The trend in modern day society is certainly towards immediate gratification. The average Yuppie is impatient and wants it all right now. And so it is becoming with game viewing. With all the hype about seeing the Big Five, we have seen a trend amongst our clients to expect to be shown the Big Five. Whenever we come across a really rare sighting of, for example, Aardvark or Pangolin or even Wild Dog our clients are completely unimpressed. Even our Guides’ reports which feature prominently in my newsletters tend to focus on Big Five sightings.
In the last five months it was a very rare occasion indeed when our guests did not see 4 of the Big 5. Elephant are sometimes absent from the Olifants West section of Balule for an extended period. Unlike other lodges there, we conduct safaris into Kruger proper where we have not missed elephant sightings on a single day since 1996. Lions are generally very easy to see in the dry season where they congregate around waterholes and river courses. We have has great luck with Rhino both in Kruger and the private reserves we use ( Balule for Tremisana and Motlala for Marc’s Camp ). Buffalo are also in abundance in the Balule and Motlala reserves – in fact at Marc’s Camp we need to warn our guests to be on the lookout as the buffalo graze outside the chalets and treehouses. The only one of the Big Five that we are not virtually guaranteed to see is the Leopard.
Leopards are generally secretive in nature and shy away from excessive noise and traffic. My experience has been that the most likely chance of seeing a leopard comes about when we are told of a leopard with a kill up a tree. It sometimes also happens that we have sightings of younger leopards that tend to stay in a particular area. These younger leopards are still under the protection of mother leopard and know that if they venture into other leopard territories then they may be killed. At the moment our guides are seeing such a young leopard near Bobbejaankrans on the Orpen-Satara main road. He has been around there since this January.
I had the great fortune of having excellent sightings of leopard on my September visits to the Lodges. I took this photo which compares very favourably with any other leopard photos I have taken in the last 45 years :
2 leopard spotted on my visit to the lodges
On my September visits I also saw a good number of Rhino. I know that I have an issue with rhino poaching and as a psychological result have included rhino photos in the last few newsletters, so I shall not include one here. Instead I quote for you what the great Archbishop Desmond Tutu has to say :
“ The butchering of rhinos in South Africa must be stopped. It is robbing our people of their precious natural heritage, robbing our nation of its ecological biodiversity and severely embarrassing our nation abroad. I would like to appeal to South Africans not to take the easy route on this issue. Let us stop the callous brutality, the greed and the criminality that is robbing our children of their birthright ”.
I trust that the Arch has a very good connection to the Almighty who will hear our prayers and safeguard the continued existence of our Rhinos.
GAMEVIEWING REPORTS FROM OUR GUIDES
BONGANI emailed the following :
BALULE
At Tremisana Lodge we see many animals on a daily basis coming to drink water. Impala, kudu, and warthog are always around. We had a buffalo cow walking by herself around the lodge. She drinks at the water hole in front of the Lapa. This month I have had many sightings of lions in Balule. The other night we saw a pride of ten lions walking towards the Lodge. They were looking for the buffalos but there was nothing around Tremisana dam – only the buffalo dung !
KRUGER
12-09-10
At Girivana dam we had a great time watching lions trying to attack impala, zebra and blue wildebeest. The lions were sleeping on the northwestern side of the dam and their potential prey was coming from the eastern side. Before the animals got close to the water, they sensed that something was wrong. All of them stopped at the same time. One of the zebras spotted the lions and started vocalizing. All the zebra, blue wildebeest and impalas herded together and looked at the lions to determine their next move. After a few minutes two warthogs came down for water. Before they got close, one male lion got up and started running towards them. The warthogs got away. The lion went back to join a pride. After one hour six elephants bull come down also for water. They kept the lions away from water hole and the zebra, impala and blue wildebeest took their opportunity. They all joined the elephants for a drink. The lions walked away from water hole. I had the feeling they were very angry at the elephants and knew they had missed the chance of a kill. We left them with peace and love to look for other animals. As it turned out we had sightings of the big five in one day. There were eight white rhinos between S 127 and Satara. On our way to the gate we had the usual leopard up in a tree.
