HistoryIn the late 1920's Guy Aubrey Chalkley, an American of
Irish descent, came to South Africa to explore opportunities as a mining
engineer. With the gold rush at its height, a stock exchange had been created
earlier to help raise finance for all the mining activity. It was in this field
that Guy chose to establish himself and, together with Paul Davis, formed a
stock broking firm, Chalkley Davis. The business flourished and culminated in
one of South Africa's foremost stock broking firm, Davis, Borkum & Hare,
which was purchased recently by Merrill Lynch to form the basis of its South
African branch.
Being a keen hunter Guy Chalkley often ventured into the wilds. It was on one
such adventure that he stumbled onto Kingstown, a jewel of a property belonging
to the Transvaal Consolidated Lands that bordered the Kruger National Park.
Those lands were soon to become the basis of what is now the world famous Sabi
Sand Wildtuin.
Guy Chalkley, overcome by both the affection for the
animals around him and the admiration of the pristine condition of the Kingstown
property, refrained from doing any form of hunting for the rest of his life.
There were no roads then, only markings on trees indicating the route to the
camp which Guy followed in his old Ford sedan. This passion for conservation and
protection of wilderness areas has been passed down through four generations to
the three More brothers who now own and run Lion Sands Private Game Reserve on
the very same property, Kingstown.
John More, who married Louise Chalkley, granddaughter of
Guy Chalkley, introduced Kingstown to the public in 1978 when he built two camps
- River Lodge and Bush Lodge. Even during those early days of extremely basic
bush operations, where hot water was a luxury, the More family concentrated on
keeping Kingstown in pristine state. Today, the family employs a full time
Ecologist, Kay Hiscocks, to monitor the effect of commercialisation on the
wilderness.
In the late 1930s Guy Chalkley built a small camp on the banks of the Sabie
River, which flows through the Kruger National Park and the Kingstown property.
For over 60 years the camp was enjoyed as a peaceful retreat by the Chalkley and
More families until the 7th February 2000 when an incredible flood changed the
face of the banks of the Sabie River. On that day, by 09:00 the river had risen
above the roofs of both River Lodge and the family camp, Warthog Wallow, wiping
away decades of history in a single blow.
Nick and Robert More, fourth generation owners of
Kingstown, set about rebuilding River Lodge and creating the stunning new Ivory
Lodge. They also introduced a new name, Lion Sands Private Game Reserve, to the
market and it incorporates the magnificent Kingstown property, aproximately 3500
hectares and both River Lodge and Ivory Lodge.
The brothers have the type of passion for Lion Sands that can only be instilled
by a great family history. Guy Chalkley, in his brilliance, had provided an
enormous opportunity for his family to create something unique and magnificent
to share with the world.
Lion Sands Private Game Reserve is situated in the Southern portion of
the 65,000-hectare Sabi Sand Game Reserve, southern Kruger National Park region,
an area well known for its spectacular game viewing.
Lion Sands has exclusive access to the Sabie River. From its source high up
in the Drakensburg mountain range where it passes through the famous Mac Mac
falls, the river through Lion Sands teems with wildlife. It is the definitive
safari experience. The relatively cool riverbanks offer a brief respite from the
relentless African sun. Splendid parades of animals pass through to quench their
thirst at the water's edge. And eager predators wait patiently.
The name Sabie comes from the Zulu eSaba, meaning afraid. Both man and beast
approach the river with care and respect. It is at once a sanctuary of life and
a gripping display of survival. It is what visitors from all over the world come
to experience: raw, untouched nature. In ancient days, the lush Sabie river
basin was overrun by Africa's largest reptile, the Nile crocodile. Today, they
bask in the shallows in slightly less numbers, still snapping their deadly jaws
at any creature wading in close enough.
Of course, your safari cannot be complete without exposure to every facet of
life in the bush. With the highly informative and holistic approach at Lion
Sands, you will encounter all spheres of the eco-system, from the smallest
insects to the mighty African elephant. Professionally qualified senior
ecologists, rangers and tracking teams ensure that your personal safari
experience not only meets but exceeds your highest expectations.
