South Africa

Seeing and photographing Giraffes on safari in Africa

14th October 2020

Seeing and photographing Giraffes on safari in Africa

As long-time safari planners and regular African travelers, giraffes are often on our minds, or in front of our camera lenses. Other than perhaps elephants, it is the one mammal that we get the most questions about. Everybody wants to see giraffes on safari. Just like the big cats, these quintessential African mammals are high on everyone’s must see list. It is easy to see why. They are simply spectacular in so many ways. There’s the sheer size of them, their stilt-like elongated necks and unmistakable ‘horned’ heads literally towering above the landscape and everything else. There’s the way they feed, drink, stare at you and run. Pretty much everything about a giraffe is weird and worth a second look.

Linyanti floodplain, Botswana

This photo, taken in the Linyanti area in Northern Botswana, illustrates a couple of things about giraffes and about getting useful images of them. Be ready with the right lens. If all you have available is a big telephoto lens, this is all you might get. A portion of a giraffe. Legs. Or a head, maybe a neck and head. So either shoot them at a good distance where they can fill the frame or use a shorter zoom lens to frame them properly. On this day I was fortunate to have a yellow-billed oxpecker bail me out of the tight photo spot. These birds have a symbiotic relationship with giraffes, helping them to get rid of disease-carrying ticks, food for the birds. Even ill-equipped photographers can be the beneficiaries of symbiosis, with a bit of luck.

Kwara concession, Okavango Delta

When it is not possible to get the entire giraffe – or more than one – inside the frame, consider grouping together a few giraffe necks, heads or upper bodies. Sometimes, you can get lucky and three giraffes will be facing in the same direction, with a nice cloudy background. It doesn’t happen all the time but keep looking for such an opportunity to present itself. Some years ago in the Kwara concession in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, I did just that, got lucky and succeeded in getting a visually pleasing shot of these three giraffes.

Kwandwe Game Reserve, Eastern Cape

I captured this photograph of three plains giraffes feeding at Kwandwe in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is another example of framing more than one giraffe in the same photograph, by isolating their necks and heads. The more giraffes, the better. Four necks may even be better than three; I’ve just not come across a suitable opportunity to try that!

Samburu region, Kenya

There are several species of giraffe in Africa. The three photos above have been of the most common of these, the Southern giraffe. In north-eastern Kenya one finds what I consider to be the most handsome of the giraffe species, the Reticulated giraffe. This photo of a few of them was taken in Samburu, a mostly stark, arid area where a good number of these endangered animals co-exist with a couple of other northern Kenyan endemics such as Grevy’s zebra and Beisa oryx. I’ve always described the Reticulated giraffe as the oil painting of giraffes, compared with the more washed out – ‘watercolor’ – Southern giraffe. If you’ve seen Reticulated giraffes in nature, I think you will agree. Their spots are a vivid, dark burnt orange which make the white stripes stand out even more. Another good place to find and observe Reticulated giraffes is the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya

Taken in the Lewa Conservancy in northern Kenya, this photo of three Reticulated giraffes also illustrates their striking color pattern. And my penchant for trying to get several giraffe necks and heads in the same photo…

Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

There is considerable disagreement among scientists as to the specific number of giraffe species. Some maintain that there’s only one ‘giraffe’ with several subspecies. Others contend that there are as many as eight distinct species. A giraffe that is widely considered to be a subspecies is the Rothschild’s or Nubian giraffe. I photographed this one walking in a yellow-barked acacia forest on the edge of Lake Nakuru in Kenya. Full species or not, it is certainly a handsome beast with its characteristic white ‘sox’.

Giraffe Center, Nairobi

There are several Rothschild’s giraffes at the popular Giraffe Center in Nairobi, Kenya. The Giraffe Center is operated by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, to educate Kenyan youth about the country’s wildlife and environment and to provide visitors an opportunity to come into close contact with the giraffes. ‘Armed’ with a handful of giraffe pellets, visitors walk up a ramp to a balcony from where they can feed the giraffes at eye-level. The giraffes know the game. Whenever there are visitors, there are giraffes ready to stick out their crazy long tongues to retrieve a treat and be photographed. All for a good cause. Funds raised by the Giraffe Center have helped with efforts to re-establish the endangered Rothschild giraffe in several wilderness areas elsewhere in Kenya.

Royal Malewane, Thornybush Reserve – South Africa

A giraffe drinking is quite a sight to behold. This photo which I took on a game drive from Royal Malewane in South Africa illustrates the peculiar posture which a giraffe has to adopt in order to get its mouth down low enough to drink water from a pond or river. The exact mechanism by which a giraffe gets enough water in its mouth and up its massively long neck, isn’t entirely clear. What is clear is that giraffes are vulnerable to predation when they are drinking and they are always careful to look around for lions, before assuming the position.

Skeleton Coast area, Namibia

A little known fact about giraffes is just how adaptable they are. As a result giraffes are widely distributed in most habitats throughout Africa, even in some areas which are inhospitable to many life-forms. On two separate visits to Namibia’s Skeleton Coast we saw several groups of desert-adapted Angolan giraffe, a sub-species concentrated around ephemeral or seasonal rivers such as the Hoarusib, Huab and Hoanib. Wherever you see groves of acacia albida (Ana) and acacia erioloba (Camelthorn) trees, you can expect to find these giraffes. This photo was taken on a game drive out of Wilderness Safaris’ Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp.

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Baby giraffes are cute. Like most other animals. These two youngsters were photographed on a game drive out of Wilderness Safaris’ Abu Camp in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Even at a young age, giraffes adopt the typical habits of the species like being inquisitive and observant. They can see you long before you can see them, and they fully utilize their special advantage, always looking and staring. When safari guides are out on game drives searching for predators, they make a point of checking out where the giraffes are looking. If giraffes are standing still and staring consistently in the same direction, it is always a good indication that a predator is around.

Samburu, Kenya

Giraffes are relatively common in many areas in Africa. We always expect to see some – and sometimes many – in places like Mashatu in south-eastern Botswana, in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, pretty much all over northern Botswana, the north-eastern lowveld of South Africa including all but the far northern part of Kruger Park, and in most East African parks and game reserves. While it is still fairly easy to see giraffes on a trip to Africa, it is a disturbing reality that giraffe numbers have decreased by 30% over the last three decades, with about 110,000 remaining. Even though giraffes as a species are not endangered, they are considered threatened and the situation could get worse, if current trends persist. Mostly, their numbers are dropping because of habitat loss, which happens when woodlands are converted into farms and ranches. Trophy hunting and poaching also play a role in their steady demise. Some of the species – or subspecies – such as the Reticulated Giraffe are in fact endangered, with their numbers down more than 90% compared with earlier times. These Reticulated giraffes photographed in Samburu in northern Kenya are nowadays found mostly in a few wildlife sanctuaries, with less than 10,000 of them surviving.

In our blog post next week, we will take a look at Africa’s signature mammal: the African elephant. With plenty of photographs and a few of our most indelible memories of interacting with these behemoths in all parts of Africa over the years.

More Info

Email bert@fisheaglesafaris.com

Email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com

@fisheaglesafarishouston

#FishEagleSafaris

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Cheetahs, cheetahs, cheetahs

9th October 2020

Cheetahs, cheetahs, cheetahs

For many visitors to Africa, seeing the big cats is #1 on their wish list. Nobody wants to go home only to have to say ‘no’ to the inevitable question about having seen lions. Even though the total number of lions in Africa have dropped alarmingly over the last few decades – largely due to habitat loss – they are still relatively easily seen in most wilderness areas. Lions are also prolific breeders under the right conditions – with enough prey animals around – so they bounce back quickly and predictably after setbacks such as prolonged droughts. Which means that on your next – or first – trip to Africa, you will almost definitely bump into lions if you spend a few days in practically any major game reserve or national park. In Southern or East Africa. So, did you see lions? Yes.

