Luxury for less – Game reserves Eastern Cape
Text and photographs by Marion Whitehead
Source: This article was taken from the March 2011 issue of Getaway
If you think private game farms cater only for euro-laden tourists, it’s time to look east.
With a little careful planning, you can be pampered on a Big Five reserve in the Eastern Cape at low-season winter prices geared for South Africans. Marion Whitehead tracked down some good deals.
The plains and valleys of the Eastern Cape were once a veritable Eden where game was abundant and the Big Five roamed freely, kings of the land. Colonial times brought hoards of hunters who wiped out much of the wildlife and farmers who cleared the thick bush for crops. However, regular cycles of drought over the years have been a boon for conservation in the Eastern Cape. Farmers who were going broke feeding their stock traded cattle for kudu and other game, and put out the welcome mat for trophy hunters. The advent of democracy in 1994 and South Africa’s growing popularity as a destination made ecotourism a better proposition than hunting. Even hardy farmers descended from the 1820 settlers started putting up fancy lodges and restocking wildlife.
‘Shifting from agriculture to tourism was a matter of survival,’ says Julie Newcombe, marketing co-ordinator for Amakhala Game Reserve, where existing staff was retrained for the tourism industry.
“We trust that we have inherited our ancestors’ ability to adapt in the face of change,’ says Safari Lodge owner Justine Weeks.
Add the fact that the Eastern Cape’s a malaria-free area and in winter enjoys mild, sunny days with not much wind, then its appeal as a destination escalates. Reserves in the Grahamstown area are less well known than those around Addo and offer some good deals in winter to entice South Africans to fill their beds when overseas tourists are scarce.
While predator-viewing up north around Kruger may be better, sightings of other animals are relatively easy in the Eastern Cape as the grazers tend to gather on former fields and pastures. “Where else can you see waterbuck, impala, red hartebeest and zebra like this?’ said one ranger, gesturing at a pastoral scene on the banks of the Kariega River reminiscent of times a couple of hundred years ago.
The wildlife has returned and the Eastern Cape’s paradise is open for business.
KARIEGA GAME RESERVE
Waiting outside reception was a beautifully liveried, large male giraffe nicknamed Dicla. He gave me his full attention for at least two minutes then, welcoming duties over, carried on browsing. Ranger Jacques Matthysen said the big male is fond of wandering around the unfenced lodges.
The reserve’s core farms near Kenton-on-Sea have been owned by two conservation-minded families since 1989 and expanded to 9000-hectares spanning five ecosystems. It’s been stocked with most of the game which originally abounded in this area, including the Big Five. Animals are easy to spot grazing on the open fields in the Kariega River valley below the lodges. Even kudu and bushbuck are unfazed by game-viewing vehicles. White rhinos allowed us to get close and took no notice of clicking cameras.
Lions and elephants are on a separate section of the reserve, so guests are free to take short walks or go mountain biking on trails around the two biggest lodges. Bird-watching from the deck of a riverboat on a stretch of the Kariega River on a still morning is a very special experience and it’s possible to tick an almost full house of kingfishers.
VIEWING HIGHLIGHTS: Watching two young bull elephants roughing around; seeing my first pygmy kingfisher from the riverboat; spying a pair offish eagles staging a duet before flying to their untidy nest in a euphorbia tree.
LODGES: Comfort and luxury abound, with tasteful furnishings, good quality cotton bed linen and air conditioning. Four-star accommodation includes Main Lodge’s 21 log chalets (from one to four bedrooms, all with DStv) and The Homestead, one of the original farmhouses modernised and extended to house parties of up to 10 people. Ukhozi Lodge’s 4,5-star log chalets are more spacious and each has a private plunge pool on its deck. The five-star River Lodge is on the banks of Bushman’s River.
CHILDREN: All ages are welcome at Main Lodge and The Homestead; no under 11’s at Ukhozi and River Lodges.
FOOD: Buffet-style meals are served at set times in Main Lodge’s restaurant. At Ukhozi’s elegant restaurant and at River Lodge, you choose from a set menu of fine cuisine. At The Homestead, you have your own chef who makes traditional South African meals to order.
