Jabulani

The story of the incredible rescue of a herd of elephants brings about the opening of an exceptional property.

Jalubani was born of the need to give a herd of rescued elephants a future, against the backdrop of the Drakensberg Mountains. Maître de Maison Adine Roode had the vision to build South Africa’s first dedicated elephant orphanage after the Jabulani elephant herd accepted the third elephant that lost its mother to human-elephant conflict. In late 2019 Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development (HERD) opened to help elephant calves to survive emotionally in a safe environment. Protecting species and traditions is at the heart of the lodge’s DNA.  People are also vital to the lodge’s vision, and Jabulani supports the empowerment and growth of the local community and economy through a women’s empowerment initiative, known as JabuLadies, supporting the local Mpisi School with nutrition programmes, skills development and sustainable gardening. Its architecture draws on local materials and ancestral methods, and the food marvellously combines free range game and fruit from local indigenous plants.