We trust that guests will all use common sense and will not travel, especially not to remote areas, when they are not feeling well.

At the Gate:

• Guests should arrive wearing a face mask.
• The gate guard will take the guests’ temperature readings 3 times to maintain an accurate average.
• Guests will be required to complete a screening questionnaire as well as an indemnity form.
• Should a guest’s temperature consistently (even after a waiting period) test above 37.5 degrees C, they will be required to go to La Verna Hospital in Ladysmith for further testing and clearance.
• The Reserve will refuse entry to any guest that display symptoms or high temperatures.

At the Lodge:

We will have a thermal scanner should we feel there is a need / concern to take a guest’s temperature again.

• Guests will be asked to complete and sign a questionnaire if not done at the gate.
• Guests will allow their temperature to be scanned with a thermal scanner if Management request.

Should a guest’s temperature register as high and/or they have symptoms of the virus they will be referred to a medical facility in Ladysmith and they will not be allowed to stay at the lodge.

Educating: Ongoing – daily education on what the virus is; where the disease outbreak began; ways in which it is transmitted; symptoms to look out for; and daily measures to prevent contamination and spread of viruses in personal, operational and guest spaces.

Screening: Staff returning from time off will (with managers’ digression) be placed in isolation for the  recommended time before returning to work. Any staff on the property will have their temperatures taken twice a day and recorded.

70% + alcohol based have been handed out to each staff member in February 2020 already and is refilled on a regular basis. We have implemented sanitisers in back of house areas (such as kitchen, office, laundry, staff restaurant and bathrooms) as well as front of house guest areas (such as reception desk, bar, restaurant and lounge). Sanitisers are available to guests upon check in as well as in the safari vehicles.

70% + alcohol based are placed in each guest suite for the ease of mind of all our guests. This comes with a notice encouraging regular use as well as a little explanation as to how it works and which areas it can be used on.

Personal hygiene is being reiterated, including the importance of washing hands frequently and thoroughly; avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth; practicing respiratory hygiene (sneezing and coughing into a tissue that is safely discarded or the crook of the elbow), and avoiding touching one’s face

Continual and Regular Routine Cleaning of public areas such as restrooms, light switches, table tops and other surfaces in the public areas, restaurant table tops and chairs, bar counters and chairs, door knobs and handles, water dispenser,  Coffee machines and urns, radios, kitchen counter tops and all back office surfaces, speed point machines and the front desk counter top are sprayed wiped down on a regular routine throughout the day (before and after every service).

In addition to regular routine cleaning in the main areas we also implement the same strict measures to our guest suites. Door handles and knobs, door keys, furniture and counter tops, taps, bathrooms, showers, light switches, plug points, hairdryers, adaptors, mini bars, coffee stations and kettles are cleaned with the same 70% + alcohol-based sanitisers twice a day (unless guests specify that they do not want anyone in their rooms).

Rooms are thoroughly cleaned upon check out and where possible left open for a period of time before the next check in.

We also make use of an industrial fogging machine to spray all areas of the Lodge on a daily basis.

As per government regulations all staff received two sets of face masks as well as face shields where required. Protective wear such as protective gloves are issued to housekeeping when on duty and cleaning equipment.

Facemasks are not required while staying at the lodge, although we recommend wearing them or keeping a safe distance. Our team will be equipped with either masks or shields for your safety as well as their own.

We are following the advice of Discovery Health, the CDC, WHO, NICD and other health industry advisors and will continue to adapt our policies accordingly.

In South Africa the wearing of masks in public spaces are mandatory, therefore we request the following: during travel to and from the lodge, guests and staff are required to wear masks, as well wearing masks or shields during safari drives.

Avoiding close contact with anyone who is coughing, sneezing and feverish.  Anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness to be reported to the Lodge’s general manager for further action to take place, such as contacting the NICD hotline.

The NICD Hotline is available to all staff and guests. In the event that anyone feels ill after travelling from countries with coronavirus, the South African Department of Health advises first phoning the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) helpline rather than going straight to a medical facility, to prevent potential contamination. The NICD hotline number is 080 002 9999.

Due to various countries implementing travel bans (South Africa being one of them) to ensure the safety of their citizens as well as that of the rest of the world, we understand that date changes and or cancellations are inevitable. We have therefore updated our cancellation policy. We want to put forward an urgent plea with our guests to rather move their selected holiday dates as appose to cancelling it. We offer a penalty-free, rate increase free move up to a year from the original booking date, in order to try and accommodate our guests and to ensure the continual running of our small lodge. Should this not be possible we revert to our cancellation policy were guests can then claim the cancellation fee from their travel insurance, as most comprehensive insurance policies have a clause for “cancelling for any reason”. If our reservations team can assist with this, we will gladly provide documentation for our guests. Please contact the team on