Other big cats are less frequently seen. Leopards are supremely adaptable creatures and they are common in almost any non-urban African habitat except true deserts. What makes them difficult to find and observe is their naturally elusive, shy and mostly nocturnal nature. They are mostly solitary and stealthy creatures of the night. That is when they are out and about in search of prey such as unsuspecting smaller antelope, monkeys, baboons and the like. Consequently, visitors see them mostly very early in the mornings or in the late afternoon, when they start to get active after resting up. In areas where they are habituated to the presence of vehicles, such as the Sabi Sand reserve in South Africa, in parts of the Masai Mara and the Serengeti, in private concessions in Northern Botswana and at Mashatu in south-eastern Botswana, they are more readily seen as they don’t conceal themselves at the first sign of vehicles, movement or humans.

The other big African cat – the cheetah – is in a different league altogether. It has a relatively tiny total population of about 7,000 in comparison with lions (approximately 25,000) and leopards (approximately 700,000). Despite being as sparsely distributed as they are, cheetahs are quite visible where present, due to their diurnal nature and preferred habitat. Cheetahs are adapted to hunt during the day which reduces competition from the nocturnal big cats, notably lions. Cheetahs also prefer open terrain where they can use their amazing speed to its best advantage. And they will often clamber onto anthills or stumps or other elevated spots to check out the area for potential prey – or danger. Open terrain, broad daylight, a spotted cat perched on top of an anthill? Bingo! For me personally, a cheetah sighting is a highlight of any Africa trip. They are just so rare, so beautiful and so special that even a brief glimpse of one of them will make your day.

Here are some photos we took of cheetahs in six different areas in Southern and East Africa where they are regularly seen. The captions summarize the back story about each photo and how it came to be.

Selinda, Northern Botswana

This cheetah was part of a coalition of two brothers which used to move up and down along the Linyanti River in northern Botswana, spending weeks or sometimes months in an area. For no apparent reason, they would then move along to a neighboring concession. Less competition from lions or hyenas, more prey animals? Who knows. The reasons are hardly ever readily apparent. The day on which we bumped into this particular cheetah and his brother, marked the first sighting of cheetahs on a game drive from Selinda, in several weeks. So essentially, we got lucky. Being in the right habitat and spending enough time scanning open terrain along the Linyanti floodplain, just improved our luck somewhat. We would get even luckier later that day, when we saw the cheetah coalition hunt and bring down an impala. My advice to anyone wanting to see a cheetah kill? Bring your best patience game as cheetahs take their time sizing up the area, the conditions and whatever their instinct dictates. It took the brothers the better part of four hours to finally attempt a charge. They were successful though. Cheetahs are the most efficient of the big cats in terms of hunting success, bringing down about 40% to 50% of prey, as a percentage of total attempts. By comparison leopards are successful about 30% to 40% of the time. Lions bring up the rear in a significant way, being successful less than 20% of the time.

Tswalu, South Africa

Tswalu in the northern Cape Kalahari in South Africa is better known as one of the best places in Africa to see pangolins and aardvarks, but it is no slouch for some of the big cats, notably lions and cheetahs. On our most recent visit to Tswalu (we will be returning this November) Kathy had set aside one afternoon to do some horseback riding. We were at the stables and she was just about to set off into the veld with one of Tswalu’s beautiful steeds, when word came on the radio that a couple of cheetahs had been spotted. Kathy and I looked at each other and there was no disagreement: the horses would have to wait for another day. It was a longish drive to get to the cheetahs, with the light fading fast by the time we pulled up to them. Even so, the decision was the right one. Looking in our direction in the gathering gloom, the cheetah’s ordinarily yellow eyes shone almost red. The sighting would be brief but eminently memorable.

Masai Mara, Kenya

When I first saw these cheetahs on a game drive out of Mara Explorer Camp, one of the cheetahs had jumped on top of a game drive vehicle from Mara Intrepids. I do not like to see behavior like that: it should have been prevented by the Mara Intrepids driver-guide. The guides in the area are all aware of the propensity of some of the cheetahs to try to use the vehicle as an observation post. And the guides know to avoid an incident, by staying clear of ‘known perpetrators’. It is potentially dangerous for the guests and for the cheetahs. Getting bitten or getting run over, respectively. Too risky all round. We left the scene, deciding to rather return early the next morning. It made all the difference. We had the cheetahs to ourselves for the better part of an hour, observing them walking around and getting onto anthills – not vehicles. The way it should be.

Serengeti Plains, Tanzania

Tanzania’s Serengeti Plains and its northernmost extension, the Masai Mara in Kenya, are likely Africa’s single best repository of cheetahs. This is their habitat par excellence. Open, rolling grassy plains with rocky outcrops, patches of woodland and riverine thickets, and plenty of prey in the form of Thomson’s gazelles and impala. Irrespective of the status of the annual wildebeest migration, the Serengeti and the Mara are great for the big cats, who have territories to defend and who do not move around with the wildebeest and the zebras. In fact, on the day we saw this cheetah on a game drive out of Nomad Tanzania’s Lamai Serengeti Camp, we experienced a rare big cat trifecta: lions, leopards and a cheetah. All in one game drive, not during the migration season. Other parts of the Serengeti where we have experienced above-average cheetah sightings include the southern Serengeti (Kusini camp) and the western Seronera area (Namiri Plains camp).

Hwange, Zimbabwe

Since we regularly started visiting Hwange National Park in north-western Zimbabwe in the 1990’s, we’ve come to recognize it as a good and reliable area for cheetah sightings. Just like elsewhere in Africa, the Hwange cheetahs move around and can’t always be seen in the same spots. So if you’re keen on seeing cheetahs on a trip to Zimbabwe, we would suggest including two different camps, such as Somalisa or The Hide or Khulu Bush Camp, combined with Little Makalolo or Linkwasha or Camelthorn. And give yourself plenty of time to find the cheetahs; five to six nights in the area would be ideal. This trio of young cheetahs were following their mother around and getting a lesson in patience. She wanted them to stay back and stay low while she approached some antelope. It was not to be. They kept showing themselves and following too closely behind her. Which naturally spooked the antelope. All in a day of growing up.

Mashatu, Botswana

Mashatu Game Reserve in far south-eastern Botswana is currently one of the best big cat destinations in Southern Africa. Spend three or better yet four nights there and you will most likely get to see lions, leopards and cheetahs. And not furtive ‘drive-by’ sightings either. On a recent September visit to the area, we had multiple good sightings of both lions and leopards, and notched up two different cheetah sightings in the course of a 3-night stay at Mashatu Tented Camp. What makes Mashatu a particularly good bet for cheetahs – and other big cats – is the fact that off-road driving is allowed which means that you can get quite close to these magnificent cats. For photographers this is a major advantage over many other areas where vehicles are not permitted off-road. Also, compared with most other good big-cat destinations, the Mashatu properties namely Mashatu Lodge, Mashatu Tented Camp and Euphorbia are moderately priced – at about half the cost of camps of similar quality in northern Botswana. We recommend combining a 3-night WalkMashatu foot safari with a few days at one of the Mashatu camps, to make the most of the area.

In our blog post next Friday, we will focus on one of the most popular and also instantly recognizable African mammals, the Giraffe. There will be photographs, of course, as well as some information about places where they can be seen. We will also review the various species you are likely to encounter in Southern and East Africa, and their conservation status.

More Info

Email bert@fisheaglesafaris.com

Email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com

@fisheaglesafarishouston

#FishEagleSafaris

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Camp Okavango is in the heart of the permanent part of the Delta. In this idyllic setting there are no vehicles, and it is just a short walk

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Destinations

Nyerere National Park

Ruaha

Tanzania

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Chindeni and the Bushcamp Company, Zambia

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India

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Kruger Park & Sabi Sand Reserve South Africa (Continued)

17th September 2020

Kruger Park & Sabi Sand Reserve South Africa (Continued)

I wrapped up an extensive educational trip in Kruger Park and in the northern, western and southern sections of the Sabi Sand Reserve, notching up multiple big cat sightings (lions, leopards and cheetahs), some of which rank among my best ever, from a photography perspective. I was also fortunate to find another big pack of African painted dogs one afternoon, on a drive in the western part of the Sabi Sand reserve. The four properties visited during the last week of the trip were Mbali Mbali, Savanna Lodge, Singita Boulders and Chitwa Chitwa.