23-09-10
On S40 towards Timbavati we had a great sighting of seven lionesses eating a giraffe and hyena waiting for the leftovers. One hyena tried to get close but the lions were keeping an eye on them. The lions were around the area for three days. Six days later we saw the same pride at Nsemani Dam where they tried to attack some buffalo. The elephants also came to drink water and have a swim. There were three of the Big 5 simultaneously in one place.
26-09-10
We found a pack of five wild dogs sleeping very close to road, about 2 km from Tremisana. We later had a great sighting of 2 male lions following buffalos on Balule Plains.
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Buffalo drinking water at Nsemani Dam
MARK has sent the following :
I must say it has been a wonderful month for me and Polly. This month has seen the veld really dry out fast and you can see that the animals are just surviving now. It always puts me in a sombre mood watching them now. We need to make sure that we take time to consider their hardships before we just merrily drive around and enjoy them. It never ceases to amaze me what these animals are capable of.
We're seeing loads of giraffe as they are enjoying the flowers of the knob-thorns and blue thorns. You get the smells of these flowers all over the veld. I cannot decide which of the next three highlights are best so I am not going to number them.
Highlight: 16 September
It was one of my days off. As you know I stayed at the lodge in order to sort out visas, and to get to enjoy the area. That morning Pearl came to call me to tell me that there was a snake in the garden. It was a Mozambican Spitting Cobra, and I had great fun catching it and driving it to release it again elsewhere on Balule.
That night, we had lions all over the camp area. They came walking through the car park, across to our waterhole in front of the lapa. About 12 of them (couldn't get a count) drank for a while and then walked off onto our land. Brilliant sighting ! At 00h17, a big male walked up to the waterhole. He drank for about 5 minutes and then stood up and roared full ball. Awesome!
What a day off hey.
Highlight: 26 September
I did a full day Orpen to Phalaborwa. Saw loads of lions, loads of ellies, buff and rhino. We watched a croc nearly take a zebra at Nsemani dam, and a wonderful scene at a watering hole. Picture this : 3 hyenas, one lying in the middle of the pond, about thirty vultures, all in various stages of bathing, cleaning and sunbathing, with more coming in, zebras and impalas walking casually by, and then a giraffe comes up and has a drink at the same place. Wow !
Highlight: 27 September
My son turned 12 today. I had a full day in the park. It was a difficult morning as I had trouble trying to speak to Cameron. I was feeling a bit subdued and then I had what I misinterpreted to be a very quiet group : two ladies from Germany, and two French-Canadians. Well, it turned out that we had great fun together and enjoyed a magnificent day. We had lots of ellies, lots of buffalo, southern ground hornbills, a beautiful leopard up a tree, and lions on the hunt. We didn't just get the front seat, we were with the hunt as they were all around our vehicle with more trailing and loads of vehicles trailing them. What more can I say?
And so we come to the end of a topsy-turvy month. Lets hope the rains come soon.
I will be sending some pics.
That’s it for me, take care.
MAYNETH has emailed his report as follows :
19th September
It had been a very quiet morning until we got to Girivana Dam. We saw some Zebras hesitating to drink water. They were all looking in one direction. After a few minutes of waiting we saw a lioness that was trying to stalk the Zebra. We drove round towards the waterhole and to my surprise we saw a big pride of lions on the road. They were still sleeping. The lioness’ attempt to kill failed because the Zebras scented her. Our clients were very excited.
21st September
It was one of the hottest days this year in the park. At 11am we drove towards Satara for lunch and took the S100 and passed some Impalas and Waterbucks grazing near the river. I drove 5km down the road and then came back. 500 metres from the very same spot the impalas and waterbucks were unsettled and gave their alarm calls - warning signs of the presence of danger. I said to the clients that there must be lions because this road, S 100, is the most famous road in Kruger for lion sightings. As I drove parallel to the impalas on the other side of the road a big leopard was busy killing a male Impala, just 3 metres from our Open Vehicle ! The leopard started dragging the carcass towards the river and then stopped, giving our guests even more opportunities to click away. I think it was taking a rest. After some 5 minutes it dragged it again vanishing in the dry river. What an incredible sighting !
