Leopard Mountain Game Lodge - Zululand Rhino Reserve

The optimal arrival time at Leopard Mountain Game Lodge is 14:00, so Lana and I had packed up the Land Rover and left home in Durban at 10h30. We took the coastal scenic route via Ballito and then up the N2 and into Zululand. The further north we travelled the drier the bush appeared, with the first flush of green just beginning after some recent light rains. A three hour drive and we were at the entrance to the Zululand Rhino Reserve, some 30 kilometres north of the Hluhluwe Village. Enter, security and in, en route to the lodge we spotted some impala, nyala, zebra and giraffe - looking good!

At the lodge we were met by Melissa with refreshing iced tea and were taken to our chalet overlooking the Umsunduze River valley - what a view! Lana relaxed in the hammock on the deck whilst I watched a pair of white bellied sunbirds in the nearby bushes and the distant passing parade of antelope – then Nelson the resident Nyala Bull decided to tend to the shrubbery around our abode. Whilst here we also had the pleasure of seeing a large elephant bull that was strolling along the river-bed below.

Afternoon tea, consisting of tasty sandwiches and scrumptious cakes, was served before onto the vehicles for the afternoon game drive. Our vehicle was a new ‘open’ Land Rover Game Viewer, super comfortable and my favorite game drive vehicle. I’m too old to have my bones shaken about in a Land Cruiser! The bush was very dry and some sections had been burnt with the new growth only just starting to show, so this section really only attracted those animals that enjoy the burnt vegetation. Today it was White Rhino (two in the bush and another two at the waterhole),

Buffalo, Giraffe aplenty, Zebra and then antelope - Blue wildebeest, Impala, Nyala, Common Reedbuck and Grey Duiker. This was a super game drive with our ranger Amy and tracker, Travis, who provided interesting insight on the animals and the environment.

During our drive we stopped for Sundowners (and wine served in real wine glasses!), tasty snacks and drooe wors – a South Africa favourite. On the return to camp we passed through a section of riparian forest, their trees alive with a number of Thick-tailed Galago (Bushbabies) which made Lana’s day. Being nocturnal, these small animals are not regularly seen.

Leopard Mountain Lodge has a rather clever choice option for ones evening meal, in that one is asked to choose from the dinner menu in advance. Because of a light drizzle, dinner could not be in their normal Boma venue, seated around a fire. A delightful four cours meal with South African options. I chose Babootie and there was Malva pudding foor dessert !

Thereafter we returned to our comfortable beds and the next morning was an early rise - we were scheduled to go on an early morning walk. Our guide Ivor van Rooyen accompanied by Ryan Vivier led the way - such an interesting walk. Ivor is well versed in the ways of the wild and kept us well informed of all the signs, sounds and smells of the bush. We followed Black Rhino and Buffalo tracks, animals which are apparently regularly encountered on these walks and we saw where a hyena had crossed our path. We came close to a number of antelope and then the lesser-seen animals as well, a leopard tortoise that had evaded the fire, and some snails too! 

Then aardvark diggings, wherein warthog had now taken up residence in these dug-out burrows as well as some bird nests with eggs - Spring!. October is a good time of the year for birding, with the summer migrants having already recently arrived in Southern Africa. Raptors were really prolific and with walking through different biomes, so new opportunities presented themselves. The dense forest along the Umsundusi River was especially good. The walk was a good three hours of pleasure and certainly well worth doing.

Breakfasts at Leopard Mountain were delightful - juices, cereals and fruit and then the traditional "Full House" South African (English?) cooked option. Repleat, guests may opt to be taken to a waterhole where there is a comfortable hide. In the hour that we were there we had a number of visitors, with no less than 27 warthog in the area at one time.

Thereafter it was back to the Lodge for time to ourselves to relax and enjoy the bush environment. Ours was spent lying on the deck with the sounds of prolific bird calls from all quarters and the odd visit from a warthog or nyala. Lunch was rather unique. Leopard Mountain Lodge arranges a picnic basket to be enjoyed at one of the many places in and around the Lodge. Some guests chose the lovely rock pool, we preferred the deck at our Chalet. Breads, cheeses, salads, pate, dessert were all on offer - such a good idea. After another period of relaxation, it was time for tea, which consisted of delightful sandwiches and cakes before departing on the afternoon game drive.

