The Little Leadwood Pool That Belongs to Everyone

Our pool has always been a big feature at Little Leadwood. While this seems obvious, it wasn't for the reasons we originally thought.

The pool belongs to everyone.

It started with the giraffes. A small group, usually two but sometimes three, that meander past the courtyard every few days and make their way up to the private deck of our safari villa in Hoedspruit. They move with the unhurried confidence of guests who know they're welcome. They take their time on the approach. They scope the situation. And then, with that extraordinary spreading of the front legs, they lower their long necks and drink from the pool.

We watch from the outdoor dining area, quietly, because any sudden movement tends to bring the process to an abrupt halt. Sometimes they drink for a long time. Sometimes they're in and out in under a minute. Either way, they look up at us before they leave. A long, calm assessment before they turn and coast back into the bush.

We top the pool up more than strictly necessary. You would do the same.

The resident nyala herd is also a frequent visitor to our over-engineered waterhole. Often comprising two males, several females, and some young, they are entirely at home at Little Leadwood. Browsing the raisin bushes, rummaging through the long grass for fallen leaves, and stopping only to quench their thirst from the shallow end of the pool.

The private pool and outdoor living area at Little Leadwood luxury safari villa.

The lions we only know from evidence. Fresh tracks pressed into the sand in front of the pool on a morning when no one had been out the night before. Several prints from several lions. Big ones. They came quietly, drank, and left without a sound. Pure magic.

And then there are the smaller, quieter visitors. A francolin picking its way along the pool's edge. A civet, spotted and deliberate, disappearing over the deck before you can get your phone out. Dragonflies hovering over the crystal clear water surface on hot afternoons.

Part of what makes Leadwood Big Game Estate so extraordinary is exactly this. You sit on the deck with a cold drink, and eventually the bush comes to you. Staying at a luxury bush villa in the Kruger region doesn't mean observing wildlife from a distance. At Little Leadwood, it means sharing your space with it.

The pool just helps with the introduction.