Crown anniversary – is there such a thing?

A little over a month ago we celebrated our crown anniversary. Whether a crown anniversary exists is a different story, however I have based it on the principal of a crown birthday. We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary on the 7th of February.

Obviously, a celebratory trip to the bush was needed, however, I was not wanting to cook, clean or sleep in a sleeping bag in a tent. I wanted a weekend where it was all taken care of.

I started the search looking for places that ticked all the boxes:

1. Within 4 hours from Johannesburg

2. Allowed children under 5 on game drives

3. All 3 meals

4. Was affordable as a South African Resident.

Many I came across failed dismally on point number 4. Sadly, many of the lodges are priced out of the average South African’s reach, which is disappointing. For the most part, I’d have to sell both kidney’s and possibly a liver for the 3 of us to spend 2 nights at one of these lodges.

I came across a special at Umzolozolo in Nambiti Private Game reserve just outside of Ladysmith. It ticked all 4 boxes, and they were able to accommodate my dietary requirements – bonus!

Umzolozolo is the Zulu name for the African Hoopoe, incidentally, a bird I have not managed to capture a decent photo of.

As usual, we left later than we had planned to leave, meaning we arrived later than scheduled.

We parked our car in the designated parking area and waited for our pickup from the lodge.

Promise, our guide for the 3 days, arrived shortly after. We loaded our luggage into the vehicle and made the short journey from the car park to the lodge through the reserve. It was our first trip to Nambiti and the vegetation was thick and green.

Upon arrival at the lodge, we were greeted by Henry, the head of department for front of house and guest relations, with cold towels to freshen up after the long trip.

Being accustomed to “roughing it”, we felt like royalty.

Having had no expectations, my initial impressions of the lodge were positive. It was neat, clean and the view from the deck overlooking the rolling hills and the valley down below, was spectacular. After a very well received welcome drink and a smooth check in process we were shown to our chalet, which was right next to the main building.

There were some Nyala’s ruminating in the shade trying to avoid the heat of the day outside our bathroom. The 2 male Nyala’s sought shelter in the shade between our room and the main building but were not too concerned by our presence. The bed had been decorated with petals together with a welcome note to congratulate us on our 7th wedding anniversary.

Julia was most excited that she had her own room! We freshened up and went to have some lunch. The food was well prepared, and the portion sizes were ample. The extra effort that went into ensuring there was a gluten free option for me was much appreciated and all the meals were incredible.

After lunch it was time for our first afternoon game drive. We were joined by another couple and off we went. Promise was very engaging and incredibly knowledgeable. Our first sighting was a warthog. Usually, these guys don’t stick around when a car arrives, but this guy was not skittish and casually continued grazing while we watched for a short while. We continued to where they had seen the female cheetah in the morning. Of course, the excitement was bubbling under the surface for me. The thought of seeing a cheetah on our first game drive at Nambiti was almost too much. She had made a kill the previous evening, so I was skeptical that she would still be there. We passed a few other guides on the way who all said they had been past the area, and she was nowhere to be seen. Promise was not deterred by this, and we continued in the hope that perhaps she was just a flat cat. We arrived and she was nowhere to be seen. Promise scanned and it was pure luck that she rolled over, and we were able to spot her through the grass lying in the shade of a bush digesting her meal.

The long grass made it quite difficult to get a good visual or picture, but just being in her presence was more than enough. What a beautiful, relaxed cat and we were able to view her for quite a while. With the amount of yawning going on we were convinced she was going to get up and move, and she did, however it was only to reposition herself. Another vehicle joined us and asked if anyone had lost a camera…unbeknown to us, the Nikon Coolpix Julia had been using had fallen out of the vehicle…surprisingly, it still works! Nokia 3310 vibes…

We left the beautiful feline and went in search of more sightings. The reserve has some tough terrain which makes the roads of the Pilanesberg, which many people find horrendous, seem perfect! I had my first sighting of a lanner falcon – what an incredibly regal looking bird.

The lanner falcon is listed as Vulnerable in South Africa according to the Robert’s Bird Guide. Promise showed us where they nest along the rock cliff edges, which during breeding season often become “white” with all the defecation that happens.

We stopped for sundowners overlooking another beautiful valley and enjoyed the beautiful pink and purple hues that painted the skies before making our way back to the lodge.

There were two items on my list that I wanted to see while on a night drive, a flap necked chameleon and a night jar – didn’t matter which night jar, I just wanted to see one.

