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The Private Kruger Safari Experience Having travelled the length and breadth of Africa on a shoestring budget I thought that the safari experience was one that I had had, but ever eager to take up an opportunity to view the wildlife of Africa I certainly wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to spend time at one of the private reserves which make up the Greater Kruger National Park. Pulling up in our landrover hot, dusty and thirsty we were immediately greeted with wet towels to wipe our hands and faces and a welcome cold drink. Although I was no stranger to African wildlife this was my first luxury safari and I was looking forward to being spoiled for a few days. Having signed the waivers accepting that we were in the wild and therefore fair game to the local predators and listened to a brief safety talk (remember that the camp is not fenced so no wandering around after dark without an armed escort) we were led towards the rondavel which was to be our home for the next two nights. Our bags had been taken on ahead of us so we walked along the footpath between the chalets, looking around into the bush around us, watching the small birds and listening to all the rustling in the bushes which seemed exaggerated in the otherwise silent bushveld. On entering our room it was obvious that this was no ordinary rondavel.
Safari chairs sat on the veranda outside inviting the visitor to sit and
listen to the birds and soak up the atmosphere. The door opened into a
large room dominated by the huge bed at the far end with white cotton
linen, sets of fluffy towels and a hand written note of welcome. A door
to the side led into the en-suite bathroom, which had both a bath and
shower and twin vanities. An array of bath salts and toiletries were arranged
on the shelves. No time to test the facilities now though, we were just
in time for the afternoon / evening game drive. We quickly unpacked our
few items into the hand carved furniture, padding over the silk rugs on
the floor in our bare feet, smothered ourselves in sun cream and grabbed
binoculars, hat, camera and binoculars before rushing out to start our
safari in earnest. We set off at a sedate pace, the bumps which we had hardly noticed on the way in seemed exaggerated sitting up high at the back of the game truck. The view was spectacular so I sat back and relaxed letting the wind blow through my hair, eyes protected from the wind and dust with sunglasses. It wasn’t long before we stopped to watch the impala grazing, in the late afternoon sun. Our guide explained about the scent glands on their ankles and then we moved on. For the next hour it seemed that around every bend was another wild creature, almost as if they were characters in a play arriving on queue and doing their part. Large or small, animal, bird or plant our experienced ranger had something new to say about everything. After an hour or so our ranger became unusually distracted by the CB radio, which had been crackling inconspicuously in his ear the whole time with just the occasional comment from him over the radio as we departed various sightings. A mumbled word to the tracker sitting on the specially mounted seat at the front of the bonnet and then we were off at a slightly faster speed than usual, passing impala, warthog, even rhino without much more than a cursory glance, it was obvious we were on a new mission now. In the distance we could see a truck approaching and as we drew near it seemed the truck was alive with excited chatter between the guests who all waved cheerfully and called out “enjoy”. By now, everyone on our truck had cameras at the ready and were craning their necks in anticipation. Our ranger chose this moment to pause and explain that there were leopard cubs nearby and we were going to try to find them, and that the cubs were not yet used to the vehicles and people so we must be extra quiet and still. A quiet descended around us as our tracker hopped nimbly from his special seat to the passenger seat beside our ranger and we left the track and ground our way through the bush, the sound of the landrover creeping over the fallen branches which cracked under tyre seemed excruciatingly loud to our ears, surely no creature shy to humans would wait around as we approached? After a couple of minutes we could make out a lone vehicle hidden in the bush with an equally lonely figure behind the wheel who grinned as we approached and gestured with his arms. And sure enough there they were, two young leopard cubs lying in the tall yellowing grass perfectly camouflaged. Once the engine was cut our ranger proceeded to point out the half eaten carcass in the shade at the base of a small tree and tell us about the solitary lifestyle of the leopard and about these particular cubs. We heard that the mother leopard had just left a few minutes before we arrived and was out on the prowl for another kill to feed the family. As we watched, waiting for every twitch of the ear with cameras poised one of the two cubs started strolling around and made his way to the carcass under the tree, the second cub followed and they proceeded to pick away at the remnants of the carcass. It wasn’t long before the cubs became more playful and started chasing each other and climbing woefully inadequate trees, the weight of their bodies bending the branches almost to the ground. Smothered giggles at their antics the gentle mechanical purring of lenses coming into focus and beeps from cameras were the only sounds. Eventually the heat of the sun and the buzzing of flies started to pierce through our conscience once more and our ranger guide suggested we move out for a comfort break and drinks. Cameras all packed away we waved goodbye to our new friends and made our way slowly back to the track which we followed to waterhole where a sunset drinks stop was announced and our ranger and tracker proceeded to set out a small bar on a small picnic table. Still excited from our close encounter with the leopards we each chose our poison and sipped cold drinks and nibbled on biltong, dried fruit and nuts while our ranger explained how each year the “leopard man” whom we had seen at the cubs approached a new set of cubs from the same female and stayed with the cubs until they came to accept him and gradually introduced the sounds and smells of vehicles and humans to them so that visitors such as ourselves could be taken to see them. We were invited to take a look at the video of this story back at the lodge made by National Geographic. Feeling refreshed from our drinks and having stretched our legs we clambered back onto the truck as the sun was setting and as soon as the vehicle started moving I could feel the change in the temperature. The waning beams of sunlight did nothing to penetrate the icy grasp of the cold wind, which now tore through my light shirt and stung my cheeks. I pulled on an extra layer and pulled the blankets provided around my shoulders and over my knees. This was my first game drive after sunset, and my gaze followed the light of the spotlamp meticulously looking for the glint of an eye as we made our way back to the lodge. As we dismounted