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