At The Royal Portfolio, we’re always looking for ways to reduce the impact of our operations on the environment. Building Waterside at Royal Malewane gave us the perfect opportunity to include innovative eco-friendly solutions from the very beginning.

Especially in summer, the heat in the Greater Kruger area can sometimes be challenging, while fresh winter mornings and evenings can catch some of our guests by surprise. While there’s nothing quite like a shower, a bath or a dip in the pool after a game drive, the water needs to be revitalising, no matter what the season.

All of which means that creating the perfect stay requires heating (or cooling) a great deal of water, In the past, this would have involved using a great deal of non-renewable energy – but not anymore. The combination of abundant, year-round sunshine in the Greater Kruger, plus naturally clean water from the Klaserie River (which flows close to Waterside) gave us an opportunity to break the mould once again. That’s exactly what we did when we installed a state-of-the-art hydronics system at Waterside.

The system has sufficient capacity to ensure that the Waterside swimming pools, underfloor heating, heated towel rails, and water for baths and showers are always at the perfect temperature. The hydronics system lets us control these temperatures very precisely.

The water from the Klaserie River is easily purified, with very little being lost in the filtration process. The whole system is almost silent – you’ll only know it’s there when you feel how cool your suite is, enjoy a hot shower, or reach for a heated towel.

Waterside is a work of art in many ways, not least in terms of the new sustainability solutions we’ve used. As you explore Waterside, you’ll notice many of Liz Biden’s signature pops of colour – but look a little closer, and you’ll see how green this special place in the wilderness really is.