Amazing safari trip.

[Guest Bernardus1]

Post edited. Reason - please refer to Forum rules -

If you are a tour operator, lodge manager, travel agency etc, you agree not to publicise your company, blatantly or otherwise. If it is considered that such a post goes against this, it will be edited

Please see my comments in the final post in this topic. Matt

[Game Warden]

For a first post, this appears to be advertising, and therefore I have removed the URL which was included: to the OP - familiarise yourself with the Forum Rules, specifically:

If you are a tour operator, lodge manager, travel agency etc, you agree not to publicise your company, blatantly or otherwise.

Advertising and self promotion is not appropriate on Safaritalk

However, I look forward to reading more about your trip, and seeing more photos than that above... what made you choose this particular lodge over others in the greater Kruger area? Have you been on Safari before? Where, and how did this place compare?

 

Matt

[madaboutcheetah]

Never heard of this lodge? In the Kruger area?

[Guest Bernardus1]

The lodge was only launched in December last year, it's a brand new product. But yeah, the Moditlo Game Reserve is just outside of the Kruger Park, near the Orpen Gate.

 

I reckon in a year or so these guys will be much more expensive, because when we were there, it was already getting busy, and they are just too cheap for what it is, that's for sure.

[wildwings]

I've also never heard of this lodge or the Moditlo reserve. I googled it and it seems like a residential wildlife estate, must be something similar to Marloth Park on the southern border of Kruger, where you can buy a stand and put up your own "lodge". Great to hear you had such an amazing 7 night safari here Bernardus. How did you find out about it, and what made you decide on this lodge over some of the more affordable, established lodges inside the greater Kruger Park?

[madaboutcheetah]

The lodge was only launched in December last year, it's a brand new product. But yeah, the Moditlo Game Reserve is just outside of the Kruger Park, near the Orpen Gate.

 

I reckon in a year or so these guys will be much more expensive, because when we were there, it was already getting busy, and they are just too cheap for what it is, that's for sure.

 

 

Thanks for your post. Does it have a fence that seperates from the Kruger or open where animals go in and out?

[Guest Bernardus1]

We found it over the internet, and asked around in the UK.

We asked the ranger, and Moditlo was only created about 7 years ago, and so is quite unknown yet. But it's not a residential wildlife estate ! It's a proper game reserve, much bigger than, say, Kapama Game Reserve that are just next to them.

They've got amazing animals on Moditlo, I can tell you that.

They've got lions (one pride with now a second litter), elephants (about 20 of them), rhinos (about 70 of them), giraffes, hippos, wild dogs (they had a litter of 12 last year), wildebeest, leopards, cheetahs, pretty much all apart the buffalo (the ranger told us that it's unwise to endanger the wild dog because the buffalos are carrier of TB,and wild dogs are extremely vulnerable to TB).

 

(Edited. Matt)

 

I think Moditlo will be a lot more prominent quite soon, but it's amazing how little known the reserve still is. But I guess that's because they don't have tons of people on it.

 

B

Edited July 20, 2010 by Game Warden

[Game Warden]

They've got amazing animals on Moditlo

Expand on your comment Bernardus1...

[egilio]

36,000 acres is about 145 square km's. Barely enough for 2 prides of lions, or 2 coalitions, surely not big enough for a pack of dogs. So I guess there's no fence between it and Kruger.

[Guest Bernardus1]

Quick history of the dogs. They were introduced into the area around 5 years ago, total of 7 adult dogs. Both the alpha male and female dogs were collared at the time of release. The area they were released in are open with the KNP, they moved around all over the area coming and going from one reserve to the next. About three years ago they starting coming into the Blue Canyon Conservancy (Moditlo Game Reserve form part of the conservancy). At the time there was 5 dogs in the pack, both collared animals forming part of the group. Then for about 6months there was no sightings. The next time they were seen the two collared dogs was the only two adults in a pack of 9. The seven sub-adults did well under the guidance of there parents. Last year (2009) the pack having been on the conservancy for about a year at the time. The packed denned again and 10pups were born, of the 10 only 8 survived. The pack now totals 17 and they are doing extremely well. Yes it's a fenced Conservancy, however they came in on their own accord and can and will get out should they want to. There is an abundance of prey especially impala, which they seem to favour. The fact that it's a new conservancy with only 3adult lions with 3cubs, there is also little predator pressure on the dogs at this time. Obviously being a fenced reserve it means we need to manage the reserve and it's bio-diversity a lot more closely than what big reserves like the KNP and bigger conservation areas in the rest of Africa. The fact that today we have 15 000ha, where 4 years ago it was cut up into smaller and seperate farms is a step in the right direction. This area is still made up of diffierent farms owned be seperate owners. They all bought into the concept of having their fences dropped to form a larger conservation area, which is a benefit to conservation and even more importantly better for the animals on the reserve.

I'm replying to this on behalf of Bernardus1,he was a guest at Vuyani Lodge. I'm the reserve manager, hope this was helpfull. Henry Parsons

[madaboutcheetah]

Keep up the good work and thanks a lot for the info!

[egilio]

Thanks for the info! You see it often that dogs do well initially in 'new nature' areas. Canid population can build up much more rapidly (and can decline rapidly!) then cat populations!

Just another extension to the greater Kruger area, nice! How big is the whole are now? Kruger including all the surrounding private game reserves, roughly?

[Game Warden]

Henry, thankyou for the update. I encourage you to register as an independent member of Safaritalk so as to continue sharing news of Moditlo Private Game Reserve. I also have to wonder at your comment:

I'm replying to this on behalf of Bernardus1,he was a guest at Vuyani Lodge

Having tried to send you an email via Vuyani Lodge, the email address actually begins bernard@... which is somewhat of a coincidence, and raises my suspicion that the initial post is in fact self publicity, and not what it appears to be. As this email address will not accept any incoming emails: please clarify this situation with me via PM or contact me, matthew@safaritalk.net, as I'm unable to contact you... operators and lodge owners/managers etc are welcome to contribute to Safaritalk, but not if they conduct themselves in such an underhand manner. I have edited some comments made by the OP and am locking this topic, pending further information from Henry.

 

No further explanation forthcoming, this member has been banned...

 

Matt