The Kruger Park has had a very dry spell and consequently our guides and their fortunate guests are having an absolute feast of game-viewing. For the month of September, stats on big 5 sightings , calculated on a daily basis , are as follows :
Elephant 100 %
Lion 95 %
Buffalo 93 %
Rhino 65 %
Leopard 40 %
With this DAILY success rate, we all hope that the rains take a long time in coming - however , as animal lovers , we also realise that the game is suffering under the harsh conditions. Only the predators are doing well in these dry times. On a recent trip, we saw a buffalo kill ( 8 lions) about 2 metres from the road - excellent photos were had by all our guests for the period of 3 days it took the lion pride to consume the buffalo. The open vehicles were once again winners for providing total sensual experience ! We are thrilled to know that all 3 of our lodges have grown sufficiently in stature to warrant inclusion in the latest AA ( Automobile Association ) maps of the Kruger Park. We now know that all our self-drive guests have an added incentive and aid to drive safely ( all the way on tar ) to our wildlife establishments.
News at Tremisana Game Lodge
The gardens are looking truly magnificent - a real oasis compared to the veld on the other side of the electric fence. As we irrigate the gardens, we know that there is always a risk of animals realizing that the grass is literally " greener on the other side". We had elephants enter the camp last week and quick thinking by Marcel saw to it that they did little or no damage. The birdlife is excellent in the camp and some excellent photos of the lesser masked weaver and red-headed weaver are shown below :
Red headed weaver
Masked weaver
Night drives have been good - a recent inspection tour by one of our main travel agent / tour operator supporters had their M D see a herd of 20 elephants ( including a day-old calf) as well as 2 lions close-up ! With the increase in temperatures, we are seeing greater numbers of lesser bushbabies at the moment. These amazing little creatures jump from tree to tree . As they are strictly nocturnal, we see the reflected light from their eyes doing some amazing jumps. We have repainted the bar area and have revarnished all wooden items : the bridge across the water feature; the gazebo ; the light covers and all the windows. The bar chairs have been covered in animal motif material and we have introduced new cane headboards and chairs to the 2-bedded units. It is really good to own the lodges from which we operate insofar as we are able to constantly strive for better !
News at Marc's Camp
Not to be outdone by the upgrading at Tremisana, staff at Marc's Camp insisted that we repaint the main lodge. The gardens are looking good and , if the rains fall soon, will probably survive the attentions of the nyala, warthog and kudu. The Klaserie river is flowing strongly and birdlife is prolific. Our bushwalks are always interesting : in September we hosted 3 different schools at the Adventure Camp and all 3 saw buffalo on the walk. Our buffalo are really very tame and apart from providing close-up viewing, do not really pose a threat. Although we always take a rifle on the walks, there really has never been even a hint of aggression - the buffalo are probably more scared of excited , noisy tourists than the tourists are of them. Our library has been upgraded and a number of good easy-to-read paperbacks allow the relaxation-seeking tourist to pass a few pleasant hours in the elevated airy room. We have cleared the reeds that were choking the Breakfast dam and have upgraded the ablutions near the boma. Both the hyena clan and the resident leopards are heard regularly at night.
News at Cheetah Inn
We are well on track with renovations and improvements : the gardens are starting to rival those at Tremisana. The reputation of the Cheetah Inn is constantly improving both among the local Hoedspruit community and our overseas clients , as witnessed by numerous positive comments in our guest-book. We are now the preferred Kruger Park sleep-over destination for 2 big incoming tour operators. Our wooden cheetah at reception was "hijacked" but now has been returned, none the worse for wear. We had 2 buffalo on the property last week - we think they may have escaped from Motlala or Marc's Camp, but it looks like they have returned to whence they came . Ziggi is hosting a "pasta pool party " on the 16th October - should be a lot of fun.
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