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Greater Kruger Park Area 2020 Part 2 JABULANI

14th May 2020

Greater Kruger Park Area 2020
Part 2 JABULANI


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Greater Kruger Park Area 2020
Part 2

JABULANI

Our long-awaited 3-night stay at Jabulani in the private Kapama Game Reserve lived up to and exceeded every expectation we had.  Together with our dear friends Abe & Rosanna Lambrechts from Cape Town, we experienced a superb all-round safari with excellent game-viewing, fascinating elephant interaction, an exciting and educational visit to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, and we were served what was unquestionably some of the best food on our trip to that point. Jabulani has four chefs including a pastry chef.

The Jabulani experience started with a bang on the first afternoon, meeting three members of the Jabulani herd namely Jabulani, Sebakwe and Somopane, and having an opportunity to feed them some pellets and in the process get up close and personal with each of them.


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The elephant interaction at Jabulani is limited to this feeding and petting session, but it is quite intense and involved.  We were a group of 8 guests and we spent the better part of an hour alternating between the three elephants with ample opportunities for photography and videos.

We spent three nights at Zindoga Villa (suitable for families or 2 couples traveling together) which was beautifully appointed in a classic safari style with a thatched roof, and soothing interiors with natural mud and straw finish on some of the surfaces.


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The two main suites at the Villa each had its private splash pool, fireplace, tub, indoor and semi-outdoor shower, and a shared dining room and lounge.  A charming twin-bedded suite adjoining one of the main suites is ideal for two children or two adults sharing. From the villa, it is about a 5-minute walk along an immaculately groomed sandy path to the main lodge and dining room, overlooking a small dam. Just before reaching the lodge you cross over a sturdy suspension bridge.  The Zindoga Villa also has a private villa entrance for game drive pick ups and drop offs.

The food at Jabulani was stellar, from the first evening’s 5-course tasting menu to an elaborate bush dinner with sundowner drinks and snacks, with the elephants.  Our farewell dinner with choices such as venison loin and grilled salmon, was another delightful meal served in the cozy wine cellar.


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Most of all though, Jabulani excelled in the quality of the game viewing.  Our capable and effervescent guide Liesa was knowledgeable and fun to be around.  She also displayed a well-developed ability to anticipate and predict animal behavior, putting us in excellent positions to observe predators in action.   Most memorably, this resulted in us witnessing a spell-binding African painted dog hunt.

In addition to the painted dogs, we also spotted several prides of lions, a leopard (briefly), white rhinos and buffaloes, lots of wild elephants and a rare pangolin sighting.  Jabulani appears to be reliably good for seeing all of the Big Five mammals over the course of 3 to 4 days.


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LION SANDS TINGA LODGE

Tinga Lodge and its sister property Narina Lodge are located in a private concession in the southern area of Kruger Park, close to Skukuza Airport and Skukuza Rest Camp.  We found the Tinga rooms and common areas overlooking the Sabi River to be exceptionally attractive and well-managed.  The same was true of nearby Narina Lodge which was similar in concept and style, except that it was raised off the ground level on a boardwalk about 3 meters high.  This resulted in a  view from the front of the common area which was better than the one at Tinga.


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We enjoyed several well-prepared meals at Tinga, with the lunch on arrival being served out on the deck, a perfect spot for it. The game-viewing in the area – which was true of the game-viewing everywhere in the Greater Kruger National Park area – was challenging due to the thick bush.  Heavy summer rains had caused rank, dense vegetation with grasses obscuring pretty much everything  smaller than buffaloes, rhinos and elephants.  This was particularly noticeable in the areas around Tinga, to the point where our guide Joe (who was as good as they come) had to venture onto the public parks road in search of lions and zebras, for example.  We did get lucky with a couple of great sightings including a surprise encounter with a pack of about 6 or 7 African painted dogs.  They popped up in front of a crash of White rhinos which was what we had initially stopped for.  The best sighting overall by far, was of a massive and clearly extremely powerful male leopard which spent several minutes right in front of our vehicles, marking its territory.


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ROYAL MALEWANE FARMSTEAD

Fittingly, our last stop in the Greater Kruger Park area was at the sublime Royal Malewane Farmstead, where camp manager Nick Daneel and his team including Charne Daneel and super guide Rudi Hulshof, introducing us in splendid fashion to this iconic safari brand. I was thrilled to finally find out for myself what it was that has made Royal Malewane such a highly regarded and popular deluxe safari brand.


