Arriving at nDzuti Safari Camp after a long drive through the dry Klaserie bush, we came upon a gem. The lodge is situated on the banks of a dry river bed, extended by mopane bush, and a lush, green lawn surrounding the lodge. Robbie, our host, greeted us with a welcoming smile, and a cool drink – how refreshing!
Wide Klaserie riverbed
The lodge itself is lovely with 4 guest rooms surrounding an open-plan communal area. The bedrooms are spacious and tastefully decorated (our room had a photo of wild dog on the wall – my favourite animal, so maybe a good sign!). Robbie, our tracker John, and Dave, our guide, were friendly and welcoming. The food (cooked by Robbie and Mamasima) was wholesome, tasty and plentiful.
There is a small watering hole in view just beyond the camp’s unobtrusive perimeter fence, which was visited by African civet, porcupine and jackal whilst we were enjoying our alfresco dinner under the stars. Then, an enjoyable evening spent with fellow guests (well, new friends) around the fire, drinking whiskey, wine and exchanging stories.
Elephants approaching the riverbank
A giraffe on the cloudy landscape
During our stay, the weather was a bit changeable – very hot on the first day, then cold grey and raining for the remainder of our stay, which isn’t the best weather for game viewing. However, we were lucky enough to see herds of elephant wandering along the Klaserie river, as well as a few white rhinos. We saw plenty of general game – kudu, giraffe, zebra, steenbok, zebra, etc. – but the cats were quite elusive.
Elephants on the riverbank
Young kudu bull
Dinner on the deck by lantern light
We saw plenty of tracks for lions. Firstly, 2 large males had walked across the river during the night, but were nowhere to be found the next morning. There were also tracks for a lioness in the riverbed – we were told she was hiding cubs somewhere in the reeds (they are only about 4 weeks old so too young for her to bring out just yet), but she too remained well hidden and warm away from the cold, dreary weather.
nDzuti game viewer in the riverbed
Tracking lions in the riverbed
Male waterbuck looking proud
On our last drive we found vultures in trees all over the property, which is a good sign that a predator had killed something, so a perhaps the cats were coming out of hiding. But it was time for us to leave. As we left nDzuti, John and Bruce were heading out themselves to try and locate the kill, and hopefully, the lions for the remaining guests. Good Luck to you all!
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