Surprises are generally associated with positive outcomes. I recall that whenever I told my children that I had a surprise in store for them, I was greeted with smiling, wide-eyed faces, full of anticipation.
Not all surprises are positive. I shall share my experience with you :
On 17 Dec 2009, while walking just outside the Main Gate of Tremisana Lodge, I had a blackout. When I saw the doctor in Hoedspruit, he was sure that I had experienced a sugar low. It made sense as I had, on the previous day, walked from Tremisana to the Olifants River and back ( 14 km ) and had swum 30 lengths of the Cheetah Inn pool. All this exercise was done in anticipation of the usual Christmas / New Year binge.
Nevertheless I had the good sense to be driven back to Durban.
To keep the family happy, I decided to undergo some cardiac tests. These were conducted by a personal cardiologist friend of mine. On 9 February 2010, I had an angiogram.
Then came the not-so-pleasant surprise :
I needed a quadruple heart bypass operation !
So here I am today starting to write my monthly newsletter while staying at a good friend’s Guest House in Johannesburg waiting to recuperate before returning to Durban. It seems almost surreal – it all happened so very quickly – but I thank the Almighty for having given me the good fortune to have the problem solved before it was too late………………
Thanks go to Sandy, Anthony, Trevor and Alice for having picked up the extra work as a result of my absence from work. I am told that I should be able to handle the main facets of my work responsibility by early March. My thanks go to all my friends and business acquaintances for the numerous messages of support and good wishes for a speedy recovery.
GAMEVIEWING REPORTS FROM OUR GUIDES
Bertus has emailed the following :
Kruger
Kruger this month was very unique as we saw more leopards than lions. Not that I complain about it. But it is two other sightings that have made my month :
First on the 7th Feb when I had just 2 guests that requested to go in early as in 5h30 at the gate. As we went in we found a big male leopard crossing the road, this sighting already indicating that the day was going to be special. When we got close to Mudzandzeni picnic spot I saw something that I have never seen before and will most likely never see again. The whole area were covered by eagles, mostly lesser spotted eagles but there were also Tawny Eagles, Martial Eagles and Wahlberg Eagles as well. They were after the red-billed queleas nesting. We estimated that in one spot there were about 500 eagles sitting or circling above us. This is breathtaking even for someone not even keen on birding.
The second was on the 12th Feb when we found 20 wild dogs at the Welverdiend watering hole on the Sweni road. Usually a sighting of these shy animals is over before you realise what you have seen, but on this day we left them after an hour. We even saw some interaction between them and a few old buffalo wallowing in the mud.
Wild dogs at the Welverdiend watering hole
Balule
My highlight on my walks this month came on the 27th at Impala dam where we stopped for a short break during our walk. We just settled down watching the single hippo in the water when a big herd of buffalo approached. The hippo was not very happy with his uninvited guests and proceeded to start with a series of mock charges to get them out of the water and also to prevent them from drinking. The buffalo then started to walk alongside the bank but the hippo followed them until they ran out of water and then just continued to graze next to the dam instead. I also saw a pair of saddle-billed storks, second day in a row.
Tshukudu
The drives at Tshukudu are really becoming a highlight. We had some amazing sightings of rhino, buffalo as well as lion. But it is the elephant that stole the show this month. Once again on the 27th we had the older bull approaching our vehicle to come and say hello which he did by taking a dust bath right next to us - so much so that we had to move away to get all the sand out of our hair. He then approached again a repeated the dust bath a second time. When we left he just looked at us and gave a loud trumpet and turned away walking back into the bush.
Older bull approaching our vehicle
Bongani reports as follows :
Kruger and Balule
Balule
We had lots of sightings of elephant in Balule, this time of the year they visit us, because of Marula fruits. Some of them the come very close to the lodge. We view them from the Lapa as they come to drink water at our waterhole. Many people believe that the elephant gets drunk from Marula fruit, but is not true, because there are non ruminants. We find the Marula tree in two provinces : Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Many people look after this tree because of its fruit.
We had many lions and big herds of buffalos on Balule. The lions keep following the buffalos. During are our walks, we usually manage to get close to the two big bull elephants, that were very relaxed. At Tremisana lodge we now have fewer monkeys, because in the rainy season, they have enough food in the wild, but they will come back during the winter time. We have lots of animals like zebra, impala and giraffe come very close to lodge, to sleep because it is safer here than in the thick bush.
