As we come to our last newsletter of 2022, we look back on a year that has been exciting, but not without its challenges!

Our new online booking platform has proven to be a huge success, bringing Lindani a host of new guests and adding a number of new features. These have helped to make bookings and reservations more efficient , more easily manageable and more quantifiable. We have, however, endured a few teething problems, particularly around communication with some of our Extranet partners. Hopefully we have ironed most of these out by now, and look forward to a new year of easy-to-manage, user friendly booking processes.

As everyone is aware, South Africa has been dogged by power outages and rolling blackouts in the latter half of the year. If we thought being off the grid would offer immunity from the ravages of load shedding, we failed to take into account that the cell phone towers are dependent on electricity. With battery back-up to the towers being insufficient or non-existent, we are often left with either no means of communication or lines of communication that are frustratingly slow! Who will forget our soaring stress levels, on the night before the Top of the Waterberg Gravel event, when the collapse of the towers coincided with the breakdown of our Wi Fi system! Fortunately, with a good deal of luck (and prayer) our service providers came to the rescue at the last moment and we were able to continue with the event, unhindered.

Our three Top of the Waterberg races were, once again, a great success, gaining a reputation for being well run, family oriented and community based events, traversing some of the most beautiful parts of Lindani and its surrounds. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2023: Trail run 27 May 2023; Mountain Bike Challenge 15 July 2023 and the Gravel Ride OR run 28 October 2023.

One of the highlights of the year, was the denning of one of the Waterberg’s last remaining, free roaming wild dog packs on Lindani. The setting up of camera traps by Marelize Greyling from the Waterberg Research Support Centre, allowed us some unique views of these endangered animals. It was a further privilege to have been peripherally involved in the collaring of one of the pack by Derek Van Der Merwe from the EWT.
This year has seen several groups of guests celebrating special occasions at Lindani – weddings, anniversaries, 50th school reunions and large family get-togethers. We consider it a very great honour to have been able to host these at Lindani and hope that we have contributed to some wonderful memories in the beautiful Waterberg!

Finally, we wish you all a blessed Christmas and everything of the best for 2023. For those of you who will be on the roads over the festive season, we wish you safe travels.