Our late afternoon safari drive on the rich pasturelands of the Serengeti had already shown off cheetah, hyena (wow!!) and now it was time to move onto our safari camp, Singita Faru Faru. The assistant lodge manager, Susan Wachira was there to meet us and gave us a lovely warm African welcome.
Sheira and I found the look fabulous: rustic but hip. It was a significant move away from the classic, 1930s gentleman’s club feel of tented camps (we had just been to at KITCHWA TEMBO) – to a ‘modernist safar lodge’ here at (FARU FARU).
You have the palette of warm darker neutrals, with polished concrete floors, soft furnishings and leathers in shades of chocolate. Beautiful raw boulders are stacked and interlocking on one wall, ‘dry rock’ style with no mortar - while the rest is open to the elements. A dark canvas roof, supported by stained wooden tree trunks, provides raw style shelter. But there are more solid elements as well, like reclining areas organically moulded from the floor, with cushions tossed about.
Each piece of furniture, from the coffee tables to the industrial movie set style tall lamps have a very strong design vision behind it - no blah pieces sneak into these spaces! Sheira also loved the crisply modern way the staff dress at Faru Faru, in Lara Croft style pale khakis and tapered shirts and trousers.
We just loved the switched on, dynamic team of people that drive this lodge. There seemed to be a lot of strong women like Danielle Muller the incredible ‘can-do’ camp manager who ran the place so smoothly you never saw the wheels turning…
By necessity all the staff speak the local language of Swahili and the locals here get a huge kick hearing you have a go yourself.
A good start…
“Jambo” Hello
“Habari?” How are you?”
“Nzuri” Good
“Tafa dhali” Please
“Asante” Thank you
“Karibu” You’re welcome
“La la Salama” Sleep well
“Sawa Sawa” OK, enough
“Kwaheri” Goodbye
The dry rock detailing that adds such texture to the lounge is also consistently used in the tiered wooden deck outside - it flows down to the curved, infinity edge pool, with white river sand creating a mini ‘beach.’ All these resting places, including a spindly, elevated outdoor pavilion with thatched roof, are dominated by the gorgeous green bushland beyond. This stunning landscape is peppered with the most unmistakable tree of the African savannah, the Umbrella Thorn Acacia. I find the silhouette of it’s spreading, ‘flat-tapped ‘crown one of Africa’s most beautiful symbols…
We wanted to enjoy our downtime between game drives in the luxury of this lodge setting - which is well positioned on the Grumeti River to have animal sightings right from your own villa. The lodge’s singsong name, Faru Faru fittingly means ‘rhino rhino’ – and the elevated deck’s prime location overlooking nearby WATERING HOLES means that you can sight so many beautiful animals that come to drink, without even leaving your loungechair.
Seeing animals in their own habitat is always a lottery, but sightings of wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, elephants, lions, leopards and even a cheetah streaking past are all possible; this is their playground. It is pretty special to be able to see elephants drink while you are sipping a cocktail!
The camp doesn’t have a fence around it so animals can theoretically walk in or close by, although they never do because they instinctively know that humans are a danger. At night a guide is sent to your villa to walk you back to the mainlodge, just in case...
Although lodges are all about heading out into the bush to see the flora and fauna, Faru Faru has the infrastructure to relax back at base camp - with a LIBRARY (with internet), heated swimming pool, SPA and GYM.
Faru Faru’s boutique intimacy is guaranteed with only eight air-conditioned chalet style suites, all with outdoor showers...
FAMILY VILLA
Because we were traveling with our young daughter Zoe we booked the family, 2-bedroom suite. (I saw the 1-bedroom villa suites, …they are identical).
Our villa was far enough away from the main lodge to warrant a golf buggy at night, but we enjoyed the short walk in the day…
If you are going to be radical enough to introduce industrial elements like stainless steel and chrome into the iconic, retro atmosphere of safari camp then you have get it right. Singita always elevates its décor out of the ordinary realm - and the stunning suites marry beautiful design objects with the iconic Serengeti views to showcase two kinds of beauty: contemporary and timelessly natural.
The attention to detail is brilliant: everywhere you look is beautiful. The walls change from the rawness of bamboo to the solidity of stone; light fittings are made of shimmering shell - and best of all, the long, frameless windows stretch endlessly like a movie screen, allowing you to always see what is happening on the Serengeti plains beyond.
The suite’s mood even changes from day to night with different bedding. The dove grey linen used during the day (to create a relaxed day bed feel) were transformed by the time we came back from dinner into crisp white sheets and doona.
Sheira’s special mention: bathroom products were luxury cosmetic range, DERMALOGICA. A really nice touch giving one the impression of a hotel group giving back something to their guests.
PRICE
$US 1045 per person per night
LUXURY VILLA SUITE
The lodge’s rock star 2-bedroom suite is for the exclusive traveler … its prized position is being located right on the Grumeti River, complete with large, private swimming pool. This villa will fit two couples traveling together who are looking for the feel of a luxury private home!
PRICE US$ 4500 per night for the suite.
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