Amakhosi Safari Lodge

During the festive season we’ve had good times with lots of laughter; we shared gifts and had some unexpected surprises….

One incident stands out which I would love to share with everyone.

This is Ranger Gert’s very exciting Sundowner Stop…

“Whilst admiring the setting sun’s magnificent color display in the west with the sound of cicadas competing with sizzling kebabs, another sound was heard….
Within a few seconds there was havoc! Very quickly, everyone was on the vehicle while Gert packed up and Mandla got the spotlight out. We were in the midst of a stampeding herd of Wildebeest!
On the vehicle, no one made a sound as we listened and felt the earth vibrating with hundreds of hooves galloping past us at full-speed. .
To our left, we heard the heart-breaking cries of a mother Wildebeest, while on our right; a calf gave its last bellow before being silenced by four male cheetahs….
In the now complete darkness, hesitant to switch on the spotlight in fear of ruining the moment, we watched in the ambient moonlight and listened in silence to the rapped breathing of the four cheetahs, followed by the crunching of bones and tearing of flesh.
We edged out of the sighting with pounding hearts, and slowly made our way back to the lodge where we were welcomed with a much needed ice-cold drink to calm the nerves….”

Since Cheetahs are diurnal hunters, they do not have the same reflective layer in their eyes as lions and leopards, thus should not be disturbed at night with a spotlight. Cheetahs rely on their speed to obtain their meals and any injury that slows them down could essentially be life threatening, which is why they tend to give up a meal rather than fight off another predator….

Many of us go on safari to experience the bush, to see the animals in their natural environment and to relax under the African sun, without wanting to compromise on comfort… At Amakhosi we combine luxury with ‘wild’ in order to create the perfect setting for a memorable time in the bush!

Imagine relaxing by the pool with a breeding herd of elephant just a few meters away, curios little bush babies on the deck at dinnertime and the hair-raising cry of a Walberg’s Eagle just outside your air-conditioned room….

This summer, we want to encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and take a walk with our experienced Rangers. Put on your walking shoes and get out there! From the vehicle, you are able to see, hear and sometimes even smell the animals, but on foot, you become one with nature!
All your senses come to life; you feel vulnerable and confident at the same time, knowing that there is nothing between you and the animals!

“As soon as we cross the grid, we find ourselves in Big 5 territory. At a steady pace, we walk north towards a little ‘koppie’ from where we will scout the area for the grey blotch of an elephant’s back amongst the green foliage of Acacia trees. Every few minutes we stop and listen, it seems sound is amplified when one is not in a vehicle. The cicadas, birdcalls, even the slight breeze rustling through the leaves are audible! We find our first signs of elephant – fresh tracks, dung and broken branches!
The smell of elephant dung is unmistakable and inside it is still moist….meaning he cannot be too far away!
After 45 minutes of tracking (every one admiring the Ranger and Trackers’ skills), we see him in the distance! Making sure we have the wind in our faces and sun on our backs, we approached the 4-ton animal. At 50m, he is unaware of our presence and continues with his daily tasks – breaking off branches and feeding. We admired the powerful bull for 20 minutes before heading back to the lodge. After an experience as we just had, one can only be grateful for the opportunity and appreciate the beauty of nature!”

Trust your Ranger to show you the bush at its best – it is exhilarating, it is scary, but it is worth every minute!

November is the month of new growth, new life and new beginnings. All around us we see life bursting from the pale bare soil, life growing inside the wombs of mother animals and young already born, playing along.

For this month, we want to put the ‘spotlight’ on our four Jackal pups, born early in October.
Jackals are seen by many people as vermin that should be eliminated, but a closer look at these medium-sized dog-like scavengers reveals an interesting and much needed part of our bushveld ecosystem.

Jackals are omnivores and very adaptable, they can live in harsh environments and eat almost anything, hence the nickname ‘nature’s refuse collectors’.
They are also brave little creatures, willing to rush in and grab a piece of meat while the defending predator is still with the carcass! Apart from their bravery, Jackals are efficient hunters and play a very important role in keeping the rodent population’s numbers down.
Jackals are monogamous, meaning a male and female pair for life and if one of them dies, the other will probably never mate again. Together a pair will keep and actively defend a territory where they live in extended family groups, with the previous year’s pups helping their parents raise the new litter.
Jackals have a very interesting way of marking the boundaries of their territory. Because of their size, Jackals defecate on large objects such as rocks or bushes, some cases even on top of other predators’ scat, in order to fool them into thinking that they are bigger than what they actually are!

After finding the Jackal den, the four playful pups have entertained and delighted us for hours with their pouncing, prowling and acrobatic games!

An ordinary animal, giving us an extraordinary sighting and making us realise how it all fits together, from the smallest organism to the biggest mammal, all with a purpose in this beautiful wild country we call home.

When one thinks of Africa, the first thing that comes to mind is…..The Lion King.  The biggest cat in Africa, with its beautiful black mane, amber eyes and powerful body, is the one animal that we all fear and admire at the same time.

For the last few days, we have been looking for our Northern Pride, without success! Every night we can hear them while sitting around the campfire, their distant roar a soothing sound to all of us living in the bush.

A few times we have found the female from the Southern Pride, even the young lioness with her cubs, but the big boys….they left us only their tracks to follow!
We all enjoyed the females, especially with their playful cubs, but in order to appreciate the King of the African Bush, one need to come face to face with a big Black-mane!

Friday afternoon, first game drive for most of the guests, Ranger Gert was easing into the safari by telling more about the very interesting Euphorbia tree and its uniqueness. The next minute a hair-raising roar / growl came from out of the bushes, less than 150m away!
Quickly Ranger Gert started the Cruiser and before long, we saw a tan tail with its unmistakable black tuff in the tall yellow grass. There, right in front of us, are 3 members of the Northern Pride! To make things even more exciting, they are mating!

Lions in the wild have a very peculiar way of mating…they are loud, very aggressive and mate for approximately 20s every 15 minutes. We found them because of their vocalization, and while we were admiring their deadly beauty, the male got up, not even bothered by the crowd, and went back to “business” right there in front of us!

Well, at least now we know why they were not seen for a while! It is Spring and love is in the air…even in the Animal Kingdom!