This month marks the first anniversary of that wonderful event : the FIFA World Cup 2010. Whereas the country was brimming with excited tourists last year, there is a massive drop in tourist numbers this year. In fact I am told (unofficially of course) that the tourist numbers for May and June 2011 are significantly down on those for the same months in 2009. I believe that the international recession is still very much ongoing and as I write, the upheaval in Greece seems likely to have major effects across the entire European continent.
So we at Viva Safaris must be very grateful that for almost the entire month, we had daily departures. Credit for this must go in large part to Trevor as well as Anthony. Both these gentlemen believe that while they labour away at marketing the Viva products, I spend most of my day sunning my copious stomach on the warm Durban beach. Alas, they are mistaken !
In fact the entire kwaZulu Natal coastline is abuzz as I write. The annual SARDINE RUN is on the go – just yesterday a shoal beached at Addington Beach.
The sardine run is truly amazing – millions of these small fish congregate in massive shoals and move up the coast. Their presence causes a frenetic frenzy amongst the locals. Fisherman go balmy, entrepreneurs sell plastic bags that cost them 20 cents for upwards of 10 rands and the entire coastal population has a fishy fever. It is one of those things that has to be seen to be believed. When the sardines beach, everybody enters the spirit of things and hats, shirts, skirts and even more ( guess ?) are used to collect these silvery specimens. It does the kwaZulu Natal tourism a great deal of good !
The sardine run
Other news of a personal nature is that Sandy and I are now grandparents for the third time. Michelle produced an absolute whopper ! (fishy metaphor ?). Our new grandson, Jake, weighed in at 5.2 kg – a new record at the hospital in Ballito. I, naturally, shall be buying him a rugby ball as a birth present !
The weather in SA has been very cold this month. Marco, who does the Viva Safaris website, went for a lightning 2 day visit to Tremisana last weekend and informs me that he could not feel his face while on the night drive and struggled to open his eyes to see the pair of porcupines that Pieter was so very excited about….
Notwithstanding the cold, it appears that the guides had quite a good June in terms of game viewing. I picked them out last time about the brevity of some reports so this month we have a bumper contribution !
GAMEVIEWING REPORTS FROM OUR GUIDES
Monthly Report for Mayneth
06/06/2011
Our first sighting of the day was a male leopard ! We got it on the H7 about 7km from Orpen gate. It was lying down and you could only see the head. We waited there for about 10mins then it stood up and walked straight towards the car. Before it got on the road it turned and walked parallel to the road. We followed it for about 500m and it went into the bush. Great experience !
Later in the afternoon on H1-4 towards Olifants, we came across a pride of lions. They were 7 of them with 2 sub-adult males within the pride. They were under a tree a few meters away from the road. They kept on raising their heads up and down. From the lion scene we drove 2km and had an excellent sighting of 4 Rhinos that were standing under a tree grazing.
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Rhinos standing under the trees grazing
10/06/2011
We saw a leopard on the Rabalais Road near the Windmill. There were some Guinea fowls on an open space nearby. Suddenly they started flying up and down and started running making a lot of stress calls. The leopard was trying to catch them, so they had to drop down quickly and run on the ground. The leopard was disappointed and it then tried to stalk some Impala, but they were already alert and they ran away.
13/06/2011
We saw the 3rd leopard in a week trying to stalk Impalas. It was very close to the Impalas, and it was hidden by the vegetation. It lay down on the grass and watched the Impalas playing on an open space. The leopard snuck up until it was about 20m away, but the Zebras which were feeding among the Impalas sensed there was danger and they vocalised and everything ran away. The leopard realized that it was not going to make a kill so it walked across the road very fast and sat under a tree. He actually looked quite sorry for himself !
After lunch on H7 we found one lion and six lionesses with 4 cubs lying beside the river. It was a bit cold and they changed the position to get a place were there was sun. We stayed there for 30mins and they kept on changing their positions until they were closer to the road.
Leopard retreating to the trees
Monthly Report for Isaac
06/06/2011
We left the lodge for Kruger at 07h00. As we entered the Park we spotted 3 Hyenas about 100m from the road. One of them was chewing on something that looked like a bone. They started chasing each other until they were out of sight.
Around 08h00, about 6km from the main gate a Leopard was walking along the road from a small pond where I think it had been drinking water. It took about 5mins and we had a clear view. It took a walk along the road looking on both sides of the bush. Some warthogs with their bad eyesight nearly bumped into the leopard. Suddenly they sensed its presence and in a full speed they bolted in the other direction. The leopard never even bothered to give chase. It was obviously not hungry. It kept on walking at ease as if there was nothing happening.
