After 44 hours!! ..... of flights and airports, since rising from our beds in KL, we arrive in Port Elizabeth (PE) desperately in need of immediate sleep!! The Airport is closing up, but the tourist information is still open and we quickly organise a Hotel for the night in town. A quick cab drive gets us there and we are quickly asleep in a good sized room with kitchenette, in the 'Bishops Inn' PE.
The hotel is fairly basic but the owner is an extremely nice chap and we book to stay for a few nights following our trip to Shamwari Game Reserve the day after tomorrow. The owner is a judo instructor at the local schools and we are keen for the children to visit a township and schools to get a better understanding of what goes on. The owner tells us that when we get back from Shamwari he will take us there, which is extremely helpful. I hear on the grapevine that there is a big Rugby match going on at the Nelson Mandela Stadium, PE; South Africa v England and that they have recently released another batch of tickets. This now becomes a priority and I finally manage to get hold of 5 tickets for the big game! ........ England have already been beaten twice by SA, so this will be their last game of the tour and PE is a big venue for it, as PE is the place where the English first arrived in Africa all those years ago.
We get picked up by our Shamwari transfer Avis chauffeur driver, who turns out to be Welsh and has been driving for 40 years. ................ I thought he looked tired!!! .......... A very nice man who informs us that he has also driven Margaret Thatcher, Brad Pitt and John Travolta (a regular) to Shamwari .................. not all at the same time, obviously! ..... that would be interesting! ............ you can imagine with Margaret Thatcher, they would never get there!!!! .... "Ma'm, we need to take a left here" .............MT: "Certainly NOT!! ..... this Lady is not for turning!" .......... Anyway, he now has the pleasure of the Bell Tribe!!
Shamwari is a wonderful Game Reserve ......... but not cheap!! .... hence our 10 day stay with Johann has turned into a 5 night stay!!! Johann Lombard is a legend amongst Game Rangers, an amazing teacher and great personality, He has his own Safari Company and also acts as a consultant to many reserves and is now at Shamwari training up there own rangers and guides to ensure that their knowledge and understanding of both the bush and clients, is first class. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the subject is second to none and as a result he has the ability to capture your imagination on any Bush subject ............. even Elephant Poo!! I had the privilege of spending some time with the man in the Bushveld, off the Oliphants River adjoining Kruger National Park, learning to become a Game Ranger back in 2005. ............... yes, I have the ability to track a pride of 9 lions on foot ............... but god only knows what I do when I find them!!! ........... as I say, the man is a legend and if you ever want a safari that you will never forget ......... let me know.
We arrive at Riverdene Lodge, Shamwari, after a small detour in PE to pick up my Rugby Tickets and it was great to see Johann again, looking almost as old as me now! .................. but clearly not as good looking!! and the children were very excited that we were now in Africa and about to see some serious game!
White Rhino with calf.
We had interconnecting rooms and the accomodation was first class and after lunch on the terrace and a safety brief, we headed out in an open sided Land Rover with Johann at the wheel. It was a beautiful day and we see plenty of Game such as Waterbuck, Kudu, Springbuck, Blessed buck, Zebra, Giraffe and many birds. We are fortunate enough to see two female lions with four growing male cubs and we track them for some time watching them cross the river. Later in the evening on the way back, just about dusk, we come across them again, but this time they are close to a large white Rhino and her calf. It was amazing to see the four young male cubs 'mock' stalk the rhino calf with the females sitting further behind watching their antics, probably with a smile on their face, as the male cubs were no match for a fully grown Rhino!! The four young male lions were spread out in a single line, at equal distance, creeping forward every now and again, their bellies to the ground, getting ready for the kill ............. but that just wasn't going to happen!! The huge female white rhino was aware of the lions, keeping a shrewd eye on them, but felt fairly comfortable that she was in control. ..... We sat and watched them for some time before returning back to the Lodge for a shower and good supper, with plenty of wine flowing (all inclusive!) ............. after limited alcohol over the last two and a half months, the next morning was going to be interesting.