from the vehicle and said goodnight to our tracker we were told dinner would be served in 1 hour and arranged to be escorted from our chalet in 40 minutes. On entering our chalet we found pre-dinner drinks already poured, they had never tasted so good! Just enough time for a quick dip in a hot bath to warm up before dressing warmly for dinner. In the boma heat emanated from the fire in the centre and tables were set with lights hanging from the tree above us and candles burning on the tables. We were shown to our table and I was pleased of the blanket provided to wrap around my legs. Our waitress for the evening came to introduce herself, took our drink orders and recited todays menu for us. As we tucked in to our delicious soup we discussed the highlights of the days game drive. Having helped ourselves to two servings of the delicious carvery and finished desert and biscuits we left our table and were escorted back to our room. The night was quiet and we slept soundly until the light knock on our door at 4am the next morning. I opened an eye, it was still very dark; I poked an arm out from under the bedclothes, the air was cold; I listened carefully, there was no sound even the birds didn’t know it was morning yet! After a couple of minutes the excitement overcame my reluctance to leave the warm cocoon of bed and I ran around getting dressed in every layer I had brought – underwear, tights, leggings, jeans, T-shirt, another T-shirt, long sleeved shirt, fleece….and finally satisfied that I had not missed any extra layers I tentatively opened the door to find that the sun was already rising and casting a pale light across the bush. In the dining area we helped ourselves to muffins and hot coffee before being led away by our ranger to the awaiting vehicle. This morning there were also hot water bottles on our seats, now that’s what I call service! As we left the immediate area of the lodge our ranger and tracker seemed intent on the ground as they looked at the criss-cross of footprints and read the spoor like a map before deciding on a route. It wasn’t long before we came across the lions, “Ngala” our tracker had mumbled pointing vaguely in a direction off to our left. Ngala is the Shangaan word for lion, and there they were, walking through the bush in the direction of water. It was obvious that this pride of lions had fed well the night before, bellies were full and mouths were red from the blood. The smallest of the pride seemed reluctant to keep moving but followed trustingly in the footsteps of their elders. We followed them for a while in the landrover until the bush became too thick, then we left them in peace and returned to the track. By now I was beginning to regret that extra cup of coffee, each bump was more uncomfortable than the last. Obviously I was not alone in this regret since as soon as the vehicle stopped and our ranger asked if anyone needed a comfort break there was show of hands and our ranger obligingly checked out two areas of bush to make sure they were clear of snakes and pointed us to the mens and ladies bush toilets. Feeling relieved we returned to the landrover to help ourselves gleefully to more coffee and hot chocolate along with small pastries before shedding a layer or two of clothing and climbing back up to see what other pleasures the bush had in store for us this morning. By the time we got back to the lodge we were all very hungry and made a beeline to the breakfast table. Fresh fruit including an amazing display of strawberries, yoghurt, cereals, bread, cold meats, cheese, muffins, it all looked amazing and tasted just as good. Having sat down with my plate piled high from the table I ordered tea and decided it would be rude to turn down the offer of a cooked breakfast and ordered bacon and sausage to go with my fried eggs. I sat with my tea feeling relaxed and contemplated a morning of relaxing by the pool. Would I like to go on a short game walk before the sun got too hot I was asked? Would I ever, after all that is what I was here for. An hour later, the sun was beating down unforgivingly and I was pleased to see the lodge as we rounded the corner. The walk had been fascinating but the sun was searing and all the extra activity of the last 24 hours coupled with my early morning was starting to take its toll so I planned to retreat to the cool of my chalet for a quick nap before lunch. On reaching the lodge however we saw that mid morning drinks were being served so we decided to delay long enough for an iced tea. Would I like a biscuit? Well actually I was still full from breakfast, but maybe I would just try one. I returned to my chalet and washed and changed and by this time it was time for lunch. One thing was for sure, this safari experience was not going to be one where I returned having lost a few pounds, quite the opposite in fact. We made our way past the curio shop to the dining area where an array of breads, cold meats, fresh fruits and cakes were waiting. After trying a little piece of everything and going back for seconds of our favourites we sat feeling more than content with our iced teas in the shade of a large tree watching in amusement as the lodge staff did their best to keep the small birds away from the remnants of lunch. Feeling way to full to do much I opted to sit with a book on the veranda of my chalet for what little remained of the afternoon, although I spent most of the time gazing into the bush rather than reading and it seemed that I had barely sat down when it was time to get ready for the evening game drive. Not to be fooled by the heat of the afternoon this time I packed a small bag with all my layers of clothes before smothering on yet more sun cream and heading for the door. This may not be the holiday for watching your figure but it was doing wonders for my suntan. After yet another exciting game drive, we returned to our chalet to find that the bath had already been run and scented petals scattered on the floor. It seemed such a shame since we barely time to enjoy such a luxury but it served its purpose of making us feel pampered. By the time we had finished yet another delicious meal that evening we were ready to sleep on our feet and left the boma early favouring an early night over coffee. Not wanting to waste any opportunity we were up with the dawn again the next morning and ready for a final game drive, though we skipped the morning coffee in favour of another five minutes in the warm confines of the duvet! The game drive did not disappoint, neither did the hearty breakfast that followed and it was with reluctance that we packed our bags and headed back home. On the journey home I contemplated the last forty-eight hours and wondered
where did people find the time at these lodges for the spa treatments
and swimming pool?! The experience had been very special and one which
I would recommend to anyone, especially those on safari for the first
time. I still love to go out and about in the bush with my tent and drive
around Kruger on our own schedule, but every once in while let others
do the hard work and learn from the depth of knowledge experienced rangers
can provide. |
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