WHEN Beatrice and Eugenie first saw a wild elephant standing right by our car in the middle of the bush and I saw the awed expressions on their faces, I knew I’d done the right thing in bringing them to Africa. They couldn’t get over its size — just its ear seemed almost as big as the car — and that we were so close to it that we could almost have touched it. Eugenie was so moved she had tears running down her face.
Going to Africa was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Many mothers I know take their children to the Mediterranean in August, but I was invited to Phinda Zuka Lodge, and to Ulusaba, Sir Richard Branson’s private game reserve.
It just seemed too good a chance to turn down and I thought, why not? It would be good for the girls. My daughters’ lives are so heavily regulated that I like to be able to bring some spontaneity and informality into them.
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Once a year they need to be just themselves, and where there aren’t people watching them all the time. Africa was perfect and Zuka was a wonderful place to stay. There was a watering-hole in front of the lodge where animals would come down to drink and it had that sense of being a proper “home”. There was a log fire at night and we’d play old- fashioned games with the girls. It felt as if Meryl Streep and Robert Redford were about to turn up from Out of Africa. Anton, the manager, would tell us stories of the animals and the bush — it took us into another world.
From Zuka we went to Ulusaba, Sir Richard Branson’s lodge on the edge of the Kruger National Park. They made an ideal pairing — they were such a contrast. At Zuka it was relaxed and there was that sense of intimacy, while when we got to Ulusaba it was beautifully run and we had huge, grand suites, and it was all on a rather larger scale.
You learn quickly in the bush that rules have to be obeyed. We were told not to leave our french windows open or the “bush bandits” (baboons) would raid the place. I somehow forgot and didn’t close the windows and when I came back I learnt my lesson the hard way — the baboons had raided the mini-bar as well as my handbag and everything from my passport to my make-up was all over the place. I found my BlackBerry at the bottom of the whirlpool bath. We began to realise that the bush is an awesome place.
We had a wonderful guide at Ulusaba called Karl and his marvellous tracker, Jack, who brought the bush alive for us. Every day we’d give Jack a “shopping list” of things we wanted to see and he always managed to find them. He had incredible eyes and found a lioness lying in the tawny grass with her cubs, which we would never have seen on our own, as well as mating cheetahs, which are apparently a rare sight.
Yet he was interested in the small things, too, and one day he caught a dragonfly in his fingers to show to the girls. We learnt how animals get so used to the Land Rovers that they are unfazed by them but that human beings on two legs are another matter. One day Karl spotted a rhino, which was quite calm until he got out of the Land Rover, when it became edgy and wasn’t at ease until he climbed back in.
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Karl kept orchestrating lovely little treats for us. He’d say, “we’ll stop for a sandwich round the corner,” and we’d think “oh, fine,” but when we turned the corner there would be a banquet laid out in the bush just for us — cheeses, meats, fruits, as well as a basin with water, soap and towels to wash our hands. It was magical. The food was fantastic, too — each day it was like a smorgasbord of enchantment, as if somebody had dipped a paint-brush into a palette of different colours for our delight.
I wasn’t prepared to get up for 5am starts, but we had some glorious evenings. There were always the southern stars, so much brighter than northern skies, and we’d sit there surrounded by the silence of the African evening broken only by the sounds of the bush.
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One night we remember in particular when Karl said that we were going to have supper on our night drive and there, right in the middle of the bush, was another groaning table. There was the lovely African sky and the moon, the call of mating lions in the distance as well as the laugh of the hyenas, and then another surprise — suddenly out of the darkness came some tribesmen, the “Gumboot dancers”, from the nearby village. Watching those tribesmen dance the “gumboot” dance is something we’ll never forget. The only thing we didn’t do was to sleep outside, but I hope there’ll be a next time to do that.
But Africa isn’t just about animals — much of the appeal of Africa lies in its people. We were so touched by their purity of heart. We got to feel that the people who were with us were like a new family — Karl (we called him Kevin Costner), Jack the dragonfly man, the chef (whom we called Oddjob from James Bond) and the others. I am so grateful to them all because out there in the bush they made magic for us, they gave us experiences we’ll always remember.
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Africa opened the girls’ eyes to the vastness of the universe. It’s so easy to be caught up in one’s own little world, but it is vital for them to understand how lucky they are. I also feel strongly that no matter where you go, if you are a public figure, you must see what you can give back to the local community.
When we were staying at Zuka I took the girls to a school for abandoned children that Tara and Jessica Getty have set up. Many of the children have lost parents to Aids and are either HIV positive or have Aids. It was the first time that Eugenie had seen children in such need and she was incredibly moved. Since then I’ve given a speech in New York at a conference on integrated medicine and in return the society is giving £14,000 to help Karen who runs the school. When we go back — and we will — we will see how they have spent the money. We always make sure that we follow up on what we’ve promised because otherwise words are cheap.
At Ulusaba Karl has started Pride and Purpose, an organisation that helps people in the community, not just children, and I’ve helped to raise £8,500 at a charity auction for that.
The girls were given the most extraordinary feast of experiences that they will never forget. If you put a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old in front of five of the most deadly predators in the world, it puts most things into perspective.
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NEED TO KNOW
At her request, Sarah, the Duchess of York’s fee for this article has been donated to Pride and Purpose, a South African charity for self-sustainability (00 27 1373 55460).
Getting there: Carrier (0161-491 7610, www. carrier.co.uk) offers four nights at Ulusaba from £2,485pp sharing a safari room on a fully inclusive basis, with return economy flights with Virgin Atlantic (0870 3802007, www.virgin-atlantic.com) and internal flights in South Africa. The price includes meals, drinks, two daily game drives, daily walking safari, and talks on conservation.
A “Kids Go Free” offer is available through Carrier in April, from July 1-August 31 and October 20-31. Three nights at Phinda Zuka Lodge, also from Carrier, cost from £4,000 for up to eight people, excluding flights and transfers. Virgin Limited Edition (0800 716919, www.virgin.com/limitededition) also has trips to Ulusaba.