The Game drives with Johann at Shamwari were fantstic and we were lucky enough to see at least one of the 'big 5' on every drive, including some wondeful birds and the children were learning some great facts about all the flora and fauna in the bush and were captivated enough to retain most of it. They learnt about tracking and found plenty of old bushmans tools, such as stone spear heads and stone cutting tools that lay scattered on the ground from pre-historic days gone by. We saw many Hippopotamus and one evening had the amazing privilege of watching two Leopards mating, in front of us!!! .............. "ooh, errr, missis!!" This was such a rare sight and at first we could hear them, then we pulled into the bush, again to hear the event .............. which was over exceptionally quickly! .............. but they did stick at it for 3 days. ..... during the mating period, the two Leopards would mate every 15 minutes and as they walked by we followed them along the road, the male aware of us but continuing his stroll, until the female eventually came out ......... I don't mean she was gay! ............. and they mated on the track beside us. ........ too dark for me to get photos and I thought I had better allow them a little privacy! - seeing Leopards is hard enough, but seeing them mate was quite amazing.
Within Shamwari, is the Born Free Foundation, which was initially set up by Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, who played the role of Joy and George Adamsom, in the 'Born Free' movie following the life of Elsa the Lion cub. They focus on rescuing animals that have been abused or mistreated around the world, either from the circus or in zoos and some that have been kept as pets, but are now too large and dangerous to keep. We saw the three leopards that they currently have, at close quarters and they were stunning creatures to see and watch close up. We all watched a Conservtaion video about there work and saw many bones and skulls of dead animals, which was quite educational for the children.
On the next Game drive, as well as the normal array of game animals, we come across two cheetah, which again, we can get very close to, resting in the heat of the sun, lying down, then sitting up and yawning, before lying back down for another siesta. Back at camp we are joined for lunch by Natalie, Johann's wife, who I had not seen since 2005 and now with their young children, Sienna and Laird, who were great and they join us for the afternooWwn game drive. Later on the drive, we come across the same two cheetahs, walking across the plains, thinking about this evenings menu! A lonely male springbuck caught their eye and let off a loud warning noise to others in the area before he made his escape. ........... one Springbuck who did not plan to be on the menu tonight!! We stop at a great viewpoint for sundowners, watching the setting sun, slowly sinking over the bushveld ..............which undoubtedly is 'one' of the best ways to spend an evening. Later returning to Camp we enjoy a good hearty supper, recounting the stories of the day, with wine flowing ............ not for the children, of course! ........... all in all a wonderful day in the African Bush.
The following day we head out in the hope of finding Elephants, this time heading to the north of this huge 25,000 hectare reserve, towards Johann's house, where we plan to have afternoon tea and cake with the family. We come across a Caracal (Lynx) eating a pigeon on the track to the side of us, this being our fourth Caracal sighting, of what is quite a rare animal to see in the wild and again come across our two cheetahs wandering the plain, ............ but nothing of what is to come!! ................ we have a stop and get out to take a closer look at a Termite Hill, where we cut a small piece off the base to find the Termites. They are very small creatures and Johann convinces Harry to taste one, which he is more than happy to oblige, ...... the verdict of which is: peppermint!! ......... thats what they taste of!! ....................... we also try the local wild olives and saffron berries, together with 'pork' bush, a favourite food for Black Rhino's, of which Imogen and Fred quite enjoy!! ............ and then continue our drive. ........... We suddenley get a sighting of a herd of Elephants on the track, but they disappear into the bush, where we cannot follow them, so we drive to a viewpoint for an early lunch snack, where we get out to stretch our legs and armed with binoculars, we can see the herd in the distance heading for a water hole. This is a large herd and following our stop we head for the waterhole and get ther just as they are arriving and are amazed to see some 28 Elephants, with their young, heading for a waterhole. With the engine turned off, we quietly sit as they walk by and then we notice a huge male 'Bull' Elephant coming up behind, sniffing us from some 60 metres away, his trunk waving in the air, first low, then high, to distinSguish whether we were friend or foe! .......... he was enourmous!! We drive to the other side of the water hole before he is upon us, for a much more intimate view and we are not disappointed! ........... it was an awesome experience! We sit, very quietly, ... even the children not daring to make too much noise, watching them in the water hole, drinking and cooling themselves off, the tiny young Elephants rolling around in the mud and generally being exceptionally playful. In sitting so quitely they were not alarmed by us and as they finished their water stop, they started grazing on bushes and trees and were soon all around us, within a few metres ............... which was a very strange feeling! .... They slowly and gradually walk by the Land Rover within inches!! ............. including the male Bull, who's shear size and stature, this close up is staggerring! ........ A vision that will be hard to forget, as his left eye calmly surveys our Land Rover and the small people inside, his trunk sniffing the air as he walks by, but thankfully quite relaxed. He probably weighs aout 5 tonnes compared to our 2 tonne Land Rover and could quite easily tip us over with a quick flick of his head! ................... but Johann, talking camly to him as he passed, assured him that we meant no harm. . .......... that was an experience that would be hard to beat ad be with us all for some time to come .................... the children were mesmerised.
