Sunrise at the Earth Lodge Sabi Sabi Game Reserve. Game drives start bright and early with coffee and danishes at 5:00 a.m. Departures at 5:30 a.m.

The tree seen silhouetted is The Marula Tree and has a history as a source of nutrition dating back to 10,000 years B.C. and it is certainly one of Africa's botanical treasures.
The multiple uses of the tree, it's bark, leaves, fruit, nut and kernels are legendary. My favorite is when the fruit ripens and drops to the ground and lightly ferments ... the elephants, giraffes, warthogs, and other animals get wasted and the party gets started safari style !
http://youtu.be/D5E5TjkDvU0

The fruits are a good food source and high in vitamin C.
The skin can be boiled to make a drink or burnt to be used as a substitute for coffee.
The wood is soft for carving
The inner bark can be used to make rope and for making dye
They produce small tasty nuts which are rich in protein.
The Oil is used as a skin cosmetic.
Their green leaves are eaten to relieve heartburn.
The bark contains antihistamines

The fruit can also be cooked to produce jam, juices and alcoholic beverages like "Amarula" a delicious South African Cream Liqueur that substrates just fine for coffee creamer any time of the day as far as I'm concerned. It also is used to brew a very tasty, potent South African moonshine known locally as "Mampoer" after a local Chief who favored it. It is said to make grown men weep.

the Venda people of Southern Africa maintain that bark infusions can be used to determine the gender of an unborn child. If a woman wants a son the male tree is used, and for a daughter, the female tree. If the child of the opposite gender is born, the child is said to be very special as it was able to defy the spirits.

Oh, and did I mention it sacred.

#treetrove #goldenhour

Mala Mala Game Reserve, Greater Kruger National Park hotel rooms at the Independent

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Body treatments, aromatherapy, hot stone massages, deep-tissue massages

"Great stay at the hotel. Food and hospitality were amazing!"

₩517,515 total

includes taxes & fees

Sep 3 - Sep 4

"Beautiful location, wonderful facilities, unique stay. Would go back in a heartbeat!"

₩1,240,413 total

includes taxes & fees

Aug 9 - Aug 10

"Is the best mis-sized hostel ive stayed in Alkebulan so far! Will stay again when in Kruger. For price paid it was worth it. App wont let me add photos"

₩102,885 total

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Aug 9 - Aug 10

"Experience with elephants was special, but the lodge needs some TLC and lacks attentio to detail"

₩928,823 total

includes taxes & fees

Aug 7 - Aug 8

"Our stay at the camp was perfect. Above all, our guide K-K was extremly helpfull and nice and showed us many animals and how and where they live. It was a highligt during our vacation in South Africa. "

₩699,803 total

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Aug 12 - Aug 13

"Experiencia incrivel de dormir em uma tenda bem no meio do parque Nacional Kruger. Ouvir os animais durante a noite foi um dos pontos altos da viagem. Além do safari duas vezes por dia ser espetacular! O guia Simon é super atencioso e muito bom!"

₩1,467,579 total

includes taxes & fees

Aug 6 - Aug 7

"I had an amazing stay at Leopard Hills. The entire grounds are 5-star, all of the staff if there to cater to your every need and the location within Sabi Sand is fantastic for game drives! My stay here was worth every penny!"

₩4,231,263 total

includes taxes & fees

Aug 13 - Aug 14

"Lovely lodge right at the entrance of Kruger, the staff were unbelievably welcoming, atmosphere was lovely and service was top notch!"

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Top Mala Mala Game Reserve Hotel Reviews

Lion Sands River Lodge

10/10 Excellent

"Up close and personal with the wildlife."

Honeyguide Khoka Moya Camp

10/10 Excellent

"The minute we arrived we were greeted by lovely staff and elephants at the pool. What followed was a once in a lifetime experience. The positives - Beds are super comfy with electric blankets for those cold nights and a fan for the warm days. The food was AMAZING. I LOVED being seated with fellow safari mates and getting to know people from across the world even though we are total introverts. Our guide Leighton was brilliant, knowledgeable and an excellent driver. And the wildlife…. Wow. I still can’t believe we saw so many lions, leopards and cheetahs, not to mention everything else. Being birders we were worried that we would be ignored and never get a moment to identify a bird but Leighton balanced the needs of the guests so well and had an excellent knowledge of all animals. The only downsides… when we arrived we were so hungry but because our flight was delayed we missed the afternoon safari and had to wait until everyone returned before we could access any food - a wait of 2 hours was really tough and no one explained what was happening. Highly recommend explaining the daily itinerary to people on arrival and having snacks available for purchase. Loved the Couples shower but unfortunately not enough hot water for 2 people. "

Kruger Shalati - Train on the Bridge and Garden Suites

10/10 Excellent

"Beautiful, we drove in and drove out, which was a great experience. make sure you book the right airport and you won’t have to drive your own car although we loved driving around ourselves in addition to the wonderful game drives. The staff and the Safari drivers were the best. The garden rooms were lovely and we saw many animals and baby hippo, newly born from the view on the train track"

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Mala Mala Game Reserve, Greater Kruger National Park hotel rooms at the Independent

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Kruger Gate Hotel

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Sleepover Kruger Gate

Honeyguide Tented Safari Camps - Mantobeni

Honeyguide Khoka Moya Camp

Kruger Untamed - Tshokwane River Camp

Leopard Hills

The Orpen Kruger

Pungwe Safari Camp

Kruger Safari Lodge

Top Mala Mala Game Reserve Hotel Reviews

Lion Sands River Lodge

Honeyguide Khoka Moya Camp

Kruger Shalati - Train on the Bridge and Garden Suites

Sabie River Bush Lodge

Kruger Gate Hotel

Elephant Point

aha Skukuza Safari Lodge

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