On this drive we saw a lot of plains game, giraffe, baboon and then a trio of white rhino, mum and her two calves, the one a lot older than her sibling. Then a rather relaxed bull elephant sporting some fair ivory and using them to best secure his meal. Then Amy spotted a Black Rhino, a super sighting before this shy and endangered animal turned and disappeared, zig-zagging through the bush at high speed. More pachyderms were seen, and then it was onto a dam where the abrasive snorts of hippo greeted us. Here we enjoyed sundowners, thereafter our drive continued with spotlights and a genet out on the hunt.

Spring time, overcast and light rain, wonderful! No one seemed to mind that the boma dinner was not to be. Our last early morning game drive produced some more buffalo, white rhino, giraffe, zebra and a variety of antelope.

I am most impressed with the vast improvement in the quality and quantity of game sightings in comparison to our visit to this Game Reserve some five years ago. With the recent introduction of lion, this is now truly a Big Five destination with such potential. Lana and I really enjoyed the Lodge,(good attention to detail here)  the staff were so friendly, helpful and informative and I was pretty impressed with the game viewing. Zululand Rhino reserve really is a worthwhile, affordable venue getting better all the time.

Leopard Mountain Game Lodge

The Zululand Rhino Reserve is transforming rapidly into a super Big Five wildlife destination. It is almost five years since I last visited Leopard Mountain Game Lodge and since then black rhino, elephant and lion have been reintroduced with regular sightings of most of these sought after species being enjoyed by guests.

Leopard Mountain Game Lodge has a commanding position with magnificent views overlooking the reserve and the Umsunduzi River below. Lana and I arrived, to be ushered to our very comfortable, large stone under thatch Chalet. Relaxing on the deck, Lana lazing in the hammock, we gazed out into the bushveld. The immediate vegetation was alive with birdlife and even Nelson a resident Nyala came past, briefly acknowledging our presence as he foraged close to our chalet whilst a large elephant bull wandered along the dry river-bed below – this is the life!

We had some really excellent sightings on the guided game drives. Close encounter with a herd of some 80+ buffalo, then a magnificent bull elephant, a black and a number of white rhino, hippo, giraffe, zebra and a variety of antelope. The guided game drives are offered early mornings and again late afternoons into the evening and such is the density of wildlife here that a large variety of game is seen on each drive. We had such a lovely view of a gathering of some seven or eight Thick-tailed Galago (Greater Bush Babies) in the riparian forest on one of the evening drives. After breakfast one may opt to be taken to the hide for an hour or so. Highly recommended!

We had a ‘stream’ of animals coming to the waters to drink. At one time I counted 27 warthog of various sizes in the proximity.

Lana and I chose to take the optional early morning walk that Leopard Mountain Lodge offers guests. Rifle in hand, our Ranger showed us so much in the three hours - we followed tracks, calls and his intuition. Good to really be back in the bush and to enjoy some of the different aspects one can only engage when on foot..

Leopard Mountain has a really lovely luncheon offering. From a basic menu one chooses what is to be in the basket and where you would like to enjoy your pic-nic. This pic-nic basket is brought to you – we chose our deck, others opted for the pool, what a novel idea!

The lion have only recently been released into the reserve, the leopard are becoming more relaxed near vehicles, as too the elephant herds and the black rhino, although still pretty skittish have also settled into their new haven. What a transformation in my opinion since my last visit, to what is now a really good wildlife viewing experience and it can only get better. As the fences come down, and as the farmers see the viability of ecotourism vs cattle ranching / hunting, and neighboring independent game parks unite into one, so this area will transform into one of the finest game-viewing areas in our country. Already two Lodges in the vicinity, Phinda and Thanda Private Game Reserves are World renowned. Exciting! Only 3 hours from Durban to one of the best big game experiences out and well priced too.

Fairlawns Boutique Hotel

Celebrating a 40th Wedding anniversary in Johannesburg afforded Lana and I to visit and stay at the delightful Fairlawns Boutique Hotel in the Sandton suburb of Morningside Manor.

The function was to be a luncheon and with timing fairly tight – we flew SAA to Johannesburg from where we took the Gautrain to Sandton. What a slick operation that was. From the depths of the underground we emerged to be met by our chauffer and luxury sedan transfer to the Hotel. What a splendid hotel tucked away amongst beautiful gardens. Formalities by the warm welcoming staff and we were checked into the luxurious Manhattan suite. All the 40 suites here are themed. A quick freshen-up and our vehicle was ready to take us to the party.

