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April 2024

In last month’s newsletter, Nyarai posted a photo of an elephant inside Tremisana Lodge.

A concerned prospective tourist asked about the potential danger. We established that the elephant did not break through our electric fence but walked through the back gate that had been carelessly left open. 

In the past we have had elephants break in to savour the tasty leaves of the Wild Banana, Strelizia Nicolai.  This is an evergreen plant with large leaves that look very appetising especially in the dry season.



The genus Strelizia  is named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of George III of England. Strelizia Nicolai  is named after Emperor Nicholas of Russia who cultivated it in the Imperial Gardens of St Petersburg.


Elephant eating vygies/fig marigolds at Tremisana

At Marc’s Camp we have no fences and the number of sightings of antelope, buffalo, zebra, giraffe and leopard adds to the excitement. There are no elephants at Marcs so we are reasonably sure that there is very little danger to our guests. We strongly recommend that a torch be brought on safari. This will allow guests to see our nocturnal animals that frequent all our camps.

 

GAME VIEWING REPORTS FROM OUR GUIDES

BNR stands for Balule Nature Reserve

KNP stands for Kruger National Park

LUKE, Head Guide and Tremisana Camp Manager, reports :

Elephants have been a definite theme throughout this  month on  bushwalks and drives , with a few lovely leopard and rhino sightings on BNR. 

On one particular morning walk this month we had  elephant encounters on foot from start to finish.  We had to navigate our way through six separate herds, incredible experience. 

However my most memorable walking moment this month involved a black rhino. 
The black rhino encounter was heart racing stuff. Its always a massive privilege to find a member of the big five on foot , the rhino being one of my favorites. 

We set off on our walk towards the Olifants River, stopping along the way to talk about tracks and signs. As we headed down a gentle hill, we heard a rustle to our left. As we turned to look in the direction of the sound, there he was a big  black rhino bull. 
He turned to look at us, we stood watching one another for what felt like ages. He made the first move and turned around and trampled off into the bush. 

We all looked at each other with amazement and realized what a lucky sighting that was. 

My favorite leopard sighting took place on a sundowner drive, on Campfire property.  

We came across a beautiful male leopard in a marula tree. He had been on an impala kill earlier on in the week, but had moved away to a new location. 

His tail hung down from the branch giving away his position , we sat and watch him look around from his vantage point until he decided to climb down and moved off into the thick bush. 

Although the lion sightings have been quieter than usual this month, we did have a wonderful sighting of two young cubs. We found them hiding out in the thick bush waiting for mom to return. 

All in all another great month in the bushveld.


Elephant feeding, Rome 1 BNR


Martial Eagle, seen near Tremisana Dam,  BNR


Luke viewing Elephant herd on morning bushwalk, Rome 1 BNR


Lion cubs waiting for mom in the tall grass, BNR
 

MARC :


White Rhino on BNR, close enough to show a guest also taking a picture from his cellphone


Elephant Bull drinking fresh water from the Tremisana Reservoir just outside camp, BNR


Leopard on a fresh Impala kill on Campfire BNR during a sundowner drive
 

SMILEY :


10th April KNP: Just before the reception we saw a wild dog on H7.


14th April KNP: we saw two hyenas lying down on the side of the road.


17th April KNP: we saw zebras on Girivana road. 


25th April BNR: we saw a male elephant on Rome 1

 
GEORGE:


Black Rhino on tar road KNP


Lion cubs on log on Marula Road BNR


White Rhino on BNR


Leopard on H7 KNP
 
 
TOLLI took some great shots in Hluhluwe Game Reserve and Ismangaliso Wetland Park on our 7 day Kruger/KZN safari package:












Tolli and guests on St Lucia beach

 
ANDY:


A giraffe resting on the ground, an uncommon sighting in KNP


Zebra crossing the road in front of a Viva Safaris vehicle KNP


Wild dogs resting on the side of the road KNP
 

NADINE:


Lilac Breasted Roller, Marula Road BNR


Wildebeest Olifants road BNR


Hippo, Tremisana dam BNR


Jumping spider, Tremisana property BNR


Beautiful nocturnal photo of white rhinos

 

VICTOR :


Pride of lions near Satara KNP


Two hyenas H7 near Orpen Gate KNP


Male Elephant Rome 1 BNR


A pack of wild dogs south of Xigamba dam BNR

 
RAYMOND :


At Barnard property north of Gwenya dam BNR


Ezulwini big tusker Rome 1 BNR


Hippo at Tremisana dam, BNR


Buffalo herd at Ngirivane waterhole BNR


QUINTON:


Nyala’s early morning breakfast greetings at Marc’s camp


Armed ranger Charl describes Nyala Bull on bushwalk


Guests watching a nyala at Breakfast Dam
 
 
PIERO’s report:

I spent 5 days at the lodges at the end of April. All the lodges are looking good, staff are happy and all guests with whom I spoke advised that all their expectations were surpassed. 