At about 10h30 on S40 we watched the hippos at Nsemane Dam grazing. As we drove past we came across 2 Rhinos - a mother and a calf a few metres from the road. They came closer and started walking in front of us then we followed them from behind. Unfortunately another car came from the opposite direction and they went into the bush.
28/06/2011
The sky was blue, there was no wind and it was very cold in the morning. As we passed Orpen gate we saw, along the road, 6 Giraffes that were crossing the road.
Giraffes crossing the road at Orpen gate
They all stopped in the middle of the road and looked at us as if they wanted to attack. After standing there for about 5mins they went into the bush all at the same time. We drove past and about 10km further on, we spotted a male Cheetah with an Impala kill 30m away from the road. The Cheetah was struggling to tear apart the carcass. It stood and looked at us then it dragged the Impala behind a bushy tree. We moved forward about 20m to get another view and by then it had managed tear the carcass apart. It was now eating voraciously. We stayed there for about 20mins and it was still eating – actually gulping away ! We left the scene and drove via Sweni. There was not much game. After 3km we saw 8 lions resting under a tree. Another two came from a nearby bush walking to join the others.
At around 3pm at Ratelpan along the Timbavati road, we came across a truly unforgettable scene : there was a huge noise from the lions and crocodiles. They were fighting over a buffalo which had died along the river. The crocodiles were coming from different directions towards the carcass. Water splashed into the air. The lions were pulling the carcass out of water and the crocodiles were pulling it into the water. The whole place was smelling badly. We had seen this Buffalo the previous day and it was badly injured. The tail was off and there was a big open patch on the belly. There was also a lion which was injured on the front leg and was limping.
We spent almost 45mins trying to see who was going to win this exciting tug-of-war . Time was running out and we left with both sides still going at it.
Monthly Report for Bertus (June 2011)
15/06/2011
We went into the park with different plans of road choices and stuck to the tar road passing through Rabelais turnoff. On the way we came across some Impalas, Giraffes, Wildebeest, Warthogs, and Steenbok. Between the Rabelais and the view point we had a good sighting of a herd of buffalos that were wallowing. They were about 200 of them and the road was just black. We waited for about 15mins for them to cross the road.
About 100m from the Buffalo scene, we came across Zebras also crossing the road. On the Ngirivane loop there were different types of small birds and a couple of Giraffes making their way to drink water. The warthogs were running in a single file towards the waterhole. We left the dam and on S40 one of the guides from another company told us that there was a Cheetah with cubs about 500m. When we got there they were under the shade relaxing. We spent 30mins taking photos and all in all it was really amazing.
We drove and stopped at Timbavati picnic spot for bathroom stop and then we headed for lunch at Satara. On our way back we saw some cars parked on the side of the road. We drove closer, eager to see what was happening and fortunately it was a male leopard marking his territory very close to the road. My clients were so happy, because they had a nice view from very close and they took some nice photos.
22/06/2011
As we entered the park on the Orpen road we came across general game (Impalas, warthogs, wildebeest). We drove for 7km and had a great sighting of a leopard lying flat under a Marula tree. The clients were so excited and they took so many photos, as the leopard was raising its head up and down. We left the scene and drove for another 9km where we saw a Rhino and a calf grazing. The calf was running up and down and suddenly when we stopped watching, the mother turned and went for the calf. This was really amazing to see the mother protecting the calf from strangers. As we came to Rabelais we turned to Ngirivane road, there were so many cars parked and we saw a Cheetah which had killed an Impala. It soon realized that everyone was looking at it, and then it dragged the carcass to a thick bush and started tearing it apart.
Monthly report by Jarryd Gultig ( STUDENT ) June 2011
June has been a very good month for me. With winter starting to come into full swing each morning and night is getting colder.
25 June 2011
I was awake and ready at 5:30am for a walking safari. It was a very cold morning with the wind blowing and that only made it colder for myself and everyone else but even with it being so cold I was ready for what was sure to be a great walk.
We all loaded up in the game vehicle and started our journey. Our first stop was in Nonwane in an open area to enjoy an amazing sunrise. As the sun came up, I could hear everything around me starting to wake up. The birds were the first to awaken and be active as I watched all different species of birds fly over head. Once we were done enjoying the great sunrise we jumped back into the vehicle to make our way to where we were going to start the walk. We stopped at a dry river where our guide Wimpie gave our pre-walk briefing. As we started the wind got stronger which made it even colder but none of us seemed to mind.
