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Recent Sightings of the Timbavati White Lions at Kings Camp
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Kings Camp White Lion Pride
Recent news about the white lions has reached us from the Head Guide at Kings Camp. He says, “At one particular sighting, I noticed the lioness of the white cubs taking her cubs of 15 months old into combat with several hyenas. Whether this was intentional to educate the youngsters or merely making a statement to her competition, I was not sure. I would like to believe that it was an educational experience merely making the cubs aware of the competition that they are faced with in their lives ahead. These lionesses are massive felines and can easily hold their ground against 9 hyenas. I have personally witnessed this. We are so lucky to have this pride in our area of traversing. To see the white cubs as frequently as we do is a bonus and to think that they are the only two white lions in the wild that we know of is hard to comprehend.” (Source: KIngs Camp Blog)
Read more about Kings Camp
Where to Stay in the Timbavati
White Lion seen at Motswari Private Game Reserve in the Timbavati
The Timbavati Game Reserve lies to the north of the Sabi Sands on the western fringe of the Kruger National Park. Unfenced, the area allows many varieties of wildlife to roam free. The Timbavati is about 5 or 6 hours by car from Johannesburg, and is well worth the drive. It reveals the magnificent secrets of a wilderness area spanning more than 53 000 hectares.
What makes the Timbavati such a wonderful sanctuary, is its plethora of fauna and flora. The reserve is home to over 40 mammals, including all the Big Five; more than 360 bird species, 79 species of reptile; 49 varieties of fish and 85 listed tree types. One of the Timbavati’s big drawcards is the white lion, which has recently reappeared in the area. The white apparel of this beautiful and rare animal is brought about by a recessive gene. Locals see the white lion as sacred, and indeed it’s a very special sighting for visitors.
When it comes to deciding where to stay, there are a number of luxury lodges to choose from, each with its own special character and charm.
The Lion Room at Motswari
Motswari is a delightful traditional lodge, very welcoming and happy to make guests part of the Motswari family. It has space for 30 guests and accommodates them with a good twist of luxury. Twice every day the Motswari guides will drive you out into the bush, and you’re likely to see a good selection of game. Art-lovers will be at home Motswari, which has its own gallery and displays local artwork. A local sculptor practises his art in the reserve.
A rhino sighting at Kings Camp
Kings Camp is another option, just brimming with romance. Expect a good touch of the old Colonial. Kings Camp is a good choice if you intend to combine a great safari with some self-nourishment. A gym, spa and beauty sala are all available at the camp, and there’s a glorious pooldeck looking out over a waterhole. Between safaris you can laze about here and watch game without moving a muscle. There’s wireless internet in case you’re afraid of slipping into the back of beyond and want to keep in touch with life beyond the Timbavati.
Tented luxury at Tanda Tula in the Timbavati
There’s nothing quite like a tented safari to connect you with the wilderness. And tented options do not need to mean skimping on luxury. Tanda Tula is an intimate four-star camp, with space for just 12 guests at a time. That means you have a very interactive bush experience with plenty of personal service. The East African-styled tents are way beyond comfortable and are set amid dense riverine vegetation. You have your own viewing deck, as well as a gorgeous Victorian bathroom, and an outside shower if you prefer al fresco cleansing. One of the highlights at Tanda Tula is an outdoor dinner each evening, after the game drive.
Bundubash in Style: Lukimbi Safari Lodge’s Walking Trails
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It would take a lot to beat the thrill and exhilaration of a foot safari on the turf of Africa’s big game. And to do it in five-star style undoubtedly adds to the appeal. Well-planned walking trails with a good measure of built-in luxury are on offer at Lukimbi Safari Lodge, a luxurious sanctuary spanning a magnificent 15 000 hectare wilderness concession in the south of the Kruger National Park. This is the best known of all South African game reserves, and the home turf of the all the Big Five, as well as wild dog, cheetah, giraffe and very many other species.
Depending on your threshhold for bundu-bashing, Lukimbi offers a choice of walking trails. Serious walkers and bush-lovers will want to opt for the 3-day trail package, while others might choose just a 1- or 2-day walk.
This is more or less what you can expect: you’ll start the walk at 7.00 am, after fortifying yourself with coffee and biscuits at the lodge. The lead guide and trekker will inform you of the do’s and don’ts of walking in Big Five country. Armed with some useful facts, you’ll hit the track. After a few hours of walking, the group will be met by the Lukimbi team, revealing a beautifully laid table and a full breakfast, including freshly cooked food and hot filtered coffee. Just imagine this scene, right in front of a waterhole …
Refreshed and revitalised, you’ll continue on your way, with great sightings to be enjoyed on route. One of the best sightings comes at lunch time, when you spot the wonderful Lukimbi team again, in yet another beautiful setting, this time with a lavish offering of lunch served in the shade of a tree on blankets and cushions.