On the game viewing front, I was a little disappointed with the sightings on Balule Nature Reserve (BNR). We saw elephants and rhinos regularly but there were few sightings of lions. Leopard sightings seem to have improved in the absence of lions. One group saw 2 wild dogs kill an impala on Sable Road.



I took this photo of Educate, our assistant secretary, at Tremisana’s Lapa.



Thankfully every guest that books a safari with Viva Safaris does get at least one full day in Kruger Park. The lion sightings are great and we have had over 95% success rate this month. Our Kruger guides report that they see elephants and buffalo on every single trip to Kruger Park. Buffalo sightings on BNR are rare presently. The herds have moved east to Kruger where there is better grass because there was more rain.


NEWS FROM OUR LODGES

NYARAI sent the following :
 
Tremisana Report April 2024

There is an African proverb I came across that says an agama lizard in the village will always remain an agama in town.  In my case, a bush girl will forever remain a bush girl wherever she is. Reflecting on when I came to the bush as a student I had no idea that my heart and soul belonged.  I came across an old picture I took my first year at Tremisana, compared it to now and realized how I have grown and the depth of my love and respect for the bush. Going home has also made me realize that truly home is where the heart is. Even if I’m in the city or the farmlands agama ” bush girl” is me always. I love the quietness, the mesmerizing sunsets over the Balule plains. Each animal sound, the smell of the soil when it rains. I cannot wait to get back home.



I managed to do a sundowner drive before taking my annual leave. A cold day it was but worth every moment that I was out. We managed to get giraffes on Olifants main road. The grace of their walk has always captivated me. Let alone the luscious eyelashes. The highlight of the whole drive was a leopard up in the trees. A bit of a distance from the western cut line. I had to use binoculars to get a good visual. We spent a while there just enjoying the moment. The leopard descended from the tree and the most amazing thing happened, it roared. First time experience for me. Words alone do not suffice to explain the excitement. The cherry on top was the martial eagle on our way back to the lodge. 







I cannot wait for May. I know it will be a cold, but that game drive was enough to convince me that I should do more.

Till next month. Take care and may you also find your home away from home.
 

Full Moon decorates the bush at Tremisana


CHARL sent the following:

Marcs Camp 

The staff have been hard at work with grass roofs again. While things are quiet, it gives us a chance to do the big jobs we can’t do during the peak travelling times. So far, we have repaired and done maintenance on 3 grass roofs for treehouses, as well as the roof for the toilet for Treehouse 5. We have had our usual daily visits from the Nyalas – I am almost certain that guests will never not see a Nyala hanging around the lodge during their stay. 


Nyala at Marcs Camp kitchen door

Katekani 
 We are hard at work busy redoing our plastic decks. Given and Sylvester have been given a taste of constructing a new wooden frame for the plastic to be fastened to. Once this is complete, I am sure we will get another 10 years of use out of them, as the recycled plastic planks last a lifetime. The camp has really been quiet with few guests. I was fortunate enough this month to observe a porcupine on the road one evening on my way to dinner a very elusive creature to see and quite shy when they see human lights they tend to get out of the way.


Given hard at work on deck at Katekani
 

MARULA BOMA

We have had wonderful bush BBQ experiences at Marula Boma. On a visit this week, I was alarmed at the way our guests drink the complimentary Amarula Liqueur that we use to toast the ancestors at the Marula Tree. Amarula Liqueur is NOT a shooter and should be sipped and savoured slowly.

My wife, Sandra, took this photo of her husband, son Anthony and grandson, Nicholas. Spot the hyena attracted by the mouth-watering scents of wood-barbequed meat.




NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS

April 2024 has been a good month with steady numbers of tourists. Some of our staff have started their long leave as we anticipate that there will be a slowdown in numbers in May and June. 

We shall be fibreglassing the pool at Marc’s Camp and hope that this will be a speedy process. Our young Dutch, German and Nordic tourists that love Marc’s Camp appear to have no fear of cold water, even in mid-winter !!!

We have re-roofed the Guest House and rooms 10 to 12 at Tremisana.



 We have also started building a kitchenette for the staff at Tremisana. The gardens are looking very good and we are spraying daily.


Lush gardens at Tremisana

We are also supplying water to Tremisana Dam to help our resident hippo. All the dams in our area have dropped levels so badly that only Tremisana Dam has enough water to allow the hippo to submerge. As the dry season continues, Tremisana Dam will attract many animals and we anticipate great game viewing.

At Katekani we are fixing the platforms.