Kruger
On 06-02-10
I drove to southern side of Satara and we saw many elephants come down to the stream to drink. The male lion got up and walked in our direction, causing the elephants to stop and come together for a few minutes. A female elephant followed the lions for few metres, until they disappeared into to the bush. The elephants helped us to spot the lions.
After lunch we found lions eating a Blue Wildbeest very close to the road. There were many lions including four cubs. By the time we arrived, they were almost finished. Some of them had a piece of leg and head. On the right hand side we had two hyenas trying to get close to the lions. A large lioness got up and chased the hyena, but after few minutes the hyena returned and tried to steal the leftovers. Later on, the vultures came but the was nothing left for them. At Orpen Gate there were three cheetahs stalking a baby Blue Wildbeest but the other members of the herd were around to protect the babies..
Lorey reports :
On the 16th we were very lucky to find a pack of 18 wild dogs. They were lying next to the road. It was quite interesting to see the social behaviour of these painted dogs. In the whole of Kruger National Park there are about 250 dogs. Their main natural enemy is lions. If lions find a den of wild dogs, they will kill all the pups. This was truly a very special sighting!
Some members of the pack
On the 19th we had an amazing sighting : A pride of lions killed an adult giraffe right in the road. We were very fortunate that there were no too many cars around. The pride consisted of 2 big males, a few females & cubs. I believe that the 2 males are brothers & they formed a coalition. The kill must have happened in the early morning hours. What the lions did was very clever. We looked at the tracks & what we saw was very fascinating. They chased the giraffe down hill, & then they killed it on the straight piece of road.
Just look how close to the road!
Mature male lion
On the 26th I witnessed my first kill ever. We were driving on the main road back to Orpen Gate. In the distance we saw the impala running over the road, first from left to right them only two impala running from right to left. When we got to the place we saw a cheetah with an impala in its mouth. The impala was still breathing. The cheetah kept its jaws on the impala’s little neck – suffocating it. After about 5 minutes the cheetah let go of the neck, sat a few minutes to get its breath back while looking around to see if there are any other predators like lions in the area. Cheetahs often lose their prey to lions or hyena. They rather leave their prey than try to defend it. Many people will say, “How can you sit there & look at it?” My belief is everyone has to eat & only the strongest will survive.
Tolli reports :
The second of February was a cloudy and cool morning. I thought it was going a quiet day, but I had a good feeling about it and I was right. I made a left turn at the Girivana loop and it proved to be the best move - not even five hundred metres down the road and there she was stalking an impala (a beautiful young Leopard female). We could just see the ears and we didn’t stay long, because there was no chance of having a better view. We drove towards the Girivana dam and suddenly one of my clients said stop and not even forty meters from us in the tall grass a cheetah lifted it head and looked stright at something. We were amazed- it was a baby warthog, With its eyes fixed on the warthog, the Cheetaht didn’t even notice us staring at it. Two steps and a quick lash out and it was all over, the perfect hunt. It all happened within a few seconds and the cheetah disappeared in the thick bush and unfortunately we could only get pictures of the two stops of stalking and the rest was all in the memory; this was really the perfect hunt, maximum reward and minimum difficulty.
Wednesday 3 February : On my Motlala afternoon drive at Marc’s Camp, we saw beautiful giraffes with a background sunset and with White rhinos and to top the good day off two Black rhinos. I was so excited about the rare and fantastic sighting but after I explained how special it is to see the black rhino the guest was just as enthusiastic about our wonderful day. Only when you see the differences of black and with rhino you can understand how special these animals are.
Differences between the black on the right and the white on the left
This is the easiest to see the differences between the black on the right and the white on the left. The blue indicates that the white rhino has one long horn and one short horn and that the black rhino has two similar size horns. The red indicates that the white rhino has a square lip and that the black has a hook or “v” shaped lip. Outer appearances are not the only differences between these two types of rhino, habitat, behavior, food, etc.
RHULANI'S REPORT
04/02/10 - FULL DAY KRUGER PARK
SIGHTINGS - The days started very hot and quiet for the cats. Later in the afternoon a km before the Orpen gate we came across a female Cheetah and 3 cubs. That made our day.
07/02/10 - SUNSET BALULE DRIVE
SIGHTINGS: SABLE ROAD AFTER - NGALA YARILA- JUNCTION - ON THE IMPALA SIGHTING
There was noise from the bush and it was the JACKAL running away from the Leopard which was behind it. The leopard came closer to the vehicle and turned back into the bush. The other Jackals were making loud noise from the other side.