The last leg of the walk will continue after lunch, and by this time it will probably be a bit cooler, which makes for even better game viewing. On reaching your final destination, there’ll be the welcome sight of a Landrover to greet you, complete with a cooler box filled with ice cold drinks. You arrive back at the lodge at 5.00 pm, with ample time to relax before a wonderful dinner feast.
Kindly note that these walks need to be booked in advance. There need to be a minimum of two people and a maximum of eight people per walk. No children under the age of 16 are permitted to participate.
Call us on +27 11 803 8669 to book.
Read more about Lukimbi Safari Lodge, or read about Lukimbi’s sister lodge Idube in the Sabi Sands.
The Pilanesberg: You Don’t have to Travel Forever to Get to See Big Game
No more than two hours from Johannesburg, The Pilanesberg National Park rests in the rocky amphitheatre of a long extinct volcano in the North-West Province. The fourth largest reserve in South Africa, the Pilanesberg is very scenic and is prolifically populated by wildlife. Almost all of southern Africa’s mammals are represented here, and the Big Five most certainly. The Pilanesberg is also a malaria-free safari region, which gives it one more thumbs up.
The volcanic crater of the Pilanesberg was produced by volcanic eruptions some 1300 million years ago and is one of the largest volcanic complexes of its kind anywhere in the world. This makes it a uniquely fascinating region from a geological point of view. In the park there are sites that originate from the Iron and Stone ages and show the presence of man from those periods.
Patsy Hayter from Exclusive Getaways has just visited the Pilanesberg. She spent two days at Ivory Tree Lodge and loved it. What she liked best was her neck, back and shoulder massage at the spa. The spa setting was great, she said, with timber walkways linking a few different treatment rooms. “The best“, she volunteered, “was the post-treatment downtime I spent on an open bush-facing deck where the sense of tranquility was utterly palpable. And next time“, she added, “the counterpoint to this blissful tranquillity is going to be a 1-hour game viewing adventure on a quad bike.”
Ivory Tree Lodge is a large five-star getaway with 60 rooms. The highlights of the day are the guided safari drives that take you over savannah plains, rocky outcrops and wooded thickets in search of wildlife. These take place early in the morning and in the late afternoon, giving you a fair chance of seeing a variety of diurnal as well as nocturnal game. If you’re lucky enough to participate in one of Ivory Tree’s interactive safaris, you’ll experience first-hand involvement in conservation projects. When you’re not out tracking game, you can indulge yourself at the spa, swim or catnap at the pool.
Neighbouring the Pilanesberg, Sun City is a huge drawcard, luring masses of visitors to its entertainment mega-complex which features everything from round-the-clock casinos to man-made beaches. You may like to add it to your itinerary. In fact, Ivory Tree Lodge is situated so close to the gate, that wizzing off to Sun City for a bit is well within the range of your options.
South Africa Gets Top Marks as World Cup Host
Source: www.sagoodnews.co.za
FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Monday gave South Africa his highest possible mark for a World Cup that defied sceptics who had predicted disaster. Blatter said he would give a mark of 9 out of 10 which was the maximum possible. “Perfection does not exist in our life,” he told a news conference.
Last year, when FIFA still had concerns over South African organisation of the vast logistical operation, Blatter had given a mark of 7.5, saying it was below what was required.
“Africa has proven that really they can organise this World Cup…they can be proud,” Blatter said, adding that the tournament had changed perceptions of the continent. Years of negative reporting had predicted chaos and major criminal incidents.
South Africa’s 40-billion-rand ($5.29-billion) spending on the World Cup, which ended with Spain’s victory over Netherlands on Sunday, would bring increased tourism, trade and investment, President Jacob Zuma said on Monday.
He said it would create the revenue to address myriad social problems including widespread poverty and an HIV pandemic. Blatter, like other senior international soccer officials at the news conference, paid tribute to the way South Africans had continued to attend matches despite being the first host nation to be knocked out at the group stage.
More than 3.1 million people attended the 64 games, the third highest figure behind the United States in 1994 and Germany in 2006.
Breathtaking Waterberg: Scenic Safaris Like None Other
Elephant Sighting at Makweti Safari Lodge
The Waterberg – incredibly scenic and free of malaria – is a protected UNESCO Biosphere Reserve resting against a breathtaking canvas of four mountain ranges.
The Waterberg is home to the game reserves of Welgevonden, Entabeni and Lapalala Wilderness, all of which provide superb safari experiences and wilderness getaways. These range from ultra-luxurious safaris to the more rustic bush experiences.
