Sun Destinations

As the sun kissed the morning and peeked through our bedroom curtains like an unwanted peeping Tom; we knew instantly knew what time it was. Game drive time. Chloe and I are now staying nDzuti Safari Camp which is run by Judy and Bruce Meeser – relics of the safari industry. Bruce animatedly claims that the wildlife in his area of the Klaserie are lazy and slow to rise; and that our game drive only needed to start at 8. We were only too happy to hear that our drive started at a reasonable hour. However, 8 in the morning when you’re on safari is still early – if you’ve been on safari you’ll know how often you need to sleep.  Stepping out of the city and into the bush always makes me feel like I have been bitten by a Tsetse fly.

 

We departed at 8 and headed towards a rocky outcrop littered with flecks of Mica. The scenery was phenomenal. Rocky outcrops protrude over a reed covered flowing river with sandy riverbanks. Plains game seemed to be scattered throughout the traverse but not much else was spotted. I guess Bruce was right – nothing was awake. We stopped, had coffee and headed back to camp for breakfast.

A few hours later, Bruce suggested that the wonders of the Klaserie would be awake and we needed to observe the world coming alive. We headed straight to the nDzuti dam and a spectacle unfolded before us.

We observed a spoonbill lapping up water and frolicking on the shore. Then came the bloat of hippos and an endearing moment to follow. Out of the depths of the water arose a hippo calf who desperately clung to its mother’s back. On the opposite side of the dam, 4 giraffe approached. Gingerly they walked towards the water and scoped out the landscapes for predators. Our spoonbill had the courage of a honey-badger and the confidence of a lion. It waded past the hippo, around the dam and stood in front of the towering griaffe. The giraffe decided not to drink and awkwardly stumbled backwards at the mere sight of the spoonbill. This was interesting behaviour. When did one of nature’s towering beasts become so scared of a harmless bird? Who knows – but it did make us laugh. In the midst of giggles (homosapien species) we heard the crunching of leaves and the breaking of twigs. Behind us was a herd of elephants led by three impressive tuskers.

We sat for hours observing the natural behaviour of these incredible creatures. Numerous species of bird flew past us and there we sat – with our bird book, cameras and beers. Hours passed and the activity kept getting better and better. Eventually the herd of elephant came down to drink – much to the disgust of the hippo. A warthog scurried past, hoping to go unnoticed. Giraffe eventually decided to drink after flirting with the idea for quite some time. Giraffe are overly cautious and very indecisive ! Kudu, impala and zebra all decided to join the party.

Eventually we had to leave. We had overstayed our welcome and at some stage, the party had to come to an end.

What I love about nDzuti is their flexibility in terms of guests’ needs and their friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Not once do you ever get that over-commercialized safari camp feel that so many lodges are guilty of doing. nDzuti certainly hasn’t sold its soul to tourism. My suggestion when staying here? Always trust Bruce. He knows best.