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Umkumbe Safari Lodge : Understanding Our Emotional Grey Giants

With their deeply etched tusks, leathery hairless skin, paintbrush bristle eyelashes, muddy appearance, ears that flap like flags in the wind and soft feet resembling comfortable slippers; the African elephant has become one of the most sought after animals to spot while on safari.

Their soulful eyes hide a sensitive, intelligent and curious nature, which is why they’ve become one of the most globally loved species. Why do us humans feel such a kinship with these pachyderms? The complexity of emotion, the tears, their respect for those who’ve passed makes us feel more connected to the wild. They possess human qualities and that’s why we feel so close to these emotional grey giants.

Unfortunately, despite our love of elephants there are those that still poach these gentle giants. It appears there is a high demand for ivory in the Far East, which is the primary reason why elephants are poached. Because of this, we now have a global movement towards protecting elephants. Numerous charitable organisations have started to raise funds in an effort to create awareness around the plight of of the pachyderm. According to the Tusk website “Up to 30,000 African elephants are killed each year for their tusks”. That’s an alarming number!

With that being said, Umkumbe Safari Lodge are very grateful for the abundance of elephant sightings. The elephants in the Sabi Sand roam free in the wild and their presence is greatly respected. They come in their huge herds down to the Sand River in front of the lodge to devour vegetation and soak up water. It’s always a delight for guests to observe their exchange and antics with one another.

While out on game drive, guests can enjoy up close and personal sightings of these much revered animals. There is nothing better than an elephant casually strolling past the stationary vehicle while guests remain still and seated. Knowledgeable and professional guides will most certainly never approach a bull in musth and will keep their distance from any scenarios that threaten a herd’s comfort zone. After all, we’re onlookers in their domain !

An elephant’s large and seemingly cumbersome body actually moves with ease and silence through the bushveld. This is largely due to the fact that the sole of an elephant’s foot comprises a tough, sponge like connective tissue that almost “moulds” over the obstacles when it walks. This is why, when on game drive, you may well see them before hearing them!

When together in their herds they can be noisy, gregarious and quite brash. You’ll often see this behaviour when they’re congregated at dams and waterholes – one of their favourite places to hang out. Elephants love soaking and swimming in water. Young bulls, who’ve not left the herd yet, will often play fight in the water to practice their fighting skills to establish dominance. When these bulls become of age they will leave their herd and seek out a more solitary life.

They normally form loose associations with other bachelors and return to the herd when it’s time to mate. Bulls have too much testosterone for the females to handle, which is why they leave the herd. However, all related family members do, from time to time, meet up for swimming and mud bathing sessions.

So, that means that all the females and young males live together in a matriarchal herd. The “aunts”, “cousins” and sub-adults females actually all take turns in helping the youngest calves to navigate obstacles. When on the move you’ll notice how the young calf is surrounded by elders – this is to ensure predators don’t have easy access to the calf.

There are two very important appendages that elephants use on a daily basis – their trunk and tusks. Their tusks act as sort-of external incisors and grow throughout the elephant’s life cycle. Tusks are utilised as tools for digging, foraging and ripping bark from trees. Interestingly enough, elephant’s are either left or right tusk dominant.

The trunk is an incredibly intricate part of the body and contains 40 000 muscles. There are finger-like protrusions at the base of the trunk which help to grip and rip stubborn twigs from trees. The trunk also acts as a natural snorkel, which is useful for when an elephant swims. Contrary to popular belief, elephants don’t actually drink through their trunks but they soak up water and squirt it into their mouth. The trunk and tusks are unique to this species and most certainly are a vital part of an elephant’s anatomy.

Apart from being a rather fascinating member of the big five, an elephant plays an important role in the ecology of a reserve. When they knock over trees and break off branches, it creates new habitats for smaller creatures and mammals. Coupled with that, during times of drought, these pachyderms will use their trunk and tusks to dig for water. This in turn creates natural mud pools which is useful for other animals. And an elephant’s dung contains undigested seeds which are dispersed when they move through a traverse, creating new growth in the bushveld.