The area is a haven for ecotourism, where the welfare of the environment, wildlife and community remain paramount. Go on a once-in-a-lifetime safari, and once in the area visit intriguing rock-art sites, go in search of more than 300 species of birds, and visit the nearby Nylsvlei wetlands.
The Welgevonden Reserve is an exquisite piece of paradise, made up of rolling wooded mountains, deep rocky ravines and majestic gorges. Meaning ‘well found’, the Welgevonden is a place of beauty, abundant wildlife and many varieties of birdlife. The reserve is home to over 50 different mammals, including the Big Five, and has one of the largest populations of white rhino anywhere in Africa. More recently cheetah have been successfully released on Welgevonden and have become an additional game viewing attraction.
Makweti Safari Lodge, Mhondoro Game Lodge and Shibula Lodge & Bush Spa are among the wonderful lodges in the Welgevonden. There’s currently a special offer at Makweti that remains valid until the end of September 2010.
Entabeni Safari Conservancy spans over 22 000 hectares of bushveld, ravines, wetlands and wooded hills and offers accommodation in six distinct lodges. One of Entabeni’s drawcards is a maginificent golf course in the heart of Big Five territory. Witwater Safari Lodge & Spa is another very appealing option, and one that includes tented accommodation along a flowing river. For groups and families, Yellow Wood Game Lodge provides a very affordable and comfortable bush stay in a supremely beautiful area.
Knysna Oyster Festival 2-11 July
The St. James of Knysna: A Great Stay in Knysna
Every year the Knysna Oyster Festival sees something in the region of 200 000 oysters being swallowed down, assisted on their passage by good amounts of tantalizing wines. Knysna bursts its beautiful seams with scores of eager visitors and the locals who enthusiastically join the fun. Foodies, runners, cyclists and canoeists also pop out in force to do whatever their thing happens to be.
As the World Cup heads toward its final crescendo, Knysna will be doing what it always does best – savouring oysters at its 27th oyster festival. More than a hundred events will be taking place, including the Knysna Forest Marathon which attracts participants from all over the world. There will also be cycling events, a race for disabled participants, and the well-known Oyster & Wine Mardi Gras. This event features the oyster-innovations of various chefs, along with fine South African wines and champagne. There’ll be plenty of music and merriment, and of course, oyster eating will be a high priority throughout …
All profits derived from the festival – which could be well over a million – will be in aid charity.
Find accommodation options in Knysna and along the Garden Route.
Top Attractions in South Africa: Not Only for the Football Fans | .TR
Table Mountain – The Best View of Cape Town
The famous mountain is located in Cape Town and is 1,086 m high. Vertical sandstone rock walls are topped by a plateau. The mountain is one of the most popular highlights in Cape Town. There are more plant species on the mesa than in the whole Britain. The mountain offers a beautiful view of the city centre as well as the surrounding mountains and the ocean. You can also get here an interesting insight of the South African culture since it is a favorite picnic area for the locals. If you are not keen on walking you can also use a cable car that goes up every 6 minutes.
Garden Route – As Beautiful as Paradise!
Garden Route is a scenic stretch going from Mossel Bay to Paul Sauer Bridge and is about 300 km long. Not only the route but the whole 750 km long coast from Cape Town to Port Elisabeth offers numerous attractions to the visitors. Steep mountains, cliffs, white sand beaches, deep forests, semi deserts – these all are to be found in this narrow yet intriguing area with diverse vegetation. There are many coastal resorts that invite tourists to have a break and relax. In the sea you can also spot some penguins, whales and dolphins.
Robben Island – The Symbol of Free Country
About 10 kilometers far from Cape Town you can find a former prison island – Robben Island. The most prominent prisoner here was of course Nelson Mandela, the later Nobel Prize winner and the president of South Africa. Since he and many other political prisoners spent here many years in captivity it is one of the main tourism attractions in Cape Town. Today Robben Island is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site but also a symbol of free South Africa.
Sterkfontein Caves – The Cradle of Humankind
Sterkfontein Caves, a world heritage site, are located approximately 50 km northwest of Johannesburg and are worth visiting not only because of its stalagmites and stalactites but also for the historic discoveries that were made there – e.g. 2.6 million year old bones of hominid man. This was in fact the missing link between a man and an ape. The caves are also known for another finding – approximately four million year old skeleton called the Little Foot. A visitor’s center has been newly built there with an exhibition portraying the evolution of men.
Cape Winelands – South Africa for Wine Lovers
Cape Winelands is the largest wine producing region in South Africa boasting some of the oldest wine estates and homesteads. Many travelers come to get their first South African experience right here where they can choose among several award winning wines and restaurants. Most of the local farms and wineries offer wine tastings and cellar tours. The wine growing tradition in South Africa dates back to the 17th century. Since then the local wines reached fame all around the world and today the country produces 1 billion liters of wine annually.
