Having worked as cabin crew with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, as well as with the ground staff team at Aer Lingus, it was no surprise that Dubliner Annie Williams hankered for a customer-facing role when she moved to the southern hemisphere with her South African partner, John, in 2009.
The couple met in the UK, where John worked on project management in construction. After she spent some time commuting back and forth from Dublin to Gatwick, she enticed him to move to Ireland so they could spend more time together. He countered with a proposal that they move to Hoedspruit in South Africa’s northern province of Limpopo for a year. That’s the option they went with, and they have never left.
“I googled Hoedspruit and found very little so I didn’t really know what to expect, but John had come here on safari as a child and had a soft spot for it,” she says.
“It was love at first sight when I arrived. It’s mainly an Afrikaans-speaking town, but I had studied German and could get the gist of the conversation. It’s a very friendly and welcoming place, and while it was small back then, it has grown rapidly since.”
John’s qualification as a plumber and his project-management skills proved valuable as the couple developed and flipped houses when they first arrived and provided capital when they decided to open a safari lodge in the area.
“As a small town, all the trades work together here, which is handy. We found a good location near the Kruger National Park and the Blythe River Canyon and developed our lodge on a 400-hectare site.”
[ ‘As an Irish person speaking Norwegian, you can sound like a very sick dog’Opens in new window ]
Williams was keen to develop and run a boutique safari lodge where she could provide a very high level of personalised service.
“You can fit eight or nine people into a safari vehicle, and that was what I was initially thinking of, but travel agents won’t even look at you if you are that small, so we expanded so we can accommodate 20 people.
“It’s still small enough that we can really get to know our guests and look after them.”
Kingfisher Creek Safari Lodge consists of a central building with a diningroom, lounge, bar and swimming pool and tented suites and cottages, with the option for self-catering if guests prefer.
Kingfisher Creek Safari Lodge
Guests are likely to see to zebra, giraffes, antelopes, buffalo, leopards and hyenas during their stay, but Williams emphasises that if prospective guests have a strong desire to see all the so-called “Big Five” animals – elephants, lions, rhinoceroses, leopards and buffalo – she generally steers them to other safari resorts.
Guests come for a variety of experiences, from safari drives to adventure activities and spa treatments.
“The Germans and Dutch come primarily for the safari, whereas the English guests like the massages and sitting at the bar. Our Russian guests, meanwhile, are adrenaline junkies and love ziplining and throwing themselves off mountains.”
[ ‘It’s strange to say to Irish people that you miss the bad weather’Opens in new window ]
Williams has had only a small number of Irish guests. Participation in a holiday fair in the RDS with South Africa Tourism a number of years ago was an eye-opener to her.
“There is demand for safari but there is a general perception that South Africa can be a dangerous place, so people will stick to Cape Town and the Garden Route, where they feel comfortable. As a safari snob, that wouldn’t be my thing, but you’ll get to see the animals.”
Williams has no concerns about safety.
“I often leave the keys in the car at night, and the car is still there in the morning. I couldn’t do that in Dublin. You don’t get hassled in shops. It’s a safe tourist area and is much more accessible now than it used to be because of the development of the airport, which is only 40 minutes from our lodge and has connections to Cape Town and Johannesburg, among other places.”
The couple and their children get to enjoy year-round warm temperatures. January and February can be unpredictable months with the possibility of summer storms. The optimal time for best weather experience is generally late spring or the autumn.
In the gaps when she is not entertaining guests, the family enjoys the South African tradition of braii with friends, a barbecue where the hosts provide salads and guests bring meats and drinks.
Williams is well settled in South Africa but says that while the climate is attractive and encourages an outdoor lifestyle, she does miss the cold of Ireland.
“I miss the rain and the cosy winter nights in by fire with a glass of red wine and the wind howling outside.”