13/02/10 - FULL DAY KRUGER PARK
SIGHTINGS: LIONS- A GOOD START AT JUNCTION OF RABELAIS AND TAR ROAD (H7).
Pride of Lioness with cubs were lying there the whole day.
S40- JUNCTION OF GIRIVANE- Less than 1 km - 2 Female lions were coming from the bush to cross the road then they lay down in the shade. After a minute a male lion came and joined the female ones.
S41 JUNCTION S90 : 2 malelions were waiting for the darkness because there were Buffalos which were resting close by.
19/02/10 - FULL DAY KRUGER PARK
SIGHTINGS: LEOPARD- A very good spot of a young male leopard which was resting on the branch at H7 after BOBBEJAANKRANS.
LIONS: They killed a giraffe at 539 - LEEUBORN WATERHOLE. They were right in the road. They were 10 of them and the kill was still fresh. This must have had happened the previous night. This was a really amazing sighting – guests were ECSTATIC !.
22/02/10 BALULE MORNING DRIVE
SIGHTINGS: LIONS - 50 METRES AFTER JUNCTION OF LODGE.
2 cubs were standing in the middle of the road while the female lions were in the bush hunting.
25/02/10 BALULE MORNING DRIVE
SIGHTINGS: LIONS- MARULA ROAD AFTER SINGWE LODGE.
Cubs crossing the road then the female lions follow behind and they all stood in the middle of the road and suddenly they started running after the impalas and they missed.
26/02/10 FULL DAY DRIVE KRUGER PARK
SIGHTING: CHEETAH-1KM- JUNCTION OF TAMBOTI. 3 Cheetahs tried to catch baby guinea fowl. They ran away and the cheetah ended sitting under the shade.
MAYNETH'S REPORT
KRUGER FULL DAY
03/02/10 - I started my drive with long road to Nwanetsi, This area we did not see anything of note. The day started to be interesting after lunch where we got two male and three lioness and cubs sitting under a shade. From there a few metres along the road we saw rhinos drinking water on our way back to Satara. One lioness which was hunting came to the road and relaxed while moving slowly. Before we got to the Orpen Gate we came across two cheetahs sleeping next to the road.
04/02/10 - From the Orpen Gate we went straight to where the lions were sleeping the previous day thinking they might have had a kill. They were still there with no kill. I took the S90 and got some rhinos grazing. After lunch on my way back we came across six rhinos on Rabellais road with buffalos nearby.
07/02/10 - We drove to Girivana where we found a herd of Elephants and Buffalos drinking water. It is noticeable that a herd of Buffalos is always associated with lions. A few metres we saw nine lions behind the Buffalos. We drove to S127 and there were rhinos with young..
11/02/10 - With an early sighting - Along Rabellais road we got a pride of lions. Then we drove to S41 we found 4 lions sleeping as it was too hot. On our way back we saw more rhinos.
18/02/10 - The very same nine pride of lions we saw the previous days with cubs. Then on the S127 we saw some rhinos.
21/02/10 - We drove S40 the day was very hot and went pass Girivana and the same lions were there. This time they were at most two metres away from the road – clients got brilliant photos !. After lunch on 5127 back to Orpen Gate we saw four rhinos.
24/02/10 - We started with rhinos at S127 and they were six on the road. On my way back H7 two male lions on the road and we saw a leopard running into the bush.
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
Bookings for the 2010 FIFA World Cup are very heavy – on certain days in June we are in the fortunate position of having every single unit at all 3 establishments fully booked. In fact we have already rented additional tents at Marc’s Treehouse Lodge that have not yet been erected !!! I shall be visiting the bush in April or early May ( depending on the kindness of my cardiologist ) and will make sure that everything is OK by 1 June .
I have not been able to put together reports from the lodges this month. However all appears to be going well. Positive comments are always a source of great upliftment, especially to those recuperating from a big op.
I include some comments posted on www.tripadvisor.com :
"24 Jan 10
We had a wonderful experience at Tremisana. Don't go expecting full on luxury, the accommodation is fairly basic but is all that you need and full value for money. We found the staff to be wonderful.
Lina is a real sweetie and was very excited when she took us out for our evening drive, where we saw many animals including two cheetahs being followed by a Jackal.
Bertus is really knowledgeable and really works hard to make sure you see as many animals as possible. We were lucky to see The Big 5 in one day plus most of the others and 4 of the Big 5 on the following day. We were told this does not happen often.
