Zebra farts

[Atravelynn]

The bait seat is no place for sissies! Neither are the bushes where you hid to photograph the buffalo. I assume the zebra farts are in an upcoming installment. I hope I did not miss them.

[Jochen]

Before I continue with nThambo, an advice to everyone who has not written any trip reports yet; you should do so!

 

Seriously, it's not just great fun, but you relive the whole thing again, and more and more details will come back to you (more than when just looking at a picture, for instance).

 

Some things I remember from Umkumbe;

 

- I vividly remember watching buffalo grazing in the riverbed in front of the lodge after dark, with Celeste's parents (equally great folks as Herman and Celeste, by the way).

 

-I also recall Mira returning to the room to find out her pack of chewing gum was gone. We found the packet back by the window. Chewed open and the contents more than half gone. We had a good leach imagining the monkey blowing bubbles …from it's rear end.

 

- Then there was Johan, the guide, who stopped the vehicle at night, to explain to his daytrip-customers, that what they smelled was baboon scat (it was a foul smell, but with a sweet touch to it because of the fruit in it). His explanation took a while, and when he finally drove off he whispered to me "OK that took way too long, they nearly went apesh**".

 

Yup, fun was had!

Edited January 3, 2012 by Jochen

[Jochen]

On to nThambo!

 

Let's start with the camp itself; it is located on the "Ross" block in the Klaserie, the same place where Africa On Foot is. In fact, both camps are have the same owners; Courteney and Cecilia. The camp staff are shared with AOF. The location is simply superb; there's a grass plain in front of the huts, and in the far distance; the Drakensberg mountain range. As all huts are on wooden poles, the view of the mountains is unobstructed. A pic says more than a 1000 words. This was our view:

 

 

All of the buildings are pure wood and thatch. No stone. The central part of the lodge has high ceilings and contains a lounge area, a dining area, and the kitchen. The floor is just regular sand. Except for the kitchen, and the area right in front of the kitchen: that is on a wooden platform a few steps up. On the platform in front of the kitchen, they put the food that is prepared in the kitchen (it's all self service here). There's also a boma right next to the lodge (for the newbies; a fire pit with a wooden fence around it).

 

This is a pano of the whole lodge. Central building in the middle. Three huts to the right, two to the left;

 

 

 

There is only one superlative to describe the rooms; they were divine! Wood, canvas ant thatch. Big rooms, big comfy bed, plenty of space. Behind the bedroom a bathroom with toilet, shower and sink. I'll let the pics do the talking:

 

 

 

We absolutely loved it. This is as close to perfect as a room has ever got, as far as we're concerned. The only thing it lacked was an open air shower. But since the huts are on poles, I can understand why they opted for a regular shower. You'd perhaps be a little too exposed under an open shower on a platform 3 meters up.

 

Meals; one thing I tend to do is over-eat while on holiday. It's all so very delicious! (blush) But it's no fun digesting while laying down: you need a good rest as you need to get up early. Nor is it any fun coming home and seeing that half your clothes no longer fit. I was therefor very pleased to see that at nThambo they keep the portions in the "regular" category. There's enough for everyone, but not for encores most of the time, which you don't need anyway (...but you understand what I'm getting at most probably). Plus they don't serve deserts (just like at home; you don't eat a desert every day either). And the food was absolutely healthy, light (or rather; lighter than most cuisine in the bush) and simply delicious. I am a fan of boboti in particular. And nThambo now holds the record for "best boboti".

 

Coming up: the gamedrives!

Edited January 3, 2012 by Jochen

[Jochen]

About the guide and tracker;

 

Our guide was Jan Pienaar. Jan is the head guide of nThambo. We had met Janneman the year before at Africa On Foot; he popped in at regular intervals when he had no customers (nThambo was then brand new) and/or to fetch something from AOF that he needed at nThambo. We already knew he was a funny guy, so for us it was a lot of fun seeing him again.