A selection of reviews received in April 2024:

Best Safari Company!
Deborah V, Montreal Canada
Amazing 5 days/4 nights safari with Viva Safaris. From the beginning, communication with Patti was clear and efficient. Guides and rangers were the best, super friendly, helping, and going above and beyond to provide us with the best experience.

Food at Tremisana was yummy, rooms quite comfortable, and all employees at the lodge were lovely.

Got to see the big 5 and many more animals! It’s definitely an unforgettable experience.

Highly recommended.


Fun filled, exciting adventure!!
Brett D, Indiana USA
The staff was amazing. Everything we needed was provided and the staff went out of their way to help with any issues.

The guides we had were exceptional. One guide, Rocky, was at the top of his game. He couldn’t have been more knowledgeable or on the ball. He was able to get us great pictures of wildlife and filled us with facts!!

All the staff was fantastic and my whole family would absolutely recommend Viva Safaris!!


Must do while in SAF – the best Kruger experience
Danijela, Croatia
The first week after arriving in Joburg I decided to do a 4-day tour in Kruger (as one of my lifelong wishes) And let me confess this to you – it was the best decision I’ve made so far and Viva Safari made it possible! I was in contact with Patti, and communication with her was excellent, she clarified everything upfront and explained all the details to me. And trust me – as the solo female traveler I had many questions 🙂 Viva Safari driver picked me up from the hotel in Rosebank, the drive to Tremisana Lodge was comfortable and pleasant.

I recommend this tour to all solo travelers as this is a very safe option and you get to meet other like-minded individuals, nobody feels alone. Even if you lose some item, the staff will do everything in their power to find and return it! Both accommodations (Tremisana and Tree House) were good value for money. The highlight of my trip was a visit to Kruger, we managed to see 4 of Big 5 and many other inhabitants of the Animal Kingdom, together with Casper – a great lion! Even though I am very pleased with 4-day tour, you can do it within 3 days w/o issues.

Thank you Viva Safaris for everything, I hope to repeat this experience – with you! 🙂


Perfect organization, all staff very well prepared and ready to go beyond!
Alejandro, France

Everything very well prepared to make the most out of our stay.

The guides went beyond to explain every detail to the kids and make the games a lot of fun for the whole family.

All the details for the activities were clearly communicated considering every constraint (kids, large groups…)


Amazing Safari
Karen, Canada

From the moment we contacted Viva Safaris everything went smoothly. All information was provided for us to make our choice as to what type of accommodation we wanted and the length of safari.

We were picked up at our hotel and transported to the lodge just in time for our sunset safari and bbq.

The accommodations were lovely, all the staff were fantastic, and the meals were amazing.

All our safaris and bush walks were very informative. The guides were very insightful and knew just where to find the animals.

All in all, this was a fantastic experience!


Ich kann diese Dreitägige Tour sehr empfehlen
Ein, Germany
Ich kann diese Dreitägige Tour sehr empfehlen. Sie ist perfekt organisiert und für mich haben drei Tage exakt gereicht.

Am ersten Tag gab es eine Safari bei Sonnenuntergang mit einem anschließenden BBQ.

Den zweiten Tag haben wir mit Wildbeobachtungen im Kruger Nationalpark verbracht.

Die Fahrer haben alles getan, damit wir möglichst viele Tiere sehen. Zudem haben sie auch erklärt und Infos gegeben.

Die Unterkünfte waren ebenfalls schön, lediglich dass Essen hat mir leider nicht geschmeckt, auch die Auswahl ließ für mich ein bisschen zu wünschen übrig. Für den Preis aber trotzdem völlig okay und ausreichend um satt zu werden.


Would Recommend
Mandy D, USA
The camp was very cool and decorated to make it feel comfortable and local.

The staff were wonderful and the food fantastic as well.I would stay here again and recommend it to others.

I stayed in a tent close to the bathroom. The path was lit and we got to see monkeys and antelope around the camp.

I enjoyed the bush walk and learning about medicinal plants as well.




We also include the wonderful email received this month from Keith New below:

From: Keith New
Sent: Sunday, April 7, 2024 9:51 AM
To: Piero
Subject: Thank you . 230224

Good morning Piero

Just to echo all the positive comments from your latest newsletter that we enjoyed on our recent stay with you. Seeing the picture of a full Lappa makes me want to inform you of the fantastic school dinners atmosphere created by many nationalities all conversing together on the communal table.

Something that can not be reflected in a photograph.

Also your vision of what you wanted to create a Katakani certainly delivered beyond expectations. In all our world wide travels, never have we ever wanted just to stay at our room. Well done! And please pass on our compliments to all your well deserving staff.

Thank you
Keith & Janet
The Big six (as Victor named us)


Until next month,  

With kind regards,
Piero
General Manager
Viva Safaris