Promise’s trained eye picked up a baby flap necked chameleon which meant my night photography skills would be tested. I have a long way to go still but I was really happy to have managed a semi decent photo and ticking it off my bucket list.

Arriving back at the lodge we were again greeted by Henry with a cold face cloth to wipe the dust off our faces and we made our way to dinner in the boma, under the stars. Again, the food was delicious.

Day 2, was an early start and off we went on a bumble. It was rather chilly and we all had to use the ponchos that Promise had brought with. The search was on for the 2 cheetah males and we made our way to the boundary fence which is where they prefer to hang out. We were told these cheetah actually use the fence to their advantage while hunting and have often chased their prey into the fence where they are disoriented and immobilized and therefore a much easier target.

We stopped at the dam where the resident hippo had returned to the water and followed us very closely. Sadly, no cheetah males were found in the area. We came across Windgat, the other elephant bull who was grazing in the boma. The boma was open and allowed for the animals to roam freely in the area. We were separated by a fence, not that it mattered as he was very calm and continued to happily feed. It was the closest I have ever been to an elephant in musth. I had heard of the very distinct smell that is given off by an elephant in musth and for someone who has a terrible sense of smell, this, I could smell, and it was not particularly pleasant. Despite the smell I loved being able to sit in his presence and watch him enjoy his breakfast.

The herd of impala not too far from Windgat were beautiful to photograph as they were all fluffed up due to the cold.

The rest of the morning drive was relatively “routine” and upon arrival at the lodge we had breakfast and Julia and I spent some time poolside. The infinity pool overlooks the valley and it was so lovely to unwind for a while.

The afternoon drive started with some time spent at the dam where a breeding herd of ellies came for a drink and a swim. These ellies were such a delight to watch as they were only interested in the dam. We sat quietly and watched them as they dug for roots and quenched their thirst. 2 youngsters braved a swim and were rather amusing as they played in the water and tried climbing on top of one another. At one point we could only see their trunks. Listening to the communication amongst the herd, the low rumbles and the occasional trumpet was such food for the soul and I would go as far as saying it was my best elephant sighting/interaction ever. At no point did I feel nervous or panicked – which, had it been a few years ago, I would have probably been curled up in the fetal position on the floor of the vehicle.

We also had an incredible sighting of the herd of Cape Buffalo. We joked and said they were born angry but this herd was not at all angry and could not have been less concerned with our presence. We stopped for sundowners and enjoyed the setting sun with a G&T in hand. Our drive ended with a sighting of a fiery necked night jar – now I know what they sound like and have been able to enjoy their bird song on subsequent bush trips. Second bucket list item checked, sadly, the photo's were not that great...

With full bellies and memories banked we had a good sleep and were up the next morning for our final drive of the trip. Promise had said we would venture to the north of the reserve to the waterfall and it would take a while to get there so we didn’t spend much time in the South. However, the cheetah boys had been spotted near the boundary. We arrived to flat cats…but not too long after our arrival the one sat up to scan his surroundings and what an incredibly regal looking boy. The morning sun fell across his face allowing for the most exquisite side portrait.

The journey to the north of the reserve was relatively quiet as everyone was heading south to catch a glimpse of the 2 cheetah males. We did some birding and quite possibly the highlight of my trip was the fleeting sighting of a serval that crossed the road in front of us.

Servals are such beautiful wild cats which I had never seen in the wild. It was a rather brief sighting and the shutter on my camera was in overdrive. I was literally clicking and praying for something decent.

Sadly, I have seen one too many videos going viral on social media lately where servals have been “domesticated”, and these videos only perpetuate the illegal wildlife trade by fueling the demand for animals that belong in the wild. Yes, I too was once naïve enough to pet lion and tiger cubs, I didn’t know any better. Now that I do, it’s so important to educate and raise awareness.

We were also fortunate to meet Dermot and Phoebe from Connected Planet Foundation who happened to be staying at Umzolozolo over the same weekend. The Connected Planet foundation aims to connect people to our planet and the natural world around them. One of the projects they are currently running, the Ubuntu Project, connects schools in the UK with schools in their partner network in Africa – Nourish Eco Village (Hoedspruit) and Semadep Foundation (Maasai Mara). The project also aims to fund trips into the Kruger and Maasai Mara for many of the young people, who live on the outskirts of these parks, but have never set foot inside and experienced the beauty at their doorstep. These trips are vital in driving education and awareness around conservation and the challenges faced by many of the animals. As they have rightly said, for conservation to succeed, the community must be involved.

In conclusion, our maiden trip to Nambiti and Umzolozolo was nothing short of wonderful.