Towards the middle of the month I spent some time at the Hoedspruit Police Station sorting out the paperwork for licences for two new rifles we have bought. While there, I met the station commander who introduced himself and, once he knew who I was, invited me to his office. He then spent time in telling me that, despite the air of gloom around the ever-present crime, there was hope for the future. I was told that more recruits are being enlisted and that the efficiency of the force is improving.
I am particularly glad to hear this as I really am unconvinced that crime in our beautiful country is under control. And under control is exactly where crime must be if we have any hope of hosting a successful World Soccer Cup in 2010.
Viva Safaris identified, at our very inception in 1991, the desire of our clients not to be exposed to potential crime. We were the very first safari operator to advertise that we collected our valued guests from their homes, hostels, hotels etc. As the traffic congestion has increased in and around Johannesburg, we have been tempted to collect clients only from selected pick-up points. However, as the crime does not seem to have abated, we have no option but to continue our service. It does sometimes come at a price : with all the traffic, all that is required to throw out all our scheduled pickups completely is one minor traffic accident. I hope that some of our clients can be patient in such trying circumstances as, ultimately, all of our clients’ safety is what really matters. Thankfully, we own our own lodges and consequently, have no deadline by which we have to arrive or else……. miss the night drive or find the entrance gates locked etc. I am convinced it is better to guarantee our clients’ safe collection and transfer than hassle about being 10 minutes late for the Sunset Drive at Tremisana - the lions and elephants hopefully will still be around waiting for us.
We have decided to improve security at all three lodges. At Tremisana, besides the 24 h manned access gate control, we have moved one of our guys into the caravan in the camp proper. At Marc’s camp, we have added our own 24 h security gate guard and at the Cheetah Inn, our gate is locked at 22h00 and we have built a room for our gate guard right at the front gate. All our units, including all chalets, rondawels, treehouses and tents can be locked. It is a pity, in a way, as the bush is really a place where one would like to forget about urban malaises such as theft and break-ins. One also hopes that the presence of dangerous wild animals is a deterrent to would-be criminals.
GAME - VIEWING NEWS
Despite the excellent rains in November which resulted in very green grass and foliage, we have had some really exceptional gameviewing.
BONGANI reports that he started the month with a great sighting : On 1 November, his group saw a leopard at Ngirivane waterhole, hidden behind some bushes. About five minutes later, a troop of baboons came down to drink. The leopard surprised a juvenile baboon and caught it. It gave a high-pitched scream of agony whereupon the troop males set upon the leopard. In all the dust and noise, Bongani’s tourists struggled to see what was going on as it happened so very quickly, but the end result was that the leopard released a bleeding young baboon which then made a very hasty departure. The leopard also beat a quick retreat.
Bongani saw another leopard attack on 14 November. This time it was a single warthog, which unfortunately did not get away. It tried valiantly to defend itself, but, as a result of a lot of blood loss, eventually collapsed.
Another kill witnessed was of a blue wildebeest which was brought down by three lionesses right on the road at Rockvale waterhole. Bongani reports that three white rhino walked metres from this kill, quite unconcerned, while on their way to drink water from the waterhole. On another occasion, on 20 November, Bongani’s tourists came across a similar situation : two white rhinos were waiting patiently at Ratelpan while a herd of around 60 elephants was drinking.
Bongani reports seeing a pride of five lions on a night drive . They were seen drinking water at Tremisana Dam which is 100% full.
CHARLES scored 100% with elephants, lions and buffalos. It is quite astounding that he has the luck to see these 3 of the Big 5 each and every safari he drives in Kruger. Of course, he tells me it isn’t luck, but very great skill ………….
Charles has also had good luck with rarer species : on 6 November, his guests came across a pack of six wild dogs on the S 100 road to Nwanedzi. They were lying near the road and gave some very excited tourists some excellent photos. Later on the same road, Charles came across a group of hyenas attempting to attack a blue wildebeest.
On 5 November, his clients saw 12 lions attempt to catch a buffalo. The buffalo got away.
