You know you’ve hit the safari jackpot when you don’t even have to leave the lodge to see some excellent game. The thing is, we HAD been out on game drive and we had already had our fill for the evening. The fact that we had a honey badger, a herd of elephants, and a spotted hyena visit the lodge after dinner was a bonus!
nThambo Tree Camp is an unfenced lodge, and we are escorted to bed by rangers with torches, just to be sure that there are no predatory creatures hiding out underneath our stilted chalets, or silent elephants walking their babies to the waterhole just a few metres in front of camp. For the lodge staff, it is not unusual to have late-night visitors, but any informed safari-goer will know one can never predict what will happen, so it was a thrill to experience such up-close and unexpected visitors.
Yesterday’s game drive made my personal top 5. Our land rover, driven by guide, Matt, happened upon a ‘shlambi of indlovu’, or, a herd of elephants. There were about 50 individuals, ranging in age and led by one dominant female, the matriarch. She let us know that she was in control of the situation and stood in the road eating for longer than necessary. Her little calf kept well underfoot of her and made it difficult for us to get moving again after a wonderfully long visit with the whole family. We were well and truly stuck in an elephant traffic jam! Matt expertly managed the situation and we moved slowly through the herd. A couple of members objected, and Mrs Matriarch made resounding stomach grumbles, which we felt right to the bone.
By the time we were back at the lodge and had tucked into all 3 dinner courses, we were alerted to a violent rustling in the bin area behind the kitchen. Honey badgers! One of beasts’ most fearless members had returned to nThambo Tree Camp and was determined to find some tasty leftovers. We shot up stalked him as far as we could before catching his rear end disappearing into the dark.
While we were being distracted by the antics of the honey badger, a small herd of 6 or 7 elephants had sidled up to the birdbath right next to our dinner table. A big momma and her baby drank first, as we stood merely 5 metres away, then the others stepped forward to drink. Their low, alto grumbles reverberated through the ground, but they were unfazed by our awe-struck presence. Photographs were difficult because of the poor light, but the experience was unrivalled; an extra special safari treat for the 6 of us guests at nThambo.
Just as we thought the show must be over, a spotted hyena entered the light surrounding the lodge. Walking on its own, it appeared to be on a mission, but slowed down to give us the once-over before skulking around the perimeter of the boma. We later heard that Matt was on his way to his room at this time and soon realised he was being followed by this lone hyena!
Needless to say, we went to bed hearing the eerie call of hyenas beginning their night’s hunt. The excited ‘whooooop’ was interrupted only by the distant roaring of those ‘ngala’ we are yet to find. Let’s just say our ears are pricked and our eyes are peeled and we are learning a lot about the paw prints of lions, as Isaac, our Shangaan tracker pays close attention to the evidence on the ground.
Images by Chloe Cooper.