MBALI MBALI LODGE, KRUGER PARK

Continuing where we left off on a recent late September trip, I was up a little bit later than usual on this day, at Hamilton’s Camp. After a solid English breakfast I collected my things and was driven to the nearby Mbali Mbali camp which sleeps 24 people in 12 rooms. This thatched property has a large lounge and dining room with a high vaulted ceiling. Mbali Mbali appears to be quite suitable for families and small groups in search of a moderately priced safari experience. Several of the guests were on self-drive safaris which reduce the overall cost even further. I arrived in time for lunch which was a self-service buffet with choices ranging from leg of lamb to chickpea salad, slices of pizza and couscous. None of it was gourmet fare but it was tasty and plentiful.

The afternoon and early evening game drive which lasted from about 4 pm until just after 7 pm was predictably quiet. It was simply too windy and unseasonably cold for many of the mammals to be active, and birding was practically impossible under the conditions. Even so, the game drive was not without its highlights. First off, we went in pursuit of a few sable antelope which had been spotted nearby. It took a while but we eventually located the small herd of about six or so sable antelope moving steadily from our right to our left in fairly thick woodland. I never could get a decent capture of one of the magnificent males which was too bad. Nonetheless seeing and following them for the next 20 minutes or so was quite exciting. In South Africa sable antelope are particularly rare and very seldomly seen.

Our last significant sighting of the day was a seemingly abandoned buffalo carcass, being fed on by five or so whitebacked vultures. We looked around for predators, expecting at least some hyenas to be present, but there were none. This was true for only a few minutes though because three hyenas did eventually show up, sniffed around and loped off into the bush again soon after.

Then it was back to the lodge for a plated three-course dinner which was served at 7:30 pm. It was quite good, inclusive of a chicken salad starter, impala fillet for the main course, and malva pudding to end. The highlight of the day was definitely discovering the high-speed broadband at Mbali Mbali. What a pleasure to be able to check email without being totally frustrated by glacially slow data transfer speeds like those at practically all the other camps to this point.

SAVANNA LODGE, SABI SAND RESERVE

After catching up on some work and taking a few bird and small antelope photos around the grounds of Mbali Mbali, I did a site inspection of nearby Hoyo Hoyo. It is a quaint, small camp with six rooms in a traditional African or Tonga style. The lodge had been recently updated with an enlarged deck and extra seating/dining options. It is known for reliably good game-viewing – we saw quite a few elephants close to camp – and is a popular, moderately priced accommodation option.

From inside Kruger Park, it took about three hours by road to get back to the western part of the Sabi Sand Reserve, where my capable and friendly driver from Sable Tours dropped me off at Savanna Lodge. My first impression of Savanna Lodge was mixed due to the proximity of a village, close to the western edge of the Sabi Sand reserve. As I was to see and experience during my stay there, it was not an issue. In fact if visitors want to, they can be taken on a village visit to meet and interact with some of the local people. Savanna has great rooms and amenities. I happily took them up on an offer of ‘emergency’ laundry service and the few items I handed over were back in my room, washed, dried and neatly folded, before dinner. Speaking of which, the meals at Savanna were terrific, served family style. Lots of choices, an abundance of fresh salads and produce, and a convivial atmosphere.

That afternoon’s game drive started on a high note with close-up views of several white rhinos and quickly reached ‘fever pitch’ with the sighting of a pack of about 20 African painted dogs. We followed and observed them for the better part of an hour, with young ones running around all over the place. For a moment there it looked like they might try to take on a zebra but it was not to be. The reaction of one of the zebras was pretty interesting though!

The following morning’s game drive with camp manager Paddy was simply brilliant. It started with a singularly good cheetah sighting with a male cheetah jumping into a tree and just about posing for us – so close to the vehicle that I had to switch to a 24-70mm zoom lens. There was a nice dark blue sky background, so for once no burn out issues in what might easily have been another backlit conundrum. Shortly afterward, the male cheetah – by now down from the tree – got into an altercation with a hyena. This time, I missed the shot, not having enough time to change out the telephoto lens. Note to self: always have a second camera handy for this type of situation. Even an iPhone would have done the job admirably. From there, we had another look at the painted dog pack – by then mostly sleeping. The day wasn’t over yet, though. It ended on another highlight, being a great sighting of a female leopard close to Dulini Camp, posing for us on top of a mound of dirt. If I hadn’t gotten a good photograph of that obliging leopard, I probably would have dumped my photo gear right there and then…

SINGITA BOULDERS CAMP

By 11 am I was on the road again, this time fortunately just a short drive from Savanna to Singita Boulders. I was shown around by Nicole who was friendly and informative and witty – in fact one of the best front of house people I’ve encountered in a long while. Unquestionably, Singita stands at the pinnacle of the photographic safari experience in Africa. It’s all on display at Singita Boulders: exceptional quality architecture and a luxury safari vibe, fine dining from morning until night (there always seemed to be something else delicious to eat) and impeccable service. Pretty much the ultimate safari experience – admittedly at a price.

My wine-tasting experience at Singita underscored the level of sophistication of the operation. For this experience, I was driven a few minutes across to Singita Ebony, the other Singita Sabi Sands property. The young sommelier did a wonderful job introducing a few of us to some fine South African wines including a particularly nice Pinotage blend. One of the guests present was not overly impressed with the selection of wine tasting options and almost jokingly said, “Where is the Rust en Vrede Estate?” Singita being Singita, the sommelier disappeared into a doorway and re-appeared minutes later, brandishing a bottle of Rust en Vrede Estate. Everyone was blown away by the depth and complexity of this Bordeaux style blend. Incidentally, Rust en Vrede was chosen by President Nelson Mandela to be served at the Nobel Peace Prize dinner. Rust en Vrede is produced by winemaker Jean Englebrecht in the Stellenbosch area.

Our game viewing outings from Singita Boulders were on the quiet side, compared with what I had experienced over the previous few days. Even so we (I shared a vehicle with a family from Sweden) saw more Cape buffalo in the area close to the lodge than anywhere else in the Sabi Sands. We also had some excellent rhino sightings in addition to the usual plains game. Guests who spend several days – we would recommend a minimum of three nights – in the Sabi Sands would of course have multiple opportunities to see all of the ‘Big Five’ species and much more. My Singita guide was a stand-out: fun to be with, knowledgeable and able to impart information in a credible manner without lecturing or sounding forced. Clearly in love with her job in the hospitality and wildlife conservation field. All of the other guests on the vehicle remarked on that.

CHITWA CHITWA CAMP

By 11 am the following morning I was on my way to Chitwa Chitwa. This would be the last overnight stop on my lengthy trip. Fortunately, it did not disappoint. The room and lounge layout and design were stylish and creative, without being extravagant. Chitwa Chitwa has massive rooms with air conditioning, indoor bath and shower, and an outdoor shower. It is squarely in the deluxe category, on every level. I liked the wide and gently sloping pathways and the entertaining yet thorough arrival briefing. A rambling, overly long or unnecessarily pedantic camp introduction can be off-putting, but this one was spot-on. Brief, to-the-point and light-hearted, yet touching on all the important safety stuff.

The game drive that afternoon started off on a rather shaky note, with more backlit photos of a leopard against a bright sky background. My guide displayed considerable patience and guiding acumen and somewhat to my surprise (I should have known better), the afternoon ended on a high note when we spent the last hour observing and photographing a couple of baby leopards, in the fading light. They had been secreted by their mother while she was away hunting, but their curiosity overcame their fear and they started to show themselves – barely – peeking out at us from the undergrowth. A magical experience which I will never forget.

