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Tydon Safari and Shindzela 2012 and 2014


KiwiGran

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I am a new member but have been a keen follower of Safari Talk for some time and would very much like to thank Matt for a wonderful website and to all the members for such interesting trip reports and discussions.

 

I have been hesitant to post a trip report, as ours seem very ordinary compared to the wonderful trips I read about but to us our trips have been an extraordinary experience and being able to share this is a joy and privilege. I have been encouraged by comments from people like Tom K and others that all experiences are of interest and also that the photos don’t have to be of high quality – I just have a point and shoot digital camera but hope the attached images will add to the report.

 

Our interest in safari started when our younger daughter and husband were lucky enough to win a trip to Singita Boulders in Sabi Sand for 2 nights and came home glowing about the experience. As retired farmers and animal lovers this really piqued our interest and so I started some research. We had travelled extensively in Australia, travelling nearly 30000kms in rental vehicles over 7 trips but had never thought of venturing further afield (our home is New Zealand). Our budget would nowhere near accommodate luxury lodges like Singita, the airfares from our home in New Zealand to South Africa are pretty expensive and we had a few health and age limitations. But after much research I found a package trip from Tydon Safaris – pick up from either Johannesburg or Nelspruit, 6 days at Tydon camp which is situated right beside Shaws gate into Sabi Sand, game drives in Sabi Sand and to Kruger National Park and transfer back to Johannesburg via the Panorama route. This was within our budget and the chance to see both Sabi Sand and Kruger really appealed as did the fact that the accommodation was in permanent tents which we had enjoyed on our trips to Australia.

 

June 2012

 

Day 1 A long flight from our home in New Plymouth New Zealand, with delays and long stopovers, but finally arrived, after about 36 hours, at Nelspruit. Debbie from Tydon Safaris picked us up and it was about an hour and a half drive to the Tydon camp which is right beside the Shaws Gate into Sabi Sand. This was our first time in South Africa – first impressions on the drive were of dust, colour, people walking everywhere, women carrying loads on their heads with such balance and grace. Roadside stalls everywhere with all sorts of fruit, art pieces, carvings, rows of tablecloths hanging on lines

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Arriving at the camp we were shown to our tent (basic but very clean and all we needed with ensuite, a comfortable bed ) and after a shower and a lie down we had lunch at 2pm and then set off for our first game drive with our guides Debbie and Jackie and one other guest from Australia. Our first sighting was a breeding herd of elephants

 

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We were astounded how close we could get to them, how relaxed they were and fascinated the way they used their feet and trunks to pull the grass. There were all ages including some quite young calves.

 

Other sightings on that drive were bushbuck, zebra, wildebeest, water buck and lilac breasted roller. We stopped for sundowners and watched a beautiful sunset then set off again with Jackie spotlighting. The highlight was 4 rhinos – first a large male on the side of the track, he wasn’t at all settled so we left him in peace. Then we found a female with a very young male calf and a young female (possibly last years calf). They were very settled and we watched them for some time, seeing the little one frisking around – simply amazing for our first drive.

 

Heading back to the camp we found a large breeding herd of elephants and what a magical experience – Debbie turned off the engine and turned off the spotlight and we sat there in the moonlight surrounded by elephants grazing, moving so silently for such big animals, listening to their gentle rumbles. What an amazing first drive, our tiredness from the long flight a distant memory!

 

Day 2

 

Our tent was very comfortable and we had a great sleep. Not too early a start today as we are heading off for a full day in Kruger. On the way to Kruger we saw a group of male Kudu through the fence in Sabi Sand – magnificent animals. Our first sighting on the bridge to Paul Kruger gate was a giant kingfisher sitting on the rails. Through the gate and into Kruger, a car stopped and the driver pointing to something – a leopard! Just a brief sighting but what a great start. Lots of impala and then something I had been longing to see – giraffe on the road. So tall and move so smoothly and elegantly.

 

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I spotted some dwarf mongoose on the side of the road but they disappeared quickly, lots of hippos in the river. We stopped at Sunset Dam, so much to see – baboons coming for a drink, crocodiles on the bank, hippos, warthogs, Maribou storks, giraffe in the distance, heads popping up above the trees. Lunch at Lower Sabie and then back on the road, more giraffe, zebras, grey duiker, kudu and then we spotted a big bull elephant at a waterhole. We watched him drinking, then he came towards us and Debbie thought she might have to move out of his way but he was heading for the edge of the dam where he proceeded to stir up the mud with his foot then had a marvellous time squirting mud over himself, stirring up more mud with his tusks and getting down and rolling in the mud.

