It is a little depressing to watch CNN or BBC these days. Reports of the world-wide economic meltdown dominate the news. This week it was reported that Australia was entering a recession. The news about Toyota is of concern: Viva Safaris has 18 Toyota vehicles registered in our name and I will be the first to testify to the reliability and ruggedness of these outstanding vehicles.
Of course the economic slowdown has also reached South Africa. Unfortunately it has also affected our wildlife. I read an article last month in which it is stated that the number of White Rhino poached in and around Kruger in 2008 was massively up on the figures for 2007. Unscrupulous poachers are trying to cash in on an easy target. It is not very difficult to get through the fences to Kruger. In the wet summer season, warthogs very easily dig holes under the electrified fences and an average-sized human will have no problem fitting through these holes.
On a positive note regarding fences, you will be pleased to learn that the Orpen Gate now has a new boom about 7 km from the camp. Many of our previous guests will recall seeing the total disrepair condition of the fence along the tar road. The Timbavati Game Reserve and Manyeleti Game Reserve fences had been so battered by elephants as to render these fences completely ineffectual. So we now get 7 km of free game-viewing. More importantly, by extending the gate to its new position, the Kruger authorities have assisted in reducing poaching. It was far too simple to drive along the tar road and then find a hole in the fences and drive into the game reserves without anyone knowing!
The global economic meltdown has also impacted on the profile of tourists.
I am sure that 2009 tourists worldwide are a lot smarter, more price-conscious and have high expectations. Viva Safaris has for years advertised our products as the “best value-for-money safaris to Kruger.” We stand by that claim.
If one compares our tariffs to other safari operators, it is evident that our safaris are not only eminently affordable but also offer our guests genuine down-to-earth value. News that I am receiving via the bush telegraph is that a number of luxurious ‘high-frills and high-tariffs’ lodges are suffering in the present economic climate.
On the wildlife front, I spent two days of my February trip to the bush doing a spot of game-viewing. The bush is really thick and, to be honest, I was disappointed in the quantity of game seen. As far as quality goes, I was lucky insofar as I had excellent viewing of a lioness transporting a week-old cub and a leopard up a tree. See photos below:
GAMEVIEWING NEWS
BERTUS reports as follows: “I started the month off in Balule with a bang. On the 1st February, we saw six lions close to the lodge, as well as the first of the elephants that came back to the region. Elephants are now a daily sighting. Some days we would see 2 to 4 herds some of them up to 50 in a herd. The best sighting for the month in Balule was an elephant bull that was in musth that we met on the wall of Impala dam. We were stuck on the wall with the bull standing in front of us and later squeezing right pass us. Pity that some of the guests watched it from underneath the seats.
Walks are still eventful even if we are now walking more on the road than in the bush. We had sightings of elephant and buffalo on foot as well. The lions are still seen on a regular basis and on a few times right around the lodge. In addition, most of the dams now have crocodiles. Tremisana Dam has a small croc that will hopefully stay on a permanent basis.
Kruger
Kruger was sometimes great and sometimes very frustrating. It all depends on the weather of the day. We had some very hot days when we saw very little and then the next day we saw everything sometimes the big 5 before we reached Satara.
For me the 2 sightings of the month were a Sharpe’s Grysbok late afternoon right on the Timbavati River and the now frequent sightings of a brown-headed parrot in Satara.
The most notable day was the 24th. We started out by seeing the backside of a leopard. After that, we experienced a dry spell until early afternoon. Then we started seeing rhinos, elephants, and buffalo. Birding was great as we saw Saddle bill Stork, Ground Hornbill and Martial Eagle. When we left, we saw a young cheetah stalking an impala. As we went out from Orpen Camp, we found the wild dogs right at the exit gate running but we could not see any potential prey. We left Kruger without seeing any lions but as we drove past the Timbavati, we saw 2 white lions walking next to the fence. What an amazing ending to an exceptional day. ”
BONGANI reports seeing an increase in sightings of the Big Five in Balule. Large herds of elephants have been seen around Tremisana where they come to eat the fallen Marula fruits before having a drink at Tremisana Dam. Thankfully we have a fence around Tremisana as lions are often around.