We soon noticed that, apart from being funny, he was also extremely knowledgeable. Not only on mammals, trees and plants, but also on birds. There's a good reason for that; this man loves the bush so much that he rarely ever takes a break. Camp regime is; six weeks of work followed by two weeks off. But in the weeks that he is off, Jan does birding tours with RockJumper. So you can also find him on the list of tour leaders on their website. No wonder Jan is good with birds! But a good guide never knows enough, so now he's trying to get into butterflies as well.

 

A superb lodge, and an extremely good guide. Does it get any better? It does. Jan's tracker is none other than Isaac, a man some of the people on this board (and certainly on Fodors) may know, as previously he has been working in Sabi Sands in some of the most famous lodges there. After that, Isaac spent some time with TransFrontiers until that company was stopped. And now Courteney hired him! Isaac has been doing this for more than 15 years, so even a bit longer than Jan.

Isaac is the best tracker we've ever had, and is a hard worker. But you will be able to judge that for yourselves from the trip report.

 

Seems the safari-business is a small world; Isaac is the brother in law of none other than Gertie, the famous cook at Shindzela (see the trip report of previous year). Something I did't know; apparently Shindzela camp was previously a TransFrontiers camp, and Dave, the current owner of Shindzela, was working for them. Transfrontiers had a good name in the industry but the company was stopped anyway, when the owners (a couple) split up. A shame, yes. But Dave saw his chance, and started his own business. But enough about all that. On to the gamedrives!

Edited June 18, 2011 by Jochen

[Jochen]

The first day we were there, the cold front was still upon us. And still without any clouds, which for us was a (little) plus, but for them it was really weird. They had hardly ever seen this before, and thought it must be because of global warming.

 

That doesn't mean we didn't see anything. That day, Jan took us on a trip around the Ross block, and we saw all the usual suspects. We had our private vehicle, as other people were only coming in the day after. So we took plenty of time at all the sightings. I hardly took any pictures and just enjoyed every encounter. But there are of course exceptions where I could not resist. I'm a sucker for Kudu and Ellies, so…

 

 

 

Apart from mammals, Jan also spotted a lot of birds. Best sightings were a Pearl Spotted Owlet, an African Hawk-Eagle (which sat so perfectly framed by the trees I could not believe my luck), and a bird that I do not want to mention yet …as it's perfect material for the "name that bird" thread.

 

 

 

 

Best of all was a Little Sparrowhawk which Jan spotted just after having crossed a drainage line. It sat long enough for just one picture. A bit too far away, and not a prize winning shot, but it was a first for us so the pic is most definitely in our album.

 

 

That afternoon it was getting even colder than it had been. As a result (I think) the night drive did not yield much. Instead, since it was such a clear sky, I concentrated on photographing the milky way. This was pure experimenting, as I hardly knew how to do that.

My biggest problem was not being able to judge my images on a computer. So I used the display on the back of my camera, and did it by trial and error. In fact; I kept trying on consecutive nights as well, and Jan even helped me by lending me his tripod (which he normally uses for his scope). But the first results turned out to be the best ones. I assume because it was such a cold and clear night Here's a pic:

 

 

The color of the acacia was filled in by constantly gliding over it with a flash light. Believe it or not; the orange glow comes from the lights in Hoedspruit. Even though the town is about 20 kilometers away from nThambo, it still ha an effect on an exposure of 30 sec. By just using your eyes, the glow is not there at all.

 

The pic not perfect either, I admit. My fault is apparently exposing too long and/or on an ISO level that is too high (ISO 3200). Mental note for next time; ISO 1600!

Edited January 3, 2012 by Jochen

[Jochen]

The next day started out "en mineur". It had got REAL cold at night, and it was one of those rare days that even Jan goes for long trousers, gloves, and a cap.

 

We had seen some pretty good stuff so far, but nothing really special. Come to think of it, since the very first day of our safari, at Umkumbe, we had not seen any cats. But we thought that, given the weather, and since we had seen the whole area close to camp the day before (and thus knew a bit what there was to see), we would not see anything new here.

