded bush clearing along the riverside. The spa offers you two treatment rooms and a deck with a view of the surrounding bush.
“We have been incredibly honored to again be recognized by the World Travel Awards as the world’s leading private game reserve” says General Manager of Shambala, Tinus Nel.
He adds: “We thank all of our guests for their votes and support. It is ultimately a testament to the special place in paradise that we have all worked so hard to create”.
With the steep reduction in foreign guests as a result of the pandemic and accompanying lockdowns, Shambala has been fortunate in being able to welcome South African residents to the reserve and lodges. These special packages are all-inclusive, including accommodation in a Luxury or Superior Chalet, two game drives per day, a sunset cruise on the Douw Steyn Dam, a walking safari, all meals, and all non-premium beverages.
Please contact the Shambala reservations center at +27 11 292 6030 or contact us through our website for details of the SA Resident promotional packages currently available.
Please review the Shambala website at the URL included above for more information about the entire Shambala experience.