There are plenty of facts about elephants which we could have mentioned, but hopefully we’ve peaked your interest with this bit of insight into the life of an elephant. These emotional giants are some of Africa’s most exceptional creatures. We hope that the next time you’re on safari in the Sabi Sand that you’ll stop and ask your guide more questions about this majestic herbivore.

Week in Pics : Celebrating World Wildlife Day

In 2013 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 March World Wildlife Day in an effort to celebrate and raise global awareness of fauna and flora. On a daily basis, our team aims to educate, inspire and share photos/stories of animals thriving in the wild. We are their onlookers and consider ourselves lucky to observe them roaming free in the wild. Today’s “Week in Pictures” coincides with this much revered wildlife event and thus it seems fitting to dedicate the exceptional photographs and stories from our rangers to World Wildlife Day 2017.

This year the day will be celebrated under the theme “Listen to the Young Voices”. A large percentage of the world’s human population is placed within the age bracket of 10 – 24, which means the youth of today carries a huge responsibility to make informed decisions and engage in vigorous efforts to protect our wildlife. They’re at the prime phase of life to be educated about taking action against wildlife crime and take responsibility for conserving our planet.

It’s time to act locally and globally ! Click here to find out how you can get involved in contributing to the plight of our wildlife.

In the meantime, as per World Wildlife Day instructions, we will be posting a few of our week in pictures images to social media websites using the suggested hashtags, which are: #DoOneThingToday, #youth4wildlife , #YoungVoices , #WorldWildlifeDay and #EndWildlifeTrafficking. We encourage you to follow suit!

Here’s a quick update from our camps.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

Cocooned in pristine bushveld and located on the banks of the Sand River, Umkumbe Safari Lodge is the perfect place to enjoy exquisite game viewing. The Sabi Sand Wildtuin is a reserve where leopard species thrive and elephants are in abundance. This week saw the normal sightings of pachyderms, buffalo bulls and the elusive leopard.

Ezulwini Game Lodges

The Balule Nature Reserve is an uncrowded private reserve home to the big five and mega prides of lion. Both of the Ezulwini Game Lodges have a skywalk that extends over the bushveld below. This means guests almost always get to observe elephant herds shredding vegetation and wandering underneath the walkway. The waterhole and river is a huge attraction for these giant herbivores!

On World Wildlife Day, Ezulwini is celebrating the high concentration of plains game darting about between the shrubs and woodlands. The presence of plains game also means easy access to food for the large lion prides in the area. The food chain can be cruel !

Xobega Island Camp and Tuskers Bush Camp

The Kwatale Concession is an undiscovered piece of acacia scrub woodland paradise mixed in with a woodland paradise. The vegetation shifts with the landscape, which covers a huge traverse. African wild dogs, elephants, buffalo, lion and leopard all patrol and weave their way through the thickets. Birdlife in Botswana is exceptional and Tuskers Bush Camp is no stranger to epic bird sightings. Xobega Island Camp, being the water wonderland that is, always offers abundant sightings of hippos, crocs and an array of water dwelling birds.

Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp

There have been an unusually high number of leopard sightings on the traverse surrounding Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp. Ross Dam and her cub seem to be dominating sightings at the moment and during the week one of them took down a prickly porcupine. Last night, lions were seen – a welcome break from all of the leopard sightings !

The elite safari life continues in the Klaserie’s bushveld.

The Sensory Experience of a Walking Safari at Tuskers

Guest travel blogger Mike McCaffrey (Nomadic by Nature) visited Tuskers Bush Camp and documented his journey with words and images.

Many people come on safari with a suitcase full of outdoor and active gear, expecting to get deep into the bush, but then quickly realize that most safaris are much more like a series of short, bumpy road trips than a physical activity. Some people only manage to get out of their car to get back into their lodge at night.

There is nothing wrong with this, and really for wildlife enthusiasts, it can be quite rewarding as it enables you to get close to very large and dangerous animals like lions, buffalos and elephants. However, the car still remains a very tangible barrier between you and the wild bush you came to experience.

