(A little history in the making)
A family of four, father Henry Hart, mother Caroline Hart and sisters Noortje and Roos Hart have always had a love for travel. Originally residing in the Netherlands with occasional visits to Africa, Mr Hart had an idea he had passed on to his daughters to invest in South Africa’s Hospitality Industry. Noortje and Roos, both with very different backgrounds of Hotel Management and Law, jumped at the idea and by 2020, they were looking into Africa’s land space.
The journey was set to find a beautiful piece of South Africa, more specifically of the beaten track that was not too touristic – so no overcrowded safari journeys but still plenty of (big 5) game. The area that ticked all these boxes was the beautiful Waterberg area. Not only that, but the area is also Malaria-free, plenty of water for game (which is important!), a safe area that’s close to Johannesburg and International Airports and a nice climate with mild winters and great summers.
By 2021, both daughters found the perfect location in this region – Zebras Crossing and travelled the 8,000 miles from their home in the Netherlands to the ‘Mother Continent’ along with their partners, Bas Mullink and Thijs Claassen, and the family dog Moos! This is when they came up with the idea of creating a brand that collectively holds Zebras Crossing and an additional lodge extension – Elephants Crossing, a luxury tented camp lodge, located in the Big 5 Welgevonden Private Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage biosphere.
“We actually slept in the additional lodge the first night and witnessed a herd of Elephants walk towards us and across the camp. We thought, ‘huh there are Elephants actually crossing here’ and then it dawned on us. This will become Elephants Crossing.” says Thijs.
With the new lodge name in place, it was only fitting to brand these lodges as the Crossing Lodges. Created to offer family stays that are warm, peaceful and with a touch of true African inspired themes and interior style.
