Although summer is not the ideal season to view large herds of game in Kruger, it does make up in terms of unusual sightings. On a recent (mid-December) game drive on Balule Plains I was absolutely fascinated by a strictly summer sighting.
The Foam Nest frog, Chiromantis Xerampelina, builds a very conspicuous white foam nest on a tree branch overhanging water. The eggs are then laid in the foamy nest and when the tadpoles are born, they slip out of a small hole at the base of the nest and then fall into the water below. We came across such a foam nest and were watching the tadpole-rich drops falling one by one into a small stream. As the drops reached the water below, the tiny tadpoles dispersed in all directions. What really made it interesting was the presence of a number of Tropical Platanna frogs, Xenopus Laevis, that were preying on the tiny tadpoles. As the drop struck the water they lunged at the tadpoles. Some got away, but others were gobbled up voraciously.
The white foam nest
December has other advantages. Although the thick foliage precludes bush-penetrative viewing, the greenery is very pleasing to the eye. Birdlife is prolific and the bird calls are heard loud and clear. The other attraction for our tourists is the presence of young animals. New-born impala and wildebeest are found everywhere and their cuteness always elicits the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs ’ from our appreciative guests.
New born Impala
GAMEVIEWING REPORTS FROM OUR GUIDES
Bertus has emailed the following :
Report for December
Kruger
“It is getting greener in Kruger so it makes the spotting of animals a lot more challenging. We still had some great sightings of animals including a sighting of a young elephant bull that came to drink water close to the Timbavati Bird hide. He was there with the rest of his family and decided to make all of their safety concerns his personal responsibility. The Spoonbills ( storks ) presented his first perceived threat and he tried his best to get rid of them. They were really unbothered and when he came too close, charging and trumpeting, the bird simply flew up and went and landed a bit further on. He then focussed his attention on the Egyptian geese and had better results. When they were gone, he even chased elephant dung floating in the water, Eventually one of the older animals had enough of this nonsense and discipline was instilled with a quick charge and trumpet aimed at the youngster.
Young elephant bull spotted chasing a stork
We had a great sighting and I got a good photo of a Leopard at Ngotso.
Great sighting of a leopard up a tree
Balule
Balule for me provided the highlights of the month. We had great sightings of cats for the whole month. We have been lucky to see the big pride of lions (about 16 – 20 at a time) on a number of occasions. The one night we even got stuck with a flat tyre next to the big males. It was fairly exciting to change a tyre when you know there are 20 lions around you and you can hear them feasting on the Zebra they have caught not 50m from you. Anyway my guests kept a good lookout for me – thank you!
We also had a great sighting of 3 cheetahs on the 28th. We were driving on our way to the area where we do our 4 hour walk when I saw them next to the road. The one young male was very inquisitive and snarled at us a few times while coming quite close to the vehicle to investigate. They eventually moved off but left us with great memories.
The highlight of the month and probably of the year for me happened on an afternoon drive in Balule. We were called in for a leopard sighting. When we arrived at the sighting we really struggled to see the leopard lying a fair distance off and so well hidden that some of the guests could not see it at all. We decided to wait and see if he would not come to drink some water as we were very close to Chapel Dam. Our patience paid off as he ( after about half an hour ) got up and walked almost next to the road for some distance before finally disappearing into the bush. It was a highlight for me as it was the best sighting of a leopard for me in the Balule game reserve as well as the fact that he was so relaxed with the 2 vehicles that were there. This means that we might be luckier with leopard sightings in the New Year. The only downside to this whole sighting was that it was one of those very rare days that I didn’t have my camera with me. ”
BONGANI has emailed the following :
Balule
“We are seeing many elephants in Balule and also many buffalos. In fact, we have a big herd of buffalos that regularly comes to Tremisana Lodge to drink water. Tremisana dam is attracting lots of general game like impala, zebra and blue wildbeest.on a daily basis.
We saw 18 lions right on the road. After a few minutes, I received a call from Bertus, informing us about other lions that had killed a giraffe along Marula Road. We went to the sighting. It was great : we could see the lions eating and roaring very loudly and on the other side of the road there was a big male that came and crossed the road right in front of us to join the rest of the pride. On our way back to the lodge we came across a hyena walking towards the lions and lots of jackals that were vocalising.
During our 4 hour walks we saw many animals like impala, zebra, giraffe and also hyenas. The hyenas were eating a dead giraffe - we managed to get close enough to take some beautiful photos. After a few minutes they spotted us and ran away.
This month I was lucky with black mambas : On a walk with my guests, I found myself between a male and a female. They were very close to us and it may have been a potentially dangerous situation. The male moved towards us and we had to move very fast to make way for the mamba. All my guests were extremely excited.
