A rare tranquillity insulates South Africa's Lake Sibaya, part of the Greater St. Lucia World Heritage Site. Yet despite its beauty, few investors were interested when the government invited proposals for community tourism in the area.

Land once owned by the Zulu king in KwaZulu Natal had been transferred to general communal ownership, so actual land ownership in terms of title deeds was not possible. Most investors were wary of risking money in such a situation, but Wyatt Ferreira, anticipating the optimism of the new South Africa, detected an opportunity for change and founded Sibaya Lake Lodge.

Transforming his idea into reality took telescopic vision: work began in 1993, but the lodge only opened in 1999. Set on South Africa's largest freshwater lake, twelve en suite chalets, complete with private decks and outdoor showers, gaze across 70km2 of reflective blue. From a central deck outside the bar, lounge and dining area, a pathway leads to a rock pool with sun-loungers beneath large umbrellas. It's a beautiful lodge, but at first glance it's hard to tell why it took quite so long to complete.

Dig deeper and the reason becomes clear: Sibaya started from scratch, right down to teaching staff to read. After an environmental impact assessment, the lodge was built according to strict criteria using renewable local materials. Measures such as solar lighting and the careful sorting, incinerating and recycling of waste ensure minimal impact on the surrounding wetlands. Meanwhile, donor-funded adult education programmes taught the Zulu population of this remote area literacy, numeracy and "life skills", before a year's departmental job training took place.

Sibaya has received much attention in South Africa because 50% of the shares in the company are owned by a local community trust, unlike many tourism ventures where the landowners and the operating company are completely separate. That allows operating companies to skim off large profits while land-owning communities receive little - which can't happen at Sibaya. The operation is slowly moving to a profit-share basis for staff and a trainee Zulu manager is being groomed to take over. A community centre has been built with shops owned by the community trust, and funds from the Development Bank of South Africa have just been granted to build a clinic and a school (complete with computer).

Sibaya's isolation (the nearest town is 90 minutes away by 4x4 on dirt roads) has preserved Zulu traditions to an astonishing degree. It's hard to believe you're in the same country as Johannesburg. People live in huts made of reeds. The culture that guests encounter at the lodge is therefore entirely genuine. Drums, carved pipes and horns accompany Shembe, a fusion of ancestral worship, Christianity and traditional dancing performed around the campfire.

Trained guides lead guests through Sibaya's thick sand forests, grassland and marshes while explaining the flora and fauna and their roles in Zulu tradition. At the project's inception a Community Conservation Area was formed, to which KwaZulu Natal Wildlife donated wildlife, including impala, nyala, reedbuck, zebra and Red duiker. Birdlife is prolific. But Sibaya isn't like some lodges where there's nothing to do if you're not in the mood for game. The nearby coastal forest reserve has miles of empty restricted-access beaches offering snorkelling, diving and nocturnal turtle-watching with conservationists. Guests can canoe on the lake or take sundowners on South Africa's only authentic dhow - hippo sightings guaranteed.

"Visitors set their own pace here," says Ferreira. "We're primarily a water lodge, not tied to strict game-viewing schedules. Guests can be busy or lazy. Even sitting on the deck and watching the lake feels like you're doing something."

Add year-round sun and the generous welcome given by community members, excited about their lodge and the development it has already brought, and Sibaya's success seems assured. Which goes to show how much can sometimes be achieved by stepping where others fear to tread.