It’s been used to refer to the esoteric belief in a soul being able to travel outside the body – and beyond, far beyond. But soul travel is also about the kind of journeys that touch the heart, that go deeper, that stir something in the traveller. Journeys with purpose, with soul. Journeys that transform.
It’s a way of going through life, not only vacations, but it’s something that’s easy to forget when hopping flight after flight, waking up at unholy hours, or getting a little too enthusiastic with the sundowners.
For us, soul travel is about extraordinary adventures that push us to be our most courageous, that immerse us in new worlds. It’s about connecting with others and ourselves in ways that lead to greater awareness. It’s about those moments that we never forget, that make us feel something. As they say, people may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.
On our recent adventure into the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve of South Africa, we encountered several of these moments, exploring the pathways of a place called Londolozi. We discovered the many ways this corner of Africa can touch your soul and how a voyage outward can lead you inward.
Here are six ways that Londolozi will touch your soul
Quiet
The stillness of the wild lets you hear the world better – the sweet calls of birdlife and the odd roar from the wild things, the rustle of trees and the flow of shallow streams. But it also lets you hear yourself more clearly. And that’s where the change begins.
Nature
Among the trees and hills of the great outdoors, you notice that there is space for all things. For the big and the small, the fierce and the gentle, the loud and the still. You see more clearly where you belong among it all, and that you are very much a part of the living world, rather than separate from it.
On game drives and walks, you find yourself faced with your greatest joys as well as your worst fears – the slithering and the venomous, the fast and the toothy. And you learn to rise above, to trust, to adapt, to accept. More than that, glimpsing the infinite beauty of earth’s plant and animal life up close is a symphony of its own, one that moves the viewer with each performance.
Yoga and Meditation
Guided by Londolozi’s yoga teacher, on a deck hugged by thick green tree life, the ancient art of yoga works its magic, relaxing and restoring, and uniting mind, body and soul.
Spa
Through energising and calming massage treatments and energetic bodywork, the Spa therapists at Londolozi work similarly to the yogis, bringing you back to yourself and resetting your attention so that it can focus more clearly on the substance of safari life.
Community
There is perhaps no clearer way to shake up the self and ingnite epiphanies than to meet people from completely different walks of life. People living in ways strange to you. It’ll make you take a deeper look at your own life but it will also awaken you to the vastness and variety of the world – of life outside your own town, own family, own self.
It may spark empathy, compassion. It may attract or upset. Impress or confuse. But spark it will.
Connection
Talking, laughing, smiling, walking, eating and simply being with the people who call Londolozi home – the people behind the scenes and in front, the rangers and photographers, the writers and chefs, the gardeners and housekeepers… that’s when the soul really responds. When you arrive back from an early morning game drive to the traditional songs and dance of the men and women who have come out to greet you, to welcome you, tears fall not from sadness but from an overflowing heart, a heart that has found a home.
Discover more about Londolozi Private Game Reserve here.