Reflections from the River: Claudia’s Story

As part of our new Reflections from the River series, we share personal journals written by guests and facilitators alike – from wellness practitioners offering insights from their work, to guests whose time at Sashwa lingered long after they left. These aren’t reviews in the traditional sense, but lived reflections: moments of pause, wonder, and reconnection, shared in their own words.

This first journal is written by Claudia, a past guest whose stay at Sashwa became something far deeper than a safari. Here is her experience:

Arrival and First Impressions

Every. Single. Day. I think about my time at Sashwa. I very much doubt any trip is ever going to top it. I found Sashwa because I was super conscious of finding the most ethical safari (as some claim to be and they seriously aren’t) but also a safari that I could eat at as I am vegan. So when I found a fully vegan lodge, I knew they’d have the right ethics and values for the animals. I sent it to my non-vegan friend and we were both so blown away by the wellness features and pictures of the food that we booked it!

Every. Single. Day. I think about my time at Sashwa. I very much doubt any trip is ever going to top it.

Fast forward to arriving, Ian (the incredible ranger) picked us up from the airport and we already saw a big family of baboons, 3 giraffes and a group of zebras before even getting to the lodge. We were greeted by the kindest staff welcoming us with drinks and hand scrubs.

Life on the River

There genuinely wasn’t one thing that wasn’t perfect at Sashwa but there’s 3 things I want to speak about most.

I haven’t been to any other safaris, but I genuinely don’t know how you could beat staying directly on the river. Our room was closest to the river which made it even more special when an elephant parade came past when I was chilling in bed!

We were blessed almost daily with elephants bathing on the river, giraffe grazing from the trees, the cutest warthog and hippos plodding about wherever we were in the lodge – I will never ever get over this!

We visited in October, so all the animals rely heavily on the river – which means we saw more animals at the lodge than on safari drives. I will never get over sitting at breakfast with the view of hippos sunbathing on the river banks. Or when the baboons, impalas and monkeys all started freaking out with danger calls because a lioness was taking a walk beside the river – we even witnessed a mother baboon swim with her baby across the river, luckily the crocodile didn’t catch her! We were blessed almost daily with elephants bathing on the river, giraffe grazing from the trees, the cutest warthog and hippos plodding about wherever we were in the lodge – I will never ever get over this!

Not to mention, the inclusions like yoga and meditation on the deck, and of course the snacks bars in the room which was greatly approved from a snackaholic!!

Food, Thoughfulness, and Ease

I am a big foodie, and I can hand on heart say this was the best food I’ve had from any accommodation ever. My faves were the scrambled tofu, amarula pudding and the avocados at lunch! But everything was so thoughtful and so so so delicious. I’ve never been somewhere that I don’t have to check ingredients or make sure it’s vegan, and it just helped me unwind even further in my stay.

I am a big foodie, and I can hand on heart say this was the best food I’ve had from any accommodation ever.

Surprisingly, I was the only vegan I met during my 4 night stay (excluding the amazing owner Peter) but it made me so happy seeing how much everyone else enjoyed the food just as much as me. I was also a huge fan of the drinks bar and the decaf coffee!

The People behind the Place

Every single person was full of pure kindness. Chef Agree and all the staff were so informative and sweet, and I want to mention the lovely T who is like sunshine in human form – I mentioned my favourite juice and she surprised us with it the next morning on our last day! Thank you so much to Ian for being so so informative and putting up with my constant questions about the animals and hearing all my expressions about how much I love animals, especially the hippos haha! A huge thank you to Dylan, the yoga teacher and ranger, who made mine and Beth’s day every day – everyone needs to meet Dylan!

I am forever grateful to him (Peter) and everyone who has made Sashwa the dream it is and allowed me to trust that there’s other people who care about animals and the planet the way I do

Then I had the absolute pleasure of meeting the owner Peter. After experiencing Sashwa for a couple days by that point and being so blown away that someone has created this paradise, I was almost starstruck to meet Peter! I admire what he’s created so much and the way it supports Koru Camp and the rhinos and more. It’s everything I wish to do for this planet too and there isn’t many people who would go through the ups and downs to make sure it is 100% aligned with the values we share, so I am forever grateful to him and everyone who has made Sashwa the dream it is and allowed me to trust that there’s other people who care about animals and the planet the way I do. It also gave me the space to reset and slow down which I never get to do.

I am constantly one click away from booking again and I am sure I will be going very soon.

Thank you so much Sashwa, love from Claud!

All words and photos provided by Claudia Chambers.