 

On our return the duty manager gave us the opportunity of seeing the various suites and facilities offered by the Hotel. Royalty and Presidents have been hosted here and all ones needs appear to be well catered for in this beautifully decorated retreat .

From a superb Conference Centre, fully equipped gym, really excellent a la Carte Restaurant and wine cellar, to the most delightful Spa. I really liked the out-door facilities of the Balinese Spa all set in a forest with bamboo trees and tinkling water. Magnificent. What an ideal wedding venue.

We learnt that the wing we were in was actually only recently built and finished in time for the Soccer World Cup June 2010 - although one would think is was part of the 40 year old infrastructure. So well does it blend in. Powered by solar panels on the roof, all the mod-cons are there but not connected to the National Grid ! Good for them. Modern building filled with beautiful artifacts and antiques decorated in a rather opulent style – home away from home?

 

We went through to the rather comfortable homely bar for drinks before dinner and then through for our meal. A table with expansive views of the flood-lit gardens, glass doors open to the fresh Highveld air. What a lovely evening - dinner, soft music, excellent wine and cuisine we retired to our very comfortable suite.

To the gym or should I go for a swim in the pool? Up early and to the tea station on our floor. Machines all set for 24/7 refreshments. Tea and then we ambled down into the gardens. So lovely having a breakfast out on the deck, the sun warming and the gardens glowing. Too quickly we were back in the car, down the escalators to the depths below Sandton City and the rapid transfer back to the Airport. With facilities like these and a hotel of this stature one could confidently host the World’s finest.

Oliver's Restaurant and Lodge, White River

Our last stop on this journey back to Durban, after two weeks on the road, was Oliver’s Restaurant and Lodge, situated just outside White River. Surrounded by the lush forests of the Mpumalanga Province, Oliver's is situated on the secure White River Country Estate and overlooks the first green of the 18-hole championship White River Golf Course. Oliver's Restaurant and Lodge is within close proximity of the Kruger National Park as well as the Blyde River Canyon and lies in a Malaria-free area. The nearby Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) gives easy access from and to any major city in South Africa and Internationally.

We were shown to our suite –well! It had an entrance hall, with a toilet off of this, a large lounge with TV, DVD, Hi-Fi, bar fridge and gas fireplace. Off the lounge was the bedroom, which had a large canopied bed, cupboard space, a gas fireplace and then adjacent to this the bathroom, with the “usual” basins, large bath, inside and outside shower, heated towel rail and heated floor. Outside was a balcony with a large, double sun bed, overlooking the pool below. The communal areas had lounges scattered both inside and out, a pub, and dining room, which has consistently been awarded the “Top 100 Restaurants of South Africa” and lovely gardens, filled with a variety of bird-life. They also have a spa on-site for those who may wish to make use of this.

Of dinner and breakfast I only have one word – excellent. This is what one would expect from a top 100 restaurant, and they did not disappoint. For dinner I did not have a starter but instead settled for an Oliver’s Gourmet Table Salad, which was a selection of freshly picked garden lettuce with rocket, garnished with mozzarella, bacon, asparagus, artichokes, cocktail tomato, onions and avocado – this is what a salad should be, and anyway, after indulging in fine food for the past two weeks, I had to assuage my guilt!

Anyway, I had by this time also decided that I would have the Rack of Lamb as my main course and this was grilled to perfection and served with a potato-bacon rosti and vegetables – and I then also had to leave space for dessert! One does not go to a restaurant run by a chef with an Austrian background, and not have the warm Applestrudel on a homemade Vanilla Custard! Great! Janice had always said that she wanted to have the perfect Risotto, so she settled for the Creamy Italian White Wine Risotto with grilled prawns, calamari, mussels and shrimps, finished with shavings of parmesan, which she declared fantastic. It must have been – she would not leave me a taste!

The next morning I would have loved to linger over breakfast, but alas, Durban is far from White River and I had to get going, but having said that, I hope to return, rather sooner than later! Olivers is well positioned for those persons who may be travelling to the game reserves of the Lowveld, and may be arriving too late to do an afternoon game drive, to then stay here the first night. It is also in any event a destination where one may base oneself if you first want to see the sights of the Lowveld and Panorama Route before your visit to, say, the Sabi Sands.