For this reason, many avid safari goers choose to complement their game drives with a walking safari, which allows you to head out into the bush on your own two feet. While game drives rely almost totally on your sight, walking safaris provide a fuller sensory experience.

Without the dust of the vehicles, you can smell the mopane trees as they are about to blossom. You can hear the snouts rustling in the bushes, and the warning calls of the francolins as you approach. It is a more meditative way to explore the bush, where you can take your time to stop and investigate an antlion trap.

However, there is nothing more exciting than when you have a sighting on foot. You use a series of hand signals with your guide to hatch a plan of advance or retreat, and then slowly move together in lock step trying not to crunch twigs on the ground, while keeping your focus on the animal you have come across. Sighting a giraffe from the car is a magical experience, but feeling the vibrations of its hooves on the ground as it runs through the bush is a visceral experience you are not likely to forget.

So after you seek out the big five from your car, spend some time on the ground feeling, smelling and listening to the bush. Taking a walking safari at Tuskers Bush Camp will leave you with a richer more unique experience you are not soon to forget.

Please Vote for Us in the Tusker’s Safari Awards 2017

We are pleased to announce that two of the Sun Destinations’ lodges have been nominated in the Tuskers Ultimate Safari Experience Awards 2017. Tuskers offer a unique set of awards showcasing a variety of safari experiences in various categories. The Safari Index’s panel of judges have carefully selected lodges and camps offering a high quality, all round safari experience.

This year, Umkumbe Safari Lodge in the Sabi Sand and Africa on Foot in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve are officially Tuskers again ! Umkumbe Safari Lodge has been nominated in the Ultimate Value category and Africa on Foot in the Ultimate Adventure category. We are very proud to have been nominated, but in order to win we need your help and support. We’d really appreciate your vote. If you’ve visited the lodge previously or voted in the Tuskers awards previously, then please use the relevant coupon code (your vote counts for double!).

Vote Here for Umkumbe – Ultimate Value: http://safari-index.com/awards/best-affordable-budget-safari-awards/
Coupon code : Umkumbe434

Vote Here for Africa on Foot – Ultimate Adventure : http://safari-index.com/awards/best-adventure-safari-africa-awards/
Coupon code : AOF434

How to Vote?

Click here ( http://safari-index.com/safari-awards/ )
Select your category – remember you can only vote for one safari experience in each category
Click “Vote Now” for the safari experience you feel best deserves the Big Tusker accolade.
Remember to check your email to confirm your vote
Remember if you have visited a Tusker finalist lodge or camp, your vote score can count twice. You just need to add the coupon code which you can get from the relevant lodge or camp or from Safari Index.

Africa on Foot specialises in big five walking safaris and morning’s start with a 3 hour walk through the bushveld. Evenings are spent on a late afternoon game drive that heads into the night. Another unique adventure aspect of Africa on Foot is the treehouse – an open wooden structure set a few metres away from the property.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge is located in a premier reserve and offers guests a wealth of leopard sightings. The lodge overlooks the Sand River and is one of the most affordable lodges in the immediate area.

Hyenas Hijack Leopards’ Kill in Klaserie

This morning’s safari held some exciting predator activity in the Klaserie, with a hijacking that happens all too often in the world of the wild: A pair of conniving hyena cronies stole an impala kill from leopards Ross Dam and Bundu. This mother-son duo was seen in the first moments of light this morning, apparently quite relaxed and right on the road side when guests from Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp cruised passed in their game viewers. The leopards were actively slinking through the golden beams of light spilling through the trees and soon it became obvious they were watching something in the near distance… When we got a better look we saw a pair of hyenas feasting on a carcass about 50m away.

Both leopards have full bellies, which made it likely that the hyenas had actually stolen the carcass from the leopards in an instance of playground bullying, which has a big part in the safari world. Leopards are often reported to lose their kills to these scavengers, as they would rather not engage in a fight and risk injury, so hyenas have come to know them as soft targets. The good news is that Ross Dam and her boy, Bundu, had already enjoyed a good portion of their impala kill, but were nevertheless disappointed to let the rest go.