 

Not that the area is small; nThambo has quite a bit of traverse in the neighborhood. First of all; there's the patch where Africa On Foot is on. Then there's Gomo Gomo (who have two blocks to drive around in, which in total is even bigger than AOF+nThambo), and then there's the new kid on the block; Baobab Ridge, a self-catering camp (again two blocks). nThambo does not have official traversing agreements with BR (yet), but they do have a gentleman's agreement that one may visit the other's area on request. BR is really new so they do not have that much customers yet. As a result the owners (a young couple) are often driving around on their own, just for fun, and gladly share sightings. They really seem nice folks; one evening they even helped us out with a flat tire.

 

Anyway, as big as the area may be; nThambo has even more traverse now, on properties further north. There's areas there as well; Senalala, Tulela, Hilltops, Spilati, Mufula, ... Some with cams, some without. And nThambo is allowed to drive there too. Since we heard that a rhino carcass had been found on Senalala property, we thought we would have better chances of seeing any predators there (compared to the areas around nThambo).

 

So off we went. It's rather far to drive, since you need to do a little detour; first to the tar road that is the border between Klaserie and Timbavati, then north, and then west again. Since it was cold, it got even colder when driving a bit faster on that tar road. And it proved to be a trip for nothing. Well, not for nothing; we did see the carcass, but there were no predators around except vultures.

 

 

Apparently the rhino died in a fight with an adult male; the youngster (male, but barely mature) stood no chance. We stayed in the area that whole morning. After all, this was an area we had not explored yet. But we did not find any predators. Still some good sighting of other mammals and birds though.

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon, new guests were coming in. As a result, the game drive started a bit later. That was the bad news. The good news was that it was definitely getting warmer. We stayed it the neighborhood of the lodge that afternoon (as they had not seen the area yet, and as we started the drive later). The newcomers were first-timers, so were thrilled about everything they saw. So we spent lots of time with impala and tree squirls and all that. We did not mind at all; we had two point five days left at this camp, and since it was now getting warmer we knew good stuff was coming our way.

 

 

 

Just after sundowners we ran into a hyena. Was this a sign for things to come? Well, the night drive was definitely more rewarding; we saw nightjars (well, to be honest we saw those every night but this time I was able to photograph it), a bushbaby, and yes; a glimpse of a leopard while it ran away into thick bushes. Sorry, no pic!

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2012 by Jochen

[Game Warden]

Great starscape mate!

[twaffle]

I am really enjoying this Jochen, and I totally agree with you that trip report writing is a great way to relive the safari.

[Jochen]

Day three at nThambo.

 

In the morning Jan and Isaac decided to go look for that leopard again. Apparently there's a mom with two cubs in the neighborhood. The cubs are now about 8 months old, and often hide in the same patch of thick mopane. The mom (which we saw last night) is a bit skittish, but the cubs are getting used to the vehicles and people have been able to take pics of them while they were relaxing not far from the Landy's. Hopefully, they'd show themselves.

 

Isaac sound found leopard tracks. But of course they went off the road, into thick bush. Here's where Isaac really shined. He simply decided to track them on foot, in that patch of thick bushes. While Jan drives around, looking for other stuff to see. Even more noteworthy is that Isaac does this without a gun. He just takes a radio.

At this moment they have permits for two guns, but in the morning Africa On Foot needs both as they have a foot safari there. So Isaac doesn't have a gun at his disposal. For now, that is. Another permit (and gun) is coming soon.

Not that Isaac minds at all. He likes this, and is used to being all alone in the bush without a gun.

 

 

We saw some good stuff, but no predators:

 

 

 

 

And half an hour later, Isaac called us to say he found the male cub (the other is a female), and was looking at it. Apparently he was relaxed enough to stay put, so Jan drove over to where Isaac was. Isaac guided Jan to the spot (using the sound of the engine), but you have to understand how thick the bush is. Here's an example:

 

 

It was actually thicker where the cub was. This was in the mopane patch. We got closer and closer, and we did get to see the cub, but it ran off. Surely because of all the noise the vehicle made by driving over mopane. So again; no pic! Oh well. We got to see another leopard so that is cool anyway.