I was so glad we were in proper open safari vehicles........some of the more expensive safari providers were in air conditioned mini buses. I would have been really disappointed to have ended up in one of these and found it wonderful to be in the open air and see the animals so closely. We were lucky as they were fairly quiet and on our safari's it was just us or with another couple. It made it a very personal experience.
We were on the 4 day safari which we found long enough and you also get an afternoon to have a much needed relax in the Lapa where you have good view of the bush and if you are lucky, have a visit from the monkeys. You can lie in the hammocks, sit in the comfy chairs or go for a refreshing swim in the pool.
Pearl looked after us well and we had some lovely meals in the evening and were encouraged to have seconds.
It is a really warm and friendly experience and they make you feel part of the family. We are normally keen to keep to ourselves on holiday, but this made it really special.
Thank you to all the team at Tremisana Lodge for a fabulous experience.”
Another posting :
“The hospitality and relaxed atmosphere at Tremisana Game Lodge combined with the excellent knowledge of the guides, guarantees a great experience in the Balule reserve and Kruger Park in search of the Big Five and many more.
Tremisana offers you great value for money if you look for good accommodation without unnecessary luxury. I've met nice people from all over the world at Tremisana and it's very easy to join in even as a solo traveller.
Whenever returning to SA I will sure think of revisiting Tremisana.
Peter Leenhouts, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 2009 ”
Sep 15, 2009 | Trip type: Family
“ I stayed at Tremisana Lodge in July 2009 with my two daughters aged 19 and 11 and had a wonderful time. The lodge is not luxurious but this is reflected in the price so should come as no surprise. However, the rooms were spacious, clean and comfortable, the food was plentiful and very tasty and we came to anticipate the delicious homemade soups each evening with great excitement.
In terms of location the lodge is easy to get to and fine for getting into the bush for the safaris the lodge arrange. We didn't see any big five in the grounds but that is the nature of safari. We did see all the big five on our trip to Kruger with the Tremisana crew though and the day was enhanced by our ranger Bertus who has incredible knowledge of the animals and their habitats and an incredible sense of humour that had us in stitches!
By far though the best part of Tremisana is the manager Pearl. Pearl will do anything to ensure that you enjoy your stay whether that be get up at the crack of dawn to make you coffee and fetch an extra blanket for the jeep or rearrange your entire itinerary to match what you would like to do. We spent an incredible day at a local school which Pearl arranged and which my daughters will remember for ever.
We arrived at Tremisana as strangers but left as friends and would not hesitate to visit again.”
Sep 10, 2009 | Trip type: Friends getaway
“ My friend and I went on a 3 day safari with Viva Safari's in South Africa and I have to say it was one of the BEST things I have ever done. It will be a trip I will never forget, and I honestly couldn't have been happier with the whole experience. The food was AMAZING, we ate outdoors under the stars every night and we were treated like royalty. The staff was so thoughtful and nice, especially the caretaker Pearl who made sure we were comfortable and well taken care of. The tour itself was BREATHTAKING, we knew a lot of people who had signed up and paid a lot more money for some of the "fancier" tours but they ended up in huge buses and were unable to see most of the animals. On the other hand with Viva Safari's we had an open air safari jeep which was also really comfortable, we could see all the animals up close and our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. We couldn't have had a better experience with them and I would highly recommend Viva Safari's to anyone who is looking for a special African safari trip.”
Traveler Advice on Marc's Treehouse Lodge
“Most amazing Kruger Park accomodation”
Marc's Treehouse Lodge
Jan 12, 2010 | Trip type: Friends getaway
“Together with a friend I spent a couple of unforgettable days at Marc's Treehouse Lodge when on a Kruger park trip with Viva Safaris. This must be the most amazing accommodation around the Kruger. Tree houses are spread around a large property - a couple of minutes to walk in between them and the main house and no fences between the property and the neighbouring parks (no fences between the camp and the Kruger either, in fact. This is the bush). No place for people who are very easily scared by wild life and darkness at night. But exactly the right location for lovers of an authentic wildlife experience. At night, you hear absolutely nothing except the river and animals. You eat delicious meals besides a water hole and at night next to a camp fire, watched by lots of small antelope and naughty monkeys. A buffalo is said to have fallen in the pool next to the main house a couple of times. Which did not keep me from dipping into the sparkling clean pool after returning from the safaris. What in the world could be a more pleasant thing to do after hours of sweating and looking for animals - nothing but wilderness around and the starry African sky above me...