ISAAC reports as follows :
16th September
We started well - the sky was blue as we entered the park. There was a huge herd of Elephants crossing the Orpen-Satara road going to the water hole. Two young bulls which were the last ones to cross decided to mock charge us because they had a young female and calf. She also charged us for about five metres and turned to the rest of the herd. My guests thought it was absolutely awesome !
At 10h30 at Nsemani dam there was a herd of Buffalos and Elephants drinking water. The Elephants were taking a swim and spraying themselves with mud. Then the Elephants started chasing the Buffalos.
On S100 one km before the S41 junction we found 4 male lions that had killed a Buffalo the previous night about 100m away from the road. Vultures tried their luck to get the meat, but they had no chance.
After lunch at Satara we proceeded along the Olifants road and 2 km before S127 we had a fantastic sighting of 3 lionesses that had just killed a blue wildebeest about 2 m away from the road. One big lioness was with the carcass and the other 2 were relaxing under the shade of a nearby bush. Black Jackals were waiting patiently in the distance. We drove 200m further on and there were some rhinos. On our way back to Orpen after the Mzanzeni turn off, we had a good sighting of a leopard trying to cross the road. When she saw us she went back to the bush. It came back with its cub and walked along the road for about 200m. The cub was next to the mother as it was scared to remain behind. Absolutely fantastic viewing !
19th September
We drove to Girivana waterhole. There we found were 8 lionesses resting under a tree about 100m away from the road. We had a really a good view. Elephants and Zebras were drinking water from a big tank close to the lions. We waited there for some minutes thinking we were going to see some action, but nothing happened. At lunch we made a decision to return to Girivana. On our way back later in the afternoon we found that the lions were like all over the place as they had probably been disturbed by the elephants or had decided to spread out so as to improve their chances of a kill. Three warthogs came through without seeing what was happening and the zebras were just watching them - probably surprised that these small animals could not see that there was danger. The lions started chasing the warthogs and the zebras also ran away. The lions gave up.
RAYMOND reports as follows :
6th September
On the S36 about 1 km from the main road we found a mating pair of lions very close to the road. In the space of 30 minutes they mated 3 times. For the fourth time the female walked towards the vehicle and lay in its shade and the male followed her there to continue mating. Our guests were totally mesmerized ! After the mating the female rolled over at and lay down in our vehicle’s shade. There were Zebras on H20 and the lions moved towards them and attempted to catch them, but the Zebras had already seen them from a distance and they ran away.
10th September
24 km from the Orpen gate we found a young leopard two metres from the road and at the same time we could see 8 lions across the river. At the same spot there was a Buffalo and Elephants. So 4 of the Big Five in one spot ! The Elephants chased the lions away and the leopard climbed up the tree.
29th September
We found a leopard ( probably the same one we see regularly ) on a tree ten metres away from the road. After 10 minutes some impala came close to the tree. We expected to see a kill, but the leopard only moved from branch to branch. The impala saw some Cheetahs about 250 metres away and all of them ran away. None of the cats chased them.
NEWS FROM OUR LODGES
Tremisana is looking good. Below are some photos of the new-look rooms and Lapa :
 
 
Marc’s Adventure Camp is having a complete make-over. We will be pushing this camp as the best value for money Kruger venue for backpackers. Below are photos of the rooms and entertainment area :
 
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
We have successfully arranged traversing over another major portion (in excess of 1000 hectares) in Balule. The property is called Oxford. This property has Olifants river frontage and I have no doubt that the morning walks along the river will be unbelievably rewarding.
We start on 1 October and I look forward to reporting very positively in next month’s newsletter.
In fact I am very seriously considering altering all the 4, 5 and 6 day Marc’s Camp Treehouse safaris to include a night at Tremisana. Not only will our clients be afforded a Big Five Sunset Drive on Balule but we will also offer a Big Five Game Walk. We had one of our major Cape Town supportive Travel Agents do an inspection during the last week of September and he was very impressed with the Bush Walk which he rated as a highlight.
I have not wasted any time in this respect and have acquired two additional open gameviewing vehicles. We now have a total of 7 open Vehicles for use in Kruger Park and 4 Landcruisers and 2 backup vehicles for Sunset drives.
