Sabi Sand or Kruger
Two reserves, one fence line, very different mornings
4 min read
The people behind the planning
Vikki Jackson
Co-founder. She writes the dispatches: the people and the moments that make a safari worth crossing the world for.
Her beat Stories & Voices
A note from Vikki
I grew up in Manchester and came out to Africa at 21. There were years in corporate life along the way, doing work that looked good on paper, but the bush kept winning the argument. Marula Hill is what happened when I stopped arguing back.
I've celebrated most of my life's milestones out here, and I've introduced more friends to their first leopard than I can count. My favourite animal is the hyena, which tells you most of what you need to know about how I feel about underdogs.
In the journal I write the dispatches: the sightings that go wrong beautifully, and the small human moments no brochure will sell you. And when a trip needs rethinking on the fly, a lodge switch or a last-minute charter, I'm usually the one on the phone.
Vikki
Co-founder, Marula Hill
From the journal
Everything Vikki has written
What is the best month to visit Cape Town?
Cape Town rewards you differently in every season, but March to May is the window most of our clients come back to.
4 min read
Gorilla trekking, Uganda or Rwanda
Two countries, the same forest, two very different days
6 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
Why Rwanda is the cleanest country in Africa
A plastic-bag ban from 2008. A mandatory community work morning on the last Saturday of every month. The system behind Rwanda's cleanliness, explained.
5 min read
What's actually changing in safari travel in 2026
We do not love the trend pieces either. But after twenty years of designing safaris, the real shifts in 2026 are worth naming. Here are the four we are seeing in our own bookings, and the two we think are oversold.
5 min read
Eating vegan in South Africa: a practical guide
Plant-based travel in South Africa is easier than most people expect. Here's the real picture.
4 min read
Is a South Africa safari worth it?
A South Africa safari is worth it. Here's what you actually get for the money, and what to watch for when planning.
5 min read
Ximuwu Lodge review
Ximuwu Lodge in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve is the most thoughtfully accessible safari lodge we know. Here's our honest review.
4 min read
The plight of the African wild dog
Around 6,600 painted dogs are left in the wild, and they are among the most endangered carnivores on the continent. Here is what is actually happening to them, and what we do about it
5 min read
The smell of the bush at 5am
Why we still get up before dawn after twenty years in the bush. The case for the early game drive, written from the back of a Land Cruiser at five in the morning.
5 min read
How safe is an African safari?
African safaris are safer than most people assume. Here is what to actually pay attention to.
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.