I’m sure that all of you are thinking how 2 Belgium guys and an Italian girl end up starting a lodge in Africa!
Well, it all started with me. When I was 17 my parents took my brother and me on our first safari in Africa. We travelled for 3 weeks through Kenia and Tanzania, camping in the most amazing places. We went to the Masai Mara, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and ended our holiday at the beach in Mombasa. During the trip I just fell in love with Africa, with its people, wildlife, culture, nature. Everything was just so wild and different from home! From that moment on I already knew later I wanted to come and live in Africa. However, being just 17 it wasn’t that easy. First, I had to complete my high school and afterwards, like most parents want, I went to university. I studied history for a year, but I wasn’t happy, I didn’t want to go teach, work in a museum or office, I wanted to go to Africa! While searching for ways on how to get there I found a safari guide training school in South Africa. It was a 1-year course, including an internship. I thought, let’s try it, if I like it, I found my way into Africa, if I don’t like it, I’ll just come back to Belgium and continue with my history studies.
Fortunately, I loved it and with me being in Africa my father, Didier often came to visit! During my internship I also met Giulia, and this is how we all 3 came together! Giulia and I started working together in the hospitality industry in South Africa, first in the Kruger National Park, then at a beach lodge on the Swahili Coast in Tanzania. With us working and living in Africa, my father often came to visit. We would then go on safari trips together. It was during one of those trips, when we travelled during 3 months across Southern Africa that the idea to have our own lodge started!
My father was looking for a new challenge after having worked in a bank for over 30 years and Giulia and I wanted to start our own small lodge! After lots of research, travelling, visiting properties we found Laluka and we just immediately knew this was the one! The views were magnificent, the reserve is diverse & well managed, the large variety of animal, plant & tree species. It was all we were looking for and dreaming off. Now we cannot wait to take you on a drive and show you the magic of this place.
