ROOM AND WILD NATURALS: Peter EastwooD, SASHWA
For Peter Eastwood, the call of the African continent was first heard in the pages of Wilbur Smith novels during his youth in Wellington, New Zealand. What began as a teenage fascination evolved into a lifelong journey following a sabbatical in South Africa in 1982. Though he spent decades building and expanding a global home-distilling enterprise, his heart continuously pulled him back to the mopane woodlands and raw wilderness of the bushveld. A deep involvement in grassroots frontline conservation such as supporting initiatives like Project Rhino KZN and leading overlanding expeditions across Southern Africa ignited a profound realization that long-term ecological preservation is fundamentally linked to human community and education.
“For Peter Eastwood, the call of the African continent was first heard in the pages of Wilbur Smith novels during his youth in Wellington, New Zealand. Though he spent decades building and expanding a global home-distilling enterprise, his heart continuously pulled him back to the mopane woodlands and raw wilderness of the bushveld. A deep involvement in grassroots frontline conservation ignited a profound realization that long-term ecological preservation is fundamentally linked to human community and education.”
Photo by Koru Camp
Peter Eastwood by Koru Camp
Photo by Koru Camp
That philosophy found its permanent home on the banks of the Olifants River within the Greater Kruger National Park. Acquiring a share in what is now the Mvuu Private Game Reserve, Peter was immediately drawn to a vacant youth facility on the property, establishing Koru Camp. Despite living within walking distance of the two-million-hectare park, local children had historically been restricted from entering these wild spaces. Through immersive multi-day camps, Koru Camp opens their hearts to their natural heritage and unveils viable pathways into conservation and eco-tourism.
To ensure these youth programs could thrive independently without constant fundraising, Peter repurposed his share of the lodge using capital set aside from his business sale, establishing Sashwa River of Stars as a dedicated social enterprise where 100% of profits directly fund Koru Camp and regional community projects.
“Acquiring a share in what is now the Mvuu Private Game Reserve, Peter was immediately drawn to a vacant youth facility on the property, establishing Koru Camp. Despite living within walking distance of the two-million-hectare park, local children had historically been restricted from entering these wild spaces. Through immersive multi-day camps, Koru Camp opens their hearts to their natural heritage and unveils viable pathways into conservation and eco-tourism. ”
Stepping away from the fast-paced, high-vehicle-density structure of traditional luxury safaris, Sashwa is designed as a gentle alternative, a sanctuary for true bio-harmonizing and presence. Embracing a nature-first ethos, the retreat blends plant-based dining, permaculture gardens, off-grid solar operations, and serene quiet spaces like starlit bush baths and a Himalayan crystal sauna. Set amidst land steeped in ancient history and ancient iron ore smelting sites, the lodge invites guests to slow down to the natural rhythm of the river and shift into deeply connected participants in the wild.
Photo by Sashwa
Sashwa by Fat Dassie
Sashwa by Fat Dassie
“To ensure these youth programs could thrive independently without constant fundraising, Peter repurposed his share of the lodge using capital set aside from his business sale, establishing Sashwa River of Stars as a dedicated social enterprise where 100% of profits directly fund Koru Camp and regional community projects.”
In R+W Naturals, we connect with extraordinary people making waves in sustainability, art, design, architecture, gastronomy, wellness, and wildlife — from travel and hospitality industry icons to acclaimed architects, designers, influential artists, forward-thinking musicians, boundary-pushing chefs and visionary explorers.
In this interview, Peter Eastwood shares how a life of entrepreneurial ambition and conservation passion converged to create a pioneering model for regenerative hospitality. From committing the land to permanent protected area declarations to dreaming of expanding the social enterprise model across Southern Africa, Peter reveals how Sashwa redefines luxury travel as a catalyst for human healing, community empowerment, and wilderness preservation.
Photo by Koru Camp
R+W: Your lifelong fascination with Africa began through Wilbur Smith's novels. How did those stories shape your vision for Sashwa River of Stars as a place where guests can truly "return" to the wild heart of the continent?
PE: Wilbur Smith had a way of describing raw, untamed Africa. With Sashwa being situated in the open system of the Kruger Park and having ancient iron ore smelters nearby, it takes me right back to the pages of Wilbur Smith novels on early Africa.
Photo by Sashwa
R+W: From New Zealand's rugged landscapes to the mopane woodlands of Greater Kruger, what drew you back to Africa time and again?
PE: The wildlife and the people. Africa has so many different tribes with their own individual cultures and beliefs. It makes New Zealand seem very one dimensional in comparison.
“I felt an energy from the land suggesting that this property should be used as a place of rejuvenation and wellness. We have stayed true to that ever since.”
R+W: When you first arrived at the site for Sashwa Game Reserve, how did the heritage of this place, its culture/people, and land influence major decisions that followed?
PE: I felt an energy from the land suggesting that this property should be used as a place of rejuvenation and wellness. We have stayed true to that ever since.
R+W: Rhino protection in KwaZulu-Natal ignited your hands-on conservation journey. How has that frontline experience informed Sashwa's commitment to fragile ecosystems and rewilding in the Greater Kruger?
PE: Land availability remains one of the greatest challenges facing African conservation, whether for rhinos, elephants, or pangolins. Through a formal Protected Area Declaration, we are legally committing our land to conservation forever, ensuring it can never be mined, cleared for agriculture, or lost to development.
“Land availability remains one of the greatest challenges facing African conservation, whether for rhinos, elephants, or pangolins. Through a formal Protected Area Declaration, we are legally committing our land to conservation forever, ensuring it can never be mined, cleared for agriculture, or lost to development.”