Kruger National Park – Safari for Your Camera
Every visit in Africa should include the experience of safari with lions and elephants. This is exactly what you can expect in Kruger National Park, one of the largest game reserves on the continent. Don’t forget your camera and try to take a picture of the Big Five – leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino and lion. Besides that you can expect 130 species of mammals, 48 species of fish, 114 kinds of reptiles and 468 types of birds. So do not hesitate, take your children let the fun begins!
Sun City – Las Vegas of South Africa
Sun City is a popular luxury and casino resort nicknamed the Las Vegas of South Africa. It is located 150 km northwest from Johannesburg in the immediate vicinity of the Pilanesberg National Park. Casinos, shows, luxurious hotels, artificial waterfalls, golf courses and sports facilities are exactly what you can expect there. It is actually the only place in northern South Africa where gambling is not prohibited.
Phinda Game Reserve – Seven Ecosystems
Phinda Game Reserve lies on the east coast 300 km away from Durban. It is one of the most fascinating protected areas in the country. There are seven different ecosystems covering 140 square kilometers including palm savannah and mountain bush, rare sand forest and dense thornveld. The diversity lures geographers, botanists, and biologists and of course tourists from all over the world. There are many opportunities how to go on safari here – besides the traditional jeep however you can also opt for canoes or rafts.
Drakensberg and the Dramatic Blyde River Canyon
Drakensberg, the highest mountain range in South Africa, was the source of inspiration of J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of the famous Lord of the Rings , trilogy. No wonder if you feel like in the Middle Earth when visiting the region. One of the most visited highlights of Drakensberg area is the Blyde River Canyon that is about 26 km long and up to 800 m deep. It is one of the greatest natural wonders in the country and one of the largest canyons in the world.
The Apartheid Museum: Remember the History
Opened in 2001, the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg is probably the most impressive as well as the most visited museum in South Africa. Portraying the history of segregation that started in 1948 and ended only in 1994 the museum offers an emotional and sometimes disturbing experience. The highlight of the museum is a reconstruction of an isolation cell bringing relief to the visitors that the times have already changed in South Africa.
It’s Whale Season!
Whales at De Hoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape
The first whales of the 2010 season have been spotted at De Hoop Nature Reserve. The reserve has some superb accommodation, including upmarket self-catering.
South Africa’s coastal waters receive migrating whales each year between June and November, when they migrate from icy Antarctic waters and enter our sheltered bays to give birth to their young and to enter courtship. While here, the whales delight scores of visitors with their graceful antics. How exciting it is to watch the breaching, blowing and lobtailing of these incredible giants, so huge yet apparently unable to swallow as much as a tennis ball!
South Africa’s Whale Route includes almost 2 000 kilometres of coast, extending from Doringbaai south of Cape Town, and along the coast as far as Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. Popular viewing areas in the Western Cape include the Cape Peninsula; the seaside holiday towns of Hermanus, Gansbaai and Arniston; De Hoop Nature Reserve near Bredasdorp; and Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay along the Garden Route. Towns along the rugged West Coast also offer great viewing.
Big on whales, the vibrant holiday town of Hermanus hosts an annual Whale Festival, with a Whale Crier at hand to herald the day’s sightings. Festival days are packed with music, theatre and lots of play.
There’s a sad tale about how the southern right whale got its name, and the story goes that in the days of whale hunting, these were the ‘right’ animals to hunt, due to the sought-after whale oil they provided and because their bodies remained afloat after harpooning. Since hunting of the southern right was terminated, their numbers are estimated to have grown by 7% a year.
Adult female southern rights are larger than their men, reaching lengths of about 16.5 metres, in contrast with their male counterparts who grow to about 15 metres. These animals reach their characteristic immensity on a daily intake of 600 kilograms of their favourite plankton “sushi”.
Boat-based whale watching offers plenty of exhilaration. Book your trip with a licensed operator, who is allowed to take you close enough for awesome viewing, while reserving a 300m radius of unimpeded territory for the whales.
Plan your trip to the Western Cape to co-incide with the wonder of whale season. Consider the add-ons of a tour of the Cape Wine Route; some sightseeing along the Garden Route; and an Eastern Cape safari.
Find great ideas for your South African holiday.
Johnny Clegg a Great Hit in Madikwe
We’ve had some news from Tuningi Safari Lodge about Johnny Clegg’s performance in the Madikwe Game Reserve. They tell us that although the weather tossed a curve ball or two into the mix, Tuningi rose to the occasion by moving the venue from the bush braai site to the warmth of the Lapa at the last minute. The event was a huge success! Everybody just loved it and are hanging in for another show.