On my last game drive of the trip, I was up at 5 a.m, ready to go. If there’s one requirement for a job in the photographic safari business, it is to embrace the routine of getting out of bed super early – often in the dark and when it is cold – day after day. It turned out to be a nice sunny morning, a bit breezy and colder than what one may expect for the South African bushveld in early October. It was yet another productive game drive and perhaps not unsurprisingly, we saw more big cats. I had to stop myself from getting blasé about cat sightings. They are just too rare and too special for anyone to be indifferent about seeing them. Initially, things were quiet but then picked up with a great buffalo sighting. We spent some quality time with a herd of about 50 or 60 Cape buffalo, getting photos of them from a variety of angles in very nice if somewhat bright morning light. And then things got really interesting when the guide spotted a female leopard and her sub adult cub walking through the open woodland, eventually jumping into a tree very close to us. Again, I was caught with too much lens: the fixed 300 mm lens on my D4 was not ideal for the close up action which followed. This is the type of situation where one should ideally have two cameras on hand: one with a shorter zoom lens such as a 70-200 mm. Fortunately the advent of lighter and smaller mirrorless cameras is making this less of an issue than it had been up to now, because of weight restrictions.

My brief stay at Chitwa Chitwa turned out to be one of the highlights of the entire trip. It was friendly, everyone seemed to enjoy working there and every facet of the experience was excellent. The food was a highlight: the dinner starter – a grilled prawn (shrimp) salad – was one of the best I had had in many years. The perfectly cooked lamb loin chops were just as praise-worthy, and ditto for the malva pudding dessert, simply divine.

At the time of my visit, a serious drought was affecting much of the greater Kruger Park area. One of the worst droughts in many years, in fact. It had a serious impact on grazing species such as hippos and buffaloes, many of which died or moved out of the area, either because of a lack of food or as a result of being pursued by lions. There were no issues with the overall quality of the game viewing, in fact it was stellar. Clearly, the predators were having a field day. In 40-plus years of game-viewing, I had simply never seen and photographed such an abundance of big cats and other predators, in one extended trip. Not soon to be repeated either.

In next week’s blog we look at the first of a couple of walking safari options, this one being the WalkMashatu trail in the Tuli block of Botswana.

More Info

Email bert@fisheaglesafaris.com

Email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com

@fisheaglesafarishouston

#FishEagleSafaris

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

Destinations

Zambia

10th September 2021

Chindeni and the Bushcamp Company, Zambia

By late July we found ourselves at Chindeni, a small Bushcamp Company property

Botswana

Destinations

Okavango Delta

3rd October 2022

Camp Okavango, Botswana

Camp Okavango is in the heart of the permanent part of the Delta. In this idyllic setting there are no vehicles, and it is just a short walk

Area

Destinations

Nyerere National Park

Ruaha

Tanzania

14th October 2023

From My Safari Notebook: Wildlife Photography

Birds in flight and wildlife photographers have an uneasy relationship. Things go wrong as often as they go right. Getting focus-lock on a moving subject

READERS FAVOURITES

Destinations

Zambia

10th September 2021

Chindeni and the Bushcamp Company, Zambia

By late July we found ourselves at Chindeni, a small Bushcamp Company property

Botswana

Destinations

4th August 2022

On Safari At Belmond Eagle Island Lodge, Okavango Delta

What is the ‘secret sauce’ for an unforgettable few days on safari in Botswana? It starts with the animals, of course. The elephants, lions, giraffes, hippos

Destinations

India

27th May 2023

India

India’s tiger, mammals and birds.

A visit to Kruger National Park & Sabi Sand Reserve, South Africa

10th September 2020

A visit to Kruger National Park & Sabi Sand Reserve, South Africa

Over the course of a week or so in the Kruger Park area I discovered a couple of superb new camps and revisited an old favorite, saw lots of animals – including many big cats and African painted dogs – benefited from expert guiding and was served some of the best food I’ve ever had on safari.

SINGITA LEBOMBO

On a recent September visit to South Africa, I traveled by road from the southern Sabi Sand area for about three hours to Singita Lebombo, on the eastern edge of the park.

This was my first visit to Singita Lebombo, and it did not disappoint. Singita sets an exceedingly high standard for the safari experience, at all of their Southern and East African properties. As I was to see for myself at Singita Lebombo as well as at Singita Ebony and Singita Boulders – which I were to visit later on – the properties excel at every facet of the guest experience. You might think that the food at Singita is out of this world – and it is – or that the lodges have simply the best stocked wine cellars, which is also true. But it doesn’t stop there. The same attention to quality and detail extends throughout the operation, from the selection and training of guides, to the front of house staff, property management, as well as the planning, design and execution of the lodges. Even more important is how successful the company has been in mobilizing its resources to create programs that benefit the people, wildlife and the areas in which it operates, all to safeguard Africa’s most vulnerable species and natural habitats.

Singita Lebombo is an architecturally striking lodge with clean modern design, lots of glass and plenty of natural light. The main dining room, bar and lounge have beautiful views over the foothills of the Lebombo mountains and Mozambique in the distance. The expansive kitchen turns out simply fantastic food. It takes confidence to attempt dishes of this quality and then to actually live up to advance billing is an achievement anywhere. All the more so here, in such a remote area.

The evening’s entertainment started with drinks in the Boma, by the fireside. It was a festive affair with a range of splendid South African wines and other beverages on offer. Guests had the choice of four white and four red wines including a Chardonnay, Chenic Blanc, Rose, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

The food was bountiful too. The main offering was a range of charcoal grilled meats including beef, springbok, eland, lamb and beef ribs, pork ribs, and boerewors, the traditional South African ‘farmer’s sausage’, usually made with ground beef, sometimes a mix of beef and either pork or lamb. The starters were fantastic including snook pâté and chicken liver pâté, sweet corn fritters, Moroccan quinoa salad, citrus beetroot salad, ostrich sausage with bread pockets, sourdough bread, hummus, and marinated olives. If all that didn’t quite do it for you, you could also opt for fish fillets, grilled chicken, and oxtail stew. Side dishes included lentil bobotie, traditional ‘pap’ (a version of polenta), cabbage, shish kabobs with peanut sauce, sweet potatoes with a citrus reduction, broccoli and cauliflower, corn on the cob, and fruit skewers with ginger sauce. For dessert the chefs prepared a couple of South African traditional favorites, namely malva pudding and milk tart, and a peppermint crisp mousse. In recounting this menu, it occurred to me that I need to go back to this property immediately.

The morning game drive at Singita with our guide Margo started just after 6 am on a cloudy, rather blustery day. Margo succeeded admirably in making it a fun experience for the couple of safari veterans she had on board, as well as for a honeymooning couple from the USA, for whom it was game drive #1.

Although there were not large numbers of general plains game around, we did see a good variety of animals including plenty of giraffes, lots of Impala, some waterbuck, steenbok, several zebras here and there and a few wildebeest.

Of the bigger game species, sightings of note included two different male lions. One young intruder into the area just under four years old, the other a fully mature black maned individual, one of the dominant males in the local pride.

We also had good looks at a solitary old Buffalo whose face was often almost covered with several red billed oxpeckers and a large, handsome white rhino. Rhinos are apparently not easily seen in this area.

Lunch was started off with a flavorful focaccia bread with olive oil and fresh feta cheese. The tapas menu included carrot and coconut soup, apple walnut grape salad, beetroot polenta with white wine reduction, shimeji mushrooms, a butternut risotto, salmon tartare and carpaccio of kudu. All interesting, all expertly prepared and delicious.

The afternoon game drive at Singita was as good as any I had experienced on the trip thus far. Early on we observed a female leopard snoozing close to a recent kill, an unfortunate impala strung up in a tree just a few meters from where the leopard was resting. The leopard was the most relaxed of any of the Lebombo leopards and she paid not a whit of attention to our vehicle or to the two others which came and went. From there we proceeded to a different area where another leopard had killed an impala, close to the overhang of a cliff, alongside the Nuanetsi river. There was no sign of the leopard and the carcass seemed to have been abandoned. Later that afternoon we watched a black backed jackal sniffing around the area.

