There’s only one way to arrive in a Big Five reserve in the heart of the Zulu Kingdom and that’s by helicopter. In this case, an Airbus H 130 B4, a seven-seater VIP-configured helicopter with a metallic sheen reminiscent of a James Bond movie. As we fly from King Shaka International Airport north towards Thanda, we pass over unspoiled coastline, the fine spray from a whale’s blow visible in the distance. We change course, moving inland, then hover over the lush canopy of the sacred Zulu Ngoye Forest, so low it feels like you can touch the giant leaves of the cycads.
Landing on the exclusive-use helipad of Villa Thandawena, the only Grand Royal Residence within The Royal Thanda Club at Jumeriah Thanda Safari (recently voted the most exclusive, private luxury villa safari offering in Africa), it’s not hard to understand why those who’ve heeded the call of the wild have invested in one of the private villas here.
These discerning buyers have been accepted in their quest to own a piece of protected Big Five nature reserve and, in doing so, have been granted access to a unique global community.
The Royal Thanda Club membership requires real estate ownership of a full title Royal Residence Villa on a freehold plot of protected land within The Royal Thanda Club Estate. The 386-hectare, fully enclosed, access-controlled Royal Thanda Club Estate is the brainchild of its KwaZulu-Natal-born CEO Pierre Delvaux and Thanda Safari owners, Swedish tech entrepreneurs Dan and Christin Olofsson, whose combined dream was to create something that had never been achieved in Africa before. The Olofsson family have become Sweden’s largest private investors and philanthopists in Africa since the creation of the Thanda Group in 2002.
The land that makes up present-day Jumeirah Thanda Safari, originally cattle and game farms, was once Pierre’s childhood playground. ‘I spent my entire childhood going on camping trips in the bush with my parents and siblings on what is today Jumeirah Thanda Safari.’
With his deep connection to the land and appreciation of Zulu culture (he speaks the language fluently), Pierre won the confidence of the Olofssons, whose original idea for a private residence quickly expanded into a safari lodge and wildlife reserve. Pierre then began the enormous task of negotiating the acquisition of neighbouring farms, which was facilitated by his relationships with the surrounding farm owners. What followed was a dedicated effort to restore the land to its natural state and reintroduce indigenous big game.
Pierre was appointed as director shortly after the company was registered in 2002, and was made Managing Director in 2003 and CEO of the Thanda Group in 2004, joining the family business full time in January 2005.
Recently, Jumeirah Group, owned by Dubai Holding, partnered with the Thanda Group, owned by Dan Olofsson, to manage all hospitality of the Thanda Portfolio.
‘Years ago, as far back as 2006, I was struck by The Yellowstone Club in Montana, the most exclusive residence club in the world at that time, which offered a combination of exclusive lifestyle, membership by invitation only, estate access control and real estate ownership,’ says Pierre. ‘I was immediately inspired to replicate this exclusive lifestyle and real estate offering in Africa,’ he explains.
The Royal Thanda Club not only offers a chance to own one of the most exclusive luxury villas in a South African reserve, thus allowing owners to become part of an international community of likeminded families, it also presents an opportunity to enjoy the very best of an African safari, managed by the world-class hospitality brand, Jumeriah.
The villas are available in unique designs – from those inspired by traditional Zulu huts to more contemporary designs like Villa Thandawena, which Pierre owns. As a member of The Royal Thanda Club, you will be part of a community of adventurers, all of whom enjoy exchanging the beaten track for a magnificent home away from home on Jumeriah Thanda Safari, the multi-award-winning 16 500-hectare Big Five African safari game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
‘Through our different foundations, we help children from surrounding communities, and are also involved in protecting endangered species like rhino and cheetah,’ Pierre says.
As with all the villas in The Royal Thanda Club’s Royal Residences, great thought and care has been given to the design of each villa: in relation to its elevation, orientation to the setting sun, dramatic views and attention to privacy (villas are far enough apart so as not to be visible to one another).
Pierre says, ‘It took nine months, using six special blades and water cutting saws, to cut the volcanic rock scattered all over the ground into smooth slabs for the cladding of Thandawena.’
The use of marble with embedded fossilized tree root as well as the incorporation of wood, glass and rock add depth and layers to the architectural design. The entire floor of the villa is wooden herringbone with brass inlays that separate the spaces to emulate an entrance-way carpet.
The suites are also perfectly decorated and colour-themed to blend into the natural geology of their surroundings. And then there are the beds… Villa Thandawena is exclusively furnished with a range of Hästens beds from Sweden, known to be the most expensive and luxurious in the world.
Back at the fire pit, we sip gin and tonics to the sounds of the wilderness, hyena calls filling the air. Pierre says the firepit was inspired by the Olympic torch and is symbolic of excellence. ‘The fire pit, where you can sit and watch Zulu TV Channel 1 (the burning fire), has a wooden balcony in the shape of a buffalo thorn elevated seven metres off the ground on a circular platform. This plant’s notorious thorns, one pointing forward and one pointing backwards, speaks to the Zulu belief that we should always be reminded of where we are going and where we have been.’
It’s this ethos of incorporating past and present that is most notable when talking to Pierre about his future dreams for Thanda. ‘I believe that The Royal Thanda Club at Jumeirah Thanda Safari is the most exclusive lifestyle members’ club and safari real estate offering ever to come out of Africa. An international community of 44 member families from around the world joining the Olofsson and Delvaux families to create a unique community of people who own their own Royal Residence, who wish to live life to the full. Adventurers who seek the most exquisite homes in the wild, while giving back to conservation and community.’
Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty CEO Yael Geffen says the luxury real estate brand aligns perfectly with everything The Royal Thanda Club stands for.
‘Partnering with Jumeirah Thanda Safari means bringing this opulent, award-winning development to the global market for our Ultra High Net Worth Individual (UHNWI) clientele through the Sotheby’s International Realty network. ‘This is an exciting, ambitious project and Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty is delighted to hold the exclusive mandate in South Africa for buyers across the world.’
