You know that feeling you get when you arrive in the bush after an endless dusty, sweaty journey in the car? That soul soothing sound of nothing as you step out . The cliched deafening silence comment comes to mind. Mushara Outpost has it in bucket loads and then some.
As one of four properties in the Mushara Collection, the Mushara Outpost is all about warmth and softness wrapped up in old-school outpost style décor. The quietness of the bush descends as you walk down to your tented room, mounted on a wooden deck and surrounded by an acacia thicket. The promise of a gin and tonic is the only necessary activity that I can imagine embarking on as I run my fingers along the embroidered bed cover and grin at the shower with a zip open canvas side. A shower with a view into the bush, one of any luxury lodge’s most attractive attributes.
Dinner is a starlight affair with antique silverware on white accompanied by the sound of a grazing steenbok across the pathway. A set menu of the first of many bowls of butternut soup followed by a kudu sosatie. The star of the show was their take on pavlova with little delightful bits of dark chocolate ensconced in a chocolate cream squished between two light-as-air chocolate meringues. Can I get a second helping please?
The best part of being out in the bush is waking up in the bush. The distant sound of clattering guineafowl or the cooing of the Turtle Dove ensured we didn’t miss the crimson sunrise, luckily however, I could see it from my bed. As we drifted in and out of a doze the soft white curtains billowing in the morning air transported me to the words of Karen Blixen:
“When you have caught the rhythm of Africa, you find out that it is the same in all her music.”
We started our day reluctantly, but the promise of breakfast under the acacias followed by a tour of the lodge and game hide was enough to drag us away from our little luxurious cocoon. The most memorable parts of this wonderful lodge were: the easy and impeccable way in which Bernadette and Selma looked after our every need; the photography on display; the detail scattered around the lodge from perfectly placed paraffin lanterns to silver chess sets and soft cushions in gentle colours. I loved the uniforms that the staff wore; linen type caftans with matching flowing slacks in the same colour accents that were scattered around the main lodge; adding to its easy relaxed feel. My only difficulty here would be choosing whether to explore the Etosha National Park (only 8km away) or sip the day away while relaxing in the company of this soothing outpost lodge.