Singita

africa

Singita

Eco Lodges, Group Member

since december 2024

Singita is a leading conservation and ecotourism brand. Guided by an enduring purpose to protect and preserve large areas of African wilderness for future generations, we offer meaningful nature-based experiences across some of the continent’s most expansive and untouched concessions.

Our story begins more than a century ago in the Lowveld of northeastern South Africa, in a place now known as the Sabi Sand. In 1923, the grandfather of our founder purchased a piece of land here. When Luke Bailes inherited it, he recognised the importance of conserving it and the power of nature to inspire people to live more consciously. It was here that he opened Singita’s first property, Ebony, in 1993.

Singita has since expanded across Africa, driven purposefully to ensure the continent’s remaining wild spaces endure, their essence kept true, so that future generations can also experience all they have to offer. Through the passing of hands and the passage of time, we have remained rooted in a shared love and respect for nature and Africa. Now, led by Luke’s son, Jo, we strive to bring people closer to both.

With 19 properties spanning four African countries – soon to be 20 in five – we believe that only by bringing people into nature can we inspire them to care, and only by caring for the natural world can we continue to bring people into it in the way that we do. Through partnerships with local communities and non-profit Trusts and Funds in each of our regions, we carry out vital conservation and community support programmes, focusing on Biodiversity, Community & Sustainability.

One hundred years from now, we’ll continue to care for our home and share it with those who seek to experience it truly, because we’ve seen, over more than three decades, that the better care we take of it, the better care it takes of us in turn.

CONSERVATION

Singita is committed to restoring, protecting, and enhancing the biodiversity of almost one million acres of land across four African countries. By the end of 2026, we will expand our impact into a fifth country, Botswana, and increase our custodianship of land by around 50%.

Our aim, together with local communities and partners, is to secure the continued ecological integrity of some of Africa’s most diverse and abundant wildernesses, to manage biodiversity and restore ecosystems, from the vast savannas of the Serengeti to the rainforests of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, the lowveld of southeastern Zimbabwe to South Africa’s iconic bushveld.

COMMUNITY

Our community support programmes across each region focus largely on education and skills development, from Early Childhood Development to on-site environmental education for school groups, academic bursaries and scholarships, digital learning opportunities for remote villages, English classes and adult bridging courses, and empowerment programmes for women and girls.

We also focus on enterprise development, chef skills training, employment, and livelihoods through smallholder agricultural cooperatives that supply to our properties’ kitchens.

CULTURE

Singita celebrates and honours the depth, diversity, and richness of Africa’s cultural landscapes, incorporating them into our properties’ design and décor by collaborating with local artists and artisans. We encourage the expression of local culture through language, arts, dance, and stories, and honour the culinary heritage and traditions of each region in our kitchens. We also collaborate with artists and creatives from across the continent through our Africa Is… series, bringing them into the peace of our spaces to find inspiration, create work, and tell their stories.

COMMERCE

Singita’s tourism operations make a meaningful contribution to both conservation efforts and community support programmes. In 2024, 18% of tourism revenue was allocated to these initiatives, reflecting a strong commitment to sustainable impact. All Singita entities undergo external audits, complemented by regular visits from an internal audit team to ensure adherence to best business practices.

A dedicated risk team is in place to assess and manage health and safety considerations for both guests and employees. Delivering an exceptional guest experience remains a top priority at Singita, and our approach continues to evolve to consistently exceed expectations. Looking ahead, our focus for the coming years – what we call the “Feeling Years” – centres on deepening each guest’s connection to nature.

Saruni Basecamp Highlights

Singita is heavily invested in renewable energy, with 4.835 MWp solar PV installed across the Group. Early adopters of renewable energy, Singita Kruger National Park commissioned a 1 MWP off-grid plant in 2014, providing over 70% of this property’s energy needs. Singita Serengeti has multiple solar plants supporting its many distinct lodges and camps. More recently, Singita Sabi Sand commissioned a 2MWP on-grid plant, and Singita Pamushana plans to commission a 2MWP plant in 2026.
Singita invests in developing a guest-focused wine culture at its properties to enhance the experience for all who visit. This includes collecting the finest South African wines, offering interactive tastings from in-house sommeliers, and creating the Singita Premier Wine Direct (SPWD) service, which ensures that wines enjoyed on safari can also be savoured at home. The wine experience a key component of each guest's stay at Singita.
Launched in 2007 at Singita Kruger National Park, the Singita Community Culinary Cooking School (SCCS) is our flagship community partnership programme. It offers young adults from the communities that neighbour our concessions the opportunity to participate in an intensive, year-long training programme, gaining the skills, knowledge, and experience needed to pursue a career as a professional chef.
Now, we have campuses at Singita Grumeti in Tanzania and Singita Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, with one opening in Botswana in early 2027.
In South Africa, Singita partners with South African National Parks to offer exclusive Purpose-Led Experiences for guests who wish to contribute to the survival of Africa’s rhinos. Guests can also visit the Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary, where we support orphaned rhinos relocated from our Sabi Sand concession.
Across our properties, Singita’s partner Funds and Trusts help steward approximately 12% of Africa’s black rhino population. In Tanzania, the Grumeti Fund’s rhino boma has evolved into a vital sanctuary for orphaned rhinos. In Rwanda, visits by Singita guests to the endangered mountain gorillas directly support the conservation and community initiatives of Volcanoes National Park, reinforcing the link between responsible tourism and long-term environmental stewardship.