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Like all great brands, Royal Malewane creates quality by imbuing every aspect and facet of the guest experience with quality.  To start with, the usual new arrival formalities were dealt with as efficiently and briskly as I’ve ever seen it done.  In the room – which was a veritable work of art itself – there was a half bottle size of quality sparkling wine on ice, if one were so inclined. As a couple, we are always reluctant to open an entire 750 ml of sparkling wine (anywhere), knowing that most of it would be wasted.  Not an issue at Royal Malewane.  The mini-bar and snack bar had everything one could possibly want – and more.  The room had ample space, plenty of natural light, and a mix of practical and whimsical design and decorative elements which combined into an esthetically pleasing whole.  The Liz Biden touch was unmistakable.  I liked the fact that the suite was uncluttered, without any nooks and crannies, making the most of the available space. The back doors (French doors also located in the bathroom) opened up to a fabulous deck with an outdoor shower and an inviting splash pool.


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Shortly afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious light tapas lunch and a bit later went out on the first of two outings with our guide Rudi Hulshof, assisted by tracker Lodrick Mkansi. Over the course of 30 years in the safari business we’ve come across many excellent and a few superb guides.  Rudi quickly established himself as being in the latter group.  His pre-drive briefing was confident and comprehensive without being pedantic.  I was particularly pleased with his comments about sundowners, to the effect that people do not come to Africa to drink G & T’s  and that depending on the game-viewing scenario and flow, there may not be time for a drinks stop.  Which is exactly what happened.  We were so engrossed with a young female leopard resting on a horizontal branch and then a heart-stopping walk-by of five sub-adult lions, that a sundowner stop before sunset would have been out of place.


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Rudi’s uncanny anticipation of animal behaviour, his pithy, clear and concise comments about animal behavior,  habitat, trees and plants and any topic we cared to raise, were what we had anticipated from the highly regarded and award-winning Royal Malewane guiding team.  Between them, the team  has over 300 years of African bush experience, including no less than three of only seven living Master Trackers in the world.

On the morning of our departure back to Jo’burg, we took a short game drive from the Farmstead to Royal Malewane where we enjoyed breakfast on the patio overlooking a well visited water hole.  It was great to finally see for ourselves what makes this place so special and famous.  The welcome from camp manager and expert guide Juan Pinto, illustrated how a few well chosen remarks can make a hugely favorable impression.  Juan complimented Kathy on her Swarovski binocs and then insisted on checking out my vintage pair of Zeiss 7 X 45’s.  Juan then offered to clean both pairs of binocs, despite having an imminent staff meeting.  That’s how you gain and retain a stellar reputation.


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The breakfast itself was splendid and attractively plated.  Cappucino for Kathy?  No problem.

Our brief stay ended with a couple of rooms inspections, including the stunning classic Royal villa.  Nothing nouveau or cutting edge here:  just an ultra-spacious, well-lit and beautifully appointed villa with adjoining suites complete with outdoor plunge pool, indoors and outdoors showers and tub, massive king size beds with mosquito netting, and a tastefully decorated shared living and dining room area.

The same can be said of the six  individual suites.  Plenty of space, lots of light, great views from the verandah – all in all a delightful spot to spend a few days in the bush.

More Info

Email bert@fisheaglesafaris.com

Email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com

@fisheaglesafarishouston

#FishEagleSafaris

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“Only in Africa”: Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Cape Town

7th May 2020

“Only in Africa”:
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Cape Town


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“Only in Africa”:
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Cape Town

The city of Cape Town and the surrounding Cape Peninsula has a long list of places to visit and things to do.  Clearly high on the list of ‘must do’s’ is a trip to the top of Table Mountain, either by Cable Car or for more intrepid visitors, by hiking up one of the ravines.  Second only to that outing, any visitor to Cape Town needs to make time for Kirstenbosch.  It is one of the great botanical gardens of the world, a national treasure, and Capetonians are rightfully proud and also protective of this sprawling expanse of gardens and associated structures, sheltered below the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.


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Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is at first glance an ambitious, awe-inspiring undertaking; a beautifully situated collection of gardens and micro-habitats, fountains, aquifers, herbariums, performances, food service and entertainment options. Step inside and you’ll discover its true appeal, its seemingly never-ending reservoir of small surprises and hidden secrets, some just waiting to be seen and others revealing themselves only occasionally to lucky passersby.


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One day it might be a sighting of a Spotted Eagle Owl (always watch for a clutch of other visitors staring up into a tree), the next time a gorgeous Protea Cynaroides in full bloom, a stand of vibrantly colorful daisies, a group of kids dressed up for a midsummer’s night party, or a profusion of the special Nelson Mandela ‘Gold’ variety of the Strelitzia plants in full bloom.  Kirstenbosch is more than 100 years old but it is always new, always fresh, clean and  family-friendly to boot.