Peter Eastwood
Photo by Sashwa
R+W: As a social enterprise, Sashwa channels profits to Koru Camp for local youth. What specific conservation milestones have you seen from empowering these kids to connect with their natural heritage?
PE: Opening young eyes to career paths in conservation and tourism is one of Koru Camp’s greatest outcomes. We must find ways for Africa’s youth to benefit financially from protecting their land. Just a two- or three-day stay is enough for these young people to fall in love with a heritage they have been tragically kept from for generations.
“Opening young eyes to career paths in conservation and tourism is one of Koru Camp’s greatest outcomes. We must find ways for Africa’s youth to benefit financially from protecting their land. Just a two- or three-day stay is enough for these young people to fall in love with a heritage they have been tragically kept from for generations.”
R+W: From selling your international company to founding Sashwa, what pivotal "aha" moment convinced you that luxury retreats could fund scalable conservation like expanding Koru Camps across the region?
PE: It wasn’t until we had purchased the rights to the lodge that we began thinking about how to fund it and what to do with the profits. I wasn’t looking for another job, nor was I keen on building another business just for the sake of success. But having struggled to find partners to help fund and grow the Koru dream, the solution became clear: build a social enterprise that directs all profits straight to Koru, creating a whole new paradigm in conservation.
Sashwa by Fat Dassie
Sashwa by Fat Dassie
R+W: Sashwa blends slow safaris, riverside yoga, and permaculture gardens into a "threshold" experience. What makes these intimate moments along the Olifants so uniquely restorative compared to traditional luxury lodges? What feelings are you hoping to ignite for your guests? Please discuss bio-harmonizing as part of the experience at Sashwa.
PE: Connecting with the land, the local people, and yourself is at the very heart of the Sashwa experience. Modern life moves far too fast, often leaving us feeling rushed and disconnected. Deep connection is our personal form of bio-harmonizing.
“Connecting with the land, the local people, and yourself is at the very heart of the Sashwa experience. Modern life moves far too fast, often leaving us feeling rushed and disconnected. Deep connection is our personal form of bio-harmonizing.”
Sashwa by Fat Dassie
Sashwa by Honest Work
Sashwa by Honest Work
R+W: Off-grid operations, plant-based cuisine, and the Himalayan crystal sauna set Sashwa apart. How do these choices honour the land while inviting guests to rediscover their own "stillness within" the wilderness?
PE: Sashwa is about trying to have the least impact on the land while providing a regenerative effect on our guests. Spaces like the Nest, Star Baths and the Day Hide provide peaceful sanctuaries within a sanctuary.
R+W: You've shared your bushveld home and wilderness adventures with your children across southern Africa. What family moments have deepened your resolve to preserve these landscapes for future generations?
PE: As a family, we love overlanding (self-guided exploration through remote wilderness). It’s a 24-hour-a-day shared journey that maximizes our time together when days are short, and since we all love the outdoors, Africa is the ultimate outdoor experience amplified.
“We have found guests immediately slow down when they step into the space at Sashwa. A change comes over them and they quickly find a slower rhythm and look for more purpose in their lives.”
R+W: Guests describe leopard sightings and starlit bush baths as life-altering. How does Sashwa's design encourage that shift from observer to immersed participant?
PE: At Sashwa, time is on our side. When we find a leopard that allows us into its world, we can sit with it for as long as our guests wish. There are no other safari vehicles waiting for a turn, as our land remains entirely exclusive to Sashwa and Koru guests.
Sashwa by Fat Dassie
Photo by Sashwa
R+W: In a world racing toward disconnection, how does Sashwa's "Nature-first" philosophy; with its quiet bush walks and fire circle gatherings, guide visitors toward new ways of living?
PE: We have found guests immediately slow down when they step into the space at Sashwa. A change comes over them and they quickly find a slower rhythm and look for more purpose in their lives.
R+W: Partnerships with local farms and communities fuel Sashwa's holistic model. What untold stories from these collaborations highlight the property's role in uplifting both people and planet?
PE: We are currently supporting a community-led organic gardening initiative to supplement our own garden with produce grown by these hardworking local grandmothers. This initiative provides our guests with exceptional organic produce while creating a meaningful source of income for grannies supporting their families.
Photo by Sashwa
R+W: Looking ahead, how do you envision Sashwa evolving as a beacon for responsible travel, blending your personal conservation passion with broader efforts to protect Africa's wild spaces?
PE: We would love to see Sashwa expand over the coming years to up to six lodges throughout Southern Africa, with each supporting a Koru Camp within its community. We want our work at Sashwa and Koru to be a real catalyst for growth.
“Stepping away from the fast-paced, high-vehicle-density structure of traditional luxury safaris, Sashwa is designed as a gentle alternative, a sanctuary for true bio-harmonizing and presence. ”
Room + Wild is the world's first and leading collective and platform for landscape-enhanced accommodation, ecotourism, nature-based destinations, and sustainable luxury travel experiences. We consistently inspire, influence, and spread awareness through our tailored travel guides, curated media content/channels, brand activations, press trips as well as visual and narrative storytelling.
For Room + Wild Naturals, founder Peter Eastwood shares the vision behind Sashwa River of Stars, an off-grid sanctuary in the Greater Kruger. Created as a social enterprise, Sashwa pairs bio-harmonizing safari stays with a non-profit mission: every visit directly funds Koru Camp, empowering local youth to become the next generation of wilderness guardians.