History & Vision 

Lion Roars is an owner, operator and developer of boutique accommodation in Southern Africa.  

Lion Roars was established by the Bailey family in the late 90s, offering personalised luxury travel to Southern Africa, with a particular focus on Zimbabwe’s wildlife. The family’s love of the magnificent Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia inspired the development of Royal Zambezi Lodge and, later, Mwambashi River Lodge.

The success of Mwambashi paved the way for the growth of the portfolio to the Eastern and Southern Cape, starting with the development of Singa Lodge, an oasis in the Summerstrand beachfront area. Shortly afterwards, the well-appointed and well-located Ibhayi Guest Lodge was added to the portfolio. Situated in the tranquil, leafy suburb of Walmer, Ibhayi now offers 24 rooms, 5 conference rooms and its own restaurant, Leo’s Bistro and Lounge.

Cottage Pie Guesthouse, nearby the family’s long-term beach residence on Robberg Beach in Plettenberg Bay, allowed an opportunity to share another of their favourite destinations with guests. Over the years, Cordovan Villa, Robberg House and Beachy Head Villa have been added to the complex to create the unique Robberg Beach Lodge collection of Villas. Together, these four villas offer 29 rooms, right at Robberg Beach.

The acquisition of a large portion of the Amakhala Game Reserve allowed the family to share their love of the rolling Eastern Cape landscape and further their commitment to conservation. Hlosi Game Lodge and Bukela Game Lodge were added to the portfolio offering warm hospitality, great accommodation and a Big 5 game experience a short drive away from Port Elizabeth. The Baileys joined forces with the Fowlds family a few years later to bring the charming Leeuwenbosch Country House into the Lion Roars stable. 

In 2010, all parties involved in the Reserve joined together to form a unified marketing umbrella and brand of “Amakhala Game Reserve: A Pride Member of Lion Roars.” Bush Lodge, Carnarvon Dale, Hillsnek, Quatermains Camp, Reed Valley Inn, Safari Lodge, Woodbury Lodge and Woodbury Tented camp are now all marketed and booked under the same umbrella as the Lion Roars portfolio, giving a fabulous choice of tented camps, country houses or luxurious game lodges in 2011’s Eastern Cape Best Private Game Reserve.

Lion Roars moved to the Cape in 2012, when the family teamed up with Mark Borrie and Simon Olding to bring Hawksmoor House into the pride. This added an unsurpassed Winelands experience: a well-located historic Cape Dutch country retreat, meticulously restored and beautifully decorated with exquisite antiques, as well as the fabulous boutique Hawksmoor Wine label, now available at all properties.

The result is a portfolio of venues that the family loves to be in and is proud to share with new-found friends. While each location has its own character, the portfolio is bound by a consistently superior experience in terms of comfort, attention to detail and warm and genuine hospitality.

None of what we do is possible without the combined efforts of a carefully chosen team. Our team pursues our hospitality vision with passion and dedication, and continues to identify and develop new destinations of distinction – this is the Pride of Lion Roars!

Lion Roars Foundation

The Lion Roars Foundation is a conservation and social responsibility Foundation dedicated to raising funds for the ongoing preservation of our natural resources and upliftment of our community.

Fundraising activities kicked off in June 2010 with a golf day at Humewood Golf Club in Port Elizabeth. The inaugural Rhino Skins Golf Day was sponsored by Lion Roars Lodges, and was held to raise funds for the Save the Rhino campaign. Local companies showed overwhelming support for the event, registering 18 sponsored four balls to play in the competition.

The next fundraiser to be held is the Rhino Race sponsored by Lion Roars Lodges. The Rhino Race is a mountain bike race at the base of the Zuurberg mountains behind Addo, and will be held on Sunday 27 June 2010. This is a great opportunity for our local Director Pete Allanson to get some serious mountain bike riding done, in preparation for his 330km ride through Namibia in the Challenge4aCause bike ride (see News Article on this subject).

For further details on our fundraising events, or on the activities of the Foundation in general, please contact Peter Allanson at Peter@lionroars.com. For a copy of the Lion Roars Foundation Constituion, please click here.

Banking Details for donations are as follows:

The Lion Roars Foundation
First National Bank
Account: 62269231165
Branch: Walmer
Branch code: 211217

As part of our commitment to our social responsibility vision, we also partner with established local development organisations. These include Umzi Wethu Academy, a not-for-profit social intervention programme, and the Amakhala Foundation Trust.