Shortly afterwards, having picked up our tracker Lawrence again – he had to do some remedial work on tracks our vehicle had left in the riverbed – we went on to our second lion sighting at Singita Lebombo. This time around there were two female lions belonging to the Mountain pride, walking away from a pan where they had been drinking. One of them crossed the road in front of us and it was painfully obvious that she had a bad case of mange. No doubt brought on by the stressful conditions of the drought. We were told that the cubs in this pride were currently malnourished due to an injured free-loading male lion who was hogging much of the food supply. One of the lionesses turned around and went back to the water where we had a chance to see her drink. And then almost as an added bonus we enjoyed our second leopard sighting of the day. This time it was a female lying on the road. She got up as we approached and slunk off towards the bushes, in the gathering darkness. Not alarmed or spooked, but somewhat more apprehensive than some of the more habituated individuals we had seen. There was not enough light to focus for photography but it definitely didn’t matter – the experience was firmly embedded in our personal memory banks. Dinner was superb again with a starter of seafood and ostrich fillet main course.

KIRKMAN’S KAMP, SABI SAND RESERVE

In somewhat of a departure from the usual early morning game drive, I did a site inspection at the nearby Singita Sweni Lodge, and the adjacent African village shopping area. Both impeccable. Singita Sweni Lodge’s seven spacious, open-plan suites are tucked into the banks of the Sweni River. The rich and vibrant interiors add to the dramatic look and feel of the lodge. The suites feature sweeping views through floor-to-ceiling glass, there are daybeds for sleeping under the stars and private decks that seem to float above the river.

At 11:00 I departed on a 3 hour drive to Kirkman’s Kamp, in the Sabi Sand Reserve. We first visited Kirkmans when it was still in the MalaMala stable, many years ago. We liked it then and nothing material has changed. The game-viewing is still as good as it gets, with all of the ‘Big Five’ mammals being seen practically every day, week in and week out. From the first time we saw it, we were drawn to Kirkman’s classic safari ambience. Built in the style of an original 1920’s homestead, the property is elevated on a high ridge with spectacular views over the landscape sloping down to the Sand River.

After a delicious al fresco lunch, it was time for the afternoon game drive departing at 3:20. Having received a very proper briefing, we trundled out of camp, the main objective being to locate a male lion coalition of two. We did that in short order, initially observing them in a rather sleepy, resting posture and then walking through the bush. Both lions sported beautiful black manes – and one of them had a prominent dislodged right lower incisor dangling from his lip. It didn’t seem to faze him at the time; the tooth was expected to fall off by itself soon enough.

That evening, we enjoyed a boma dinner, a rather elaborate affair capped with a lively singing and dancing performance by staff members. The menu included corn soup or asparagus as a starter; mains of chicken Cordon Bleu or grilled fillet of kudu and the grand finale was either an orange panna cotta or sticky toffee pudding.

The following morning’s activity started with a call to my room, prompting me to remain indoors for the next 20 minutes due to the presence of a leopard in the path in front of room number 10 and 11. I was in room number 13. Once the coast was clear, I made it to the reception area deck for a cup of coffee and a rusk, and then – naturally – we were off to find the ‘camp-exploring’ leopard. It didn’t take long. About 30 minutes later we were making our way through some pretty thick bush to where the leopard had been seen walking. It eventually got into a tree, where we were able to photograph it fairly well. Not ideal – due to a backlit situation – which wildlife photographers know is a problem without a real solution. You make the most of it with exposure variation, increasing the exposure by a few increments, trying to correct the exposure on the darker animal, without blowing out the lighter background. Somewhat unexpectedly the leopard snarled at our vehicle a couple of times – it was clearly not entirely happy with the situation.

Eventually the animal climbed down the tree and walked to a nearby ridge from where it observed the surroundings from its elevated position.

Unbeknownst to us the male lions which we had observed the previous night had made a kill only 300 meters down the ridge from where the leopard was sitting. In fact, we could see the lions from there. We made our way back to the road, drove around the corner and there they were: both of the boys literally sprawled out in the middle of the bush track. Just 20 meters or so away, was their thoroughly mauled buffalo victim. Its massive head had been bent backwards and sideways in an unnatural, clearly violent manner when it met its demise sometime the previous night.

The lions were not actively feeding, just lying there and resting up before going back to the buffalo carcass again. It would probably last them for a couple of days or more.

We then drove off to the bank of the Sand River where we stopped for a bush break and enjoyed a cup of coffee.

Just as we were finishing up, the radio came alive with news that a group of African painted dogs had been spotted in the Charleston sector of adjacent Malamala game reserve where Kirkman’s has traversing rights. Off we went to go and find them. After 10 minutes or so of steady but not overly fast or aggressive driving, we spotted the first of what would prove to be about 20 dogs in total.

We followed the painted dogs through the woodland, into the riverbed where they paused for a while, some of them drinking water from a depression, and then we picked them up again as they exited the river on the other side.

All the while the youngsters were sniffing at everything and clearly finding new and exciting things along the way. They stopped to inspect a buffalo skull and horns, ducked behind stumps, poked into bushes and generally followed the lead of the adult painted dogs who were running ahead of the pack, seemingly in hunting mode. By the time the pack started to disperse and move into thicker bush, it was time for us to return to camp for breakfast.

HAMILTON’S CAMP KRUGER PARK

A little later that morning I was on my way to Hamilton’s tented camp, a six-roomed property inside the Kruger Park about a two hour drive from Skukuza airport and about 2.5 hours from Kruger gate.

The camp can also be reached by road from Hoedspruit airport; this would entail a road transfer closer to 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

The drive from Skukuza to Hamilton’s was not unpleasant with good numbers of general plains game to be seen including zebra, buffalo and giraffe. I also spotted two white rhinos grazing around a depression where recent rainfall had resulted in a bit of green emerging vegetation.

I liked what I saw on arrival at Hamilton’s: it had an attractive lounge and dining room area located on the banks of a river, with beautiful tented rooms with air conditioning, a bath and outdoor shower, mosquito nets, ample storage space plus adequate lighting.

The afternoon game drive started slowly but it soon became apparent that there were lots of animals around. We were almost never not in sight of something: giraffe, kudu, zebra, elephant, buffalo, warthog, impala, there were animals everywhere. The afternoon ended on a high note with an excellent leopard sighing, being a solitary male lying up in the open on a sandy bank along a drainage line. He was apparently very full from just having fed on an impala, so not very active. It suited me just fine for a few photographs.

Our last day in the Kruger Park was not an ideal day to be on safari. It was blustery and downright cold at times with a strong wind whipping around camp, and right through the passengers in the semi open game drive vehicles. And of course the animals were not immune to the impact of the weather. My capable guide Gareth and I gave it a good shot and he did manage to find and show me the young male leopard in the marula tree, which we had briefly spotted earlier. The leopard was finishing up the last of the impala kill which was by now reduced to mostly skin, ribs and leg bones. After about 10 minutes or so the leopard dropped down from the tree and disappeared into the low bushes.

With the wind becoming even stronger and some rain making things decidedly unpleasant, we called it a day and returned to camp.

In next week’s blog: I travel to the northern and then western part of the Sabi Sand reserve in search of more special places and experiences.

More Info

Email bert@fisheaglesafaris.com

Email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com

@fisheaglesafarishouston

#FishEagleSafaris

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Destinations

Zambia

10th September 2021

Chindeni and the Bushcamp Company, Zambia

By late July we found ourselves at Chindeni, a small Bushcamp Company property

Botswana

Destinations

Okavango Delta

3rd October 2022

Camp Okavango, Botswana

Camp Okavango is in the heart of the permanent part of the Delta. In this idyllic setting there are no vehicles, and it is just a short walk

Area

Destinations

Nyerere National Park

Ruaha

Tanzania

14th October 2023

From My Safari Notebook: Wildlife Photography

Birds in flight and wildlife photographers have an uneasy relationship. Things go wrong as often as they go right. Getting focus-lock on a moving subject

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Destinations

Zambia

10th September 2021

Chindeni and the Bushcamp Company, Zambia

By late July we found ourselves at Chindeni, a small Bushcamp Company property

Botswana

Destinations

4th August 2022

On Safari At Belmond Eagle Island Lodge, Okavango Delta

What is the ‘secret sauce’ for an unforgettable few days on safari in Botswana? It starts with the animals, of course. The elephants, lions, giraffes, hippos

Destinations

India

27th May 2023

India

India’s tiger, mammals and birds.

