A perfect day

Six months ago today I was on the other side of our planet, in Kenya’s Masai Mara, sitting on the deck of my tent writing postcards home to family and friends. All the spacious tents at the Fairmont Mara Safari club overlook the Mara River. A choir of hippos bob up and down in the river below – grunting and splashing all day (and sometimes all night) long. But I don’t mind, it is music to my ears.

This morning we left early in an open vehicle for our first game drive. Off in the distance we see the red cloth of the Maasai herdsman taking their cattle out to graze and water. We are blessed with many great wildlife sightings. A group of playful baboons grooming one another, a cheetah poised on a termite mound scanning the horizon for a meal, lions feasting on a smelly, rotten buffalo corpse because they are too lazy to hunt for a fresh kill, elephants rhythmically swinging their trunks as the pick grass, not to mention my favorite --the graceful giraffes.

Then we are treated to a surprise bush breakfast with hot Kenyan coffee, fresh baked pastries, omelets made to order, grilled tomatoes and sausages and the juiciest fruits.

And just when I thought it could not get any better we were told that before returning to the Mara Safari Club we were invited to visit a local Maasai village. We were greeted in song by the women. Their brightly colored clothing and beaded jewelry was so beautiful. Then the young teenage men tell us about their responsibilities – primarily school and animal husbandry. They explained the importance of cattle to their culture and then demonstrate the adumu, or jumping dance. A few at a time we are escorted into their timber, grass and mud homes to see where they cook, sleep and escape from the heat of the day. It was such a privilege to be so warmly welcomed into this place. I proudly wear the beaded bangles and necklace that I purchased after our visit.

I can’t imagine a more perfect day, and it is only half way through.

Susannah Zani

susannahz@africantravelinc.com

Feeling good about feeling good

How do you spell “heavenly”?

“T -I -N -T -S -W -A -L- O”, that’s how. Less than a 30 minute drive down from Hoedspruit, half that time on a road that has been annexed by the park and is slowly returning to its pre-manmade state. Shortly after entering the Manyaleti Reserve, the ride got really exciting. We were beginning to cross a small bridge over a gulley when a bull elephant emerged from the bush and stood in the middle of the road blocking the far side of the bridge. This is what’s know as a bush sig-alert (for those of you non-Californians, a “sig alert” is a colloquialism for traffic jam). Then, after the elephant, we saw a group of six very young giraffes – I was advised that they were no more that 6 months old and it was unusual to see them in a group with no adults visible.
But enough about the game, since I spoke a bit about it last time.

Tintswalo Safari Lodge is absolutely spectacular in every way and manages to maintain such a comfortable quality about it where I felt right at home. There was a luncheon buffet table set up in the wine cellar. For those of you who have been on safari, the other primary activity besides wildlife viewing is eating – well, I just had to sample a little of this and that, and that, and one of those and…..but everything was low carb ( Oops, I told a lie!). I was in the Richard Burton suite, just a short walk down the elevated walkway from the main building. One entire wall of the suite was glass, opening up on a huge private deck and plunge pool, overlooking a dry riverbed. This is the same riverbed, though which each evening, as if on cue, a leopard saunters along.

Dinner was a small feast served in the boma under a sky ladened with stars and the wine selection was impeccable. Coffee and after dinner drinks were consumed on the main deck and stories freely traded among the guests. Again, for those who have been on safari, there comes a time when the gameviewing can be a bit slow and someone always recounts all the remarkable sightings that they observed. Well, another couple at the lodge was on the gamedrive the previous afternoon and sighted all three big cats in the same drive: lion, leopard and cheetah! Braggarts!

And so the evening drew to a close as I was escorted back to my room. I was travelling by myself, so I was not inclined to languish in the large free standing claw footed bathtub, which was filled with bubbles and strewn with rose petals (And “no”, that’s not me in a blonde wig smoking a cigar).

So, now let’s talk about passion. I love my job, that it involves Africa and that I get to travel there , though if it was up to me, the travel would be much more frequent. I love that I can share my experiences and knowledge with others, particularly when I discover a place like Tintswalo. Every single employee/staff member I encountered, whether directly interacting or merely passing, exuded warmth and a sincere air of caring that my experience with them was the best that it could possibly be. And then there are the owners, Ernest and Gaye Corbett. I was privileged to spend 24 hours in their company and during this time I slowly came to a realization. They exuded the exact same sense of caring and commitment I perceived coming from the entire staff. They are actively involved with the local community and spend a few weeks each year in educational awareness ventures (aids awareness, rights of children) across the African continent.

