How fitting it was to be back at The Springbok Lodge in Nambiti Private Game Reserve celebrating twenty years of SafariKZN. This was the first private lodge we visited way back in 2009, a mere seventeen years ago. And Melanie, my wife, was again joining me for an extremely rare bush escape. It took an awful lot of persuasion all those years ago to get her to join me then but this time she gave me a simple yes with no questions asked.
Since our first visit, the lodge has expanded adding more beautifully laid out luxury en-suite tented rooms. This is glamping at its very best and sleeping under canvas is an incredibly special experience. The large open plan rooms contain king size bed, spacious bathroom, toilet, air conditioning, comfy seating and veranda. And a special mention to, a bush stay highlight for me, an amazing outdoor shower. From your bed under canvas, you can hear the noises of the night from the screech of cicadas & croaking frogs to the calls of distant lions. Awake to the dawn chorus provided by a mixture of singing indigenous birds marking their territory and greeting another day in Africa.
The primary reason for us all visiting lodges is to safari and have the chance of spending time in the African bush engulfed by pristine landscape, unique flora & fauna, and of course all the iconic wildlife that calls this home. Here is no exception but I need to just emphasise the moments that are not spent out in the reserve. From our welcome note and mention of an ancient prayer “The Stranger Within our Gates” because strangers become friends very quickly here. We also loved our bedtime reading notes from Monday’s Mystery of how the rhino got its horn to Tuesday’s Tale of The Zebras Apparel. The main lodge is open all day and when entering a member of staff will always be there to greet you with a smile. There are twenty-four-hour refreshments available, quiet corners for reading, and beyond the wooden deck two swimming pools and sun loungers. With the lodge being community owned your stay contributes greatly to the local community generating employment and much needed incomes in a rural area.
Every snack break and mealtime is an event. From early morning pre-game drive tea & rusks to Amarula bush coffee during the first drive of the day. In the afternoon it’s sundowners watching the sun descend behind rolling hills and distant mountains. Lunches are a colourful affair, deep green salads, white feta cheese & deep red watermelon on the buffet table. These are served with a mixture of cooked and cold treats. Post morning game drive breakfast is a feast with all tastes accounted for. Tropical fruits, yogurts, cereals, cold meats, freshly baked breads, a variety of eggs along with traditional fayre of sausages, bacon, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms. Evening flavour packed meals end the days foodie events wonderfully. There are always choices and in particular the lamb shank and ostrich were divine, all served with locally sourced vegetables. The gazpacho starters were excellent and the desserts, which I do not normally eat, were perfect. My soft milk tart was particularly good.
Out on the reserve and throughout our game drives under the expert guidance of our ranger, Njabulo we were thrilled by many sightings and encounters. I will never cease to be amazed at how rangers, whilst driving and chatting to guests, can spot animals at great distances. There were times as well to just stop, turn the engine off and listen, attempting to pick up sounds. They then have the skills and ability to navigate their way to these sightings using expert knowledge of road layouts.
Just after sunrise we stopped and sat in silence, and we heard the distant calls of Jackals coming from a water hole. These were warning calls coming from several individuals. On making our way to the water hole a lioness was spotted stalking warthogs. Soon she was joined by another and the two went from stalking as a team to conducting what turned out to be an unsuccessful hunt. Their disappointment on missing out on breakfast was taken out on the jackals who they chased until disappearing over a rocky ridge. There were more cats to come in the form of cheetahs. We arrived as the two brothers were laying on a dusty dirt road but the heat of the sun made this a flirting encounter as within minutes they stood and walked casually off to lay in long grass under the shade of a thorn tree.
Among the herds of plains game, wildebeest, zebra, impala, most of them with youngsters, there were also kudus, water buck and giraffe. Birdlife was prolific and notable sightings included blue cranes, secretary birds, goliath heron, lanner falcons, African and wood hoopoes. The biggest game of them all were also spotted and led to some close, but safe, encounters. Hippos grunted loudly from water holes ensuring we knew that we were in their domain. On an evening drive after dark, returning to the lodge, a huge male hippo walking from one water hole to another forced us to sit and wait patiently until he was off the road. It always gives me great pleasure to encounter rhinos, they may be dehorned and their profile changed, but they remain an animal I love to see. There are times on drives when the biggest land mammal on earth proves difficult to find, elephants have the ability to remain hidden in near silence in the bush. But here in Nambiti they seemed to just keep coming. We came across herds browsing and bathing in both mud and sand. We also encountered lone bulls, one of which, objected to our presence. He calmy walked towards us trunk up sniffing the air. This was followed by ear flapping and vigorous head shaking. Then the pace of the walk increased, and a well-paced charge developed. There was no trumpeting from him, but there were a few restrained gasps from passengers in our game viewing vehicle.
Are you ready to be the stranger within the gates of The Springbok Lodge & be thrilled by every moment and all that you have the chance of encountering. To quote again from those thoughtful notes left on our bed. “We are all travellers from birth till death” Here the community welcome strangers and say goodbye to them as friends. I am working on my Zulu but it would be something like this “Hamba kahle umngane” Go well friend.