 

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We thoroughly enjoyed our first day in Kruger – on the way back to the gate we saw a Tawny Eagle and a Bateleur circling in the sky, tree squirrels, francolin crossing the road, gorgeous coloured Cape Glossy starlings and a young giraffe having a drink from his Mum.

 

 

 

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Hello @@KiwiGran, I'll be following your report with interest as SA is just a 10hr flight away for us, and hope to make more regular visits in the future, life and life's circumstances permitting. We are booked for our first SA trip in March. I'd like to see some photos of your camp and facilities, vehicles too, if you don't mind. Looking forward to the continuation of your journey.by the way, you live in such a beautiful part of the world, so scenic.

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@@KiwiGran we love New Zealand as well, as @@elefromoz - beautiful, unspoiled scenic land.

 

What a fabulous start you had to your first safari - a rhino with a frisky baby! it took me four safaris before I could see rhinos in a reasonable distance. and that's a full first day in Kruger as well. So pleased you enjoyed the experience, and has the safari bug bitten yet? ;)

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@@elefromoz Thank you elefromoz – yes we love where we live. My profile photo shows Mt Taranaki which we have a wonderful view of from our house. I will post a photo of the vehicles – I don’t have one of the tent but if you go to Tydon safari camp Trip Advisor reviews there is an excellent photo. Also on their website under Gallery.We had a wonderful trip to your area in March 2002 - did over 5000kms got as far as Exmouth, then to Tom Price, Karijini, Newman and back to Perth.

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@@Kitsafari Yes the Safari bug has well and truly bitten - booked to go back for our third trip next May and I watch Wild Earth live safari most nights!

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Welcome to Safaritalk, KiwiGran (fabulous nick btw), enjoying your report very much. Like you, I was pretty fascinated by the number of people walking everywhere on my first trip. I constantly wondered where they all were going. :)

 

Rhino calf is a very special sighting, and Leopard on day 2 is also very cool!

 

Looking forward to more.

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@@KiwiGran Thank you for the compliment: ST really is made special by you all, its members.

 

Reading this is making me want to be back on safari :)

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Day 3

An early start this morning, a drink and rusks then off into Sabi Sand again. A gorgeous sunrise but a quiet drive for some time. Lion tracks on the road going the way we had come, a herd of impala barking (incredible to hear and to see in the early morning chill) but we couldn’t find the predator. Then as we drove along the track towards a small waterhole there was a leopard sitting by the waterhole and we drove right up to it! So beautiful!! She moved behind the vehicle to go to the waterhole but then got spooked and disappeared into the drainage line before I could get a photo but what a special sighting, our first leopard and so close.

 

In hindsight after many more game drives I realise more of what we saw that day. The leopards of Sabi Sand are very habituated to vehicles. She showed absolutely no concern even though our guide drove really close to her and Debbie was on the tracker seat. (the guide could have positioned the vehicle better as we lost visual of the leopard because she walked so close to the vehicle to get to the waterhole). There is a Christian lodge on Umkumbe land situated just above this waterhole, it is only occasionally used but there was a group there that weekend. They came out on to the deck and made a lot of noise and that was what spooked the leopard – so interesting to observe, she was so settled with the vehicle but as soon as she sensed and heard people she ran.

 

On the drive back we saw waterbuck. steenbok, zebra, lots of birds and another breeding herd of elephants with one baby playing on the bank of the track. We detoured so as not to disturb him and were mock charged by a young bull that Debbie speculated had been pushed out of the herd.

 

Lunch and time to ourselves till the next drive at 4pm, again into Sabi Sand (Tydon traverse on Umkumbe land - 650 hectares stretching from the Sand River to the Sabi Sand boundary). First sighting a female Kudu standing on a termite mound and then her young one appeared behind her. Quiet drive, had our sundowner and watched the sunset then off again with Jackie in the tracker seat spotlighting and soon she called leopard! Debbie followed him and he walked past so close – we could hear him breathing and see his whiskers. He briefly looked up at us but was quite unconcerned, we followed him offroad for some time, watched him checking a hole to see if anything was there, gently pacing along, until the bush got too thick to follow him any further. An amazing experience.