Bongani reports: “On 11th Feb, while we were finishing our dessert (a lovely Melktart that only Delina can make) we heard the roaring of lions close by. I offered to take the guests to have a look. Not even 500 metres from the parking area, we came across one large male calling for the rest of the pride. While three other lions appeared, five large bull elephants arrived at the illuminated waterhole in front of the Lapa. We spent about an hour watching lions and elephants. Early the next morning on our game drive, we came across the four lions about 1 km from Tremisana. They were eating a porcupine that they had killed right on the road.”
Bongani saw 3 lionesses with 4 cubs on a zebra kill on the 13th. He reports sighting two cheetah fairly regularly near Orpen Gate. I accompanied Bongani on his Sunset Drive on 24th Feb, which he records as follows: “I had an excellent drive on Balule. We had driven about an hour without seeing much when I spotted a lioness walking along the road. She walked into the bush and I drove around trying to get another view of her. We saw her again carrying a very tiny cub in her mouth. We waited about 10 minutes and she returned without the cub. We all realised that she was on her way to collect another cub. About 8 minutes later the lioness passed right in front of our vehicle with a second cub in her mouth. This was the first time I had ever seen this – wow! ”
NELLY has not seen as many leopards as he did last month – must be losing his famous touch! On the 11th February, he did succeed in seeing the Big Five as reported: “Only four km in from Orpen Gate and we got a beautiful leopard crossing the road in front of us. At the Rabelais turnoff, we saw a cheetah with a young cub. Just before the Rabelais waterhole, we sighted a lion and lioness asleep in the grass. We had plenty elephant sightings and found buffalo just outside Satara camp. After lunch we got White Rhino to complete the Big Five.”
Nelly also managed to spot the Big Five for his guests on 15th Feb and along with Bertus on the 24th saw the Big Five and the special sightings of Wild Dog and White Lions.
RHULANI has included his sightings on 31 Jan, which he omitted last month. Of course he had seen the Big Five and does not want Nelly to think that he needs spectacles for his next birthday! On the 14th Feb, Rhulani repeated the feat and reports as follows: “I had a full vehicle of 8 passengers and I felt lucky. On the way into Orpen we sighted elephants. We found a herd of buffalo at Nsemane Dam and more elephants at Satara. After lunch we drove to Ngirivane and we saw a leopard near the road. Nearby the Timbavati picnic spot we had a good sighting of two male lions and along the Timbavati river road we saw White Rhino.” The next day Rhulani and guests saw a 3, 5 metre African Rock Python. On 22nd Feb Rhulani and guests had a very good day – they saw elephants, buffalos, a pair of mating lions and a very interesting sighting of a Martial Eagle that had caught and killed a large monitor lizard right on the road. The eagle was trying unsuccessfully to pick the monitor lizard up and fly off with it.
Rhulani’s last trip in Kruger was February 25th and he reports as follows:
“Just as we got to Orpen, we had a fantastic sighting of 17 Wild Dogs. I saw 4 buffalo at Rabelais and a herd of over 300 near Satara. Three different sightings of White Rhino, huge herds of elephants along the Sweni River and a double sighting of leopard – one along the Sweni River and another crossing the road in front of our vehicle near Mudzanzeni picnic spot.”
THULANI spent a few days at Tremisana and is convinced that at the moment lion sightings at Balule are better than in Kruger proper. He reports as follows:
“On 3rd Feb I did a Sunset Drive at Tremisana and found two big male lions on the Marula Road. We followed them along the road for over 15 minutes. On 6th Feb we got a good sighting of 5 lions, 4 females and a young male, at Tremisana waterhole. On the 9th Feb I did a morning drive for clients that had not yet seen lions in Kruger. This was their last chance and sure enough, we found the 2 big males sitting on the road.”
Thulani did have good sightings in Kruger as well : these include 19 Wild Dogs on the road; 2 cheetah ( mother and teenage cub ) running away from a lioness who gave serious chase ; a leopard that had killed an African Civet which it took up a Leadwood tree; 6 lionesses and a male stalking and charging unsuccessfully after a zebra on the S 100 and two pairs of mating lions ( very unusual ) at Girivane waterhole. All in all pretty good for February.