The leopards followed the hyenas for a little while, looking immaculate in the early morning surroundings, and were soon close enough to the sneaky hyenas to express their dissatisfaction with some vocalised growling and hissing. The hyenas were unperturbed and continued to feast on their stolen kill, and guests watched in awe at the unravelling scene. The leopards gave a half hearted attempt at claiming back their meal, but were unsuccessful – the famous scavengers had won over the carcass and would be willing to draw blood before giving it up!

This remarkable predator interaction was thoroughly enjoyed by all. What began as an incredible signing of not only 1, but 2 leopards, turned into an incident involving leopards, hyenas, and a stolen kill! All in a morning game drive in the Klaserie…

An Ode to Rhinos in the Greater Kruger Park

Gusts of breath released through the leathery nostrils of a white rhino send swirls of dust into the air, as her head hangs low to the ground. She is designed to graze, to shear the grass with her tough lips and flat, textured molars. The weight of her head is supported by her mighty neck and a prehistoric-looking hump at the top of her spine, and her face is armed with 2 menacing horns capable of impaling anything that might threaten the safety of herself or her calf. Anything but the most dangerous predator of all: Man.

The rhino’s ancestors, dating back 50 million years, stood at 5m tall with a skull a whopping 1 metre in length. They ruled the land as giant herbivores, and have survived through eras and epochs that eradicated less adaptable species. Today, white rhinos stand at over 1.5m tall, and can weigh in excess of 2 tonnes – a far more fathomable size than their dinosaur cousins, but no less intimidating. Now, for the first time in the history of their existence, the almighty rhinoceros is facing extinction – not at the brutal force of nature, but the hands of humans. They are being gunned down not in defense or out of fear, but to feed a human greed.

The Kruger National Park is the last remaining stronghold for the rhino, but its borders have succumbed to the force of the poaching war, as the promise of dirty money trickles down from top stakeholders to the most desperate poverty-stricken hands on the ground in rural South Africa. A toxic superstition fuels the fire, growing an industry leading to the brutal slaughter of Africa’s rhinos, and the impending doom of a millions-of-years-old species. But we fight back…

When poaching statistics reached an all time high in 2014 (1215 rhinos killed), a worldwide rage rose to meet the wrecking ball obliterating Africa’s rhinos, and anti-poaching organisations surged in strength, gaining momentum in the form of fund raising, volunteer soldiers, relocation projects, and other initiatives. From anti-poaching teams using military training, risking their lives, choosing the fight as their path in life; to veterinary teams racing to the scene of the crime to try and administer medical help to mutilated rhinos, or to rescue an orphaned calf in distress – determined individuals put their resources together to fight for the life of rhinos.

After a record number of rhinos were poached in 2014, there were less rhinos poached in 2015, and even less in 2016, hinting at a possibility of a future with these creatures. But still, the exponential growth of poached rhinos since 2008 has brought rhino lives into the spotlight, and sadly we see more images of them butchered and beaten than living wild and free.

Today, our safari experiences are likely to include visions of military-clad men and women on patrol in the bush, armed with rifles, and stern expressions on their faces. These soldiers are trained to expect confrontation, to follow unfamiliar tracks, and get to the culprits before they get to the rhino, and more often than not, a confrontation involves violence, gun fire, and possible loss of life.

We are a world divided – divided between those who put their lives on the line to defend a species, and those who risk their lives to leave them maimed, or murdered. Amid the chaos, the desperation, the horror, and the helplessness, we are privileged to see them at peace. Every glimpse we get of a rhino cow and her calf, or a great bull caked in mud from a recent wallow, is a precious moment in time. As the war on poaching continues, we strive to remember the rhinos of the Greater Kruger Park, and cherish the lives of these ancient animals.

