CHANGES / IMPROVEMENTS ON OUR RESERVE

For all those who have not yet had the opportunity to come and view what we have bustled with here at Ubizane, we will share with you all the exciting changes that is ongoing throughout our property – but please bear with us, it is rather a long list of changes and improvements:

    • Our brand new entrance gate, we have redone our entrance at our main road, and we now have one central entrance to our property. A picture pasted below will give you a good idea of our new entrance gate.
    OUR ENTRANCE – BEFORE AND AFTER
    • We have repaired our electric fence running right around our property, to ensure the safety of our animals and our guests, we have to admit, we do still have those free-spirited warthogs defying the odds creeping into and out of our farm despite our best “modern efforts” of keeping them inside…
    • We have employed our own security guards and anti-poaching teams, and we have managed to curb the poaching of small game by means of snares, and we have reached the point of control.
    • We have been busy with a massive Chromelina /Paraffin bush clearing project, and to date we have managed to clear 300 hectares of this plant which has overgrown our indigenous habitat. The cleared areas are now flourishing with game, and we are continuing to control this with the necessary resources.


    CHROMELINA CLEARING – BEFORE AND AFTER

      • The next problem on our plant species list is the Sickle Bush, and encroachment plant, which is a very fast growing plant, and this we are also eradicating to a controllable density.
      • One very positive response from the Chromelina eradicating is the sudden sighting of the shy Red Duiker, which belongs on the Endangered Red Data List. They are appearing everywhere on the farm, giving us great motivation in this fight against this alien specie.

    • By means of controlled burning, we have burned a third of the property to lessen the fuel load for potential veld fires, and also allow new vegetation growth to come out.
    • We have repaired and improved our Water Reticulation System.
    • In an effort to cut down on our carbon footprint, we have installed the following measures to move in a “greener” direction – we have installed heat pumps into our laundry and kitchen to save on power usage, and we have also installed heat pumps at 12 of our Tree lodge rooms. We have redone all our electricity cabling and db boards, to reduce power failures. Eskom has installed new power lines on our farm, and we have fixed all water supplies and plumbing in order to prevent water wastage.
    • We will also be undertaking an animal exchange program, in order to get new bloodline into our animal populations, such as Giraffe, Impala, Nyala and Zebra.
    • During any construction, we utilize people from the local community, thus doing our bit to help curb the endless problem of unemployment.

    CHANGES / IMPROVEMENTS AT SAFARI LODGE


    SAFARI LODGE RECEPTION -   BEFORE
    SAFARI LODGE RECEPTION -  AFTER

    • We have redone our Safari Reception, stripped it down, re-plastered and painted inside and out.
    • Safari Lodge has had 17 rooms broken down, walls broken open to allow for more light and air, wood and glass sliding doors as front entrances, we have re-thatched, re-tiled, painted inside and out. We have bought everything brand new, all kitchen utensils, beds, furniture, cupboards, bathroom fittings (including new showers, baths, basins, toilets, etc), new linen, bedding, outside furniture, toweling, mosquito nets, floor rugs….borderline, everything is brand new.

    SAFARI ROOM OUTSIDE VIEW BEFORE AND AFTER

    SAFARI ROOMS INSIDE VIEW BEFORE AND AFTER

      • We have gone through extensive re-fertilizing and replanting of our massive lawns at Safari Lodge, to create a more manicured feel and experience for our guests.
      • We have built a brand new jungle gym area and fixed all the children play areas, the swings, the see-saw and the sandpit.

    JUNGLE GYM PLAY AREA AT SAFARI BEFORE AND AFTER

    • We are nearing completion of our Safari Restaurant, we have enclosed the restaurant to allow for it to not be so weather dependant and to be more of a communal area in winter and summer. Herewith photos of where it currently stands with the renovations

SAFARI RESTAURANT NEARING COMPLETION

  • We are building communal braai-areas across Safari Lawn to ensure that guests can enjoy braai-ing outdoors at the lodge.

UPGRADES AT TREE LODGE

  • Although we are still in the process of finishing the refurb of our Tree Lodge rooms, we are nearing completion on 8 of our 12 units. Our furniture will be delivered any day now, and we have mock-up photos of what the rooms would look like as soon as they are filled with furniture. We have installed heat pumps at 12 of these units, and they are fitted with air-conditioners, brand new beds, linen and toweling, as well as smaller trimmings. They have brand new cherry wood cupboards fitted, with marble top counters, and huge glass sliding doors, as well as bar fridges.
  • We have redone our pathways that were cracked and broken. As well as clearing the riverbed in front of Tree Lodge rooms, to afford a better view/vista from our Tree Lodge Verandahs.
  • We have made improvements to our Tree Lodge Dinner Boma, and this is still ongoing.


A MOCK-UP OF OUR NEW TREE ROOMS

REFURB OF OUR CONFERENCE CENTRE

We have installed glass windows, wooden paneling, air-conditioning, repainted, and enhanced with greater lighting. We have installed a projector, and we re-did our projector boards, as well as purchasing brand new conference tables, and re-upholstering our conference chairs.

OUR BRAND NEW CONFERENCE CENTRE

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS, MORE SUBTLE, SERVICE-ORIENTATED

  • Our standard of food has been lifted greatly, we are now serving home-made jams, delicious vegetarian treats, and everything is prepared freshly inside our kitchen, focusing on the glorious flavors produced on our own continent, thus capturing a truly African feel into our food, while remaining in touch with the natural feel of things.
  • Our morning game drives have a designated coffee stop with home-made rusks and coffee or tea served mid-drive, and our afternoon drive has a drinks stop offering anything from a gin and tonic to amarula on crushed ice, and delicious home-made treats.
  • Our staff is being trained to interact with guests on a more personal yet professional level.
  • We are doing intensive training with our guides, to ensure the best possible wildlife experience for our guests.
  • We have added numerous small things to add value and awe to the experience, such as turndown wildlife stories and biscuits, high tea before afternoon game drive, welcome drinks and facecloths, and all the small touches that make the stay that much more special.

We invite you to pop in when next in the area and come and experience first-hand what we are doing here and please watch this space as we will keep you posted on the progress!!!!!
Our Warmest Regards
Tiaan, Natascha and the Entire Ubizane Team

 

  

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