19 November 2024
South African luxury ecotourism and conservation brand, Singita, will open its first lodge in Botswana in mid-2026, LATTE can exclusively reveal.
Speaking with LATTE at last weekend’s Goldman Group Conference in Melbourne, Ross Couper, wildlife photographer and content creator for Singita, said the new-build lodge would launch in the Okavango Delta in June.
To be known as Elela (which means flow or river), construction of the new project will commence next year in the Abu concession in north western Okavango. It is part of Singita’s 2030 vision which includes sustainable expansion.
31-year-old Singita currently has private game lodges in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Rwanda. Elela will only have a small footprint, with the lodge design being elevated off the ground, creating less impact on the environment.
Local community will play a significant part of the project, with Elela relying on locally sourced resources, being it structure or furniture, and a focus on the stories around local artesian and carpenters, uplifting them through Singita’s programs, Couper said.
The lodge design features a transition between main lodge and back of house, with guests able to wander between the two sections, enabling closer interactions with the guides, conservation officers and staff.
“That transparency is coming to the forefront at Singita. Many of our lodges that we offer conservation rooms in our guest spaces are now inviting guests to come to the back of house.
“As a sustainable lodge or brand, you want to be as transparent as possible, so what you say you do, you do. This is quite a pivotal start, and we are confident it will work very well.”
Couper told LATTE that Elela is the first lodge in the region, with up to another three being mulled.
“Singita is always looking at opportunities everywhere,” he said. “We’ve looked at Kenya, at Zanzibar, we’re looking at coastal regions.
“As much as we’d like to expand it has to be for the right reason, and it has to be for the right purpose and for the benefit of the community. That’s a very big driving force and ensuring our conservation comes to the forefront of where we’re going. It’s not a matter of just growing.”
Source: https://latteluxurynews.com/2024/11/19/singita-to-launch-new-botswana-lodge-in-2026/