Week in Pictures: Seize Every Moment

Anyone who has spent days, months, or years traversing the arid landscapes and swamp-like wetlands of Africa will tell you that it all comes down to luck of the draw. Astonishing wildlife moments occur unpredictably and without warning. You might be in the right place at the right time to see a leopard leaping metres into the air to catch a bird in flight, or to watch an elephant tend to its newborn calf, or to witness something as rarely seen as an aardvark. You are the lucky ones! For the rest of us, we learn to seize every moment, to recognise the beauty in the ordinary; because if we spend our lives waiting for that epic shot, we might miss everything in between. This week, for our Friday edition of the Week in Pictures, we are celebrating every moment beautifully captured by our photographers who are out and about capturing the ordinary and making it extraordinary!

Umkumbe Safari Lodge, Sabi Sand Wildtuin, Greater Kruger Park

Ezulwini Game Lodges, Balule Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

nThambo Tree Camp, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

Africa on Foot, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

Tuskers Bush Camp & Xobega Island Camp, Botswana

LIVE Leopard Kill at Umkumbe : Mxabene Goes Wild

Leopards are slick killing machines that have mastered the art of the ambush. Death comes to their unlucky victims quickly and suddenly. A leopard’s quarry doesn’t suffer like many of its counterparts that have fallen victim to other predator kills. Swift, graceful and powerful – that is how the panthera pardus conducts their kills. Rangers at Umkumbe Safari Lodge were taken by surprise when local legend, Mxabene, executed an attack on an impala….

Nadia Bester took guests out on morning game drive and had zero idea of what lay ahead in terms of sightings. While the game viewer was trundling along the road, navigating its way over the fresh spears of grass and crunching through fallen branches, guests spotted Mxabene. There he was, just casually strolling down the road, marking his territory.

Max wasn’t out on an intentional hunt but leopards, being the ultimate opportunists, will grab any occasion to take down prey. In this case, the impala herd started moving into Max’s personal space and then his killer instinct kicked into play.

What happened next was remarkable. While the cameras were snapping away Mxabene crouched down into stealth mode. He’d sensed the presence of potential prey and wasn’t about to let his meal escape.

Almost immediately, Max dropped down into sort of a squat like position and started crawling along the road with his eye on the prize. In an instant, Max pounced and with a swift smash of the paw and pierce of the jugular, Max took down the impala.

Umkumbe has plenty of hyena clans crawling in the long grass and waiting in the wings for a free meal ticket. Mxabene is very much an institution in these parts and certainly knows how to avoid the theft of his prey. Let’s hope that he hoisted his impala kill into a tree for safekeeping.

The beauty about this Sabi Sand leopard kill sighting? It was all out in the open! This marks another sighting that is “one for the books”.

Tuskers Bush Camp : Piecing Together the Lion Puzzle

A distant rumble and cough-like roar echoes through the Kwatale concession. The night is piercingly quiet, yet full of promise. The crisp stillness of the darkness hovering over the landscape ensures that sound carries far – a prime reason as to why cats contact call during the dead of night. The sound reverberating through the Kwatale is passive yet firm enough to make those at Tuskers Bush Camp stop and listen. If sounds were accurately interpreted, these roars would be deciphered as “this is my turf, I’m here – where’s my gang?”

The rasp of the contact calling from the lions is often heard in the early hours of the morning and by all accounts, they seem to be in close proximity to camp. But, where are they hiding? They’re there all right – it’s just a case of Dan and the team honing in on their tracking skills. Which is exactly what happened a few nights ago. The pan in front of the camp was the chosen spot for the cats. At 4:30 am, Dan set out to track and observe the lions of Tuskers Bush Camp. He uncovered a part of the puzzle – there appeared to be two males and one lioness on the scene.

It was reported that there were other lionesses in the thickets but there was no visual. This leads us to believe that this is the loosely constructed pride often seen on our traverse.

Before we regale the story of Dan’s cat viewing experience, let’s recap about our recorded sightings of the lions of the Kwatale Concession. This is an excerpt taken from another one of our Kwatale lion blog posts.