GUEST FEEDBACK
I include a few recent reports posted on www.Tripadvisor.com
We also have one very poor report, thankfully the only negative one, on the same site. This was posted last year by a group of hunters who had a serious altercation with our guides. The issue related to drinking alcohol on the open vehicle. We insist that there be no smoking and no drinking of alcoholic beverages on any game drive – so our guides were only carrying out their instructions dutifully.
"Fantastic Kruger Experience"
Tremisana Game Lodge
Melbourne, Australia
Sep 17, 2010 | Trip type: Solo travel
I went to South Africa for the soccer world cup, and I thought what better way to fill the gap between the semi-finals and the final but to go on Safari. I booked my trip with Viva Safaris, and the customer service and experience was superb throughout.
I booked the trip about a month before the tournament, and was pleasantly surprised to see how Viva Safaris had not hiked up its prices for the tournament, which every other hotel and tour guide had seemed to do. With Viva Safaris’ attention to detail, they picked me up directly from my hostel in Jo'burg in the morning on time, with a driver full of character and extensive knowledge of the surrounding areas. It is a hefty drive up to Kruger (about 5 hours), so I would recommend flying if finances allow, but I found the journey enjoyable and an opportunity to meet new people who I am still in touch with now.
The lodge itself is very relaxed, with the rooms designed to provide a truly South African feel with the thatched roofs. The lodge is just inside the compounds of Kruger National Park, and comes with its unofficial resident monkeys that add to the whole safari experience. Every night the hosts would cook up local African cuisine that we would all eat in front of an open fire and discuss the sightings of the day. I really enjoyed the home-cooked food (such as impala stew), which really added to the experience of being away from a major city. The owners of the lodge would always join us for dinner and provide insights into recommendations and things to look for when out on the Safari.
The safari itself (I went on a sunset drive, a full day drive, and a sunrise drive) was one of the highlights of my trip; with the open top vehicles allowing you to get incredibly close to the animals. It’s a strange experience as you know you have seen most of the animals before in a zoo, but it makes it feel that much more special to actually find the animals in their natural habitat. Our guides were incredibly knowledgeable, and in keeping the number in each car small, it allowed not only for a comfortable drive, but also for the guides to explore different areas of the park, and sharing knowledge about sightings during the day, allowing us to see as much wildlife as possible.
Overall, this was an amazing experience and this is all thanks to Viva Safaris - I recommend anyone to use this company when looking to go on Safari.
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“The best Wildlife experience Available”
Tremisana Game Lodge
Mr Beyer, Cape Town
Jul 15, 2010 | Trip type: Couples
My partner and I had the absolute pleasure of staying in the Tremisana Lodge for 4 nights.
The itinerary is perfect and brilliantly organised, the staff are unbelievably hospitable and friendly. The hostess Pearl definitely stands out in my mind. She was always ready to go the extra mile and made us feel not just welcome but at home.
The guides are of a very high standard. There is always a spotter on board who listens and looks and (without fail) spots each and every animal. They are of such a high standard that travellers from other lodges were joining our expeditions.
We experienced a bush walk which was exhilarating but entirely safe, definitely recommended.
The lodge's surrounding game reserve is teaming with animal life and you cannot escape it (not that you would want to). From Giraffe and buck crossing the road constantly to lions lazing in front of the entrance it really is breathtaking.
We were taken into the Kruger and once again the Tremisana ranger was excellent. We were very lucky to sight 4 of the Big 5 on the day, with a very close, hair raising encounter with a bull elephant, a situation brilliantly eased out of by our guide.
Overall the itinerary left no-one wanting. (We had Irish, British, Indian and Mexican people in our group, all of which were smiling from ear to ear)
Furthermore the food at the lodge is out of this world, seriously, and there are always copious amounts thereof as I found myself going back for thirds and fourths.
The whole place really is inexplicably warm and welcoming and for the four days I had the privilege of spending there it truly was my home away from home.
The rooms are sufficient, beds are comfortable, all amenities are covered.
I truly recommend Tremisana Game Lodge to everyone and I will, without a doubt, return sooner rather than later.
