Jump to content

Hiding in the Bush House


pomkiwi

Recommended Posts

Elephants in the bush

As well as the hide (which I will return to), there were some good sightings of elephants in the reserve.

 

They are often an attractive reddish colour due to the soil.

DSC_2986.jpg.ea343e7d14c049ca41984042de58948f.jpg

 

One male was clear that the road was his:

DSC_3541.jpg.85b612c7f7d9ba9adf9e155fd0eba7c9.jpg

 

A mother and calf showed close connections

DSC_3002.jpg.61d1484cbebefdebb1af7413fb8f823b.jpg

 

These tusks have been well used:

DSC_3000.jpg.4b5e71adc4083fef79502a623d7cd971.jpg

 

There were some encounters which put the animal into its environment

DSC_2985.jpg.5421a4e55e2b54fb0974ee511cc00aca.jpg

 

DSC_3548-Edit.jpg.f3025c0358292a65edbe031d60dc5734.jpg

Edited by pomkiwi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back to the HIde

I had two nights at the Bush House which meant only one full day. Pretty much all of the time between drives on that day were spent at the hide as several groups of elephants came to drink.

DSC_0976.jpg.73d2054b50c0eecbf24d19f77013cbe0.jpg

 

DSC_0981.jpg.e0cc9cdf3fd51f57fc3a71bcb08e8eb8.jpg

 

It was spell-binding to see, hear, smell and at times feel them so close

 

DSC_4057.jpg.63b6f4c5aebc505209b1e91d73d956db.jpg

 

DSC_4099.jpg.387ef9001951232fe05a86df6fd6ed9e.jpg

 

They would jostle each other to get to the outflow of the freah water pipe feeding the pool

DSC_4119.jpg.47cedcfd9382f7f05bebe74463e00826.jpg

 

At times it felt as though eye contact had been madeDSC_4036.jpg.80dbe89d5c52f2ab5eafe6e25df966bf.jpg

 

DSC_4042.jpg.a4729549f26edf44282085f3e98f0ab5.jpg

 

DSC_4046.jpg.f1d0e30bc742dd8acd49f0bd0b533f8f.jpg

 

DSC_3988.jpg.ccacc0131b7959dc2a88715bd0e0f808.jpg

 

Mostly however it was great to sit and watch so close.

DSC_4009.jpg.b6ca9507f956b60a73951b6e69ae10a9.jpg

 

DSC_1032.jpg.1c4b19b98135fff4470cee4fab031b98.jpg

 

DSC_1049.jpg.70e704af90c066e6bf6ad7badd12f7eb.jpg

DSC_4081.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Final thoughts

It was a productive 48 hours at the Bush House. A very comfortable base and lovely, welcoming and flexible staff. I wouldn't have enjoyed the experience of being one of 10 on a game vehicle - especially given the quality of the sightings. Although I can think of more scenic areas for safari, the proximity to JNB, the fact it is malaria free and the density of wildlife makes the Madikwe a great option for a short trip.

If I go back I would definitely return to the Bush House.

 

 

DSC_4003.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lovely photos - you can almost see the reflection of the waterhole in the elephants eyes. 

 

We went to Madikwe in ‘16 and had a similarly excellent viewing experience with Caracal, Serval, Lion, Leopard, Genet and both Hyena species  - I would similarly recommend it as an easy rewarding reserve 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Towlersonsafari

loved the photos from the hide-especially the line of elephants-thanks for the report @pomkiwi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Postscript - I forgot the lions!

We did see lions but I forgot to include them earlier. There was a small pride of two females (sisters) and one male with 4 cubs.  

DSC_4309.jpg.32f22e91002ea458ce83ba3afbbc5c30.jpg

The guides knew roughly where thy were and it was simple to follow the mother to where she had hidden the cubs and witness her calling them out.

DSC_4318.jpg.df974d6630f96074c241ef77ebf612a6.jpg

 

DSC_4335.jpg.b502a0ae064c7eb6c239a6a7b9dfa63a.jpg

 

DSC_4326.jpg.0ad9997f5a863e2220e999b18208f09a.jpg

We spent the next half an hour watching the cubs nurse and play.

DSC_4370.jpg.36f4b258fd842048270bb9d4968be678.jpg

 

DSC_4413.jpg.8610f27a0f1d62492d6a06b3305637d8.jpg

 

DSC_4420.jpg.5acf96f5d49da72f7e922711329e9926.jpg

They then decided to give mum a rest and went to see what aunty had to offer. 

The answer was not a lot other than a wash and a refusal to rise to attempts to nibble her ear.

 

DSC_4470.jpg.292b1ed9b2aeae03f8e55f2340fb6bc5.jpg

 

DSC_4471.jpg.578a88f07d7efda9213f5031a46d9fe1.jpg

DSC_4516.jpg.539ed873ef37ba3e7bd6785fd54e09c6.jpg

 

DSC_4504.jpg.430923fcf8d9f760431400425d8d91aa.jpg

DSC_4533.jpg.57e29738c78f8dd66cb750ffdb02ee0b.jpg

Eventually the females got up to hunt and we left the cubs.

 

The females made a couple of unsucessful attempts which were interesting to watch but difficult to photograph as we kept back and the light was fading.

DSC_4598.jpg.bf00b3b866ac0c0b158a044621191f7d.jpg

One consistent feature was that the male wandered into the middle of the hunt on both occasions ruining them.

DSC_4633.jpg.980751b02f7351beecf70c736e395ddd.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A great trip  that has completely scrubbed off bad memories of your last stay in madikwe.

Caracal - wow. Brown hyena - wow. Leopards, cheetahs, lions - all in 48 hours. Damn. I've got to get to that reserve soon. 

Edited by Kitsafari
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Safaritalk uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By using Safaritalk you agree to our use of cookies. If you wish to refuse the setting of cookies you can change settings on your browser to clear and block cookies. However, by doing so, Safaritalk may not work properly and you may not be able to access all areas. If you are happy to accept cookies and haven't adjusted browser settings to refuse cookies, Safaritalk will issue cookies when you log on to our site. Please also take a moment to read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy: Terms of Use l Privacy Policy