 

That day, it was most definitely much warmer, so we decided to do like meerkats do; warm ourselves up in the sun. We moved the table outside and had breakfast in the sun.

 

 

Some people had not seen the leopard when it ran away from the vehicle. So Isaac proposed to do a little foot safari, to which we did not say no! But to be able to do a walking safari, Isaac had to get the gun from Africa On Foot. So we paid the camp a little visit. Incredible how much nicer it had become since our visit a bit more than half a year ago. All houses were now finished, and painted in yellow. Since they were just in between customers (some getting out that day, others coming in later that day), I was able to snap a few shots of the rooms with the beds made up and all. As an example, just one room I liked very much. It was under a Marula tree;

 

 

It was actually a family room with two separate beds for the kids (behind a wall) and a double bed for the parents:

 

 

This was the bathroom:

 

 

After that short intermezzo at AOF, we drove to the mopane block where we spotted the leopard cub, got out of the jeep, and started walking. Isaac was soon following fresh leopard tracks (how he was able to spot them in between all that grass is beyond me), but did not forget to stop at various plants and trees to explain what they were and what you can do with them. Still imprinted very thoroughly in my brain is the refreshing drink (one glass of water, ten drops of milk from the tamboti tree) that I want to make for my mother in law.

 

 

In the end, we did find the leopard, and we all got to see it very well this time. However, it was not so relaxed with so many people around, and it is obviously more accustomed to jeeps. So it soon ran off. As we were on a walking safari I only brought my wide angle lens (the rest is too heavy to carry), so again sorry guys but; no pics.

 

In the afternoon, before leaving, Isaac lured a baboon spider out of her hole. This girl is a rather big specimen, and she has been living next to the parking lot of the camp for quite some time. On the pic are Jan's fingers, to have an idea how big she is. Note that Jan's fingers are a bit higher up so she's actually even a bit bigger than she looks on this pic.

 

 

Isaac put her in his cap and passed her around. Most women instinctively jumped back a meter or more. I held the cap for a bit while Mira filmed it. After that, we put her back at her front door, and she promptly disappeared in it. Goes to show that the most fun sightings are not necessarily the biggest creatures.

 

Later that afternoon; more gamedriving in the neighborhood, and more sightings of the usual suspects. But nothing special. Well; the sunset was;

 

 

And finally, during the night drive, there they were again!

 

 

A coalition of two brothers, well known to the area, were back. Would we see them again in the morning?

Edited January 3, 2012 by Jochen

[Game Warden]

It was actually a family room with two separate beds for the kids (behind a wall) and a double bed for the parents:

I'm liking the sound of this... what were age limits?

[Jochen]

Day four

 

Not a very good night. It was the rutting season, and the impala had been making a lot of noise. In fact, they'd been doing so every night, but this night was the worst by far. Again, I assume because of the weather: the cold front had definitely gone. So all night long the males were chasing each other around, and were chasing females around. The noise they make is a series of sneezes (like they do to warn each other for danger), followed by a guttural sound in fast breathe in - breathe out pattern. At one point they were doing this right under our room.

 

But what I also heard that night was hyena, leopard and plenty, plenty of lions. Some close. Some further away. And at least from two different directions. So at dawn we set off straight away to where we thought we last heard them. We found them on Baobab Ridge property, not far from the tar road. They had blood on their faces, and had obviously made a kill on the other side of the road, in Timbavati, in a block named "giraffe". But now they came over to Baobab Ridge to quench their thirst at a dam on their property. The vehicle from Gomo Gomo joined us at the sighting. I got some nice pics, but it was still a tad dark.

 

 

 

 

Mira has got better video footage than the pictures I got. At one point one lioness started roaring, and all soon followed. A concert, all around us. Pretty cool.

 

These were the two males we saw yesterday, plus some females. But why were they always looking back from where they came. Was there still someone at the kill? Jan decided to drive a bit further up the road, to see what he could spot from a bit higher up. We were not allowed to drive on Timbavati property, of course. Sure enough, there they were; another pride of lions. Females (at least the ones we could see). And too far away for pictures. But then... what was that?? Something more whitish? A lioness too?? Yup, there she was, a "white lioness of the Timbavati"! We had a very good look at her through our bino's. Then she flopped down for a nap in the high grass.