Carried on spotlighting and saw a bush baby, night jars and a huge bull elephant in musth, we followed him at a distance and watched him push over a small Marula tree in a show of strength.

 

Altogether a great day – highlights the 2 leopard sightings.

 

Day 4

Into Sabi Sand again - today was a day for buffalo. 4 dagga boys sitting in the grass with mist on their backs and then on the night drive a huge herd settling down for the night in a clearing, calves protected in the middle, adults on the outside with horns facing out. Amazing to go back to that clearing next morning and no sign at all of the herd. Also saw hyena, warthogs, elephants, a bush baby, nightjars. So we now had 4 of the big 5 only the lion to go but it is so much more than ticking off the big 5 – the animal behaviour, the skill of the guides, just being in the bush, we are loving it.

 

Day 5 Off to Kruger again. First stop Lake Panic hide. Lots of birds and several hippos. One came out of the water and we could see how massive he was.

 

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Stopped at Skukuza to get diesel and then on to the road Jackie had planned but we saw a car stopped so went to see what they had spied only to find they were just having a cup of tea but they did give us information on where lions had been seen so off we went on a different road. Heaps on rhino middens but little else to see, a group of waterbuck at the dam and then just past the dam we found the lions, 2 magnificent males and 2 females. Vultures were around the remains of their kill but the lions were full and lazing around, spent some time watching them and the male obliged with a big yawn, got up and went over to the female but was firmly rebuffed!

 

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Because of our detour to see the lions we were quite late getting back and the road back to Paul Kruger gate was a procession of animals going down to the river to drink – giraffe, baboons, kudu including a male with magnificent horns, lots of elephants including babies and a huge bull, the biggest we had seen, a rhino on the riverbank – Kruger at its best!

 

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And so our short first safari came to an end. We had enjoyed Tydon immensely, we were so well looked after, great guides, fabulous sightings, good food – lots of traditional meals like Babotie, Potjiekos, steak, Boerewors. Gavin, the owner of Tydon, took us back to Johannesburg via the Panorama route. A long day but most enjoyable. Photo of The Pinnacle, Blyde Canyon.

 

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Then the long flight home, wonderful memories to hold for ever.

That was to be our once in a lifetime trip but, as many people find, we were hooked and so in 2014 we again made the long trek to Johannesburg. This time it was easier for me – I had a hip replacement 6 months before and was free of pain so arrived in Johannesburg in much better shape than in 2012. My report on our 2014 trip will follow.

 

 

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May 2014

From Johannesburg we flew to Hoedspruit and were picked up by our transfer driver to take us to Shindzela Tented Safari camp in the Timbavati Game Reserve. We started seeing animals soon after entering the Timbavati gate – giraffe, elephants, zebra, kudu, impala, waterbuck, dwarf mongoose, tree squirrel. Carolien met us at Shindzela and Sam showed us to our tent and gave us all the rules – no walking on our own after dusk, no walking in the (dry) riverbed.

After a shower and settling in we had lunch and then off on our first drive at Shindzela with guide Johan Smalman. First sighting some very healthy looking zebra

 

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Then a massive lone dagga boy

 

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At the small dam we found the hippos including a very cute young one

 

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We had an absolutely glorious sunset as we stopped for sundowners, then it was on to spotlighting and a first for us (and on my bucket list) – a chameleon in the tree, a pregnant female.

 

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Another first – African wild cat, a good clear sighting of her grooming herself, sitting on a tree stump. A big crocodile slid into the big dam. Lots of hyena near the camp. A great first drive followed by a delicious dinner and then early to bed for us after the long flight.

 

Day 2

 

Up at 5.30am and on to the drive by 6am. Only 3 other guests so plenty of room – the blankets were welcome as it was very cold and misty. Lots of zebra, a juvenile goshawk and then another first for us – a pair of side striped jackal

 

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Then a call came from the other vehicle for a herd of elephants so we headed for that sighting, on the way saw 3 Ground Hornbills and a Burchells Coucal. Spent some time with the breeding herd of elephants, such special animals.

Another chameleon and on the way back to the camp a great sighting of a honey badger, another first for us. (One was sighted in the camp while we were having tea the first night too).

