CONNECTED - MFULAWOZI WILDERNESS LODGE

IN KWAZULU-NATAL, A NEW OFF-THE-GRID LODGE WITH 12 LUXURIOUS VILLAS BONDS WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, THE FLORA - AND THE RESIDENT HERD OF ELEPHANTS.

- JESS NICHOLSON

Private viewing decks with bespoke firepits offer spectacular views of a popular watering hole in the White Umfolozi River.

BEFORE THE MFULAWOZI PRIVATE GAME RESERVE'S BIYELA LODGE, there was nothing - except hectares of pristine bush adjoining the lower Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, and plenty of wild animals. "The elephants were our natural surveyors, providing well-worn paths to assist in deciding where the best routes for game-viewing would be," says Barry Theunissen, who designed and built the lodge with his wife Sonya. "While we were building, elephants often came to inspect the progress. There are herds of more than a hundred that congregate in the river in front of the lodge site."

The flat roofs of the villas at Biyela Lodge ensure the skyline is uninterrupted, while thick concrete-slab ceilings protect guests from the summer heat. 

A ranger stands by as guests watch a herd of elephants cooling off in the river.

Having spent large chunks of time in wildlife reserves, the Theunissens named the lodge after local chief Phiwayinkosi Biyela, a descendent of King Shaka. The project was conceived collaboratively with the amakhosi who own the wilderness areas surrounding the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi reserve.

Biyela's modern angularity is punctuated by triangular thatch structures that double the volume of the interiors.

The lodge buildings back into the banks of the White Umfolozi River.