WOW! That’s a double “feel good” about choosing to support their operation. I could go on, but don’t want to get preachy. There is a private Safari House for family groups and they also have a property in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

- Richard Haas-Winkelman
richardh@africantravelinc.com
www.africantravelinc.com

Are You looking at ME?

What do you do when the wildlife you are watching is watching you back?

It was a late afternoon gamedrive in the Manyaleti Reserve and we had stopped to observe a lioness and her almost adult male cub chew on what was left of yesterday’s kill. Note: you really don’t want to be downwind. But back to the story, we were stopped less than 100 feet from the lions when the male lion lifted his head and stared at us.

His eyes were quite beautiful, as I watched through my zoom lens. Then, he slowly got up and started approaching the vehicle. Wow, what a great photo opportunity. And he kept coming closer. And closer. And I began to get nervous (mildly understated, but I wasn’t the only one.)

He got to about 30 feet away and then settled back down into the grass. PHEW! And two minutes later, he was up again and coming closer. Our ranger moved our vehicle about twenty feet forward and stopped. The lion again came to within about thirty feet of us and dropped back down on the ground. And two or three minutes he was up and again approaching the vehicle. Our ranger moved the vehicle forward again and lion followed us and then stretched out over our tire tracks again about thirty feet back. At this point, there was a hurried discussion as to our options. One suggestion was for us to plow a path through the thicket and vacate the area while an opposing recommendation was to nudge the lion with the vehicle – the latter was not my suggestion. Thankfully the young lion became distracted by something which scurried by in the grass and he moved off in playful pursuit. I don’t know that it would go down as a typical gamedrive at Tintswalo Safari Lodge but it certainly was an exciting one.

I was ready for a stiff sundowner! (More on Tinstwalo next time).

Richard Haas-Winkelman

richardh@africantravelinc.com

My AFRICAN TRAVELs to Bushmans Kloof

In November, I was extremely fortunate to spend two nights at Bushmans Kloof, a three hour drive north of Cape Town. It had been three years since I first decided that I wanted to see this place for myself. Once ascending the winding mountain road beyond Clanwilliam, I begin passing the towering “other-worldly” rock formations and I knew that something special awaited.

Self professed foodie that I am, suffice it to say the place lives up to its Relais & Chateaux standard. Others are more qualified than I and have already expressed their sentiments better than I in this arena.

The primary draw for me was the Bushmen rockart and still, I was not prepared for the scope and impact of the experience: utterly amazing! For me, it was akin to the feeling I had in Egypt when surrounded with all this living history within arms reach. The stories and scenes depicted possess the power to draw you back to a much earlier time….. I hope I am not sounding too “New Age”.


For more physical experiences, there are two well marked mountain hiking trails and bicycles are readily available for exploring the reserve. It is almost humorous, cycling close to a group of zebra or trying to keep pace with a running ostrich.

I didn’t have time to go for a row in a canoe, nor spend time angling. Honestly, I haven’t held a fishing pole in a very long time (forgive me, Dad!). But I did find the time for a spa treatment. They had recently built a new facility down at the waters edge and the setting is truly tranquil.

They offer star gazing in the evening and the heavens so heavily laden with stars, it seemed I could reach up and pluck one from the sky. But, my favorite time of the day was definitely early morning, sitting on my porch with a cup of coffee as the suns first rays grace the landscape and the world begins to awaken.

The staff was extremely gracious and the overall ambiance possessed an air of romance – and me, traveling by myself. Bushmans Kloof is an ideal addition to a honeymoon safari and is also an excellent choice for families as they have a private villa (Koro Lodge) which was fitted with multi-generational family groups in mind.

The best testament I can offer about Bushmans Kloof is that I wish I could have stayed longer – the place is magical! And I am not the only person who loves this place since Bushmans Kloof has been selected Condé Nast Traveler Gold List Best Hotels in Africa and the Middle East (2009).

Richard Haas-Winkelman
richardh@africantravelinc.com