 

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Day 3 started with a great sighting of a big rhino bull, Vaughan followed him off road for some time but then he started getting a bit stressed so we left him in peace.

 

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2 white backed vultures then a lovely sighting of a group of giraffe feeding, I never tire of watching them. This was followed by yet another first – wild dog!! There were 4, Vaughan said they were probably scouts for the pack, they came really close to the vehicle.

 

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The afternoon drive provided more elephants including a group of 2 cows and a young calf about 2 year old – he came right up to the vehicle and gave us a great show. A big herd of buffalo had just come on to the property and the guides were hoping to find lions following them but no luck so far. A nice sighting of Bataleur and Eagle Owl while spotlighting and a big Elephant bull drinking at the dam.

 

 

Day 4. A drive with Sam today. Lots of elephants including a lone bull drinking from a hole he had made in the dry river bed, a kudu calf drinking from its Mum while an older young one tore round and round – so good to see all the different animal behaviour and enjoy learning from all the guides.

 

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After breakfast Gavin the owner of Tydon came to pick us up for our transfer to Tydon so we said goodbye to Shindzela having thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

 

 

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@@KiwiGran, well that's really torn it, Honey Badger, Dogs, Chameleon ( just added that to the Wishlist), how am I going to get through the next 5 months til we get to Shindzela! "Debbie", "Jackie", think that's the first I've heard of lady trackers, maybe I haven't been paying attention, this whole "tracker" thing is new to me. Glad the hip fix went well, life begins again. I did wonder about your avatar, thought it might be Ngauruhoe, another perfect cone volcano of which I have a photo on my shelf.

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@@elefromoz You will love Shindzela, have you been watching their Facebook page, makes it even harder to wait!!

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I will start today with some photos of the vehicles used at Shindzela and Tydon and the tent at Shindzela.(especially for elefromoz)

Shindzela tent and vehicle.

 

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Tydon vehicles. The open top used in Sabi Sand and the covered one in Kruger.

 

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To continue our journey.

 

This time we were to stay 3 nights at Tydon Bush camp which had been built since we were here last time and is right in Sabi Sand on Umkumbe property and near the river, and 3 nights at the main camp outside Shaws Gate. We stopped at the main camp to transfer to a safari vehicle and picked up another guest who was from USA and on his first safari. The drive to the camp takes about half an hour to an hour depending on sightings and we had a spectacular drive in. First a beautiful female leopard sitting in the shade by the side of the road. We watched her for some time and then she got up and walked right past the vehicle and went into the bush at the side of the track and lay down. Even though we knew she was there she was impossible to see.

 

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Further on impala, bush buck, saddle back stork and then a lovely sighting of giraffe, one of the other guests target animals – so good to be back!

 

The Bush camp is lovely, set among the trees, just 3 tents, a lovely deck to relax on, just a wire to keep elephants out but animals can, and do, wander through – we had a hyena behind the deck one night, a white tailed mongoose and at night heard leopard, baboons, bushbuck barking and so on.

 

Our first drive with Jacques and Bernet gave us sighting of rhino, warthogs, elephant in musth while we were having our sundowner, duiker and while spotlighting a brief glimpse of a civet – another first.

 

 

Day 5. An exceptional day in Kruger, I recorded over 30 different sightings. Highlights were a huge herd of hundreds of zebra – a true zebra crossing on the road (north of Lower Sabie I think), 2 magnificent kudu bulls sparring, huge Nile crocodiles on the river bank, Ground hornbills, a super sighting of a lioness contact calling for her sub adult cubs ( we had her to ourselves for some time but ended up with a real catjam on the road) and two new sightings for us – a leopard tortoise and several water monitors.

 

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On our way back to the Bush camp a lovely sighting of 3 giraffe drinking at a waterhole.

 

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Day 6. Up early again today to explore, very cold and quiet to start with. We had heard baboon alarm calls at about 5.30am but couldn’t find any sign of a predator. First sighting was of a very sleepy hyena

 

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Very close sighting of 4 giraffe feeding and Bernet taught us about giraffe dung! Bushbuck, duiker, a group of waterbuck females and then a good sighting of 6 Ground Hornbills, 2 pairs and 2 juveniles. Great to see them doing so well.

 

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On the way back to camp for lunch I spotted a female duiker with her baby, apparently seldom seen as the adults are so shy and the young usually hidden. Great to see our guides excitement at that sighting.

