Staying in contact with my friends, uploading my stories to social media, the ability to read my business e-mails, despite the supposed holiday in the bush. All this leads to one of the most frequently asked questions: do I have access to the internet at Rhulani?

Rolf Steiner, Rhulanis owner, has a very short answer: "Yes, of course, and it is free!" A few years ago the question was still debated because of the concern that the internet could possibly destroy the magic of the bush. "But today internet is just as natural as brushing your teeth!" says Rolf.

Rhulani's guests may use the internet in all areas of the lodge, completely for free. In the common areas there is a wireless network, and each private chalet has its own router, creating a signal. "So we make sure that an excessive use of a guest will not affect the speed in another room."

Since Rhulani is far away from a city, we get the signal via satellite. We have a contractual download-speed of 10mps what currently is the best package on the market. In spite of the meteorological challanges, the signal works pretty well. "However, we hope for the understanding of our guests, should the Internet be slower or even fail, which unfortunately may happen, especially after a storm", says Rolf.

As for all satellite packages, Rhulani’s internet has a monthly cap for downloads. “Then we pay an excess cost per use, which we do not transfer to the guest", says Rolf. "We just hope that our guests do not run extensive program installations, or if they do, that they run the downloads overnight, as then we are not charged for downloads."

Read another interesting article about the general challenge of the internet in the bush here