We started off by learning about some very interesting trees and how they are used and how we can use them to survive or for just some general use. We also learnt about lots of different birds such as the yellow-billed hornbill, red-billed hornbill, all the different francolins, guinea fowl and many more. We walked up a slight hill where we came to a dam and we got to see waterbuck busy drinking water. In the dam there was a big male hippo just busy relaxing but it did submerge and emerge a few times and it was busy watching us. On the dam’s bank there was a really big crocodile busy basking and it didn’t even know we were there. The crocodile didn’t do much - it moved a slight bit but then just carried on basking.
We got to the dry dam we saw an amazing fish eagle take flight and it flew off into the bush. Was a great morning walk
27 June 2011
I had just gotten back from Dullstroom with the new arrivals and as they were getting ready for the sunset drive, I decided to join them
I was on the tracker seat so I could spot animals and also be the guy that uses the spotlight to find animals. We made our way up to Mohlabetsi side and as we were driving we stopped and our guide Wimpie explained to us about the type of area we in and why we get all the different types of vegetation there. Our first animal we managed to get were Impala which were just relaxing busy grazing. While the Impala were grazing waterbuck came and joined them and they also just relaxed
We made our way up to the dam to look at what we could find there, we saw impala busy drinking by the dam and the hippo was just lying in the water not doing anything. We made our way around the dam where we stopped to enjoy a spectacular sunset and have sundowners and spoke about all different things around us. Just before we carried on with the drive I put another top on to prepare for the cold. We packed up, I hopped back onto the tracker and started using the spotlight to see if I could pick up any eye reflection.
We went for a while with out seeing anything and next thing I shine the light on a rock and there was a spotted eagle owl sitting on the rock. The owl sat there for a while before it flew into a tree right above the rock it was sitting on. We made our way back to the lodge where we sat with the guests chatting about everything we saw on the game drive.
28 June 2011
I was thinking about relaxing late afternoon but then changed my mind and decided to go on the sunset drive and once again I was on the tracker seat to be the spotter.
We went up to Oxford to see what we could find on that side. As we were driving we saw a bull elephant running into the bushes and we realized we must have scared it by surprising it. It had been busy drinking at a waterhole. We could see it running through the bushes so we carried on along the road to follow it. After a short while it disappeared into the dense bushes.
We stopped by the Olifants river to have sundowners and to enjoy a great sunset. As we were going to leave I got prepared for the cold and put another top on. I grabbed the spotlight jumped on the tracker seat and off we went. We managed to spot some impala jumping across the road and disappearing into the bushes. While going up a hill we saw a nightjar sitting in the road .When we reached the top of the hill we saw some kudu in the bushes busy browsing.
We stopped off in a open area switched the vehicle off and Wimpie spoke to us about the stars and showed us the Southern Cross and Scorpio. The best part as we were doing that we could hear a spotted hyena in the distance busy calling and we could faintly hear lions.
We made our way back to the lodge and when we got back we went just relaxed and spoke about our sightings.
Jarryd Gultig, our new student guide
Monthly report from Pieter
And another month has gone past. It was one of the driest months I have experienced since 1995. You can see the difference in the dams and vegetation as everything is dried up and there’s very little water around Balule and in Kruger National Park. Because of that there is a lot of general game along the roads to be seen like impala. That gives us the opportunity to see all these animals clearly and in the open. The task I have at hand is to choose 3 days that stood out from the rest. So I’ve thought long and hard about it.
My first day was in Kruger National Park.
09/06/2011
The morning stated very slowly as it was very cold. When we got to Nsemane dam some people told us that there was a leopard at Girivane dam. So we left immediately and got onto the Timbavati road to go and see this animal. We were very disappointed to find that it has moved off. We stayed at the dam for a while and carried on with our journey. As we head north towards the Timbivati picnic spot some movement caught my eye in a tree. We stopped to have a better look, and to our surprise we found a leopard in a Marula tree. We were the only vehicle there, and we watched it for a short while because as the other vehicles came the leopard climbed out of the tree and disappeared. We found that same leopard 2 weeks later in the same area in another tree. That was what we came to see and to my great surprise we came across some lions on the way back on the same road we saw the leopard on. What a great day for cats in a very special place.
16/06/2011
The thought of sweet 16 came back to me that day. I was surrounded by 11 beautiful young ladies. At dinner I had to put forward my best behavior as I didn’t know how to handle all of this. 11 ladies around me is harder to look at than any other animal in the bush. The next day Wimpie and I took them on a walk. Watching the sunrise with them I couldn’t help but think about this whole scenario. Also to my surprise they climbed on top of my bonnet and posed for some photos with me. I never thought that my cruiser could take that many women on its hood at once.