Garonga Safari Camp, Makalali Reserve

From Vuyatela it was a drive north past Hoedspruit and Mica and into the Limpopo Province to our last game lodge that we were to visit, the Garonga Safari Camp, which is set in the Makalali Reserve. The Garonga Safari Camp is fairly easy to get to, one has a good paved road, and when you leave this road, a drive on a very good dirt road to the lodge. We parked our vehicle at a “reasonably” safe car park at the lodge. Why I say "reasonably safe, is that on the day of our departure, there were fresh lion tracks in the camp, and specificall about five metres from my car - which was perfectly okay, just as I had left it!

The lodge itself was somewhat unusual – completely different to any of the lodges that I had been to before, something along the lines of The Flintstones' homes, but in a nice way! Our accommodation was not quite a tent, not quite a suite and not really a room. For this large unit, there were brick walls under a canvas roof, a wooden deck overlooking a dry river bed, a hammock for lazing away some spare time, a large double bed, electricity, overhead fan, inside and outside shower, his and hers basins and lots of space.

The communal areas consisted of a large, thatched lounge and dining room, a large deck, also overlooking the river, a self-service bar (all drinks here are included in the tariff) and a pool. From our deck on our arrival we watched quite a large male elephant make his way down the dry riverbed to eventually disappear into the bush.

The staff here was great and the food was good. However, the game drives did not produce as many exciting sightings as had been seen before, but remember, this was not the Sabi Sands, so I was not expecting to see the vast numbers of predators that I had seen the previous few days. It would also not be fair to compare the Sabi Sands to Makalali – the Sabi Sands has been in existence in its present form for many, many years, and most of the animals in the Sabi Sands had become habituated to motor vehicles, this was still to happen in the Makalali Reserve.

Our guide was Jaffeth and our tracker Rebel, both very nice chaps, and obviously keen to do their best. That afternoon the usual impala, kudu, zebra, steenbuck, black-backed jackal and giraffe were seen. Whilst we were stopped for our sundowner drinks, I noticed some movement off in the distance. As it was dusk, I could not quite make out what these animals were, so Jaffeth had a look through his binoculars – lions! We finished our sun-downers and then made our way to the lions. It turned out to be three adult lionesses with three cubs. We followed them, but it was by this time dark, and they took us into some very thick bush (most of this reserve seems to consist of thick bush), so after a while we left them alone. We also heard hyaena calling, but failed to find them.

That evening dinner was out under the stars, and was a good South African braai, with three types of meat, soups, starters and desserts. This braai was hosted by Jaffeth, who told us some funny stories and quite a bit about his experiences as a wildlife guide. He really is an entertaining character.

The following morning we set out to follow fresh lion tracks, and ended up in the course of the morning to follow two different sets of tracks, but came up short – no lions were found, they were making themselves very scarce in the thick bush, so we settled for the usual suspects, plains game, giraffe, warthog and baboons. We also saw a group of Dwarf Mongoose, very entertaining little carnivores these. A nice surprise was during the morning we came upon a dry river bed, and here a full breakfast was set up. Tables, chairs, food, fruit juices, hot coffee, breads, cereals, cheese, biscuits, yoghurts and more were set out for our comfort.

The afternoon drive produced the usual animals, plus the three adult lionesses from the previous day, as well as two white rhino. Dinner that night was a surprise. What the staff had done, as there were only six guests at the lodge, was to have a private dinner for each couple. They had set out tables at different areas of the main lodge and served each table individually. Each table was out of sight and earshot of the other – a nice touch.

Garonga Safari Camp is a very nice lodge, but I would be hesitant to send first time guests here purely for the reason that game is not too plentiful However, if you want a superb lodge with all the trimmings, the Garonga Safari Lodge fits this bill perfectly. Activities here include game drives, wilderness walks, sleep-outs, outdoor bush-baths and aromatherapy and reflexology sessions. Janice and I did not do the “bush bath”, but two of the other guests who had done this were thoroughly happy that they had done so, and the other two guests were going to do a “sleep-out” on the following night. The sleep out is on your own on a deck with stunning views overlooking the veldt. A mouth-watering picnic hamper, a drinks box, and hot drinks are left for you at the deck and you are left with a radio. A wash basin and toilet close by are provided. This surely rates as an exceptional lodge if one wants to spend some time here to relax and be pampered, and who knows, maybe I was just visiting at one of those times when the animals were not too keen on being seen – it happens.

Report from the camp sightings log show that for this week, cheetah, lion, elephant and white rhino were all see - herewith a note from Bernie at Garonga
Out of 10 I give the Game Viewing 7. I think the experience to be much more of a Wilderness/natural experience with “very Good” Game Viewing.