 

We had breakfast and I went back to the tent to have a shower when suddenly the call came – Cheetah!!! We all jumped into the vehicle and off we went to Umkumbe lodge where a cheetah had been spotted on the riverbank. A beautiful female and another first for us. Though she was some distance away she was easy to see through the binoculars, what a magnificent animal.

 

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She stalked something for a while then crossed the river, up the bank and disappeared, what power and grace in that leap.

 

The afternoon drive was reasonably quiet but as we were having our sundowner the call came that a leopard had been spotted so off we went. Gavin was spotlighting and another vehicle was also looking for the leopard. Suddenly he spotted her silhouette in the grass, great spotting, we couldn’t see a thing! Bernet manoeuvered so we could glimpse her, we could hear impala barking, then suddenly John (the guest from USA) called there is another one and sure enough there was a big male leopard just behind a bush. Amazing to see the size difference. The male moved even closer to the vehicle, the female moved and suddenly it was all go – the male leapt at her, hisses, snarls, a real cat fight culminating with the female up a Marula tree and the male sitting in the grass. Incredible action and this is what safari is all about for us, not just ticking off a sighting of a leopard (and we have been lucky enough to have 7 sightings in our 2 trips) but seeing this sort of interaction. (Not a good photo but brings back great memories).

 

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Day 7 The morning drive had all the usual suspects, highlights were a tree squirrel warming himself in the early morning sun, a young giraffe with his Mum, great to watch the guide respecting his wariness and slowly getting him used to the vehicle, a group of kudu with the sun coming through their gorgeous big pink ears and the male with a magnificent set of horns, a possible sighting of a black backed jackal. Back at the camp our first sighting of a dung beetle.

 

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After breakfast we transferred back to the main camp and enjoyed catching up with Debbie who had been our guide on the first trip.

The afternoon drive produced elephants on the river bank with a mother teaching her calf to drink, she would take some water in her trunk and transfer it to the babies mouth. Good sightings of rhino, jackal, bull elephant.

 

Day 8

 

Morning drive in Kruger with Jared. Very cold and quiet to start with. Nice bird sightings at Lake Panic hide.

 

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I spotted a honey badger in the bushes beside the road, a big one, Jared thought probably a male though it was a quick sighting. Down another road and then – wild dog running down the road, 9 of them travelling really fast as they do. 2 or 3 more joined them, 1 was the alpha female who was heavily pregnant. Lots of excited chirping and greetings and then they settled down on the road and on the verges occasionally getting up to greet each other. We had them to ourselves for some time so we were able to sit and enjoy the sighting, one other car arrived later.

 

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Rather than disturb them we turned round and made our way back down the same road. Suddenly Jared sped up, he had spotted something crossing the road and it was a magnificent male lion and we were able to drive parallel to him as he walked along just in from the road, marking bushes and obviously on a mission to go somewhere. A journey of giraffe on the way out and back to Tydon.

Back to Kruger in the afternoon but a quieter drive this time with Jacques but a nice viewing of 2 young hyena in a culvert, really curious and cute. Another group of wild dogs on the way out but heaps of cars around and nothing like our viewing in the morning.

 

Day 8

 

Back into Sabi this morning and some of the others were going to do a bush walk but a bit far for me with my new hip. A flat tyre slowed us down but we transferred to Debbies vehicle and the others went off for their walk while us and a young English couple did a drive with Debbie. A quiet drive but lots of fun for me as Debbie let me sit in the trackers seat, a great feeling and fabulous viewing from there. We could hear lots of commotion in a neighbouring property, sounded like a kill, hyenas laughing and making lots of noise but we couldn’t go there (much to Debbies annoyance!)

 

The walking group returned and we all set off back to the main camp when a young bull elephant came right up to the vehicle, sniffed the bonnet and tossed his head as he walked away, just showing us how big and strong he is.

 

On the afternoon and night drive we had a great sighting of a civet in the spotlight and were able to get a really good look at it.

 

Day 9

 

Our last drive and what a drive it was. We started on the Western boundary of Umkumbe as Jacques had heard lions roaring there in the night but no luck. Then a call came from Debbie that she had leopard on the other side of the reserve so we had our first Ferrari safari (great driving Jacques!) and were there in time to see the Nottens female – what a beautiful relaxed cat she is. Apparently has a cub but was on her own when we saw her. Followed her for ages, watching her sniffing the plants, investigating holes and so on. She finally crossed over into an area we werent allowed to traverse.