Not so a young impala on the 7 November which was caught by a rarely seen Caracal.
Charles reports a “scary, but at the end, entertaining ” encounter with a buffalo on a bush walk at Marc’s. He reckons the buffalo was in a bad mood, and that through his own ability not to be intimidated, Charles was able to calm the buffalo down.
Charles also reports viewing a herd of Sable Antelope on 19 November. Other highlights include seeing three different leopards on one day and seeing elephants mating close to the road.
JONAS has also had a fairly good month. He reports that the Sunset Drives and Sunrise Drives at Tremisana are yielding a lot more animals. This is in no small measure to the full dam at Tremisana - it is the only dam in Balule that overflowed in November.
On one occasion, Jonas saw lions and rhinos within 1 km of each other. The highlight of the Sunset Drives was the viewing of a leopard at Tremisana Dam. It was not concerned at all by the presence of the vehicle and took its time at the Dam, affording really good viewing.
In Kruger , on 27 November, Jonas had two leopard sightings near Satara.
He describes his highlights on 28 November as follows : “ We came across lions on a kill 21 km from Orpen Gate. Further on, about 2 km from Satara we came across a mating pair of lions. After lunch, we saw many elephants and buffalos. In the late afternoon, we saw a leopard resting on a termite mound only three metres from the vehicle. To crown it all, only six km from Orpen we saw a pangolin ! As we left the gate on the way home, we almost ran over a hyena carrying the leg of a zebra. What a day ! ”
NELLY reports that he too had 100% success on each and every Safari with lions, elephants and buffalos in November. His tourists saw a pride of 10 lions surround and attempt to kill a buffalo. After watching the spectacle for about 30 minutes, the buffalo broke through the lion cordon and ran off into the bush, only to be once again surrounded by the lions. We don’t know how the saga ended as the animals were out of sight.
Nelly reports seeing two pairs of lions mating close to each other. This is unusual.
Nelly also had his share of leopards - on one day this month, he saw two different leopards within 10 minutes - the first was asleep on a branch and the second had an impala up a tree.
He also saw two cheetah attempt, unsuccessfully, to catch an impala.
Unusual sightings included sable antelope and klipspringer.
NEWS AT TREMISANA
The Lapa has been completed ! With easy chairs and hammocks, it looks very inviting. We have made available a large selection of wildlife magazines. The chess board and wooden pieces look really great. Grass has been planted and the overall tropical feel of the rest of Tremisana gardens has also pervaded the Lapa area. We look forward to putting it to great use when we entertain our first Balule Plains guests early next year on our 4 and 5 day overland as well as our Fly-in safaris.
As mentioned earlier, the Tremisana Dam overflowed in November. This is as a result of some excellent rain at Tremisana. Birdlife at the dam is excellent - we even had a pair of saddle-billed storks for a while. The Hide being constructed at Tremisana Dam is also nearing completion. We have decided to add a toilet and wash basin for those of our clients who wish to spend prolonged periods at the Hide and don’t wish to be chomped when they need to “ spend a penny ” . Our floodlight is being revamped and we are adding a thatched roof to the Hide. With all the rain, we had a couple of breakdowns in electricity supply. We have now invested in a generator to get around the problem.
With the advent of the rains, we sprayed all the chalets with anti-mosquito fumigation.
We are able to divulge the identity of our new field guide who will be conducting the Balule Plains 4 hour bush walk. We are pleased that Cliff Sekome has agreed to join Viva Safaris as of 01-01-08. Cliff has been conducting Bush Walks in Kruger Park for over eight years and is very passionate about walking. He is highly qualified and has excellent rifle handling skills - although we hope that he will never need to demonstrate this skill.
NEWS AT MARC’S
We have employed another ex-Kruger employee as assistant manager and are very pleased with Miriam Mhauke. She spent a number of years working at the Kruger headquarters at Skukuza.
As with Tremisana, we have had to buy a generator for those occasions when our electricity cuts out.
The rains were so heavy that the metal supports of the two new tents were bent. We have added an additional canvas cover to protect the tents.
