Flashback Friday - Shalati Safari Lodge 2021

We had an afternoon safari with the Shalati Lodge, my sister and I were the only ones in the safari vehicle so we both had excellent views.  The southern end of Kruger is much busier, with a little town in Skukuza and close enough for people to come in who are staying outside the park.  Also as it’s part of the publicly owned part of the park, the vehicles are more limited and required to only stay on the main roads.

Elephants in Kruger are fairly safe from poachers.  The park is busy and well staffed so it’s a much bigger risk for poachers and the ivory isn’t worth the risk usually.  Rhino however are still at risk.  The guides won’t talk about them on the radios, nor is anyone supposed to post on social media or on any of the animal spotting apps about them.  The guide was optimistic that there were a couple in the area we could hopefully see.

In the evening the big find was a leopard.  She had made a kill and pulled it into a tree close to the road so was a little easier to spot, even as she hid in the grasses near by.  Unfortunately that meant there was a huge crowd of vehicles all along the shoulder.  We moved along before too long, and saw a few hyenas as well as a warthog being followed by her litter of piglets.

We stopped for our sundowners, I had a G&T again, and our guide told us that the gates to the park close around sunset so all the people staying outside had to be gone.  We drove back past the kill site and were pleased to a lot less vehicles.  Then the leopard also decided she was hungry and leapt up into the tree to feed while we took watched.  It was pretty intense. 

Back at the lodge we had dinner and more wine than we should have with another early morning. Our room on the train was absolutely beautiful. The walkway to the rooms was along the west side of the rail bridge, so the east wall of the room had big beautiful windows.  We were up before sunrise for our safari, but did the lightening of the sky to greet us in the morning. 

This was the first morning where we were actually out before sunrise.  I was excited (but tired) at the idea of getting some pictures of the sun breaking the horizon, maybe with a solitary tree or an elephant near it.  And as the moment got close, they spotted a rhino.  It was off in the distance, and took me forever to pick it out of the scrub.  Then I realized I had missed the sunrise!  Ah well, we did see a rhino!  It was a black rhino, and we also got to see a white rhino that morning.  So it was a special day. We also stopped back by the leopard kill tree, she was lounging in the grass below it this morning. 

We had a great safari, had an amazing breakfast at the lodge and then lounged for a few hours before check out - I really wanted to try the pool.  We didn’t have a long drive that day as the plan was to stay one night in Mbombela (formerly known as Neslpruit) so we didn’t have to rush.  My sister also wanted to do some shopping before we left as meats and booze were a lot cheaper there.  We grabbed a couple bottles of Moët for $50 cdn!

Then it was a drive back to Maputo, and back to work for my sister.  Not for long though, as our mom was coming to visit and with the bit of overlap we had one more little excursion planned!

Flashback Friday - Hamilton’s Tented Camp Safari 2021

As I left the cabin to head back to the main lodge I was confronted by the most incredible sight.  Several elephants had walked up past our cabin and were standing right beside the walkway.  I was just stunned by how close these magnificent animals were.  Staying as still as possible, I took a bunch of pictures.  I then wanted to go back to the room to let my sister know what was just outside.  There was on elephant who got a little close to the walkway and did not seem pleased with me trying to slip by.   

When I managed to safely get back to the room I opened the door and was quietly calling for my sister to come see.  Eventually I realized I was hearing her equally firm calls to come in the room.  She was at the balcony door watching another elephant just outside snacking on a tree!  It was just amazing that several elephants just decided to explore the foliage around our cabin while we were there.  To my sister’s consternation I slipped on to the balcony for some more pictures.  If I had been dumb enough to try it, I probably could have touched her!

It was becoming one of those trips where just when you think it can’t get any better, the universe throws a surprise at you!  Well after that amazing morning, a delicious lunch, we still had another safari.  We had another wonderful trip with just the three of us in our vehicle.  We saw more of the same animals, and such beautiful birds.  There was another G&T watching the sunset, and a fabulous dinner.  One of those evenings where I don’t recalling anything that stands out, but that everything was simply wonderful. 

Another early morning was our last at the camp.  Our new friend had an early flight and had decided to skip the morning safari so she wouldn’t risk being late to the airport. So it was just my sister and I for the morning safari.  And it was beyond amazing.  Early on we were alerted to a pack of Wild Dogs (also known as Painted Dogs) in the area.  There were a few adults and a whole mess of young pups just playing and bouncing around.  The Wild Dogs are endangered in Africa, so it was pretty special to see a big pack with so many young.  Then after watching them play for a while we continue on seeing what we could see.

With amazing timing, we rounded a corner to see a group of male cheetahs crossing the road way.  A few minutes earlier or later and we might have never seen them!  Our eagle eyed guide spotted them, and then we followed them through the landscape for awhile.  All four of them had large bellies, they had just eaten and were looking for a quiet place to nap.  One safari vehicle, quickly followed by two more, seemed to be a minor annoyance to the boys.  They eventually settled for a nap under some trees, allowing us to admire them before it was time to head back for breakfast. 