We were in fact happy to skip one day of Kruger safari and spend it at (and in) the pool, on an enjoyable tour of the camp together with hostess Florence and on a spontaneously organised sunset safari next to the camp. In fact, even better than the Kruger: we came extremely close to all the animals (9 rhinos, lots of giraffe and buffalo, zebras, antelopes within three hours). The most magical moment was watching the sunset over the Drakensberge with a black rhino couple just in front of us. You should definitely spend an extra day at the lodge (which no one gets too see otherwise, leaving at 8 am for the Kruger safaris and only getting back at 7 pm, a pity! What an extraordinary place, and so well kept, and adventurous, and the stylish interior of the tree houses...) and at the private game park "next door".
The staff was absolutely amazing! Florence and the guide Rhulani are the most professional and lovely people ever. We felt very welcome and taken care of, and learnt lots and lots about the bush and (South/Southern) Africa in general. Florence treated us with all the comfort one could wish for, she is a treasure and the perfect person for the job. Rhulani and his friends took extra shifts to make our special game drive possible. We really believe his story to have SMS:ed the rhinos to be at the right spot at the right moment... ”
Traveler Advice on Cheetah Inn
Southampton, UK
Jan 5, 2010 | Trip type: Couples
“ My wife and I spent 4 nights at Cheetah Inn as part of our honeymoon trip. If you are looking for a base to explore the area this is it, its close to everything. Cheetah project is only 20min away as well as elephant rides.
The Inn is great, clean rooms and friendly staff. We were the only people there for our stay so we got the run of the place, it was great. Did miss not having other travellers to chat to in the evening though but being on honeymoon it did not bother us much. The staff were very friendly and helped with anything we needed. Food was good and served in the restaurant for us. The pool is big and well maintained.
In the evening look out for the banded mongoose tribe as they check the area for left over food. Area is full of small mammals and plenty of birds.
Cheetah Inn is great value for money.
Tips:
At the Inn don’t be afraid to ask staff for drinks at any time.
Give tips at end of stay.
If you are travelling through Hazyview on your way up stop at the shopping plaza on the main road, its got great curio shops. Use these as guide prices for what the locals sell on the road side, buy from them as you are supporting them directly and it will be cheaper.
JHB airport duty free is ALL more expensive that cost of curios locally.
Also get a tourist guide/fold out map of all the attractions at Hazyview, its a big help in planning your days and finding places.
WATCH YOUR SPEED, don't speed through the townships as there are cops everywhere.
Visit Jessica the hippo and feed her tea and corn on the cob, this is a must, you can kiss a hippo :). She is on the Blyde River outside Hoedspruit.
Skip the Cheetah project and visit Moholoholo Centre, much more interesting. The Cheetah project is just one woman’s mad idea of breeding cheetah and then keeping them captive!!! Not my idea of conservation and sad to see.”
Another posting for Cheetah Inn:
“This lodging is owned and operated by Viva Safaris of JNB (vivasaf@icon.co.za). It is an excellent place to base out of to do wildlife viewing in Kruger Game Park utilizing the Orpen Gate. Especially during the dry season an abundance of animals can be viewed in the Park between Orpen and Satara. We saw the Big 5 on three out of the 4 days we went into the Park!
The staff at the Inn were very helpful and accommodating - responding quickly and efficiently to our requests. We enjoyed a refreshing swim in the pool in the late afternoon sun followed by scrumptuous dinners outside near the campfire.
My wife and I led two groups of Habitat for Humanity volunteers to Mozambique to build houses and worked with Viva Safaris and Cheetah Inn to offer some rest and recreation before returning home. It was great value and a pleasant experience.”
Cork
Sep 26, 2009 | Trip type: Friends getaway
“We booked Cheetah Inn through Viva Safaris, which was recommended on TripAdvisor. The whole experience was fantastic. Viva safaris looked after us from our arrival in Johannesburg airport until they dropped us back there again for our departure.
We stayed in very spacious, clean rooms in Cheetah Inn. The staff were so fantastic and courteous and made our stay all the more enjoyable. We had a barbeque (braai) on our second night by the boma (fire) which was a wonderful African experience. The whole safari trip was amazing and we were lucky enough to see 3 out of the Big 5 on our full day safari.
I would recommend Cheetah Inn and Viva Safaris to groups of travellers, couples, solo travellers. They looked after us so well from start to finish, employed experienced knowledgeable guides, and all in all the trip was fantastic value.
Highly recommended.”
Until next month,
With kind regards,
Piero
General Manager
Viva Safaris
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