A Visit to South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province

28th July 2020

A Visit to South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province

On what was my second trip to South Africa’s eastern Cape Province in two years, I learnt more about the area and what makes it special. There are several good reasons to consider the Eastern Cape for a safari trip:

It has lots of animals and birds and more diversity than anywhere else in South Africa. Readily seen animals include elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, lions, giraffes, zebras, kudus, impala and even cheetah, springbok, eland and gemsbok in some reserves like Shamwari.
The eastern Cape is one of the best places in South Africa to see both black and white rhinos.
The scenery is spectacular, with sometimes amazing views of hills, valleys and ravines. The vegetation ranges from Karoo scrubland to dense montane forest, Cape fynbos, dense thickets, and areas of open savannah and grasslands.
The entire area is malaria-free which makes it ideal for families with children, pregnant women and for anybody who does not want to take antimalarial drugs.
The eastern Cape reserves are easy to get to, just over an hour from either Johannesburg or Cape Town, by air. Also within drivable distance from Cape Town, along the Garden Route.
Compared with destinations like Botswana and the private reserves along the Kruger National Park, the Eastern Cape reserves offer considerably better value for money, particularly in the cooler winter months from May through August and September.
The area is quite unlike anything you’d see in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia or the ‘bushveld’ region of South Africa, notably the Kruger Park. It is mostly undulating, often with patches of thick bush which provide cover for animals such as leopard and black rhino.

RIVERBEND LODGE

My first stop on the Eastern Cape educational trip was Riverbend Lodge which we had used several times in the past – always with good results – for the Addo Elephant Park area. Riverbend Lodge is just outside the main Addo National Park, but the lodge has direct access – a few kilometers away – to its own private area of the park. The accommodation, dining (fantastic!) and general hospitality and guiding at Riverbend were impeccable. With its special focus on the needs of families with young children, Riverbend is an ideal family safari spot. Be sure to spend no less than three nights here as some of the mammals like the rhinos can be tricky to see, because of the thick vegetation. In fact this is true of most of the eastern Cape reserves. If you spend as many as 4 nights in a camp you will see ‘everything’ and have a fun and relaxing time in the process.

The water hole close to the lodge can be surprisingly good and while I did not happen to see any rhino there during my stay, it does happen. More often than not, there are elephants coming around to drink, and we also saw some zebras and warthogs take their turn.

KARIEGA

Kariega’s Settlers Lodge was all-round one of the best lodges I had seen in a long time, with beautifully designed, huge rooms and an unusually impactful main lodge building with glass, stone and canvas beautifully melded.

An added bonus here is the option of doing some boat trips along the Sunday’s River, a nice change of pace with time to relax and take in the natural beauty of the area. Kariega’s Homestead Lodge would be perfect for a family or friends group of up to 12 or so, with 2 vehicles and guides and a staff catering to the needs of young and old.

River Lodge is yet another good option at Kariega with the same mix of activities as at Settlers. It has a bit more of a ‘traditional safari’ or classic African safari lodge feel. A nice value add here is that guests who spend 3 nights or more at Kariega River Lodge have the option to take an included boat trip (open aluminum skiff with sun canopy) of about 40 minutes or so, to the Sunday’s River mouth on the Indian Ocean.

The guiding at Kariega Settlers was great and importantly, they do not take more than 6 or 7 persons in a vehicle, meaning nobody ends up in a middle seat.

Overall I thought that the game-viewing at Kariega was very good; highlights were the abundance of giraffes, wide variety of antelopes, plenty of zebra, a good lion sighting and some great views of elephants.

As elsewhere in the Eastern Cape, it would be advisable to spend no less than 3 or 4 nights in the area. There is a lot of thick bush and to have a decent shot at seeing rarities like black rhinos, it is imperative to give yourself enough time and to do several game drives. So stay 4 nights and include the beach excursion to the mouth of the Sundays River.

SHAMWARI

My last two nights in the Eastern Cape were spent at Shamwari, a private game reserve which recently celebrated its 25th year as a pioneer of wildlife management and eco-tourism in the Greater Addo area.

Shamwari’s current range of properties include Bayethe Tented Camp, Sarili Private Lodge (ideal for family travel), Lobengula Lodge and its flagship classic lodge – Long Lee Manor, extensively rebuilt in 2019. Two other properties – Riverdene and Eagle’s Crag – have also recently been rebuilt/renovated.

Clearly Shamwari is making a very substantial investment in its future, re-asserting its position as the pre-eminent photo safari property in the Eastern Cape.

Here’s what surprised me about Shamwari: the abundance of wildlife (easily seen), the simply amazing natural beauty of the area and its diversity.

I was fortunate to have Morne Hamlyn as my guide in Shamwari, operating out of the compact classic Lobengula Lodge. More about the guiding later. It was a welcome change of pace to be in a room just steps away from a pool, and not much further away from the dining room. No long hikes to dinner, no armed escorts, just wait for the sounds of drums and off you go…

Breakfast at Lobengula was excellent; I tried a local take on Eggs Benedict one morning and it absolutely hit the spot; an omelette the second day was equally good. Dinner results were mixed. The meat for the charcoal grill (braai) on my first night there was presented in advance on a platter – you pick your portion and cut – and it was then prepared to order. I selected a couple of lamb chops and asked for them to be done medium-rare. I got them back well done and tough. The side dishes were great, as was the dessert. In fact the dessert (malva pudding) was excellent.

The following night I decided to take a small gamble and ordered lamb again – this time a rack of lamb. It paid off handsomely. The chops were tender and succulent with that typical South African Dorper sheep taste: a nice herbaceous undertone but quite subtle, and not at all mutton-like. Dessert was again splendid.

The ‘lamb chop experience’ at Lobengula underscored my experience of many years on safari. Almost never have I found the meat prepared on a ‘bush dinner’ or outside grill/barbecue – a ‘braai’ as the South African refers to it – to be anywhere close as good as similar cuts prepared in a proper kitchen setting. Just too many unknowns and variables with grilling outside, particularly when the chefs are cooking for a whole camp-full of people. Visibility is bad in the dark, the charcoal temperature is difficult to regulate, it is hard to get the timing right, and so on. Boerewors sausage and chicken (other than breast portions) are generally the best choices for bush dinners.

Throughout my stay at Lobengula I could not have received better service or friendlier attention than I did. Irreproachable in every respect.

Back to guiding: Morne had guided me some years previously in the Timbavati at Kings Camp, where he worked as the head guide at the time. Right now, Morne is at the apex of his guiding career and any visitor to Shamwari should thank their lucky stars to be in his vehicle.

Morne has all the attributes of a good guide: personable, highly knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic, and he wants you to have fun and experience everything the area has to offer. He will also make every attempt to find a ‘special’ animal or bird for you. In my case it was black rhino, the only large mammal I had not seen previously on this Southern Africa trip. Given the bushy habitat preferred by these rare animals, I knew it was a tall order but I need not have been concerned. We found a striking black rhino female with a young calf, probably not even 40 minutes into our afternoon drive at Shamwari. Initially motionless behind a bush with just the tip of her long horn giving away her location, she was in no hurry to relocate despite our proximity. She then walked slowly to the next thicket, calf in tow, turned sideways to give us a look and then she disappeared. Just like any animal can, in the eastern Cape thickets.