Pieter on safari with the beautiful ladies
We started the walk afterwards with Wimpie as lead guide. We looked at a lot of different trees and some animal markings. I also took the chance to show them how to make ropes with some “mother in law’s tongue”. We walked to a dam that still had some water in it and showed them a hippo in the water. We all sat down to watch him for a while, and Wimpie took us close to a crocodile that was busy sunning itself on a nearby sandbank.
After a short break we walked down a dry river bed, and we had the chance to look at various birds and some more animal markings. We then had a sporting contest where they had to spit antelope dung as far as they could. They pulled some very strange faces and we had a good laugh at them.
26/06/2011
We left the lodge at 6 in the morning. Yet again it was very cold. We stopped at Nonwane for sunrise and to warm up a bit while doing so. After sunrise we drove to Impala dam to start our walk. Just as we were about there we came across two lions in the middle of the road. While watching them a third lion joined us. I was surprised as I didn’t expect to see lions that morning. We followed them for a while until they went into another area of Balule. The rest of the walk was quiet but very enjoyable. We came back to the lodge and my guests and I shared our pictures that we took with each other over breakfast. The next day we went to Kruger national park and I saw for the first time in my life what a rhino look like when he yawns.
Monthly report from Wimpie Redelinghuys
The past month of June was very challenging. Winter is in full swing and everything is dry and cold. Nevertheless it still presented me with good opportunities to get out there and view some very nice wild life. I’ve also spent a lot of time with our 2 students Jarrod and Camille. It’s so rewarding to share my knowledge with them as they’re always so eager to learn. Watching them take the information we share with our guests and light up every time we come across something special.
Pieter, Camille and Wimpie
If I have to take a few days that stood out for me it would be mostly while out on walking safaris. Its hard to pick just a few days, because every day is different and special in its own right. But I have picked a few nonetheless.
My first day is a day in Kruger National Park.
05/06/2011:
I’ve started on a very cold morning. As we entered Orpen gate we came across a big herd of buffalo. Watching these animals cross the road I couldn’t help to think about how these animals live through a night in an area like this. After giving my guests some information about these animals we carried on. We drove a short while further and we saw many impala, wildebeest, and zebra. But just as we got ready to drive on the impala started making an alarm call and the rest of the game scattered. I told my guests that there must be a predator close by, and my words were barely out when a young leopard female made her appearance. She was well hidden from us. We waited for her to come out in the open, but like all lazy cats she lay down and we couldn’t see her any more. We decided to drive on. Not too long after that, we came across some elephants that were on their way to cross the road. We waited and in a short while we were surrounded by elephants. These massive animals are so gentle, we all realized, when one of the older females helped a very young calf get up the side of the road.
We were all getting hungry and made our way to Satara camp to go and have some lunch. After a good meal and something to drink we carried on. I still don’t know why I chose to drive the road that I took that afternoon but it was the best choice ever. We drove on Sweni road, and just as we got on it we saw some white rhinos having a mud bath. They were quite far off the road but it was still awesome to sit and watch them. Just a short drive further one of my guests shouted “ stop stop stop.” I did and she said that she thought she saw something, and she did…… some lions sleeping in the shade!!!!! Very nice. We watched them for a while and drove on. The road was very quiet after that, and I started to wonder what to do. Not even impala anywhere to be seen? And just as I came around the corner I had to stop very suddenly, and the reason was that right in front in plain view was a big leopard male right there on the road. We watched this amazing cat in front of us and no one could say a word. I think it was simply just to breath taking, and words would not bring justice to what we are looking at right in front of us. The leopard got up and walked across the road and went into the bush and disappeared.
That was only the big 5. There were so many birds and other animals that we saw that day, that I could most probably write a book.
The walks I’ve done this month in Balule were just as nice. We all know by now that I’m passionate about walking in this area. So my next highlight would be the one morning with a big group of students.
16/06/2011
Pieter and I were the guides for the walking safari, and what a beautiful morning it turned out to be. We got everyone up at 05h30 to get together for some coffee at 05h45. At 6 everyone was on the vehicles and ready to go. Yet again it was freezing cold, but every bit worth it to watch another breath taking sun rise. I gave every one a safety briefing as to what to do and all the other do’s and don’ts.
We started our walk from York side, and stayed on the side of a dry river bed. Amazingly enough we saw a lot of birds, some tracks, and different territorial markings of animals. I explained to them that this almost gets done on a daily basis by rhino, hippo, and then some other general plains game species. We then had a bit of fun as we got them to have a bit of a contest “ bok drol spoeg” spitting antelope dung as far as you can. The faces they pulled were the funniest I’ve seen in a long time. I might add that all of them were girls. We walked a bit further and got them all to take a good look at some hippo and crocodile.
