Roar hide
From snack-stealing monkeys to earsplitting lions, Richard Branson’s South African lodge is animal magic
The crackling message on the CB radio stopped our hitherto ice-cool safari ranger dead. “We’ve just found a madoda ngala,” said the excited voice on the other end of the line.
Ranger Ryan had the look of someone who knew this was special but old pro that he was, he gave nothing away.
And with no one in our group able to understand the local tribe’s dialect he and his colleague were using to speak covertly, we had no idea what was to come.
Our man clearly liked a surprise. In total darkness, he floored the accelerator and we sped off into the South African bush like a cheetah hunting down its prey.
Minutes later we ground to a halt in an open area and our tracker Morris shone a bright torch light on to a patch of grass some five yards away. “Oh my god, it’s a lion!” we all cried in disbelief. Not even three hours into my first safari and I had the king of the jungle right in front of me, albeit fast asleep. Clearly proud of his hand in the big reveal, Ryan whispered to us to stay as quiet as we could and to not leave the truck.
Make too much noise or get out and it would be more a case of the lion eats tonight than sleeps tonight!
Quite frankly, I was so terrified I was rooted to my seat.
But 11-year-old Dark Mane, so called because of his thick black neck hair, had clearly seen it all before and thankfully wasn’t fazed. A nearby truck of holidaymakers had already seen enough and left. Then it just got even better as the ageing beast started to stir. First there was a scratch of his bulging belly with a huge left paw, then a couple of big yawns, a sign he was about to get moving. What came next was absolutely jaw-dropping, and even blew away our experienced ranger.
SAUNTERED
A series of bellowing roars – a call to his brothers, apparently – left us all speechless. I wanted to stand up and give him a round of applause but now he was wide awake I felt that one wrong move and he’d be in the truck.
As he clambered gingerly to his feet and sauntered off into the night, I had to feel sorry for the group who had just missed an epic moment.
But as I was to find out when you’re on safari, you win some, you lose some – that’s just nature’s way. Magical
moments are never far away at Ulusaba, Richard Branson’s stunning five-star lodge in the Sabi Sands private game reserve, a onehour flight (in a small plane) northeast of Johannesburg.
If you’ve never been to a place like this before – as I hadn’t – the wildness of it all will take your breath away.
As our little plane touched down I peered out of the window to see warthogs on the grass next to the airstrip. Then, once inside the airport, the coffee shop was overrun with monkeys!
If you’re used to the city life, as I am, it’s an eye-opener. Wildlife close encounters, big and small, are the norm here.
My luxurious room had a heated outdoor plunge pool that attracted passing elephants in need of a drink.
On the other side of the river bank – 10 yards or so from my huge bed – there was a hyena den. Thankfully, a tortoise was the only animal I saw from my balcony. Even I could handle that.
Within an hour of throwing our bags down we were out on safari. Incredibly, just minutes later we had ticked off one of the Big 5 – and it was a very big one.
The two grumpy buffalo bulls, each weighing a tonne and sporting a “you owe me money” look, were scouting for water.
Ranger Ryan put it another way: “They’re like two old men trying to find the pub.” They are extremely dangerous if you’re on foot but HIGH LIFE Ulusaba’s treehouse lodge
won’t attack a safari truck, so we could gawp all we liked from just a few yards away.
On we drove, buzzing from our buffalo encounter. Over the next hour we saw giraffe, impala and elephants, and locked eyes with an evil-looking vulture perched on a branch right in front of us.
I wasn’t expecting to see so much in such a short amount of time but EXQUISITE The luxury rooms at Ulusaba
the wildlife kept coming. We stopped by the river for a gin and tonic and biltong and watched the sun go down as dancing fireflies lit up the opposite bank. Then out of the dark, aiming straight for us at speed were two piercing white lights – the eyes of a hyena.
Startled by a passing truck, it headed at ours. When it got to just a few yards away I took evasive action but it veered away and disappeared into the bush. Phew! It was
time to go back to base but on the way an eagle-eyed companion spotted a leopard resting high up in the crook of an ebony tree.
Minutes later we stumbled across the unforgettable Dark Mane.
To say I was looking forward to Day Two was an understatement, although not the 5am alarm call.
We set off before breakfast with hopes high for another incredible day in the wild. We weren’t disappointed. That morning we saw
snakes, baboons and eagles, but the highlight was a leopard hunt. We first came across Thlangisa (Playful One) as she slept in the grass but when she woke she went looking for food.
Straight away she eyed a dopey-looking impala. For the next two hours we watched her inch ever closer. We had to leave not knowing what happened (we were hungry too) but heard on the radio that
Thlangisa missed! After lunch we visited a nearby school, supported by Ulusaba, and danced and sang with the kids.
We still had time to squeeze another game drive in, and saw more sinister-looking hyena, wildebeest, zebra and, best of all, two adult and one baby white rhino enjoying what could only be described as a mud spa at a watering hole.
At the end of another mindblowing day we had dinner in the bush as one uninvited guest looked on – a cheeky hyena. They pop up everywhere.
On our final morning we got lucky with another leopard sighting and a herd of buffalo.
And I’ll never forget the last thing I saw – two giant land snails mating in the road.
But that’s the animals of Sabi Sands for you. Even the snails come out of their shells.