Elephants partly obscured by high grass
NEWS AT TREMISANA GAME LODGE
The increased presence of lions is a plus from a tourist point of view but a worry in terms of our kitchen staff. Although the staff quarters are less than 50 metres from the gate, there is always a chance that a wild animal may be around. We have a double electric strand about 2 metres off the ground to keep out elephants but lions and buffalos get through. We have added a powerful spotlight to illuminate the path. Our kitchen staff all walk together and, being the noisy bunch they are, I am sure that any self-respecting animal will give way. Nevertheless caution is advised at all times, even for our tourists inside the fenced camp..
NEWS AT MARC’S TREEHOUSE LODGE
The nyala population is exploding. On my recent visit there to check on all the treehouses, I encountered no fewer than 11 nyala along the pathway from the main lodge to the treehouses. The buffalo have been more scarce and all I saw of them were a few well-positioned droppings along the paths. We have a new hostess, Louise Vermaak. Louise has worked at Gwala Gwala tented Camp and brings with her a vast experience of tourism-related enterprises. She is also pretty clued up on the ways of the wild and will definitely enhance all our guests’ experiences at Marc’s.
The Dining room overlooking Breakfast Dam at Marc's Treehouse Lodge
NEWS AT THE CHEETAH INN
We are painting all the outside rondawels and replacing and recombing the thatch roofs. The Tilapia in the fishpond have bred well this season and we have a Pied Kingfisher that is availing himself of this abundant food supply. We also have a small-spotted genet that comes around the kitchen area looking for scraps. Birdlife is prolific and we have Green Pigeons breeding in the trees outside the main entrance. The Epaulleted Fruit Bats have also increased in number and they are seen hanging from the thatch roof at the main entrance.
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
Aware of the increasing number of tourists that are after value-for-money products, Viva Safaris has dropped the tariffs for tented accommodation at Marc’s. We have also added 2 new affordable products to our extensive list:
A 4-day Cheetah Inn safari and a 7-day Marc’s safari. These are extremely well priced and compare very favourably with similar products offered by other operators.
We are sure that the best way of marketing is via referrals by previous guests.
As indicated earlier in this newsletter, today’s tourists want to know that the operator they choose is able to ‘deliver the goods’ in terms of offering a value-filled product with the personal touch. In South Africa we have the added concern of safety and security and, although it is time-consuming, I believe that Viva Safaris’ personal perk of home/hotel/hostel/airport collection goes a long way in allaying fears of being mugged/attacked.
I include some comments taken from the February 2009 entries into our Guestbooks:
Tremisana:
5 Feb Catharine and Jan Lindman: “Amazing place, super service, real nice food, brightly scheduled adventures and friendly people. We just loved it! ”
18 Feb Heather Brown: “The lodge is in a perfect position for what I was after. The staff and food have been amazing ! The guides deserve much praise as they answered each and every one of my questions. Thank you all so much for making my trip so memorable. ”
27 Feb Kasper and Tina: “Dear All. Thank you very much for a fantastic experience. You really have a great and lovely place here. We felt at home from the very first night. We find it fantastic that you are flexible and always thinking about how to improve and optimise our stay. Great food, good guides and friendly attitude at all times. We shall return ! ”
Marc’s :
15 Feb, Chantel/Pascal: “We had a wonderful 50th anniversary in the middle of nature and under a fantastic sky full of stars”
20 Feb, Laura: "Thank you for a wonderful stay. Nelly, you are an amazingly gifted guide! ”
25 Feb, Pia: “Wonderful and knowledgeable staff and the most beautiful place ! I would not stay anywhere else. Thanks for everything ! ”
Anisuddin Ahmed, Houston, Texas, USA: "The three days I spent at MARC’s TREE HOUSE was indeed unforgettable. It was a wonderful experience in my life. I definitely plan to return again soon and this time hopefully with my wife. Please extend my warm regards to BONGANI and I wish him and his family well (proud father of a new baby). He was exceptional (very friendly, knowledgeable and courteous).Please keep sending me these newsletters.Thank you once again."
Regards and best wishes,
Piero
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