 

We sure were in high spirits after that. And it wasn't over yet. On our way back to camp, Jan spotted a juvenile martial eagle. This is the eagle that - for me - is the most beautiful. I had seen only one so far, on our trip in Botswana. It was our very first sighting there. And our gear was still in the bags. Now finally, I got a picture!

 

 

Somewhere during the drive that morning, a message came to us, from the lodges up north; they had found mating lions. No need to clarify where we went that afternoon. On our way to the lions we ran into a big herd of buffalo. Nice pics, but I was only able to take a few, as all of a sudden a fly got into Mira's ear (always lotsa flies around buffalo)! It was obviously confused as it tried to get deeper and deeper. It gave Mira a bit of a scare, as it hurt too. We got it out fast though, by pouring water in her ear (thanks for the tip, Isaac!).

 

After the buffalo we ran into rhino! We had barely driven 100 meters!

 

 

When we left the rhino, we drove another 100 meters or so, and then came across a big elephant herd. They passed all around us.

 

 

 

And then finally we came to the mating lions. After ten minutes or so, they gave us one performance, and then promptly went back to sleep.

 

 

 

I know their tempo should be; once about every 15 minutes, but after 30 minutes they had not moved yet. As the light was fading fast anyway (sun sets at 5h15-5h30 apparently), we decided to leave them and drive back to the lodge.

 

On our night drive, we found the female leopard again, and were able to follow her for quite a bit, with multiple sightings along the way. She would never sit still though, and we often lost sight of her while trying to navigate in thick bush. Quite adventurous too. Plenty of good video footage, but too dark for sharp pics (if only she had sat still...)

 

That night; a drink at the campfire as usual, and our last dinner at nThambo (the boboti I mentioned earlier). Perfect day, from beginning to end.

 

 

Edited January 3, 2012 by Jochen

[Jochen]

It was actually a family room with two separate beds for the kids (behind a wall) and a double bed for the parents:

I'm liking the sound of this... what were age limits?

 

Well, as Africa On Foot is clearly about walking safaris, I assume that their age limit will be around 10-12. So that's maybe not what you wanted to hear. But to be honest, I think that's only for the game walks. So I'm quite sure you could rent the room with younger kids anyway, and opt for gamedrives instead. Just ask!

 

J.

[Jochen]

Woops. I forgot to mention that on day three, another couple had joined us. They were newly weds, and drove in by themselves. So if you look at what they had seen so far in those two days, then you soon realize that they had just missed the more quiet days, and had got plenty to see. In fact, they had seen the big five in just one day. Not bad. Not bad at all. But strangely enough, what they had missed so far were two other iconic species; zebra and giraffe.

 

Well, we were all to go on the same moment that afternoon, so on our last gamedrive, we went looking for giraffe and zebra. To give them a perfect trip for their honeymoon (although it wasn't over yet for them; they had two more nights at Arathusa in Sabi Sands if I recall correctly).

 

Anyway, sure enough we found what they were looking for.

 

 

 

 

Soon enough it was time to leave. With a bit of a heavy heart I must admit. For us, the drive was not that far. Just the other side of the tar road. It was less than an hour to get to our next lodge. Jan took us there with the Landy, so we had a bit of a game drive along the way. I gave Jan my 20D, so he has a bit more pixels to play with, and more importantly: a bigger buffer (he was shooting with a 300D, which was my first Canon body too, so I knew his frustrations).

 

We hope to be back really soon. REALLY soon.

 

Next week; part three of our trip; three nights at Simbavati River Lodge in Timbavati game reserve.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Jochen

[Atravelynn]

You are so right about reliving the trip through the report. Details you might forgot years later are recorded and can bring back a smile or pleasant memory down the road.

 

That night shot with the stars is spectacular, a real work of art. What is the story behind the bushbaby photo? Those are very tough to even see, much less photograph.