Over the course of two days at Shamwari I must have seen as many as 15 different species ranging from elephants (lots!) to Cape buffalo, lions, the aforementioned black and several groups of white rhinos, multiple giraffes, impala, kudu, Burchell’s Zebra, black wildebeest, springbok, waterbuck, gemsbok, warthog and hippo.

Morne and I also checked out a few other properties at Shamwari including the beautiful Long Lee Manor (where we had lunch) Sarili (where we saw lions from the deck), and Bayethe Tented Camp which I think would be ideal for many north American visitors, with well-equipped and spacious tented rooms.

In closing, a few words about fences. Shamwari and in fact all of the Eastern Cape reserves operate in a mixed-use setting, where fences are an unavoidable reality and necessity. Shamwari is huge and the presence of a fence was never an issue or hindrance on my particular visit. At worst it is a reminder that wildlife thrive in areas which are rich in resources such as water and palatable vegetation. Which means land that can usually be occupied by people as well. So when you do see a fence in the eastern Cape, think survival and co-habitation – without a few strategically placed fences it would be near impossible to safely contain and conserve wildlife species in this area.

Up next: a return trip to Namibia including our first visit to Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp.

More Info

Email bert@fisheaglesafaris.com

Email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com

@fisheaglesafarishouston

#FishEagleSafaris

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

Destinations

Zambia

10th September 2021

Chindeni and the Bushcamp Company, Zambia

By late July we found ourselves at Chindeni, a small Bushcamp Company property

Botswana

Destinations

Okavango Delta

3rd October 2022

Camp Okavango, Botswana

Camp Okavango is in the heart of the permanent part of the Delta. In this idyllic setting there are no vehicles, and it is just a short walk

Area

Destinations

Nyerere National Park

Ruaha

Tanzania

14th October 2023

From My Safari Notebook: Wildlife Photography

Birds in flight and wildlife photographers have an uneasy relationship. Things go wrong as often as they go right. Getting focus-lock on a moving subject

READERS FAVOURITES

Destinations

Zambia

10th September 2021

Chindeni and the Bushcamp Company, Zambia

By late July we found ourselves at Chindeni, a small Bushcamp Company property

Botswana

Destinations

4th August 2022

On Safari At Belmond Eagle Island Lodge, Okavango Delta

What is the ‘secret sauce’ for an unforgettable few days on safari in Botswana? It starts with the animals, of course. The elephants, lions, giraffes, hippos

Destinations

India

27th May 2023

India

India’s tiger, mammals and birds.

Timbavati Game Reserve, Kruger Park

23rd July 2020

Timbavati Game Reserve, Kruger Park

The Timbavati Game Reserve, a massive privately operated game sanctuary adjacent to the west of the central portion of Kruger Park, is sometimes overshadowed by its better known neighbor to the south, the Sabi Sand Reserve.

In reality, there’s not much to choose between the two reserves, in terms of the overall safari experience. In short, they are both excellent. In some ways the Timbavati in fact outshines its more popular rival to the south. It is more remote, the vehicle density is less, and the prices are on average a good bit less than the Sabi Sand, making Timbavati the best value option of the private reserves. The guiding is good to excellent in both reserves. Guiding proficiency is usually more closely associated with a specific lodge than with a reserve.

All in all, the Timbavati is about as ‘bushveld’ as it gets, with a typical mix of acacia thickets, patches of riverine bush, open savannah and large swathes of mature woodland. Its average altitude above sea level is barely 500 meters, which makes for balmy, dry winter months from about May through August and September, which is also the ideal time to visit. Like the Sabi Sands, the Timbavati is also completely open to the Kruger Park on its eastern boundary, allowing for free and unfettered movement of animals from the national park.

KAMBAKU RIVER SANDS

On a return visit to the Timbavati last May, I spent several days at four different camps, and re-discovered the appeal of this attractive slice of African wilderness. My first stop was Kambaku River Sands. Kambaku River Sands is a well-managed property in a game-rich area of the Timbavati. Right from the word go I sensed that they had their act together and everything I experienced over the course of my short stay validated the first impression. Starting with the 10 luxury suites. They are huge and super comfortable, with a large mosquito net enclosed bed, air-conditioning, a sitting area with chairs and a table, ample lighting, tea and coffee making facilities and a spacious separate bathroom with indoor and outdoor shower and good-sized ball and claw bath.

The food offerings were excellent throughout, from lunch on arrival, dinner and brunch the next morning. Nicely prepared and imaginatively presented, and extremely tasty. Clearly a lot of thought goes into menu planning and food & beverage service. I did not have much time to spend at the expansive and beautifully wood-crafted bar, but it looked most inviting. As a unit the lounge and dining room complex is attractive and functional with lots of space and spots where couples and small groups can get together before or after meals, or around the outdoor pool. Elephants come to drink from the pool from time to time, and there is a separate waterhole within sight of the deck as well.

In just two game drives out of Kambaku I saw a ton of stuff, including a fantastic sighting of a young female leopard in a tree. We also saw some lions at night, there were lots of elephants, and all the usual plains game species including zebra, impala, wildebeest, giraffe and kudu. The bush was still quite thick (early May) so clearly game-viewing will be even better as the dry season advances.

The following morning’s game drives out of Kambaku produced an elephant sighting which was just as spectacular as the ‘leopard in a tree’ of the previous day. Being early May, there was not a great abundance of animals. The area is densely wooded and after the rains game viewing can be challenging. However when you do come up on something good, there are few, if any other vehicles around.

A spectacular elephant sighting on this drive had just two vehicles witnessing it. Which is almost too bad because it was a ‘once in 20 years’ type of sighting: an amazing spectacle with about 20 young elephant bulls testing their strength in a quasi-serious jousting contest, half-submerged in a lake. Right in front of us. In near perfect light. If you visit Africa maybe one time only and experienced only this, you’d understand why a photo safari is such a satisfying experience on so many levels.

There’s the sheer visual appeal of it, naturally. A hankering to see big mammals alive and kicking in their natural habitat is just skin-deep in most people, I suspect.

There’s the sense of discovery and of seeing new things, all while completely escaping the daily grind of our overscheduled, overly busy lives.

There is an underlying sense of apprehension and a tinge of danger, in the proximity of particularly the big cats but also elephants. Return visitors will recall that very first time their guide drove them right up to a pride of lions. You know it is safe and you are told that the big cats don’t pay attention to people sitting still in the vehicle. But what if…

The sense of anticipation and the surprise element. Don’t we all thrive on being pleasantly surprised? On safari it happens often and sometimes when you least expect it. Just like the following day’s events would reinforce, a game drive isn’t over until it is over. Anything can happen and often does, sometimes in the last few minutes of a drive.

Of course, you also get to stay in some wonderful places, hosted by people whose only mission is to keep you happy and content.

KINGS CAMP

Returning to Kings Camp after an absence of several years, it was reassuring not to have to work too hard to remember the first time. Other than a few small changes (a new spa area, new decking, more outdoor spaces) it had remained essentially the same. A timeless classic where all your African safari expectations are met and exceeded. The near palatial rooms with mosquito net enclosed king bed, an inviting clawfoot bathtub, inside and outside shower and plunge pool (in the honeymoon suites), will wow just about anybody.

Both meals I enjoyed at Kings Camp were exemplary: a delicious breakfast on my day of departure and a multi-course boma dinner the night before. The array of menu items was quite impressive and enticing, ranging from lots of fresh veggies to a deconstructed mixed salad, pork belly, roast chicken, braised oxtail stew, and a stir fry station. With several other side dishes and finished off with a lovely malva pudding for dessert.

The two game drives from Kings Camp with my guide Remember were fun and memorable. Remember is a caring, careful and highly experienced guide who knows the area intimately and takes his time to impart some interesting facts and observations about the various animals, birds, plants, and trees seen.

The afternoon game drive started out being quite slow but that changed – right towards the end of the drive – with another ‘leopard in a tree’ encounter. Add to the mix some scavenging hyenas as well as an interloper young male leopard, and things become fascinating in a flash.

