Glenda’s been on a working holiday

In our quest to bring you the best property near Kruger National Park, Glenda has been off on her travels in the past week, exploring the further reaches of the area. As well as enjoying some game viewing as she drove through the National Park and some of the properties, Glenda enjoyed a little of the tourist side of the area, courtesy of a visiting member of the family from Canada.

The family member was a useful reminder to the intrepid Glenda that not all newcomers to Africa are comfortable with the country – South Africa has developed an unfortunate reputation internationally as a result of the media tending to report only the bad news from Johannesburg. As Glenda’s visitor discovered though, South Africa isn’t all violent townships and poverty: especially in our area, there is very little crime and although there is poverty, there is also a thriving community aiming to eradicate it. And if you want luxury, you can take your pick of fancy places to visit or live!

One of the highlights of Glenda’s trip was her visit to Sabi River Eco Estate, near Hazyview. The developer’s vision was “to create a true Eco Estate in the Sabi River Valley that safeguards and enhances the region’s indigenous habitat, preserves the biodiversity of species and provides a high standard of living for residents and visitors”. The basic idea is that a mango and citrus farm has been reclaimed for nature, removing alien species and replanting with indigenous trees, using natural landscaping, and preventing agricultural activity. As a lover of natural African bush, Glenda was impressed with their vision.

The “eco estate” is a relatively new phenomenon in South Africa but is a positive trend which we hope will be encouraged and adopted by home-buyers.