KRUGER HIGHLIGHTS
On 01-12-09
We had great luck with three cheetahs hunting impalas, but it was difficult for cheetahs to catch the impala because the vegetation was so dense. It was not open enough for cheetah to achieve full speed. After that I was given information about a Leopard sighting. We drove to Satara to see a leopard up a tree with a baby impala it was busy eating. While we were there, the leopard came down and walked away. After a few minutes some vultures arrived and start helping themselves. The leopard rushed back at high speed to keep the vultures away from his meat.
On 26 and 27- 12 - 09
These were good days for us : we had lots of elephants and big herds of buffalos. Between Satara and Olifants we had wild dogs walking on the road followed by a number of Blue Wildbeest The wild dogs were trying to get the baby but the mothers protected the calf. South of Satara we had a sighting of lions mating. At this time of the year we have different species of birds like woodland kingfisher, white stork and various cuckoos.
I take this opportunity of wishing all Viva safaris staff and our past guests great financial success, unconditional love, happiness, happy family life and a long healthy life.
Have a lovely New Year and stay blessed.”
TOLLIE has emailed the following report :
“Always be prepared to be surprised by Kruger Park. On the 15th of December at about 20h15, I was taking guests back to Marcs Camp after a game drive at Tremisana. I thought I saw two big dogs walking in the middle of the road near Marc’s Camp entrance gates. I was still very far away and was surprised to see dogs in the middle of a Nature Reserve. I hastened towards them and to my surprise saw that it was not dogs but leopards. They were probably a mating pair as leopards are solitary animals and will only be seen together when they mate, have territorial disputes or are mother with a cub. We were so amazed that nobody took a photo; one girl was sitting with her camera in her hand, but was so shocked that she took no photo of this incredible sighting.
On Christmas Eve after a long and hot day in the Kruger Park, driving towards the exist gate of the park I thought I saw another big dog. Yes, yet again it was no dog but probably the biggest leopard I have ever seen. When we drove up to him he jumped into the bush next to the road, but he wasn’t finish with us ! He came back and gave us the most incredible display of marking his territory and even sprayed some urine on our vehicle !!!! First time a leopard urinated on a Viva vehicle with clients inside, I’m sure ! He lingered about for almost twenty minutes and disappeared into the thicket, the best present ever for Christmas, I thought, and again I was wrong. On Christmas morning entering Kruger, almost at the same spot where we saw the leopard the previous evening a pack of between thirty and forty African Wild Dogs ran in front of our vehicle for almost two kilometres. I have seen African Wild Dogs only twice in the last six months in the Park. They are probably the most difficult animal to spot because they are endangered and always on the move and then I knew it really was Christmas. ”
African Wild Dogs
LOREY has emailed the following :
On the 14th December it was cold & raining. I had my first sighting of the famed Cheetah mom with her 2 cubs just as we exited Orpen Rest Camp. The female & the cubs were just 1km from the Rest Camp!! They were a bit far in for photo’s, but still it was excellent to see them through the binoculars.
On the 16th December I had one of the most amazing sightings. I locked our house door at Cheetah Inn, when I suddenly heard the birds & squirrels going on franticly. My first thought was that there was a snake around here somewhere. When I started to walk forward, I saw this animal!!! Luckily it was not a snake, but an African Wild Cat (Felis silvestris). I said to myself: “But it’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon & they are primarily nocturnal animals?” He trotted towards the reception area. I followed him. Once there he walked to the fishpond to take a sip of water. He then found his way out of the area & went to lie under a tree where it was cool. The African Wild Cat’s appearance & form is similar to the domestic house cat, but its legs are longer & they are larger in size. The diagnostic feature is the reddish hair on the back of the ears, this is lacking in domestic & feral cats. The status of the African Wild Cat is generally common but threatened in some areas by hybridizing with domestic & feral cats. This animal is solitary, except during the mating period & when kittens accompany the females. Both sexes establish, mark & defend their territories. The African Wild Cat’s food is primarily small rodents (rats & mice), but also mammals up to the size of hares & hyrax. The gestation period is from 56 to 65 days, were after 1 -5 kittens are born. Truly this is again a once in a while sighting!!
African Wild Cat
On the 25th December we had a lovely Christmas dinner that Pearl prepared. Just as we started to have dessert, Pearl received a phone call from the entrance gate. The guard said the lions were there. We all left in a hurry! We found them right outside Tremisana gate. We saw 3 females & 2 cubs of about 18 months old. What a truly fantastic Christmas present!!!
Lion spotted outside Tremisana's gate
RHULANI has had a fairly quiet month but managed to see the Big Five on Boxing Day – a belated Christmas present ! He located a pride of 4 young male lions very close to the road on the S 41 . Not more than 600 metres, the excited guests saw 2 White Rhino enjoying a mud bath in a temporary pan. A stupid tourist had alighted from his sedan vehicle and was walking around taking photos of the rhino, unaware that there were lions really close. When Rhulani told him to get back into his vehicle, he started arguing. It is a real pity that some tourists simply do not want to obey the Kruger Park rules. These rules are in place to protect both tourists and animals. Rhulani then had a sighting of a leopard on the S100 to complete the Big Five !