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I first visited Kirstenbosch as a child, and have been back dozens of times, most recently just a few weeks ago.  Kirstenbosch attracts more visitors than any other sight in the Mother City, including Table Mountain and the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.  Even so, there are no long lines here; at worst it takes a few minutes to buy a ticket.  No two to four hour waiting in a line here like at the Table Mountain Cable Car ticket office, in season!


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The Southern Africa spring from late August through November is arguably the very best time of the year to be in Kirstenbosch. This is just after the rainy season when the full spring bloom effect is visible everywhere.  On a recent September visit I remarked to a companion that I had not seen Kirstenbosch in such splendid shape in many years.  There were blazingly colorful displays of red, yellow, purple and orange to be seen all over the place.  The Namaqualand daisies, vygies, pincushions, arum lilies, watsonias and many other species were in full bloom and it was simply magnificent.


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Proteas

If your time is limited, you’d want to take in the protea gardens, the ‘boomslang’ canopy walk and the cycad garden, three of Kirstenbosch’s most celebrated and fascinating elements.  The protea garden takes pride of place due to these hardy, graceful plants being mostly endemic to South Africa, at the pinnacle of the ‘fynbos’ species, a group of plants found mostly in South Africa and very much limited in distribution to the Cape Floral Kingdom.


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All the proteas are worth seeing, but be sure to look for the Protea Cynaroides, South Africa’s national flower, which produces a particularly handsome giant flower.   Fynbos is at its best during winter (June through August) when many species are in flower and the Fynbos walk is alive with color.   If you’re lucky you may see the stunning Protea Sugarbird and one or more species of sunbirds, including the endemic Orangebreasted Sunbird. These beautiful birds can often be seen flitting about the proteas and other flowering plants, year-round.  In addition to the proteas or sugarbushes, you will also see the colorful, delicate pincushions, cone bushes and various protea shrubs.


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Boomslang Canopy Walk

The boomslang canopy walk is a relatively new addition to Kirstenbosch, having been completed in 2014.  The first time I saw it was literally by accident. I was following some guineafowl around – trying to get a better photograph – and stumbled into the base of the canopy walk.  Which of course I had to try right away.  The Boomslang (which is Afrikaans for Tree Snake) is an elevated structure which twists through the tree canopy at a height of up to 40 feet above the ground, with superb views over the gardens and Table Mountain.  It is wheelchair-friendly and the design – with ribbed supporting beams in the style of a snake’s skeletal structure – is quite pleasing to the eye.   This low-impact raised walkway is about 425 feet long, narrow and slender, with a few wider view-point areas.  It lightly snakes its way through the canopy, without being an eyesore or being too intrusive.  It is more than just a traditional boardwalk – like a snake, it winds and dips and stays obscured within the forest.


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Cycad Amphitheater

Kirstenbosch’s cycad amphitheater is one of the oldest parts of the garden, having been established within the first ten years of its existence.  Cycads – also known by their scientific name of Encephalartos  – are palm-like in appearance.  They are often referred to as ‘living fossils’ – not because they are millions of years old, but because they have changed very little since the Jurassic Era, or ‘Age of the Dinosaurs’, 150 – 200 million years ago.


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Lurking behind the giant cycad trees are a collection of life-size tin sculptures of various dinosaur species which roamed the earth at the time when cycads grew in abundance.   The sculptures, which are the work of Zimbabwean artist David Huni, highlight the plight of many cycad species which are critically endangered and may soon, like the dinosaurs, become extinct. Their presence makes for an intriguing and fun adventure for young and old.  Stand there for a minute, let your mind wander and it becomes quite easy to imagine a real Pterodactyl swooshing by with loudly flapping wings.


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The Cycad  Collection at Kirstenbosch  contains 37 of the  approximately 40 Southern African cycad species.  Cycads are mostly rare and endangered in their natural habitats all over Africa.  Unfortunately, they are constantly under threat from unscrupulous collectors.   Kirstenbosch has an active propagation program to increase the number of plants available to gardeners and collectors in order to take the pressure off the few remaining plants in the wild.


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Moyo Restaurant & Summer Concerts

Time permitting,  you can  enjoy lunch at Moyo Restaurant, which is easy to find in the central part of the garden.   On past visits we’ve tried and enjoyed the quasi-traditional fare with innovative versions of old favorites such as bobotie, samoosas, pap (rustic polenta) and boerewors (farmer sausage) rolls.


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During the Cape Town summer months, Kirstenbosch is the venue for regular live sunset concerts on the rolling lawns.  That is when Capetonians gather their picnic baskets, friends, and family, and enjoy some of the best music South Africa has to offer in the shade of Table Mountain.  So, if you happen to find yourself in Cape Town from about November through April, check the local entertainment listings.  The Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts are smoke-free, kid-friendly and great for a family outing.

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@fisheaglesafarishouston

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