“We have a safari lodge, where would you like it?” 
These words appear on the front page of the HAYWARDS GRAND SAFARI COMPANY’S website. And how apt! http://www.haywardsafaris.com/
Peter Hayward, the founder and owner of HSC is a wonderful, inspirational, take no nonsense’ visionary who started designing the Grand Safari Company back in 1993. Since then, he has provided the ultimate luxury mobile tented safari experience for royalty, celebrities and business tycoons from all over the world.
I was honoured to be invited by Peter to join him and his team for a banquet they were doing for a bluechip international company. I had the privilege of seeing the ‘inner workings’ and experience exactly how this amazing man puts things together.
Getting there: Well… you can’t actually “get” there. As described above…”we have a safari camp, where would you like it” 
But I can tell you that their BASE camp is situated within the Bobbejaansberg Private Nature Reserve, the HQ of Hayward’s Safaris which is a few km from the Dinokeng Big 5 Reserve in Cullinan
On my arrival at the base camp, I was blown away by the sheer scale of the large set-up. My first impression was of a Bedouin Arab tented village in the middle of the desert.
Beautiful billowing Bedouin tents scattered at intervals in the African Bushveld, complete with the original Hayward’s Gin Tent (seating 150 for dining), an Indaba Conference Tent (seating 150 cinema style), various breakaway tents, Safari Hair Salons, Revitalization Anti Stress Centre, a full Safari Club complete with cigar humidors, library and lounging plus behind the scenes, kitchens, sculleries and 100 en-suite bedroom tents and a full crew camp accommodating 90 staff! Director canvas safari chairs and gin and tonic on ice (and tap) welcome you while Ndebele dancers and musicians escort you into the boma area. And to top it all, ALL staff are clad in traditional ‘safari’ khaki uniforms. 
All areas are decked out with Persian carpets, huge hand-made colourful pillows and heavy antique dark wood furniture. No expense had been spared to make sure this will be a once in a life time experience. 
What makes this experience so special is the fact that Peter greets every guest individually and makes sure that each one gets to experience what it was really like to be on a Grand safari.
In my opinion, HAYWARD’S GRAND SAFARI COMPANY would be a definite 5 ‘thumbs up’ 