90% of our Guests are first timers and it is VERY rare that we have any “Complaint” about poor Game Viewing. Our average stay is 4 nights.

Djuma Vuyatela Lodge, Sabi Sands

From Cheetah Plains it was just a short trip to their neighbour, Djuma Vuyatela Lodge, where we stayed for just the one night. Now I know that I regret staying only one night at any lodge, but Vuyatela really was a place that I would have loved to have stayed at for many more nights. The game drives here, and we did only two, an afternoon and a morning drive, were superb and were probably the best that we had had this entire trip – and that says a lot. The Vuyatela Lodge itself was also very good, with good staff, good food and friendly service.

Our suite consisted of a bedroom, with large bed (king, queen, family? I don’t know, but it could have slept quite a few people comfortably!), separate dressing area, a big bathroom with bath, his and hers basins, shower, an outside shower and separate toilet, all with the good smelly stuff – in this case Molton Brown. Lest I forget, there was also a separate lounge, where we had lounge chairs, a desk, a bar fridge and where coffee was left for us on our morning wake-up call. Our deck, with its own plunge pool, also overlooked the waterhole that was in front of the lodge.

The public areas consisted of inside and outside lounges, a dining room, complete with a fish tank with local fresh water fish, an outside boma, large deck overlooking the waterhole, which had a whole community of residents, hippo, waterbuck, impala, wildebeest and more. There was also a lookout tower overlooking the waterhole, so one could spend some time here if one had time and a very long lens! They also had a library where there was a TV as well as two computers for use by guests wanting to use the internet, as well as a gym and a spa.

After checking in, we were treated to a sumptuous lunch and then on our afternoon game drive we were introduced to our ranger, Ephraim and Amos, our tracker. We were in the company of another photographer, a local from Johannesburg, whom I suspect was in some way connected to Djuma and who had been asked to take some photographs for them, and he was calling the shots. This worked beautifully in my favour, as I too like my photography, so was quite happy when he instructed Ephraim on occasion to park our Land Cruiser to best suit the subject and the light. All of us being keen on photography on this vehicle, we also didn’t mind spending longer than normal at a sighting, especially the leopard sightings, which I think this chap was tasked to photograph. On our afternoon drive we came upon the two leopard cubs from earlier that morning (when I was on the drive at Cheetah Plains) and we were able to spend some time with them. After a while Ephraim heard about three cheetahs that had been seen on the Kruger Park boundary, so we headed off there. Unfortunately the light was poor, but I did manage to get off a photo or two of these rarely seen animals. We also made a turn at the lion kill where the lionesses had killed the buffalo, and the feeding was still continuing here. Among others we also saw elephant, rhino and buffalo – what do you know? The big 5 in one drive!

That evening at dinner we had an interesting guest at our table – Marc Weiner, the person who does the on-line line game drives for “Wild Earth TV” in this area, and he had some interesting stories to tell. I had seen him and his cameraman in this area on quite a few occasions, in this funny vehicle with a long antenna, but was unaware of what he was doing. Now I know – he was doing a live broadcast of his game drives on the internet.

The following morning produced all the usual suspects, including the two leopard cubs again. Back at the buffalo kill, the lionesses had left the scene, and had left behind a male, who was resting up in the shade, that is until his face was touched by the sun – and with a little help from our spotlight, some photos were taken of him. We had to use the spotlight, the light was still very low. Of the leopard cubs, their mother had left them and disappeared and these two were now on their own for a few hours or for a few days, who knew? The young male was a bit shy, and did not show much of himself, but his sister was quite happy in our presence and I was able to take quite a few photos of her. After leaving them we then found another male leopard that we followed for a while, but eventually we left him in the thick vegetation. After driving around unsuccessfully for a short time, we went back to the female leopard cub. Just as we were about ready to leave the young female, I saw some movement in the distance, which turned out to be an older, mature leopard, which we then followed and stayed with for awhile until he had drunk from a waterhole. After this morning full of leopard and lion (four different leopards seen on one drive!) it was back to the lodge for breakfast and to pack.

I really enjoyed this lodge; I enjoyed the contemporary décor and art adorning the walls, the game drives, and everything about the lodge. At no stage did Ephraim or Amos indicate that time was running out – the only time that Ephraim was concerned about the time was when he asked me what time I wanted to depart. If I am at a leopard sighting, as good as these, I may never want to depart! Will I recommend this lodge to my clients – you bet I will!