On the 27th December, Rhulani drove along the Sweni Road and came across a lion pride consisting of 3 lions and 1 lioness. He correctly guessed that this was an interesting situation insofar as the female was on heat. What was interesting is that the lioness initiated the mating and chose her mate from the three. I am not sure what the function of other two lions was. We have often come across similar situations. I spoke to a “Lion fundi ”friend of mine and he informs me that only one lion will mate while the others make no effort to intervene and remain celibate for the entire period of the oestrus of the lioness. He reckons that the lions are so closely bonded that they remain with their mating friend as a form of companionship.
ANDRIES has submitted the following :
“18th December: Kruger park for the day. It was a wonderful day of Cheetah Sightings as we managed to have two Cheetah sightings, a solitary female on the Timbavati road about 1.8km from Girivana water hole and a coalition of three Cheetah blood brothers on the 539 about 500m from the main road.
We had a good day despite the green that is everywhere providing easy grazing for the animals as they don’t have to move a lot for either food or water.
Now that the bush is very dense, it is quite hard to see through, but seeing Elephant, Buffalos, Giraffes, Zebras and Impalas is quite easy.
On the other hand is very nice to see this green everywhere as it creates a wonderful landscape, so one cannot regret visiting Kruger even at this time of the year."
NEWS FROM OUR LODGES
TREMISANA :
We are busy completing the 3 new chalets. There is no doubt that all our chalets will be fully booked and utilized in June. The gardens are looking lovely and Tremisana Dam is attracting big herds of game, including buffalo and elephants.
Gardens looking lovely at Tremisana
Pool at Tremisana
MARC’S CAMP :
The Adventure Camp has been completed and we have our first guests in early January.
Interior of chalet at the Adventure Camp
By all accounts, the Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties at Marc’s Camp were “absolute raves”.
CHEETAH INN :
The finches in our aviary are breeding – the most notable birth was that of a Magpie Mannikin.
The aviary at Cheetah Inn
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
We have received numerous compliments relating to our decision NOT to increase tariffs over the World Cup period. A few agents were quite shocked as they were expecting us to raise our tariffs by at least 20% as some other operators have done.
The good thing about booking with Viva is that our tariffs remain fixed for the year. There are no temporary specials. There are no sudden increases as a result of unexpected increases in petrol prices or entrance fees etc. This probably goes a long way in explaining why 2009 was such a successful year.
In addition our tariffs are all inclusive – we do not have any hidden extras and our clients know unambiguously what is included and what is excluded in their packages.
As of 1 Jan we have introduced 3 hour game drives at Tshukudu Game Lodge for guests staying at Tremisana. Bertus conducted our first drive on Tshukudu on 4 Jan and reports it was very successful with outstanding sightings of Buffalo and White Rhino. Bongani and Lena conducted our second drive on Tshukudu on 5 Jan and Lena reports as follows : “ We saw Rhino, Elephant, Buffalo, Hippo, Cheetah , Honey Badger and general game on the drive. We also appreciated seeing the research work being done on King Cheetah and Wild Dogs.”
The following comments were written in our Guest Books in December 09 :
Tremisana :
7/12 Colleen and Lance Bailey : “Thank you for your hospitality and for sharing our anniversary with us and making it so special. Wonderful sightings and magic atmosphere. ”
13/12 Jean-Baptiste and Annebella Couen : “We really enjoyed our 5 days at Tremisana. The staff were very friendly. I can tell you as a French chef who owns a restaurant on the French Riviera that the Soup and Home-made bread are really exceptional !!! We would have loved to stay longer and enjoy more soup. ”
26/12 Erik, Denmark : “A Christmas night we will never forget : a fantastic meal and for dessert : Lion-viewing at the front gate ! Thank you ! ”
Marc’s Camp :
Mona Karlsson, Sweden : “Awesome accommodation, a great start to our vacation in South Africa. There can be nothing better than having a shower under the African sky after a good day of game viewing. ”
Hanna Schligert, Germany : “I had a great time here – the treehouses are awesome !
Florence and her team are really friendly. We saw the Big Five as well as Wild Dogs !
The sighting of the Leopard was excellent ! A once in a lifetime show ! ”
Mark Popham, UK : “I had an absolutely amazing time. I couldn’t have had better accommodation or a more friendly, helpful and knowledgeable staff ! ”
Cheetah Inn :
13/12 K A Makoro , Vuwani, SA : “We were so very warmly welcomed and so exceptionally well treated ! Keep up your hospitality ! ”
17/12 Watsoing and Bauer, Stamberg, Bavaria : “We were really happy and enjoyed being spoiled so very much ! Thank you ! ”
29/12 Aganda, Manila, Phillipines : “The meals, especially the dinners, were the very best we experienced in all our travels throughout South Africa. The homely feel of the place is very relaxing and the staff is very friendly ! ”
We wish you a successful 2010 and thank you for your continued support.
With kind regards,
Piero
General Manager
Viva Safaris
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