OUR RESERVATIONS QUEEN AND RESIDENT TRAVEL GURU!

Linda Arthur is hugging a tree in the gardens of Baobab Ridge. It's a heartfelt gesture that sums up the incredible love she has for the lodge and the Klaserie, whose elephant eye-high grasses are blowing gently in a soft summer breeze behind her. 

The lodge's reservations manager enjoys the chance to work at the lodge - something she gets to do every now and then when managers are on leave. Normally she is based in the office in Johannesburg - her hometown since she was 10 years old.

"I was actually born in Essex in England but lived in Scotland as a child," explains Linda. "My parents are Scottish and we moved to South Africa when I was 10 years old as my father had a four-year contract here. I went back to finish my schooling when the contract ended but we all decided South Africa was 'home' and after I did my O Levels, came back for good," she says.

Linda then went to business college with ambitions of becoming a secretary, but when an opening came up in the travel agency that did the travel arrangements for her father's work, she took a chance, joining the company as an intern. That sealed her fate and she has been in the travel business ever since! 

"I was just 16 years old and suddenly started travelling the world on educational trips, learning about different destinations and how to get people there," she says. "In those days being a travel agent was an art, and I enjoyed it tremendously. I eventually moved to a company called Leading Travel, where one of the directors was connected to Londolozi Game Reserve. I ended up doing all of the Londolozi travel arrangements, moving over to them fulltime, helping to form their in-house travel agency, Bateleur Travel," explains Linda. 

"When I left Londolozi I went over to a major tour operator but I didn't enjoy that side of the travel business as much. When Shan Varty, one of the owners of Londolozi got in touch to see if I would consider going back I jumped at the chance. I worked there for another 15 years and loved every minute of it." 

Eight years ago life took an interesting turn when Linda met her Moroccan partner, who lives in Finland, and moved there to be with him. "Living in Finland is very expensive, so after trying things out and some toing and froing we decided it would be better for me to live in South Africa where I already had a house, a car and all of the things you need in the modern age to get by," says Linda. 

"When I returned to South Africa from Finland I worked for a lodge in Botswana for a few months. Then Nini approached me as she needed someone to fill in for her at Baobab Ridge during the December holidays. So I came on board on a temporary basis, helping with the lodge and reservations and eventually went fulltime in June 2019 as the reservations manager."

Her role as the reservations manager is something Linda really enjoys, along with helping out at the lodge when she's needed. "I love putting 'bums in beds' and when I get to see guests falling in love with Africa - seeing a leopard for the first time, or marvelling at an elephant - I get incredibly emotional," she says. "It's like seeing it all for the first time yourself again. I just love it."

"That's why I do what I do," adds Linda. "I just want people to come and have a good time here and fall in love with Africa and Baobab Ridge. I love working with Nini. She and I have the same way of thinking about things. I love working with our team - we're like a big family and it makes working with them effortless. I also love the lodge, it's so relaxed, with such a happy vibe."

For Linda, Baobab Ridge is the ultimate place to relax. "I try and get people to come to Baobab Ridge at the end of their itinerary so they can unwind and relax before heading home. After they've done the running around, seeing the sights of South Africa, they get to unwind in the bush and have a 'slow' safari and absorb the spirit of wild Africa," she says.

"Sometimes it's about spending time in your room, having a siesta, watching the world go by from your verandah. Or laying by the pool and having a snooze in the sun, or reading a really good book. There's no fear of missing out here. You don't have to do all the game drives, you can choose to sleep late or spend time at the pool and watch animals come to the waterhole. It's about just letting the wilderness in and enjoying being in it."