The Boshoff family
Rafiki Safari Lodge is family owned and operated by the Boshoff family.
Constant Boshoff was born in the country of Tanyanika (now Tanzania) and grew up on a massive wilderness reserve. His family emigrated when the colonial government fell and moved back to South Africa where he met his wife Ralene. Although educated as a Chiropractor in the United States, Constant chose to start his practice and raise his 3 sons in the town of Middleburg South Africa. His passion for wilderness preservation stuck with him. He purchased a 300 hectare piece of wilderness connecting the upper escarpment to the lower plains of Mpumalanga. With the help of some brave locals he carved out a wilderness retreat which eventually included a pool, kitchen, cabins, electricity, and even a water slide! The property was for the pleasure of his friends and family, but around the campfire ideas of opening the retreat to the public began to sprout.
Politics in Africa have always been difficult and as a result, Constant eventually left South Africa to pursue his career as a chiropractor in the United States. Although he no longer had a reserve to call his own, the dreams built around the campfire did not die.
He sold his chiropractic business in South Dakota in 1997, and instead of retiring, found a 300 hectare farm in the remote Savegre valley of Costa Rica. The symmetry between the first property and the second were remarkable. No roads, no electricity, no infrastructure, just what the doctor ordered! The farm had plenty of fresh water, he had three sons in process of finishing university, and a village that was starved for new opportunity. A new campfire was built, and Rafiki Safari Lodge was born!
