Hummus-stuffed broccoli with charred red pepper pesto
A plant-based main worth cooking properly. Charred broccoli steaks layered with hummus, butternut puree, charred red pepper pesto, and toasted pumpkin seeds. Serves four.
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
Vegan safaris in Africa: an honest look at where plant-based travel actually works
Plant-based safari travel works well across Africa when the chef has a proper brief. A composite week, the questions guests actually ask, and where vegan still requires real planning.
6 min read
Family-friendly safari activities in South Africa
What a family safari in South Africa actually looks like, and the activities that bring every generation together.
4 min read
Grootbos Private Nature Reserve: our review
Our first-hand review of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, the Cape fynbos property near Hermanus that trades Big 5 for whales, sharks, and ancient Milkwood forest.
5 min read
The seven meals of a safari day
Seven distinct eating moments shape every safari day. Here is what to expect.
4 min read
Nine days in Sabi Sand and Cape Town for a fiftieth birthday
A couple, nine days, two halves. Five nights at Singita Boulders in the Sabi Sand and four at Ellerman House in Cape Town. The real itinerary, the real moments, and what we built around her.
4 min read
Is a safari worth it? An honest answer
Honest answer for first-time safari travellers. What you actually get, when to go, and how to plan it well.
7 min read
Safari activities for kids: what to expect on a family bush trip
Kids don't need screens on safari. Here's what keeps them busy, curious and out of trouble in the bush.
4 min read
The Silo Hotel Cape Town: a review
A converted 1924 grain silo above Zeitz MOCAA, The Silo Hotel is one of the most architecturally striking places to stay in South Africa.
4 min read
Cape Town after safari, properly paced
Most South Africa trips end in the bush. The good ones don't. How four or five nights in Cape Town finishes a safari the way it should be finished.
4 min read
What a day on safari actually looks like
A real walk through the hours of a safari day, from the pre-dawn knock on your door to dinner around the fire.
6 min read
Is South Africa safe for kids? A parents' guide
South Africa with kids is very doable, if you know where to go.
4 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.