ENTERTAINMENT: Boma evenings with braai and potjiekos, followed by the resident Xhosa performers, are held two or three nights a week.
STAFF: The rangers are passionate about the animals and go out of their way to fulfil guests’ wish lists.
FOR PRICES AND SPECIALS, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR CONTACT US:
CONTACT: Tel 046-636-7904, email, website.
SIBUYA GAME RESERVE
Chugging up the Kariega River for nine kilometres from reception at Kenton-on-Sea to the rest camp is a great way to leave your worries behind and do a bit of birding. Kingfishers and the resident fish eagle pair will catch your eye and, with luck, you’ll spot a hamerkop on the bank.
Morning and evening game drives are interspersed with boat rides as you transfer from one section of the reserve to another, lending welcome variety. Surprises await as coffee breaks and sundowners are often on decks with amazing views.
Sibuya spreads across the Kariega River where it makes a lazy series of S-bends and then loops around a horseshoe bend. Extending through the thickly vegetated valley and up onto the surrounding plateau, the 3000-hectare reserve is an amalgam of former cattle and chicory farms. Game congregates on open pastures beside the river and the rhinos are particularly fond of one nicknamed ‘The Pantry’. The small pride of lions live in a separate camp away from the unfenced river. Cheetahs and servals, which are part of a breeding programme, are in bushy enclosures and are readily spotted.
VIEWING HIGHLIGHTS: Gliding to within 20 metres of two nyala while canoeing on the river; a lion cub trotting after the viewing vehicle under the watchful eye of his dad.
LODGES: The two tented camps are in forest glades beside the Kariega River and, despite the lovely river views from their decks, the structures are barely visible from the water. River Camp is on a spit of land surrounded on three sides by the river. It has four new large, canvas structures and a spacious living area above the jetty. Forest Lodge’s en suite tents are a little smaller and are linked by boardwalks through the trees, with five of the eight on the riverbank. Cellphone reception is patchy and there are no televisions to spoil the peace.
FOOD: A late breakfast is served after the morning game drive in winter, followed by lunch and dinner at normal times. Chef Ross Christie and his team prepare outstanding meals.
CHILDREN: All ages are welcome at River Camp.
ENTERTAINMENT: Boma evenings around the fire with a variety of potjies from which to choose are a perfect end to an evening game drive.
STAFF: The family-owned reserve is run by co-owner Nick Fox who maintains a high standard.
SPECIAL (May to September): R1250 a person a night sharing, children under 12 half price, under six stay free.
WINTER SPECIALS: Pay for two nights and get a third night free at Forest Camp. Under 12s stay free when sharing with their parents at River Camp.
NORMAL PRICES: R2 495 a person a night sharing (includes accommodation, meals, game drives and boat transfers).
CONTACT: Tel 046-648-1040, email, website.
LALIBELA GAME RESERVE
This reserve 35 kilometres west of Grahamstown is home to the Big Five, although you’re more likely to see the resident cheetah than a leopard. A herd of eight hippos live in the dam near reception and impala and blesbok are common.
The 7500 hectares are an amalgam of several individually owned farms where chicory, lucerne and peaches were once grown. Hunting has turned into ecotourism, although parties hunting on other farms are accommodated on Lalibela (these guests are kept separate from game-viewing guests).
VIEWING HIGHLIGHT: Getting to a kill before the big, black-maned lion and watching him pad over to a freshly dispatched wildebeest and flip the carcass casually over with one mighty paw before hunkering down for a meal.
LODGES: The swimming pool at Mark’s Camp overlooks a waterhole so guests can wallow while they watch the beasties drinking. This camp sleeps 20 in attractive, stone-and-thatch chalets and its family units are the only ones on the reserve which are fenced. Lentaba Lodge is perched on a hillside above a river and sleeps 16 people in eight thatched chalets. The outdoor dining boma has a great view of a waterhole, which is floodlit after dark.