 

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Back to camp for the last time and there on the road were two male lions – the Charleston boys. So close to them as we couldn’t go off road to go round them. Watched for a while and they got up and sauntered down the road, had a bit of interaction and dominance display then sat down in the grass and up popped the head of the female so we had the Charleston pride saying goodbye to us

 

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A Nyala bull on the way out was another first.

 

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Altogether we recorded 12 new species – honey badger, Nyala, Cheetah, Black backed and side striped jackal, chameleon, civet, African wild cat, eagle owl, white tailed mongoose, wild dog, water monitor and leopard tortoise. Numerous bird species.

But it was so much more than recording species. We learnt so much from all the guides about animal behaviour, we saw things like processionary caterpillars on 2 occasions, something we would have had no idea what it was without a guide.

 

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If we lived in South Africa or were closer I would love to self drive but when we can only afford to go for a short time and as we have our limitations (we are 68 and 70 and I still have some limits to my mobility) the trips to camps like Shindzela and Tydon are the best and most affordable way to go for us. We go in May/June because that is the time we can leave our lifestyle block in the safe hands of our daughter and that time is ideal as it is low season and we get good discounts, it is not too hot (very cold on game drives but lovely for relaxing during the day), no mosquitoes and animal viewing is good in winter.

 

I wish we had started our travels earlier and love to read about members travels in other parts of Africa –the Kgalagadi fascinates me, but with our limitations maybe no, at least we have had these wonderful experiences and yes the fascination lingers, so much that we are off again in late May/June 2016 back to Shindzela, a day tour from Hoedspruit to Central Kruger and a few days back at the Bush camp to renew our links with the wonderful people there and the wildlife. People say why are you going back to the same place, you will see the same things. They don’t realise you can drive the same road only minutes apart and see something different, like the day in Kruger when we turned round from the wild dogs and found the lion. And in the meantime I so enjoy watching the live drives on Djuma and Arathusa on the computer and watch them whenever I can and am an avid reader of Safari Talk trip reports and discussions.

 

New Zealand has no large native mammals, in fact the only native mammal species are 2 species of bat and the marine mammals. We have introduced mammals that have become pests such as the Brush Tail possum from Australia which is devastating our bush and spreading TB, various species of deer and plenty of rabbits. So for us seeing the animals we have on safari has been so very special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Two trips in one thread! What a pleasant surprise. :)

The honey badger and wild dog sightings are exciting.

I rather like the Shindzela logo on the vehicle.

Very cool that you had female guides. Our spotlight operator in South Luangwa was a woman, and I understand that position can be something of a professional stepping stone. It would be nice to see this industry continue to equalize.

 

As an aside, we will be travelling to your country next year and I cannot wait, as it looks spectacular.

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@@Marks Thanks Marks. Yes we enjoyed the female guides, there are a number I know of - Lizel at Umkumbe and Jamie on Wild Earth live safari. We had a total of 9 guides/trackers over our 2 trips ( 3 female 6 male) and they were all great. They put in huge hours, have to multi task but the main thing for me is their knowledge and enthusiasm and their very evident love of what they do.

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  • 1 year later...

~ @@KiwiGran

 

How did I overlook your superb trip report?

Reading your descriptions and seeing your photographs has brought me so much pleasure late this evening.

Your pair of safari experiences bring out all that makes going on safari such a tremendous joy.

The sightings you had — WOW!

I love the enjoyment you've expressed, as I feel likewise when I'm on safari.

Thank you so much! I hope that your next safari will be soon.

With Much Appreciation,

Tom K.

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@@Tom Kellie Thank you so much for your lovely comments. Have you caught up with my 2016 report - "The Cats Came Out"? Safaris are such a joy and I also really enjoy reading others trip reports on Safari Talk. We had a trip planned to Kgalagadi and back to Shindzela but unfortunately health problems meant that had to be postponed - long haul travel would have been too difficult in the circumstances. Instead we are planning a trip in the South Island and Stewart Island NZ taking our daughter and her husband and our 2 grandchildren. Taking them kiwi spotting hopefully will be a highlight!

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