A large male lion was photographed on our secret camera trap. There is confirmation that we have four lions in the immediate area and one large, dominant male. Two males and two females were seen over the weekend in the vicinity of the partially filled pan. One lioness appears to be quite a bit older than the rest – at least 4/5 years old and there’s speculation that she is the mother of at least two lions.

It appears Dan spotted 3 lions from the above the pride. When Dan went on his lion spotting expedition, little did he know what lay ahead. By the time he’d reached the pan where the calls were coming from, the lions had wandered off in hot pursuit of something more entertaining.

Visibility was poor which meant Dan couldn’t follow the tracks. A despondent Dan decided to switch off the hum of the engine so he could listen to the sounds of the night and the potential return of the lions. Unfortunately, his efforts lead him nowhere. Out of the blue Dan heard a lone elephant kicking up a fuss on the road close to the pan. The lions were contact calling close the elephant drama so Dan followed his instincts and decided to investigate. What he found was an angry elephant in musth!

Dan was now engaged in a serious comedy of errors – he couldn’t move because of the temperamental elephant but desperately wanted to locate the lions! At that moment in time, the lions decided to walk across the road, providing a nice sighting for Dan.

However, the angry pachyderm took it upon himself to knock over a tree and block the access road. Dan watched the highlight of the night’s sighting rapidly disappear over the ridge close to the road. Not one to give up, he found a different route and spotted his lions.

We can confirm that this slightly splintered pride operates in the area surrounding Tuskers Bush Camp.

Stay tuned for information about the lions of the Kwatale concession.

Week in Pictures : A Flair for the Unusual

Our lodges and camps all have one thing in common this week in the wild – a flair for the unusual. It could be the tiresome threat of the ominous weather approaching pockets of the Kruger or the madness surrounding Valentine’s day causing this erratic and strange wildlife behaviour. Whatever the reason, this week in pictures we’re celebrating wildlife engaging in eccentric and offbeat scenarios. Wide-mouthed beasts, friendly ostriches and jackals hugged by vultures are just a few of the sightings we’ve enjoyed over the past week.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

There’s a female ostrich in the Sabi Sand that often comes right up to the vehicle when guests are out on game drive. It’s an unusual experience for Umkumbe, but always a delightful one. The Sabi Sand is renown for its big cat sightings, but it’s nice to see something off-the-wall! The very friendly female ostrich is quite famous on the traverse and she now has a family in tow.

And our standard predator sightings? This week saw the rise of lion pride sightings – the Mhangeni lionesses being the main cats that were seen.

Tuskers Bush Camp

Our Botswana camp has enjoyed a spate of African wild dog sightings recently, which has taken our team by surprise! It’s good to know that there are parts of the Kwatale Concession that the endangered dogs call home.

The lions have been contact calling in the early hours of the morning – there appeared to be three of them, but Dan could only get visual of two cats.

Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp

The Klaserie camps have had a few exciting new developments. The camps have had a soft refurb, which has meant a new look and feel. Decor is simple, but tasteful and has bursts of colour which seem like an extension of the natural colours of the wilderness.

In sticking with modern sundowner trends, the camps decided to treat guests to a surprise gin tasting in the bushveld. Craft gin tasting while on safari? Don’t mind if we do!

The looming storms and presence of rain haven’t thwarted the predator sightings in the Klaserie. The Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses and a lone leopard were spotted on Wednesday night’s game drive. There was even hyena, vulture and jackal feasting on a rather fresh zebra carcass. Apart from those highlights, guests enjoyed plenty of buffalo, elephants and plains game sightings.

Ezulwini River Lodge and Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge

Over the past week, wildlife enthusiast Lance Van de Vyver visited the Ezulwini Game Lodges. Lance was lucky enough to spot the River Pride of lions, their cubs and one of the Mohlabetsi males.

The skywalk at Billy’s always offers the perfect vantage point to observe the breeding herds of elephant that flock to the waterhole.

During Lance’s visit he photographed the pachyderms making themselves comfortable in thickets underneath the skywalk. Of course, there were numerous sightings of birds, raptors, primates and other mammals throughout the week.