Sunday, July 12, 2009

Our Travels Through Africa….Part 4

Kambaku Lodge in Timbavati Game Reserve: now this is what I call camping!!!!

Kambaku Lodge doesn’t hold anything back when it comes to pampering its guests. We had beautiful, spacious accommodations during our stay at Kambaku. It is a small lodge that can accommodate up to 18 guests. Each cabin has a large sleeping area, with mosquito netting artfully draped around the four-poster bed, a gigantic bathroom with large shower and big claw foot tub.

We arrived at Kambaku shortly before lunch. We had enough time to view the grounds, see our rooms, and freshen up before we heard the drums sound. It was our call to lunch. There was a delicious buffet of salads, fruit, cheese and other local fares. We were treated to a scrumptious meal served outside, under the shade of the canopy. Quiet time in the afternoon gave us a chance to read and relax before we were called to tea.

Tea was followed by our evening safari. We were escorted to an open air, elongated jeep with elevated seats to allow for the best viewing. Blankets were stacked on the seats to see to our every comfort. We started along a worn trail looking for the local wildlife. Before long we were off-roading and driving in the bush. We came across a quiet clearing where 4 lions slept; two males and two females. We were told that there were new cubs, but the female had them hidden away; she would bring them out once they were older. We sat for a short time just marveling at the large beasts that seemed so peaceful while/as they slept less than 6 feet away from our vehicle.

We left the lions in search of rhino we were told were in the area. Along the way we saw kudu, impala, warthogs and buffalo. As the sun set, our guide found a quiet grassy area where we stopped the car for an evening’s cocktail. It was perfect: a storybook experience. When we returned to the lodge, the table was set and dinner was served by the fire. The staff joined us for dinner making it very personable and intimate. Lanterns lined the paths for the walk back to our cabins.

An early start had us bundling under the blankets during our morning drive. Again we were on the hunt for the rhino. There were fresh tracks marking his domain. Our guide, Aaron, felt confident that we would find the rhino this morning. Along our path we found leopard tracks, but sadly no leopard. At dawn, we stopped for tea, coffee and rusks. (a kind of biscotti) We were fortunate to be joined by a herd of giraffe who circled our picnic spot happily eating leaves from the acacia trees. How amazing!!!

After leaving our picnic spot we abandoned our quest for rhino and turned along another path. This led to several elephants snacking on the trees along the side of the trail. As we sat, admiring their size and beauty we were surrounded by 30 to 40 more elephants that just came back from their early morning bath. It was fascinating to see so many elephants, both young and old.

The day followed a simple routine of breakfast, quiet rest and relaxation time, lunch, afternoon tea and our sunset drive. This drive treated us to waterbuck and impala grazing just off in the distance. At a waterhole, we found a stork walking along its banks and a hippo submerged except for his eyes, ears and nostrils. He did not seem to like us watching him for he opened his mouth wide, showing us his enormous teeth. We drove on to a quieter spot for our sunset toast. With the help of a spotlight we came across a barn owl perched in a tree, a porcupine walking along the path and a chameleon climbing a tree.

We were leaving the following morning. So in one final attempt we went searching for the rhino on our sunrise drive. Alas, the elusive rhino was not to be found during our time at Timbavati.

We left later that morning, but with sheer delight in all that we were able to see during the time we had on safari. There is something known as “The Big Five”. These are five of the big animals who live in the savannah that are the most popular. They are the lion, the leopard, the rhino, the buffalo and the elephant. We considered ourselves very fortunate to have seen four of “the big 5”. The mysterious leopard was not to be seen on this trip. I guess that means we will need to try again!!!

Our Travels Through Africa….Part 3

After a week in Uganda, we jumped on a plane and headed to South Africa and Kruger Park where we would take our first African safari.

Lions and Leopards and Jackals, Oh my!!!!

Next our journey took us to Kruger Park, located on the eastern border of South Africa. We crowded into a van with our guide, Daniel, and then we were off. He drove us into Kruger Park through the Orpen Gate. As soon as we were through the gate, we spotted zebras, giraffe, impala, wildebeest, waterbucks, warthogs, and baboons…just to name a few. Daniel drove slowly to help us catch sight of all the wildlife that surrounded us. He had a great knowledge of the area and all the flora and fauna.

We arrived at Satara Camp site with just enough time to sign up for a night drive through the park. We boarded a large open-sided vehicle that held 4 huge spot-lights. (better to see the animals in the dark) We drove along the paved and unpaved roads of Kruger National Park with a guide from the campsite. The drive was slow, but the wildlife was amazing. We saw herds of zebra and impala. Kudu, wildebeest, and steamback (a kind of antelope) were grazing in the fields. Baboons roamed throughout the park.

As dusk fell the animals were harder to find. But with the use of the spotlights we were able to see many of the nocturnal animals of the park. There were hippos feeding just off the side of the road. (They only come out of the water at night because their skin is so sensitive to the sunlight.) We also saw jackals, hyenas, an African wild cat, white rhinos and a civet. But the biggest treat was to come across two lionesses with 4-5 cubs. The lionesses had just killed a zebra and they were feeding the young. It was fascinating to see.

We were back at the campsite by 7; and just in time for dinner. There was “venison” on the menu. We learned that venison is the generic term for wild meat. Later I found that kudu was prepared and served for dinner. It tasted good. But it was tough.

We woke early the next morning and took another drive with Daniel. We were out on the road by 6 am in hopes of finding more animals. We saw many of the same hoofed animals like impala, wildebeest, waterbuck, and zebra. But we were fortunate enough to spot 4 giraffe eating near the road and one elephant munching on a tree (amazing to say but we almost drove right past him) There were birds: grand hornbill, yellow hornbill, kite, fish eagle, long-tale strikes, and starlings perched in the trees along the way.

After breakfast we packed up the car. We left Satara that morning and drove to Timbavati, a private game reserve that borders Kruger National Park.

And the safari continues!