An Interview with an Idol
There are certain experiences in life that define us. For me, it was a trip to Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, age 6. Africa got under my skin. My obsession with the continent and its wildlife began, taking me from game reserve to game reserve, always seeking my next adventure. Eventually I took the plunge, age 21. I packed my bags and moved to South Africa.
For this I have the man behind Shamwari to thank, Adrian Gardiner. If he had not followed his dream to acquire his own “piece of Africa”, I may never have discovered the places I now encourage others to visit.
The opportunity arose to meet up with Adrian, face to face. I leapt at it. He was in town for a few days and agreed to meet me at the Mount Nelson in Cape Town. Adrian, born in Zambia, raised in Zimbabwe, helped shape hospitality and conservation in Africa with what he calls ‘Bucket List Luxury Travel.’
Shamwari
Adrian is a serial entrepreneur, having established several businesses throughout his life, including, bizarrely, swimming pool construction and horse stud farms. He’s had successes and failures along the way. After losing everything in 1979, he slowly endeavored to build himself up again. He did so by purchasing what would become Shamwari – then a 1200ha property in an area of Africa at the time known only for farming.
“It was cheap,” he said, sitting across from me, in the lounge where afternoon tea was being served. “I ended up buying more and more farms until I had 10,000ha and I realised, right, now I have to do something with this.”
The land was in bad shape, had been overfarmed and overgrazed, like much of the Eastern Cape. A whole new ecosystem had to be put into place, from dung beetles to elephants. “There is such diversity in the Eastern Cape. I read up on the history of the wildlife in the area and was fascinated by what it used to be,” he said.
Before Adrian was about to launch Shamwari, in the early 1990s, he met a man named Ian Player, one of the world’s most renowned conservationists. The two worked together to achieve Adrian’s dream of recreating the ecosystem that existed in the Eastern Cape, where great predators such as lions once roamed the mountains.
“There were challenges throughout. We put wild dogs on the property and they devoured everything in sight. They would use the fences to trap animals on a hunt,” he said. Adrian believes that it is education and support from the local community that enables conservation projects to work. Tourism creates jobs and a better life for Africa’s people, he says. Initially, the 25,000ha that comprised Shamwari provided work for 15 people. Today, there are 350 people employed on the property.
The Born Free Foundation
Also close to Adrian’s heart is The Born Free Foundation. Adrian discovered that the UK Foundation was facilitating the removal of abused animals in captivity all around the world, moving them to a base in Kent, England, to live in a safe space. The story moved Adrian, but he was inspired to return these animals back to their native lands. He offered up space on Shamwari, where today these animals, including lions and leopards, now roam in sizeable enclosures, free from abuse and on home soil.
Shamwari is now one of the top luxury game lodges in Africa and draws tourists with its malaria-free Big Five safaris and world-class accommodation, service and cuisine. It boasts five eco-systems, supporting many forms of plant, animal and bird life. Conservation is still the core philosophy and the reserve has won numerous international awards, including the World’s Leading Conservation Company and Game Reserve for many consecutive years.
The Mantis Collection
The success of the Shamwari model led Adrian to create Sanbona, a 54,000ha reserve in the Western Cape. Adrian sold the Shamwari Group to expand his horizons and is no longer involved with the group and its properties. He then moved on and founded the Mantis Collection in 2000 – a family-run group of award-winning boutique hotels, game reserves, eco lodges, ski chalets and yachts. The Mantis motto is to “conserve a vanishing way of life,” and they do this through luxury tourism.
The name of The Mantis Collection, Adrian says, comes from Ian Player who, like the Bushmen of Africa, admired the little green mantis. “The Bushmen loved the praying mantis because it was small. As people small in stature themselves, they appreciated this little insects’ place in nature… seeing everything through the eyes of the praying mantis, learning to value the little things in life,” the Mantis Collection website states.
The Mantis Collection has been as successful as Shamwari and offers elite guests from around the globe out-of-this-world opportunities, such as staying in luxury tents or pods in Antarctica to behold the resident penguins, sleeping in ice hotels in Sweden, sailing the seas of the Galapagos, and floating through the mighty Zambezi on the Zambezi Queen, eyeing elephants on the riverbank.
Mantis is affiliated with the Wilderness Foundation and has several conservation initiatives in place – not just in Mantis properties in South Africa, but throughout Africa and beyond.
Adrian says his guests are the greatest ambassadors of his personal message of conservation. They help to spread his message. He hopes to give all guests an authentic experience and to ensure that they know that they are contributing to the conservation of our planet, even when it does involve a G&T in hand with hippos grunting in the background.
Tourists can make a difference by choosing operators and properties that promote conservation. Adrian is an inspirational man and like the mantis, continues to extend his wings, spreading his message of conservation through tourism around the globe.
At Rhino Africa we seek to align ourselves with suppliers that share the same philosophy.
A Quick Q&A with Adrian
Which are your favourite city and safari hotels in Africa?
The Saxon in Johannesburg. I was involved in the development and management of this hotel for 6 years – it really is incredible. And for safari, the Zambezi Queen on the Chobe River in Botswana. For those people who think they’ve seen it all, I say, see it from the water.What advice would you give travellers to Africa?
Don’t do it all in one trip. There is too much, give yourself time to see each place and enjoy it for what it is.What would be your ideal bucket list of travel destinations?
Safari has to be number one – the Delta and Chobe in Botswana, the Masai Mara for the Great Migration and Mozambique too! Then you have to discover the marine world such as the Galapagos. For cities I love the usual places for their culture: London, Paris, New York. As well as conserving nature, I want to preserve the culture and heritage of historic sites such as the 14th century Ellenborough Park in England.
Accolades:
Last year the Mantis properties stacked up an incredible 15 awards at The World Travel Awards 2012. 2013 also began the same way with various properties boasting numerous awards each at TripAdvisor’s 2013 Travellers’ Choice Hotel Awards. The Mantis Collection also boasts a variety of awards within the conservation arena such as The World’s Leading Conservation Company at The World Travel Awards and the Global Nature Award for Best Conservation Practice.
- One man can make a difference. Contact Rhino Africa today to speak to our expert travel consultants who will help you put together your itinerary to include some of the spectacular places described above. Africa awaits!