This Campfire Tale called “The Roof Mower” first appeared in a Dispatch, the updates sent to all Society members. You can join for free here.

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These are the stories most often told around a campfire, with a drink in hand and nature as a soundtrack. The tales are all true, but often with some artistic liberty. Names have been changed for deniability.

One of the signs of a great African lodge is how it becomes part of the location. Using local staff is one element so that guests can get a feel for the local personality in their daily interactions. Another is the food, using local ingredients as part of the dining experience. And then there is the design. Sometimes large chain lodges feel like they have been transplanted into the bush, the location secondary. Great lodges are instead designed around the environment itself. Rather than clearing a path for the lodge to sit, really great places feel as though they have grown from it. This benefits the guests, who don’t feel as though they are removed from the area they came to visit. This also benefits the wildlife, who don’t feel as though they have suddenly lost part of their home. In fact, sometimes they may not even really notice.

Two guests had come to a well-known area in South Africa because of its reputation for amazing animal sightings. They chose a lodge in the Sabi Sand area, one of a few camps belonging to the same lodge brand, because of its world-renowned quality. This lodge in particular was famous for the way it was built into the landscape. Upon arrival, it looks as though you are stopping in an empty field. It is only after a descent down a singular path that the lodge reveals itself, embedded in the earth. This is also mirrored in the villas, with the roof of each villa covered in grass. From behind, the lodge wasn’t noticeable at all, simply part of a larger grassy landscape.

After a few days spent enjoying themselves on safari, it was day three when it happened. The guests were waking up around sunrise, excited for their morning game drive. Most mornings the guests get a wake-up call. Typically, this is a knock on the door but this particular morning it was a phone call.

“Good morning!” said the voice on the line, “Time for your morning game drive. We’ll come and get you in 10 minutes but until then, as it is still dark, please stay inside.”

The guest hung up the phone and started to get dressed. They weren’t planning on walking around in the dark anyway. It was then, mid-morning ablutions, that there was a sudden loud noise. It sounded a lot like a lawn mower, directly above their heads.

The guests were puzzled. As soon as it started it almost immediately switched off and then about 10 minutes later it was followed by a knock on the door. It was their guide, coming to fetch them.

Mouths full of fresh muffins, croissants and other waist-expanding options, the mystery had to wait. It wasn’t until they were sitting in their game vehicle that they could ask the obvious question: Why was someone mowing their roof at 5:30 in the morning?

The guide laughed and explained. There was a lawn mower but there was no-one mowing their roof. Since the early hours of the morning, there had been a pride of lions on their roof, relaxing in the grass. Seeing that the lions were comfortable and the guests were fast asleep, the night team decided to wait until the morning to move them on. When the guests awoke, it was time to take action. The best method they had found to move them was the lawnmower. And it worked. Upon seeing this loud, strange and furious sounding contraption the lions bolted into the bush.

The only downside was that finding the lions that morning was a little tougher than usual. They were probably hiding somewhere, sleeping off a rude awakening.

A similar thing happened years later, in the same area. Instead of lions this time, it was a larger visitor. This was the day when an elephant decided to spend some time on the main roof when guests had finished breakfast. The structure was more than strong enough to withstand the weight, with something like this always being a remote possibility. Although truth be told, you never really know for sure until it happens. And after about an hour, it’s just as well that the elephant eventually moved on by itself. There isn’t a lawnmower big enough to help in that situation.