BE PART OF A SUCCESS STORY KAPAMA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE
My mind is blown even before I arrive at Jabulani Safari Lodge. It’s been just 20 minutes since their naturalist guide Ruan Roos picked me up from Hoedspruit Airport, and already I’m seeing a female cheetah tucking into a freshly caught impala. And while it’s a bit of a gore-fest, it’s also a heartwarming sight – because this big cat is living proof that local conservation efforts are working. See, she was born at the nearby Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC), where its world-leading breeding program is ensuring that South Africa’s wild cheetah population of 1300 not only grows, but also has the genetic diversity needed to stay sustainable. So, through HESC’s breeding and rewilding efforts, cheetahs are being reintroduced into the bush here, and they’re now successfully hunting and living the wild dream. It’s just the start of a trip filled with feelgood moments.
Arriving at Jabulani Safari Lodge in Kapama, I head straight to my suite, where its traditional thatched roof, chic polished concrete floors, oversized bathtub, glassenclosed outdoor shower and luxurious textiles all come together to create an atmosphere of old-school safari opulence.
And, as I take a quick dip in my private plunge pool, I catch a glimpse of a giraffe going about her daily business in the dry riverbed below. Nope, I’m definitely not in Redfern any more!
Refreshed and ready for an adventure, I meet Roos at the main lodge and, after a quick drive through the bush, it’s time to meet Jabulani the elephant, the lodge’s namesake.
In 1997, Jabulani was only a few months old when the HESC rescue team found him alone, injured and stuck in the mud. It took a year of round-the-clock care to bring him back to good health, and although the local wild herd rejected him, 12 more elephants – rescued from Zimbabwe and brought to Kapama in 2002 – soon became his family.
Today, Jabulani and his friends enjoy the wilds of Kapama with their human carers on hand to help should they encounter any trouble in the bush. And if you stay at Jabulani Safari Lodge you can meet them as part of your visit. It’s definitely worthwhile – getting up close to the gentle but gigantic Jabulani, and watching his herd walk with their carers against the iconic African sunset, is an experience that will stay with me for life.
Back at the lodge, I tuck into a delicious dinner of pan-fried springbok and white chocolate mousse with chilli chocolate ice-cream, before climbing into my suite’s gigantic bed and drifting off to the calls of distant hyenas.
The next morning I’m up before the 5am alarm – I’m way too excited to sleep. I’m going to be a part of another successful Kapama conservation project: rhino notching, with the HESC veterinary team. This vital work collects samples from the area’s wild rhinos so local authorities and protection teams can identify and track them, helping to keep them safe from poachers.
This work has never been more important – in the past 11 years more than 7900 rhinos have been poached in South Africa, with 769 being taken last year alone. But over the years the vet team has notched more than 1000 rhinos to keep them safe. As a guest of Jabulani Safari Lodge, you can take part in this optional activity, too.
To kick off the experience, the HESC vet team hops in a chopper to locate a wild rhino, which Roos and I follow in our Landcruiser. When they’ve found the white rhino to be notched – a heavily pregnant female – the vet
darts her with a tranquilliser, and we all meet up on the ground to record her ID. We quickly go to work notching and microchipping her, as well as taking samples of her blood, hair and horn, and then the vet gives her another injection to wake her up. Within a few moments she’s back on her feet, toddling off like nothing has happened. The whole process takes only about 15 minutes, but it’s comforting to know I’ve done something to help these incredible animals as they race against extinction.
Rhino notching and elephant interactions are just two of the activities on offer at Jabulani Safari, but in between these adventures there’s plenty of time to explore Kapama on traditional safari game drives, where you’ll find all kinds of iconic African critters, including not only all your Lion King favourites, but also some you’ve probably never even heard of (like nyalas, genets and eagle owls?!). Whichever way you fill your days at Kapama Private Game Reserve, you’ll spend months afterwards planning your next visit (FYI I’m aiming for April!).
For info, see jabulanisafari.com; kapama.com; hesc.co.za