Morning Bush walks have been very productive with regular sightings of buffalo, nyala, impala and waterbuck. Birldlife along the Klaserie River has also been good, with excellent sightings of various kingfishers and herons.
November has been a very busy month at Marc’s and the staff have been working very hard. Nevertheless it appears that they did have some recreational time and we congratulate Dolly, Eunice and Gertrude who are all pregnant !
NEWS AT THE CHEETAH INN
We have held a number of very successful year-end celebrations as well as private functions. The Cheetah Inn is becoming a firm favourite of the local Acornhoek elite. In addition, we hosted a number of conferences in November.
The pest control people report that the termite problem is no longer a problem.
In any case any excess termites will easily be a source of protein for the finches in the outdoor aviary. The birds have taken to their new home and the Bronze Mannikins have already started nesting.
We have buried the refuse across the road and have conducted a major clean-up of the grounds in anticipation of our first Viva Safaris 3-day tourists next year.
Margaret Ngoane has been appointed as Supervisor at the Cheetah Inn. She will work closely with Ronald Masango of Marc’s who will still be in charge.
The pool area has been regrassed and the kitchen area has been retiled.
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
With the competition between Ronald and Delina being what it is, I have decided to include in all future newsletters the two best comments for the month in each
camp’s Visitors Book.
For November, Tremisana had the following :
By Elaine and Rafi Stone from Israel, 18-11-07 ( ilanastone@gmail.com ) :
“ Everything above our expectations. Rooms very comfortable; camp staff excellent and guides helpful and informative. Food catered very well - for vegetarians too. Well done ! Would highly recommend ! ”
By Iftikhar Ahmed in the hotel industry, USA, 21-11-07
( iftikharahmed11@gmail.com ) :
“ It was a fascinating trip. Felt at home with warm hospitality and great food.
Wonderful and knowledgeable guides. Will come back again. ”
For November, Marc’s had the following :
By Kirstie McLean, Seattle, Washington, USA , 01-11-07
“ A wonderful retreat for a poet and traveler. Thank you for the great meals and hospitality ! ”
By Loredana Malesa , Dublin, Ireland , 29-11-07
“ A big thank you for your hospitality. I had a great time getting to know about the bush and Kruger Park. You’ve all been very friendly and I wish you everything of the best. Arrivederci ! ”
Our 2008 tariffs are available and were printed in the December issue of the GSA. Overall there has been an increase of under 10%.
The 3 day tour that has been moved from Tremisana to Cheetah Inn stayed at the same tariff while the 3 day tour to Marc’s went up by 20%. The other products varied in percentage increase from 5% to 15%.
We still offer exceptional value for money safaris.
If one considers that our 3 day overland safari to Cheetah Inn will cost R 4295 pp sharing and R 4495 per single person then it is easy to see what we mean. Certain lodges in our area charge more than that PER NIGHT. Their tariff excludes return transfers from JNB and entry fees to Kruger .
The safaris to Marc’s are way better value-for-money products than those offered by similarly-priced camping operators. Our 3 day safari will cost R 3595 per person sharing and R 3795 per single person. We have bedded accommodation, with linen, soap and towels, overhead fan, electric lights, mosquito nets and private ablutions. We serve a great three-course dinner. There is no participation required in terms of setting up camp, cooking , washing dishes etc. In the rainy season, treehouses with thatched roofs are a far better proposition than canvas tents. The unique accommodation in treehouses is unparalleled.
Our new product, the 4 and 5 day safaris to Tremisana will include a 4 hour bush walk. We shall research and develop this product with our customary zeal in an effort to provide an unforgettable experience. To this end, we hereby invite any of our supportive travel agents to come and experience the new product. Your constructive criticism will help us fine-tune this exciting new product.
Please do not hesitate to contact us to arrange an educational safari.
In the spirit of the Christmas Season, we would like to wish you all a very happy, holy and fulfilling Christmas and a prosperous and enjoyable 2008.
Regards and best wishes,
Piero and all at Viva Safaris
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