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“Fantastic - A real taste of Africa”
Marc's Treehouse Lodge
Katie Beardie, Scotland
Sep 19, 2010 | Trip type: Solo travel
Just returned from a 6 day stay at Marc's Treehouse Lodge. I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone who has a spirit of adventure. I was picked up from J'burg and transferred to Treehouse Lodge, the trip takes around 5 hours but you stop for lunch and a few comfort breaks. I stayed at Treehouse No.7 which was very spacious and is en suite. There is access to a balcony which provides an excellent view of the river which is used by buffalo and monkeys. No need for alarm clocks..the monkeys wake you up in time for Breakfast in the morning. Would recommend that you live out your rucksack during your stay as the monkeys will come into your treehouse when you are out if any food items are left lying around. I had no trouble with insects although the odd frog would pay me a visit. Treehouse No. 7 is approximately a 4 minute walk to the main reception area. Although the pathway has lighting I would suggest taking a small torch. There is electricity in each Treehouse and the showers are hot. The food was exceptional especially the soup. A hearty breakfast of cereal, eggs, bacon and beans with toast and muffins sets you up for your itineraries. Breakfast is at 7am and dinner is at 8pm. Florence is the perfect host and will always go that extra mile to ensure you have a perfect stay. I found it very well organised and the guides are very informative and amusing, especially Christo and Isaac. Although I travelled solo, I never once felt on my own. It is a great opportunity to meet other people from all over the world and we all bonded well. The whole setting is very peaceful and beautiful. Don't miss the bush walk or a trip to Moholoholo Rehab Centre. As your day starts early, most people retire just after dinner, we did however sit round the pit fire and drank a few beers before going to bed around 10pm or earlier. Game drives were excellent in the open vehicle and blankets are provided. Swimming pool is also great to cool down after your game drives. If you are looking for an adventure in Africa look no more Marc's Treehouse has it all. After the 6 day stay at the Treehouse I transferred to Tremisana Lodge which I would also thoroughly recommend. If anyone would like further information please drop me an email. Thank you Piero and all you staff for a wonderful experience of a lifetime. Unable to upload photos of treehouse, if anyone wants to see them please email me.
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Ruecatt
California
Aug 23, 2010 | Trip type: Family
I loved Marc's Treehouse Lodge. It was a lot of fun staying there. You really get to experience the African bush. I do recommend taking a flashlight with you, it can be fairly dark on the trails to the treehouses at night. We had no problems with bugs but we did have several frogs that hung out in our treehouse. The treehouses are spread out so you get the feeling of being alone out there. There are no phones in the treehouses so you can't just call the front desk if you need something. Not all treehouses are en-suite. If not there will be a bathroom just a few feet away, just outside the treehouse.
The animals are free to roam through the lodge grounds. During the day we saw nyala, impala, monkeys, buffalo. At night we had a leopard hunting warthog on the grounds. We didn't see it but we sure heard it. Also a group of hyenas came right up to our treehouse one night. Very exciting!
It was a great experience.
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LATE FLASHES
I have just received the following report from Mark who conducted our very first Game Walk on Oxford along the Olifants River :
Hi Piero,
Just to reiterate from my text message this morning, the walk was great! Found the place just fine. On the way there we saw impala, zebra, baboon, waterbuck and a hyena. Starting off the walk we had very fresh hippo and elephant dung. We then had this same hyena walk across our path, completely unfazed by us, absolutely amazing. A little after that we encountered two ellies and watched them for quite a while before stopping for our break. We had the break whilst watching the ellies and that is when I texted you. On the drive back we saw giraffes and kudu. All in all a wonderful morning had by all.
Thanks, take care,
Mark
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MoAfrika Lodge
I am pleased to advise that Anthony has set up the website for his new venture : MoAfrika Lodge. We had set up Anthony’s Place as an overnight stopover for Viva Safaris clients who arrived too late for our departure from the airport at 09h00.
Anthony has now established a better Guest House only 10 minutes from the airport and we are pleased to recommend MoAfrika Lodge to our guests who are looking for pre and post safari accommodation at very reasonable rates. The website address is :
www.moafrika.com
Until next month...
With kind regards,
Piero
General Manager
Viva Safaris
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