Singita: Sabora Tented Camp

(Continuing my journal on our trip to the Serengeti)

An hour after we embarked on our hot air balloon safari we landed in the flat grasslands right near our next destination, Sabora Tented Camp.

This is quite possibly my favorite photo from the trip, by Peter Ostrega :-)

   This time we had a warm Singita greeting by Apollo, who would be taking care of us for the next three days. As we walking into the main camp Apollo brought us over to a beautiful brass basin and poured warm water over our hands out of a large antique brass vase. The tour began out on the main deck over looking the Grumeti plains, where most of the meals take place. The first thing you see as you walk onto the main deck is the bar, made of a vintage hot air balloon basket that is split in half. This was my favorite piece at Sabora, so original. Then he showed us the indoor tented lodge, dipping pool, and tennis court where zebra are known to enjoy rolling around on the red turf.

P+Apollo+S

Tent No. 4

Next stop was Tent No. 4, our home for the next 3 nights. As we unzipped our front door and parted the canvas we were immediately absorbed in a 1920's explorer's paradise. This tent takes glamping to a completely new level, it's no wonder Travel and Leisure magazine named Sabora the best hotel in the world two years in a row!

Don't let its canvas exterior fool you, inside is an ultra luxurious time capsule of a Serengeti oasis. Complete with warren in vintage leather chairs, Persian carpets, plaid pillows, and a canopy bed with an army green linen comforter. Off to the right of the bed a stack of vintage leather luggage and trunks.

The water closet featuring a clawed tub with a view, an outdoor shower surrounded by tall and slender tree branches, and a dressing area with a large mahogany dresser, complete with a silver horsehair brush and matching hand help mirror. They know how to set a mood at Singita, that is a fact. With every detail they take you back in time. This is not a hotel, it is an experience.

At any give moment I would gaze out of tent onto the plains and see herds of impala, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, warthogs, baboons, and hyena. They would basically come right up to the tent! It definitely took me a night or two to get used to the sounds of the moaning buffalo and roaring lions that cut straight through the canvas every night. I felt a different electricity in the air at Sabora, it was the most laid back and casual of the three lodges, and in that way I liked it the best.

Tented Library

Mahler Morning

When I woke up on my first morning at Sabora, I hear Mahler's first symphony in my mind (Movt. I & Ia, on repeat) as the darkness slowly turned to light and it was so quiet on the plains, the air was perfectly crisp and a single bird chirped just as the first ray became viable.  You could feel the sadness and struggle still lingering in the air from the previous night, and the glimmer of hope for the new day. 

 When the cellos come in (Movt. Ia.) the sun is up, it is officially morning, everything is in perfect harmony, the gazelles running and playing with each other, it's a peaceful time in the wild.

Now when I listen to the piece I envision the Grumeti plains coming alive, and the hot air balloon hovering over the pristine land. I only wish that I could have seen this before I performed the piece.

The original program notes attributed to the first performance:

Part I: From the days of youth, "youth, fruit, and thorn pieces."

1. Spring and no end. This introduction describes the awakening of nature at the earliest dawn.

Sabora Plains -

I loved the idea that you could walk out of your tent and frolic among the animals on the  plains. At this point in the trip I had never felt better in my life. I woke up every single morning feeling healthy and vibrant.

 

Serengeti Slumber Party - 

Buffalo Bombed!

Sabora Sunset Game Drives -

 With each lodge we got progressively deeper into nature, and it was magical. I couldn't imagine a more perfect way to celebrate our marriage. The striking beauty of nature in its purest form, just opens the eye to the wonder and limitless possibility of the world we live in. I'll never forget sitting by the open fire and laying back on our day bed staring up at the flickering darkness of the Serengeti ceiling. Rarely do you ever have the opportunity to see a sky so unspoiled and removed from civilization. It's hard to think about anything else when the intense beauty above is staring down at you, just commanding your undivided attention. Your mind naturally leads you in an existential direction, and you must consciously prevent your thoughts from getting lost in its infinite complexities...

"I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes." - e. e. cummings