We run on solar and we have not printed since 2019
Vikki and Sian on solar power, paper, and what a small safari company can honestly claim.
4 min read
The people behind the planning
Sian Loehrer
Co-founder. She runs the planning desk and writes the guides and lodge reviews.
Her beat Guides & lodge reviews
A note from Sian
Vikki writes about why you should go. I write about how. The month that makes or breaks a water-based lodge, and the quote that looks light until you read what it leaves out.
I was born and raised in South Africa, and I know the reserves by season and the lodges by feel. When we recommend a property, it's because we would send our own family there. When we don't, I'll tell you why.
If you write to us about a trip, you are probably writing to me first. Bring me the tricky briefs: the honeymoon that has to be quietly perfect, or the grandmother who wants the whole family under one roof.
Sian
Co-founder, Marula Hill
From the journal
Everything Sian has written
Sandringham Private Game Reserve: should you go early, or wait?
Greater Kruger's newest reserve opens in August 2026. Our honest take on who should book Sandringham early, and who should give it a few seasons.
5 min read
The packing guide
What to bring on safari, what to leave at home, and the one thing no lodge can lend you. An honest packing list from the team in Hoedspruit.
6 min read
South Africa's online traveller declaration: what it means for your safari (and what it doesn't)
A five-minute customs form now stands between you and the arrivals hall. Here's what it is, who needs it, and what nothing to declare actually means for a normal safari guest.
6 min read
The Mozambique dhow: a slow boat at the end of a fast trip
Why we put a dhow afternoon into almost every Mozambique trip. Sail, salt water and the long breath out after safari.
5 min read
Why we built the Antarctica page
A short note from Sian on why an African safari business added Antarctica to its destination map, and how we handle a trip neither founder has yet made.
4 min read
What Singita Lebombo's 2026 redesign tells us
Lebombo reopened March 2026 warmer, quieter, more art-led
4 min read
Do you need travel insurance for a safari
What safari travel insurance must cover, and why standard policies fall short
5 min read
How two women from outside the travel industry built a luxury safari brand from Africa
We are the two women behind Marula Hill. One of us came from IBM, the other from MARS Southern Africa. Here is the long version of how a private safari business gets built from outside the travel industry.
6 min read
Sole-use villa safaris in Africa
What sole-use villa safaris mean in practice, who they suit, and what to ask
5 min read
A family vacation in Cape Town that works for all ages
Cape Town suits kids and grown-ups equally well: beaches, penguins, aquariums, and a city that's easy to move around.
5 min read
How a wellness safari itinerary actually works
A wellness safari isn't just yoga with a view. Here's what a real day looks like.
5 min read
The slow letter
A quarterly note from the bush
No noise, no marketing. Just the letter we'd write to a friend who asked what it's really like out here.