There were also a lot of other animals like impala, waterbuck, and some warthogs.
What an awesome day we had and everyone got back with massive smiles on their faces.
17/06/2011
My next day was also on a Walk in Balule.
I got up wondering where I was going to do my walk for the morning. So I decided to go into the Nonwane area in Balule. On my way there I used my spotlight to see some animals along the way. And to my surprise a whole pride of lions came walking up the road right in front of the lodge. What an amazing start to my morning! We followed them for a bit and I turned my vehicle in the direction that I’m supposed to go. We had an amazing sunrise and started our walk with the thought of those lions we just saw. Expectations were high that morning.
We walked for a bit, and stalked some bird species and some giraffe. We got nice and close to them. After enjoying the snacks and water prepared by the lodge staff, we carried on. To my surprise we came across a pile of dung… rhino dung, and it was still steaming from freshness. I explained to my guests what that was and also what they eat when we heard them. And true enough the faithful sound of oxpeckers guided us straight to the rhinos’ location. We watched these massive animals in awe as they went about the task of eating enough grass to sustain those massive bodies.
On our way back to the lodge we went to look for the lions again and I got a report from one of the other guides that they killed a buffalo not too far from the lodge. Logically I took my guests there. We watched the lions eating. What a day, I thought to myself, and the look on my guests’ faces was the best reward any guide could hope for.
When we got back to the lodge I decided that I wanted to share this rare experience with the staff at the lodge, as they only hear the stories from the guests and guides. So I took them right up to the lions that were sleeping off the massive meal. Apart from some young males that were still tucking into the fresh meat, the rest were relaxed. They were absolutely stunned with the idea that we work and get so close to some of Africa’s most feared cats. The tales and talks went on for days. …how rewarding. And that to me is why I’m a guide. That’s what gets me up every day.
Lion feeding on a buffalo carcas
BONGANI spent most of the month on long leave. He assisted in a volunteer safari program early in the month.
MITTY HIGH SCHOOL USA
We had a group of 30 students from USA who spent the week at Cheetah Inn. They were here for a safari and to do volunteer work at our nearby communities. We had an opportunity to take them to the local Catholic Church in Dwaarsloop. We met Father Ivan and introduced ourselves. He took us around the church where they have few projects that we are assisting for the community. We found the ladies busy making some floor mats and sewing some clothes and they decorate the front and collar. It is really amazing how some people are so talented.
From there we went to a primary school in Maromeng where one of the teachers took us around and explained how the school was in need of a huge help. The school has only three blocks of classrooms for 250 students and ten teachers. We discovered that it is one of the poorest schools around the Bushbuckridge region. We then went back to the church were the students enjoyed painting. Ronald demonstrated to the students exactly how to do it and it took us about six hours to finish the job. Trevor, one of the directors of Viva Safaris, was also there to assist with the material which was needed.
After they had finished painting we attended a Holy Mass celebrated by Father Ivan. We gave thanks to God for the selfless work being done by the volunteers and prayed that we get more. Our mission is to bring people from outside the country to meet our local communities and help them wherever they can. We have a few schools and clinics where we bring our volunteers to help. We are also involved in helping those who are living with HIV/AIDS. We have equipment which we use to educate youth about HIV. Trevor is personally sponsoring this project.
Regards,
Bongani
NEWS FROM OUR LODGES
We are busy with maintenance and re-thatching at all our lodges. We welcome Camille from the USA. She is spending three months on practical work to supplement her studies.
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
In view of these long guide reports I shall keep you abreast next month.
Letters received
Hello Piero and all at Tremisana Lodge,
So lovely to read your newsletter and was delighted to read a report from Bertus.............is he back with you again?
The greatest joy in my life is to visit Tremisana Lodge, every year, if possible. However, once again am unable to get to save enough to come over this year hence....... WOE IS ME.
I have found the only way to unwind from living in an area surrounded by red brick houses, motor vehicles, round abouts (circles) and hundreds of people is to make my way to THE LODGE........TREMISANA. The peace and tranquility is fantastic and second to none..........and I do know what I am talking about at the age of 74 years and how well the 'older person is catered for!!!!!!!!!!!!
Those of you who have had any dealings with Viva Safaris will know what this Company is all about. If you want to be among the animals, have spotlessly clean accommodation and eat well, then you need to look no further than Treminsana Lodge.
Thank you to each and every one and hopefully look forward to another visit in 2012.
Kind regards,
Sheila Stead (Farnborough, United Kingdom)
Until next month...
With kind regards,
Piero
General Manager
Viva Safaris
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