We finally reach Johann and Natalie's home which is in the most wonderful setting and sit down for a well earned break of tea and cake and the children all play together, along with the young Jack Russell puppy, who is more than happy to join in. We also visit Shamwari's most recent Lodge, formerly the oldest lodge on the reserve that had been left empty and has now been totally refurbished, masterminded by Johann and Natalie, in an 'eco' style with all fittings and finishes carefully selected, as well as locally sourced .........food The Lodge comprises 6 thatched rooms, a communal eating/bar/lounge area, large kitchen and a swimming pool. It will only be let out to a single family or group at any one time so provides a great intimate lodge in a wonderful location in the reserve. ....................... maybe a great 50th venue!
The next morning the weather turns cloudy and we visit the Shamwari rehabilitation centre, where we meet a couple of young Impala, several Red Hartabeast and an Eagle Owl, drivng through part of the reserve that has been sectoned off for Disease free Buffalo. They are breeding Buffalo in this reserve and have to keep them away from other animals in case of disease transfer. Amazingly to buy a disease free Buffalo can cost you anything up to 2,000,000 SA Rand!!!!! (about 200,000 pounds) ..................... At that price, you really don't want him in the same reserve as Lions!!! Supper that evening is our last with Johann as he has to be at a meeting tomorrow so he is leaving us in the capable hands of George, who will take us for our last morning drive, then back for lunch, before we head back to Port Elizabeth ..... and the cildren all want to see a male Lion.
Black Rhino
We say our good byes to Johann this morning on what has been an exceptional time for all of us and in particular for the children who have had a most wonderful and educational introduction to Africa's wildlife, before our big trip through Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. We are introduced to George and he takes us on our morning drive, knowing the children are very keen to see a male Lion. On the way through we unexpectedly come across two Black Rhino, browsing in the bush and manage to get close enough to see their pointed upper lip, which distinguishes them from the White Rhino, which has a very flat faced mouth as it mainly grazes on grass. It was amazing to see the upper lip in action, literally grabbing bush branches and ripping them off, to be devoured. We sit and watch them foe quite a while ntil they move further into the bush and then continue our hunt for the male lion. There is one in the reserve which is due to be darted and moved out to another reserve, as there are currently too many male lions, especially with the four younger ones coming through who will soon, undoubtedly pose a big threat to the older male lion. The rangers have been trying to locate him and now have a positive sighting, so we head out in the Land Rover and manage to come across him in the track, the vet following closely behind, and see him in full glory before he disappears out of site and will be darted. The children are in their element. On the way back we get a radio message about recent springbok kill, by a group of lions and head out to see it. .... Wildlife in its most basic form! ..... We come across the kill, it is the two Female lions and four male cubs, fighting over the kill ............. It appears to be the Mother v Grandmother, as they heave the carcass like a tug of war, with thundering growls of aggression and bursts of energy to assert their strength and dominance and the grandmother eventually suceeds, tearing off and securing the main body of the kill, as though pulling apart a rag doll. The youngsters do their best to grab what they can, keeping their heads down and out of the way of the two warring females. Another awesome day at Shamwari and back for lunch before our Welsh chauffeur drives us back to PE. Everything about Shamwari has been great, the accomodation, the service, the food and the special knowledge imparted to us all by our legendary guide. ........... thanks Johann.
Better if you don't look!! ...........
now that's better than a sheepskin blanket!! .............. so where shall we go after lunch?
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