After breakfast it was time for us to pack up.  We weren’t quite done with Kruger, but had decided to spend one night at the luxurious Shalati Lodge in the southern part of the park.  So after another short drive to our new hotel we had time to settle in before another safari.  Shalati is absolutely incredible.  It’s in a fairly busy part of the park called Skukuza, the hotel itself is built from old train cars and parked on a disused rail bridge over a river.   The railroad used to be the main way through the park, and for tourists to arrive.  Since it was shut down the whole thing was repurposed for a luxury hotel.  The car in the middle was also the bar area, with a huge pool over looking the wild river below.  

The lunch at the hotel was lovely.  Thought we had a bit of a laugh. As food was included it was a fairly set menu.  About to order the dish with venison, we realized that the North American definition of the word might not apply!  When we asked, venison can really mean any game meat sometimes.   I don’t think we figured out exactly what it was, but it was tasty. 

Flashback Friday - A Safari in Kruger 2021

For the second part of our sisters vacation, we drove from Maputo into South Africa.  Crossing the border was a different experience for me, involving a lot different steps on both sides.  We got through easily though and were on our way before too long.  We had a fairly long day of driving ahead of us as our first stop was in the more northern part of the park.  We were driving up to the Hamilton Tented Camps which are on private concessions so they are a little more isolated.  I had been lucky enough to go on safari once before when I was a teenager, it was very cool but we didn’t see too many of the Big Five, so I was excited for another try.  

Things started very well as we saw hippos floating in the river as we crossed into the park.  This was quickly followed by giraffes, zebras and plenty of antelope.  The drive got more exciting when we had to stop for a train of elephants crossing the road in front of us, including some adorably tiny babies!  However, time started getting tight.  We wanted to be at the resort in time for the afternoon safari, so we decided we couldn’t keep stopping for every animal near the road.  Our decision was put to the test when we saw several cars pulled over, and they told us there was a lion near by.  Shaking our heads we had to keep going.  And then it seemed that around every corner there was an elephant in the road.  You just can’t rush an elephant that wants to take the easy path!

Our grit paid off, we arrived just as the guests were gathering for the safari.  We had enough time to introduce ourselves and drop our bags in the lobby and join the tour.  It was a great start to the safari, with more elephants and plenty more antelope.  So many colourful birds, and we saw a male lion relaxing under the shade of a bush.   We stopped for a sundowner at sunset.  It was something different to be served a Gin and Tonic in a crystal glass while standing in the middle of a clearing in Africa.   We then cruised back to the hotel for dinner.

During the safari my sister had been chatting with a single traveller.  She was a doctor that had come on safari after a conference in South Africa.  A lovely woman and interesting to talk to, when we saw the tables were set to have her sitting alone, we invited her to join us.  The dining area was a gorgeous open air spot overlooking the riverbank the camp was built along.  As it was the dry season the water levels were quite low.

After an amazing dinner, we were escorted to our cabin.  There was a slightly elevated walk way, and we were told not to go out alone at night as the camp is open to the animals.  It was an absolutely stunning room, with a gorgeous deck, a deep old bathtub and an outdoor shower.  The cabins were all nicely spaced for privacy and we had a small carafe of sherry waiting for us.  Everything was decorated with a colonial era feel.  Which was beautiful, with old trunks and binoculars, but slightly unsettling with the knowledge of the history of colonialism.   We still had a small toast with sherry for our vacation of course. 

Safari vacations are not for people who don’t like mornings.  We woke up much too early to get a good start to see the animals before the heat of mid day.  There was a very light breakfast for us to have before loading the safari vehicles.  As we were a touch crowded yesterday, there were two vehicles for everyone today.  My sister, our new friend and I were assigned to one.  This was a treat as they are three tier vehicles so we each got a row to ourselves to scoot back and forth depending on where the animals appeared. 

For the morning safari, we went down to where there was a large watering hole.  By the time we got there we had been driving for a bit we had our morning coffee break there.  It was just incredible because we had followed a herd of wildebeests to get there, and shortly after a large herd of elephants arrived too.  They were followed by a massive group of zebras.  The smaller animals all stood back and waited for the elephants to finish.  So I got to sip a nice mug of tea and just watch all of these amazing animals milling about.  It was just a fantastic morning.

When we got back to the hotel, we had a late lunch.  Then it was a few hours to relax before lunch and the afternoon safari.  My sister and I spent the time cooling off in the small pool and reading our books before going to get dressed for the afternoon.  Sis wanted to spend a little more time in the room but I decided to go back to the main lodge to see what could be seen from the deck.  When I started the walk back I got the absolute surprise of my life!