Sun Destinations

At which other safari camp are you transported to not only the Kruger National Park, but 3 different private reserves in the Kruger region? A week spent at Nokana Safari Camp introduces guests to 3 different game viewing experiences in reserves all within an hour of Nokana’s peaceful home-base.

Never have I been so close to an elephant – in fact, this friendly cow did some investigating of her own gliding her trunk along the frame of the vehicle – and never have I been invited to approach cheetah on foot. Another first was driving through a herd of about 200 buffalo at an almost touchable range. These experiences are only a few of the many exceptional and very special moments had on 3 different game drives with Nokana.

Out of a 7-day itinerary, Nokana guests will visit the Kruger Park (twice) plus 3 of Kruger’s prime surrounding game reserves: Karongwe, Thornybush, and Tshukudu. Covering as much wildlife territory as that means that you can almost guarantee seeing a bigger variety of species and diversification of animal behaviour than at one reserve over 3 days. Here are a few highlights from each of these private reserves – all experienced within 3 days:

Karongwe

We were woken up with a warning from Michel (owner-host-guide at Nokana Safari Camp) that Karongwe is a few degrees colder than the other reserves, so we had best pack scarfs and jerseys. Only a 20-min drive from Nokana, it is astonishing how the morning chill is felt at Karongwe, however, by 10am you will find yourself in short-sleeves again.

Karongwe is beautiful with its rocky landscape and presence of large dams and rivers. We travel off-road and experience a true 4×4 drive as our guide navigates the rocks and trees in search of animals. This time we were following a lead to a pride of lions, and we were well rewarded. A beautiful, big, unscarred male lion lay very relaxed in the shade of a rocky outcrop. His lady-friend and 4 young cubs were actively moving in the direction of water. One by one, each of the 4 cubs trotted in front of our stationary vehicle, following their mother who had already slinked passed the tracker’s seat keeping a careful eye on our movements.

After this fantastic lion sighting, we trundled along in the warming morning sun to a spot in the bush where we parked. Our guide asked us to get off the vehicle, for now we were going into the long-grass on foot! We walked in single file and without talking until we came to a halt only a few metres from 2 resting cheetahs. These cats are the most endangered big cats on the planet, and they have some of the most specialised hunting behaviour. It was incredible to watch these 2 brothers panting in the sun, while we stood in the very same grass and snapped away a thousand pictures.

Thornybush

When we visited Thornybush Private Game Reserve (bordering the Kruger Park), we enjoyed some beautiful rhino interaction and we got to watch the guides’ tracking process from beginning to end. As we set off on game drive, it was obvious that our guide and tracker were going to give us the authentic experience. These animals are wild, and it takes a fair amount of work to track them down – something that guests are not always aware of.

Within a couple of minutes, we were directed to look at the perfect outline of a rhino in the sandy road. Evidence that a white rhino had slept there the night before and had only recently moved. The shape of the head, ear, eye and horn were carefully carved in the sand, while its bulk had hollowed out a body-shaped dent alongside it. The tracker quickly pointed right and the driver followed his direction, and sure enough, on a sunny mound of grass was not only 1, but 4 rhinos happily grazing away. What a pleasure and a delight to watch these 4 interacting. A calf and its mother had met up with a big bull and another male. We watched them for a while before moving on in search of more.

‘More’ certainly was the operative word. We followed an exceptional amount of dung and hoof-prints until we found ourselves smack-bang in the middle of an enormous herd of buffalo. Many, many babies, big-bossed bulls, and one very old looking cow surrounded us on all sides. They were unfazed by our presence and continued to graze and amble around us. It took a while before we cleared the herd and found ourselves alone again.

Tshukudu

I had one of the best cheetah sightings I think I will ever have at Tshukudu. There are 3 resident cheetahs (a female and 2 males) that are familiar faces in the reserve and they go about their business paying no mind to visitors like us. We caught the female beginning her night hunt and watched as she perched on top of a hill and surveyed the area. Then she trotted through the grass and lay in wait near the waterhole.

This fantastic cat was only 1 of the cat species we were to see that evening at Tshukudu. We approached a pride of lions with large cubs and sat and watched them being the lazy cats they are. A male and female pair, however, treated us to some dramatic vocalisations, sending their vibrato into the darkening surroundings and stunning us all into silence.

Watch the video of the lions roaring here: http://youtu.be/2E64ZUgb0ig?list=PLzb0VX34oCV1jjNV_XrirNfGB9PBIy1cY

Tshukudu is home to only a few elephants and the matriarch seems to like it that way. She is an enormous, old girl, currently raising her daughter’s daughter. We saw this big female and the baby, as well as a teenaged-sized one browsing in a quiet area of the reserve. When the matriarch emerged from the bushes, she greeted her younger companion with a flap of the ears before turning her attention to us and coming right up to the vehicle. She was gentle, curious, and very relaxed with our presence. A heart-stopping moment that I now cherish as a personal encounter with these wonderful, great creatures.