THE JOURNAL
A safari, written well
We publish four kinds of writing. Atmosphere. Practical advice. The voices of the people on the ground. And the trips we have actually built. Read whichever pulls at you.
01
Stories
Atmosphere and place. Photo essays, lodge writing, conservation features.
02
Guides
Practical answers. Seasons, costs, comparisons, what to pack and when.
03
Voices
Guides, trackers, lodge owners. The people we trust on the ground.
04
Journeys
Real safaris we built. The brief, the route, what we changed mid-trip.
02 — GUIDES
The questions you should ask
Honest answers, written without the marketing voice.
All Guides →
The big question
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.
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Guide
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.
Guide
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.
Guide
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.
Guide
How safari pricing actually works
From the people who build the quotes. What you are really paying for, where the money goes, and how to spend it well.
Guide
Where the money actually goes on a luxury safari
A line-by-line look at what you're actually paying for on a luxury African safari — and what a quote that looks light is usually hiding.
Guide
Bazaruto vs Quirimbas: which Mozambique archipelago is right for you?
How to choose between Mozambique's two great archipelagos for a bush-and-beach trip. Geography, lodge feel, when to go.
Guide
Sabi Sand or Kruger
Two reserves, one fence line, very different mornings
Guide
Gorilla trekking, Uganda or Rwanda
Two countries, the same forest, two very different days
Guide
Do you need travel insurance for a safari
What safari travel insurance must cover, and why standard policies fall short
Guide
Sole-use villa safaris in Africa
What sole-use villa safaris mean in practice, who they suit, and what to ask
Guide
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.
Guide
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.
Guide
Kosher safaris in South Africa: how a bush kitchen actually works
The honest guide to keeping kosher on safari in South Africa. Three tiers of catering, real pricing, Shabbat in the bush, and how we put one together.
Guide
When to go to Mozambique: a month-by-month read on weather, water and wildlife
A month-by-month read on Mozambique weather, water and wildlife. Whale sharks, humpbacks, mantas, cyclones, dry season.
Guide
How long should a safari actually be
Seven nights minimum, ten nights ideal: a plain guide to safari length
Guide
Malaria-free safaris in South Africa
Big Five reserves in South Africa where no malaria prophylaxis is needed
Guide
How we plan a vegan safari in South Africa
A working guide to building a fifteen-night plant-based safari, from Cape Town's Atlantic coast to two private reserves in the Greater Kruger
Guide
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.
Guide
Wheelchair accessible safaris in Africa
A practical guide to wheelchair accessible safari destinations and lodges across Africa, from Kruger to the Okavango Delta.
Guide
Multi-generational safaris in Africa: the rise of private villas
Multi-generational safaris are the fastest-growing way families travel to Africa. Private villas and exclusive-use lodges, planned around different ages. The how, the why, and what they cost.
Guide
Solo women on safari
How to plan a safe, well-organised solo safari in southern Africa as a woman
Guide
The real cost of a luxury safari in South Africa
What the money actually buys you, and where lodges quietly inflate
Guide
Tarangire: Tanzania's other great safari park
Huge elephant herds, ancient baobabs, and very few crowds. Here's why we include Tarangire in nearly every northern Tanzania itinerary.
Guide
Namibia or Botswana, which safari should you choose
Red dunes and distance, or water and density
Guide
Botswana with kids: why families keep coming back
Botswana is one of Africa's most rewarding destinations for families. Here's what makes it work, and how to plan it well.
Guide
Botswana or Zambia, which safari should you choose
One country is water. The other is silence under your boots
Guide
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.
Guide
Honeymoon safaris in South Africa
Where to go, what to expect, and how to pair bush with beach
Guide
When to go to Namibia on safari
Not every season delivers the same Namibia. Here's how to match your travel dates to what you actually want from this extraordinary country.
Guide
How to plan a luxury safari in South Africa
A working guide to building a trip you won't regret
Guide
What a Botswana safari actually costs (and why it's the most expensive in Africa)
Botswana costs more than any other safari country in Africa. The reason is not greed. It is policy. Here is how the pricing actually breaks down, what each tier gets you, and why we still send most of our clients here.
Guide
When to go on safari in South Africa
The bush wears a different face every month, and some are kinder than others
Guide
What a luxury safari in South Africa actually costs
What you're really paying for on a luxury safari in South Africa: nightly rates, private concessions, charter flights, and total trip budgets.
Guide
When to go on safari in Botswana
The Delta has two good seasons. They are completely different trips
Guide
Sabi Sand Game Reserve: South Africa's leopard country
The Sabi Sand has the highest leopard density of any protected area in South Africa. Here's what makes it genuinely different, and how we plan trips here.
Guide
What to pack for a safari
A short, honest list from the people who keep getting the WhatsApp message at 11pm the night before
Guide
How to choose a safari lodge
What actually matters when choosing a safari lodge, and what turns out not to.
Guide
How we plan a luxury African safari (the long version)
After twenty years of designing safaris, this is how we actually do it. Not a checklist. The order we ask the questions in, what we trade off, and why we say no to certain combinations.
We design safaris around the people travelling, not the brochure.
VIKKI JACKSON · CO-FOUNDER
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Voices
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.
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Voices
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.
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Voices
Safaris designed around the people travelling
Safaris built around the people travelling, not the brochure. How we plan for LGBTQ+ guests, dietary needs, family configurations and accessibility in South Africa.
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Voices
A conversation with Vikki Jackson
Vikki Jackson, co-founder of Marula Hill, on moving to South Africa with her family in 1994 and being the one who stayed, why hyenas are the ones to watch, and the small details that make a lodge actually work.
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Voices
A conversation with Sian Loehrer
Sian Loehrer, co-founder of Marula Hill, talks about how she designs safaris, where she'd go right now, and what first-time travellers always ask.
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Journey · Jun 2024
Ten days alone in Zimbabwe and Botswana. Why we keep recommending it
A 10-day solo female itinerary from Victoria Falls to Makgadikgadi and the Okavango Delta. Sian walks you through how we planned it.
Journey · Apr 2024
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.
Journey · Jul 2023
Three generations in the Okavango
A family of seven across grandparents, parents, and three children. Eight nights, two camps, one table. How we built a multigenerational safari in northern Botswana that worked at every age.
EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE
Read the whole archive
Want to see every piece we have published, ordered by date? Open the full archive. Or send us what you are planning and we will start a conversation.