Tree Tops comprises a central boma and five luxury safari tents on thatched platforms scattered through the canopy of the bush. It’s the most exclusive and romantic camp, with views down a thickly vegetated valley and nyala browsing below wooden walkways. There are no televisions or cellphone reception at rest camps, so it’s blissfully peaceful and the chalet’s private decks are great spots for bird-watching. Animal heads mounted above the fireplaces in the bars and lounges give a bit of a hunting lodge feel, but most are fake.
CHILDREN: All ages are welcome at Mark’s Camp and a special kiddies’ programme is run in the children’s boma, with special ‘bokkie’ game drives for them. Nannies are available at no extra charge outside of family time. FOOD: It’s consistently good. A buffet breakfast is served after the morning game drive in winter. High tea with sweet and savoury snacks is available before the afternoon game drive and dinner afterwards.
ENTERTAINMENT: The resident troupe of Xhosa singers and dancers is extremely polished and boma evenings are a fun introduction to local culture. STAFF: The young staff is friendly, obliging and strong on detail.
WINTER SPECIALS (1 May to 15 October): For the two-night fly-in package, South African residents pay R5150 an adult sharing and R3850 a child
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: ;
AMAKHALA GAME RESERVE
Five minutes into our first game drive, we spotted the reserve’s lions near the remains of a two-day-old kill. In a sudden fit of kittenish playfulness, the black-maned male and the lioness played together before loping off into a thicket.
The young bull elephant we saw half an hour later was pushing over acacias to get at the roots. He obviously hadn’t breakfasted as well as Safari Lodge’s guests as our ranger, Zisile Ngquse, explained the bitter roots were a digestive aid for pachyderms.
Amakhala was created near Grahamstown in 1999 when a number of farmers, many of 1820 settler descent, joined forces and took down inner fences to form a 7500-hectare reserve. Game which had been absent for over 100 years now roams freely in an area that includes the Bushman’s River valley and rolling hills of grassveld and savanna.
Apart from the Big Five and a good number of giraffes, there are healthy herds of zebra, wildebeest, red hartebeest and other antelope. The lions are kept in a separate section from the lodges. The animals are under the care of veterinarian and co-owner Dr William Fowlds, who is part of Vets Go Wild, a training course for veterinarian students interested in wildlife conservation.
VIEWING HIGHLIGHTS: A white rhino and her young calf nonchalantly grazing near the vehicle; seeing a fish eagle clutching its freshly caught dinner from a river boat on the Bushman’s River.
LODGES: Two offer four-star accommodation and are geared to host families. Leeuwenbosch is a gracious heritage home beside the N2, while Woodbury Lodge has stone and thatch cottages nestled on the slopes of a koppie overlooking Bushman’s River valley. Safari Lodge and Bush Lodge (4,5 and five-stars respectively) are in unfenced ‘soft’ game areas, so you could meet a bushbuck on your way to the dining room.
Bush Lodge has luxuriously appointed, large tents on platforms under thatch with views of a waterhole from private plunge pools. Safari Lodge’s bungalows have one canvas wall that can open up on the side facing a small valley with a waterhole, so you can view game and birds from a lounger beside your own plunge pool. (There’s no cellphone signal at the camp). All units have air conditioners and heating.
CHILDREN: Leeuwenbosch has a special programme for kiddies and nannies are available.
FOOD: The post-game-drive buffet breakfast at Safari Lodge is a real treat, with everything from fruit, nuts and yoghurt to platters of cold meats and cheeses, as well as cooked dishes. A light meal is served before the afternoon game drive and excellent dinners in the evening.
ENTERTAINMENT: Ad hoc choir performances; boma braais and stargazing in summer.
STAFF: The rangers are knowledgeable and network via radio to guide guests to the best spots to see the Big Five.
WINTER SPECIALS: SA residents pay from Rl 050 a person a night sharing in four-star accommodation to RI500 at the five-star Bush Lodge from May to September. Rates include accommodation, meals and two game drives a day. Children under 12 are charged half price.
NORMAL PRICES: R2280 to R4 180 a person a night sharing; children under 12 are charged half price.
CONTACT: Tel 046-636-2750, email, website.
More info on the area of the Eastern Cape |
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