Safari Luxe
Discovers the changes benefiting South Africa’s animals, people and visitors
Saseka wants attention. In fact, she demands it. Exhausted after mating, Malewane is resting his head on a ground-level branch broken from a torchwood tree as Saseka makes another approach, her tail high in the air, sashaying back and forth in front of him, like a Strictly Come Dancing hopeful ahead of a surly judge.
Malewane, named after the seasonal river that runs through the property, and Saseka, meaning “beautiful” in the Shangaan language, are among the spectacular leopards of the Thornybush Private Game Reserve, a 15,000-hectare reserve in South Africa’s Greater Kruger region, north of Johannesburg.
And the chance to see these beautiful big cats is one highlight of a visit to the area, whose animals have been benefiting from some of the changes of the last few years. More and more private land owners around Kruger National Park have agreed to remove their internal fences to allow for the natural migration of animals: Thornybush is among them, so the wildlife has swathes of land from east to west, their preferred migratory route, as well as north to south across the protected reserve of Kruger National Park.
For visitors, this means you’ll tend to spot the animals around water sources and grazing, although with professional field guide Nikolas ‘Nik’ Vounnou on hand, we get more from our drives than sightings alone. With more than 15 years’ experience, and already recognised as a Senior Tracker, he’s full of knowledge — and has his sights set on becoming the fourth Master Tracker at Royal Malewane lodge. Currently, there are only seven Masters in the world.
Having explained that leopards, like lions, mate every 15 minutes or so over a five-day period — a painful and physically exhausting process for both parties to increase the chances of conception — we also pass some of the many herbivores which make their home here. This time, it’s impala, the most abundant of the antelope species, with an “M” pattern on its backside; the standing game-drive joke is that the M stands for McDonald’s as impala are the “fast-food” of the bush.
It’s not only the wildlife which are benefiting from recent changes, with moves to support local communities alongside efforts to improve environmental conservation. The Farmstead, the newly opened luxury lodge at Royal Malewane, with three suites and a villa, has been created in co-ownership with the adjoining community.
Owner Liz Biden, part of the family behind The Royal Portfolio which has properties across the country, explains: “The local community needs to benefit from the financial gains of tourism in order to see the value in protecting wildlife and the environment. The Farmstead land is leased from the local community… at the end of that long lease both the land and the asset will revert to the community with the option to continue working with The Royal Portfolio in perpetuity.”
During lockdown, the company created online training to develop its teams’ skills, while out on the game drive with us is Kevin Ngomane, who grew up in the adjoining Acornhoek village looking after his father’s livestock, but who has recently qualified as a tracker from Royal Malewane’s own guide and tracker training programme.
This responsible approach doesn’t mean a less luxurious experience for visitors though. Royal Malewane has been attracting guests tempted by its food and local art for years, and The Farmstead is no less enticing. Unlike the main thatched-roof timber lodge, The Farmstead is a traditional South African farm house with corrugated iron roof and wide, covered stoep — the classic H-shaped veranda — as well as its three lavish suites and The Farmhouse villa, with three and a half bedrooms.
For now, the buffet table has been replaced by grazing platters brought to your table, while there’s also a standalone kosher kitchen: you can choose from prepared food brought in from Johannesburg or have a mashgiach present in the kitchen throughout preparation and your stay. This is one of the few places in the African bush where this level of kosher cuisine is offered and it’s as memorable as seeing the famous local Black Dam pride of lions. You can tailor the game drives to your preferences as well, although the typical three-hour early morning jaunts
and late-afternoon trips are still some of the best opportunities to spot lions, leopards, wild dogs and hyenas.
It is also true that there is no “best” time to be in the bush. In the South African winter, June, July and August, the landscape is dry and the grasses lighter from a lack of rain, so it is easier to spot animals both in the savannah and around waterholes and dams.
Or in September, you might see young males clashing horns as they prove their dominance, and predators stalking easier prey of pregnant antelope. And in the heat of summer, from December to February, there’s a sense of abundance in the verdant bush.
Nik has also pioneered a series of walking routes to explore further: we are the first to join him on the threemile route from The Farmstead to the Jackalberry airstrip. Our trail takes us past three dams — and encountering elephants, hippo and buffalo while on foot is an experience entirely different from classic game drives.
Even knowing that Nik is carrying a rifle and a side-arm for our protection, it is thrilling; every sensation seems magnified — this is sure to be the first thing you tell your friends about when you return.
“We are walking on the elephant highway,” Nik tells us as we stroll, pointing to the wide path flattened by decades of tramping feet. For all the luxury and pampering of the trip, what stays with you is the experience of participating in the rhythm of the wild — of life itself.
And once you have returned home, you wonder, for a day or three, if that sound in the night was a vehicle passing... or the echo of the buffalo’s cry as the lioness jumps on its back.