We watched spellbound as the younger male got wind of the smell of a carcass in the tree, from which he eventually displaced the older and much heavier male. In the gathering darkness I managed to capture a few arresting images of the older male exiting the tree, his demeanour and body language reflecting caution and maybe even apprehension. He was in no mood for a fight in which he stood to lose everything.

The next morning we enjoyed a similarly entertaining and meaningful episode, watching a coalition of two male lions re-connecting early that morning. Greeting each other like brothers with big grins and some head rubbing, they settled down for a siesta while we went off on a successful search for a female leopard. Great stuff!

NGALA TENTED CAMP

By midday in early May, I was enjoying an impeccable lunch at Ngala Tented Camp, a deluxe property on the border of Kruger National Park. With nine elegant tented rooms – operated by the redoubtable AndBeyond company – Ngala Tented Camp is one of very few properties which we’ve booked for our clients in the past, sight unseen. It’s always turned out well and now that we’ve been there ourselves, I daresay we will be recommending this place for a lot more guests.

Ngala Tented Camp is intriguing and pleasing visually and artistically, with a blend of old and new, wood and stone, glass and canvas, creating a one-of-a-kind look and feel which is hard to pin down, but easy to like and appreciate.

The Ngala Tented Camp rooms likewise hit all the right notes. Not huge but with plenty of space, an exceedingly comfortable bed, a separate bathroom with a big tub (and lots of water with good pressure), a separate enclosed toilet and a particularly nice outdoor shower enclosed in a rock/stone wall.

The room is air conditioned, quiet and private with a range of excellent camp snacks (nuts and fudge), wine, beer and several types of spirits and mixers. There’s even a recipe for Ngala Tented Camp gin fizz.

It soon became evident that Ngala Tented Camp is located in a superb game-viewing area. Over the space of two game drives, afternoon and morning, we managed to find and observe the so-called Big Five mammals without much drama at all. Notably, three of the five we saw no more than one kilometer or so outside the camp. In many African safari camps you have to drive for 30 or 40 minutes or more, just to get to where the game is. Not so at Ngala Tented Camp. The game is right there.

Our guide Scott was enthusiastic, had a great sense of humor and managed the most difficult of guiding feats (first timers and veteran safari goers on the same drive) with the greatest of aplomb. Clearly Scott and tracker Ernest are a formidable team, providing their guests with lots of wow moments.

A nice change of pace moment was when Scott got us all out of the vehicle to walk through the bush, making a close approach to a giraffe. Which turned out to be the most relaxed giraffe ever!

TANDA TULA CAMP

My last Timbavati camp on this trip was the well-known and perennially popular and well-established Tanda Tula Camp. Located in the heart of the Timbavati along the Nlharalumi River, Tanda Tula has gained its excellent reputation by doing everything right, consistently. Good accommodation, great food, pleasing camp ambiance and superb guiding make it a great choice for first timers and safari veterans alike.

On a couple of game drives with guide Luke and master tracker Jack, I think I gained just as much from the experience as the two young couples from San Francisco for whom it was their first two game drives ever. Yes, we saw the Big Five but it ended up being much more than that, with Luke imparting some witty and well-informed bits of information and background without being pedantic or repetitive. Good, fresh information, not the hackneyed ‘Mcdonalds of the bush’ drivel. For example, I never knew just how short the ‘reign’ of a dominant male Impala was. Turns out that he has perhaps as few as eight days as the dominant male in charge of his harem of females, before he is supplanted by a challenger. Guides like Luke take delight in debunking old bush myths and pseudo facts. All the more reason to have a well qualified guide leading you. Likewise Jack, who is one of only 25 master trackers working in this field in South Africa.

Back at the lodge chef Ryan prepared a couple of the best meals I had enjoyed on the trip to date. A lunch with braised barbecued pork ribs and a delightful dinner with lamb loin chops or braised guinea fowl. The side of sweet potato croquettes and the kingklip (fish) starter were equally tasty and beautifully presented. Camp manager Antony and his staff were friendly and caring and I think all the guests enjoyed the good humor and general sense of well-being which suffused the place. It is not stuffy or serious, just good fun and a great time. Plus the WiFi works well.

JOHANNESBURG INTERLUDE

I had not spent a night in downtown Johannesburg in a very long time. Having lived in the city in a previous life, I am no stranger to it but this was a new experience. Home for the night was a small boutique hotel – the Hallmark House – chic and ultra modern, located right on the edge of Maboneng, with a mix of accommodation, galleries, retail shops, restaurants and clubs.

Wandering around the place in the late afternoon, I was very much a stranger in his own country, but it was nonetheless interesting to observe from a very different perspective. I was relieved to find an informal dinner spot, a small hole-in-the-wall with every table taken, which is always a good sign. The food was simple but exactly what I wanted, and at least for twenty minutes or so, it re-connected me with a place and time long gone. A traditional ensemble of pap (a rustic version of polenta) with a tomato and onion sauce, a side of spinach and a ‘boerewors’ sausage, South Africa’s celebrated traditional version of bratwurst, characterized by the addition of coriander in the spice mix. Tasted like home.

The following morning I had time to capture a few photographs of the Maboneng precinct, particularly some of its ubiquitous examples of street art and graffiti. The graffiti were colorful, brash and ephemeral, with many illustrations already starting to peel away and decay. One hopes that this does not happen to Maboneng itself. That the promise, the sense of renewal and rebirth visible in so much of it, is not dashed by the harsh realities of commerce and circumstances beyond the control of the locals. It remains to be seen.

If you’re keen to experience an authentic modern African city environment then definitely yes, spend a couple of nights at the Hallmark House or the nearby CityLodge on the edge of Newtown. Johannesburg has a vibrant arts and music scene – which I hope to explore on my next visit. In the way of a true big city with all of its energy, creativity and fascinating people, there are few better than Egoli, South Africa’s city of gold. What makes Johannesburg doubly interesting is the process of renewal that is taking place. Blight and decay are making place for hope and aspiration, innovation and ingenuity. Maboneng being the most visible but hardly the only example. Newtown and Braamfontein have undergone a similar process of renewal and rejuvenation and are now worthwhile stops on your exploration of Joeys.

APARTHEID MUSEUM

The young French girl – part of a tour group of some thirty or so students visiting the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg last May – probably didn’t know what to make of the older man she saw crying, just outside the museum exit. The man was leaning against a planter, his head down, tears streaming down his face, clearly emotionally devastated by what he had just seen and experienced. What was he crying about, she might have thought. If she had stopped and asked, the man would have told her that he was crying for his country of birth, for lives ruined, families destroyed, and hopes dashed. He was crying because of regret and guilt, with the realization that the failed system of apartheid was a colossal waste of the human spirit, of lives, time, resources and energy. The French girl saw sadness and pain on his face; what she didn’t see was the unresolved inner conflict, the scars left by living through the worst of the apartheid era. Even though the man was lucky not to be one of the oppressed, the double-edged sword of racism wounded him just as deeply. All South Africans were diminished by the system, they just did not all realize it at the time. Being confronted so vividly and strikingly by the harsh reality of the grave injustice done to millions of people, a lot of old, suppressed feelings and memories were brought to the surface. Until then, the man thought that he had made his peace with all of this. Clearly he was mistaken.

I have always had something else or something better and more pressing to do in Johannesburg than visiting the Apartheid Museum. Until this time. I now regret not doing it sooner. For those of us who lived through it all, it is a bitter pill to swallow. For visitors from abroad, it will be no less impactful and just as shocking to come eye to eye with man’s inhumanity to man. The Apartheid Museum is important and powerful. It is also substantial and altogether loaded with information, displays, facts, maps, movies, names, history, interpretation and memorabilia. At a minimum, it takes a solid two hours to make your way around it, and I could see someone easily spending three or maybe even four hours there, if you wanted to get into the details of all the exhibits. Don’t rush it.

In part 2 of this South Africa trip report, I make my way to the malaria-free Eastern Cape region. Coming soon.

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