[Jochen]

What is the story behind the bushbaby photo? Those are very tough to even see, much less photograph.

 

Hey Lynn,

 

Nothing really. Just got lucky that this one sat near to the road we were driving on and stayed there while we switched off the engine and rolled closer. I had to take the shot using the dashboard as a stabilizer.

[johan db]

Jochen,

 

Enjoying your report/pictures

 

Looks like you had some excellent rhino sightings. Taking good photos of mating lions isn't easy as you want to face them head to head

 

Ciao,

 

J.

[madaboutcheetah]

Hey Jochen,

 

I absolutely loved your pic of that star lit night ...... brilliant!!!

Thanks for your report.

 

Cheers

Hari

[Jochen]

Thx for the comment on that star pic, all!

 

@Johan; in this case, with the sun very low and almost right behind them, that would have made a real crappy picture.

[johan db]

Jochen,

 

Was just speaking in general terms

[Gary T]

First something about the rhino; the were just on the other side of the cutline this time, on Sabi Sabi territory. I wish I had taken a picture of that cutline. On one end; the high, blonde grass like it is supposed to be at this time of the year. And on the other side; a football field. Obviously Sabi Sabi has "helped" nature a bit. The grass had been cut. Perhaps to give the rhino greener pastures. But more importantly to give their customers a more clear shot of whatever animals decide to go stand on their football field, for sure. I found it to be unnatural looking (well; it was, quite literally).

 

That would have been the result of controlled burning on the Sabi Sabi side of the break. All the lodges in Sabis Sands do this to some extent - it certainly isn't to give their guests a better view.

[Jochen]

I know it's done by controlled burns.

 

But not for better views? Whatever you believe, Gary. I know for a fact that there's quite a bit of "landscaping" going on in Sabi Sands, and no, not necessarily with the animals in mind, if you catch my drift.

 

Anyway, Umkumbe doesn't do controlled burns. Nor have I seen anything like it in the northern part of Sabi Sands (Elephant plains + plots where they have traverse like Arathusa etc).

Edited June 19, 2011 by Jochen

[Alex The Lion]

Jochen, controlled burns along Borders are primarily to act as fire breaks.

 

I have helped with these on the reserves I have worked on. They are even used in the Okavango, though they tend to create an extremely wide road.

 

Fire is an important management tool in an age when reserves are fenced and migration routes cut off. It encourages new growth, helping to sustain wildlife populations. Research has shown that burns in the early dry season are more beneficial and have less overall environmental impact.

 

Where did you get the idea that it is for less obstructed viewing? It is a consequence of burning, though I think that I is unfair to assume it is the sole reason.

Edited June 19, 2011 by russell

[Jochen]

Where did you get the idea that it is for less obstructed viewing?

 

I know all the pros & cons of burning, Russell. And I do know fire breaks. This was not a fire break.

 

There already was a really wide fire break road. Plus the burnt area next to it went as far as the eye can see.

 

It is what it is. Their initial purpose might have been a fire break but I'm sorry, I can't believe that. If you would have looked at it yourself, I'm sure you would have come to the same conclusion: "seems like they found another plus in burning the grass...".

 

Listen, there's more to it than I can all put in writing here. You may remember that last year I commented on the view of Elephant Plains lodge; at the other side of the lugga, there's a plain with just tall trees and very short grass. No shrubs at all. And an artificial waterhole was added. A regular tourist may not think much about it. For him it is just one of those typical African vistas. But for someone who's been around... he knows better. Mind you, that doesn't even mean I did not enjoy the view as much as the next person.

 

Well, this was the same.

[Alex The Lion]

My point is, if you know the pros and cons of burning, then you can understand it's controlled use to stimulate new growth is sound management. Get rid of the unpalatable grasses that build up in an area for the benefit of both wildlife and tourists. Your assumption is based on the area being viable for wildlife prior to the fire, with no build up of unpalatable grasses etc.

 

They burn in the Mara, Kafue, the Okavango..... I just watched an interesting documentary on the Serengeti that highlights how the landscape was shaped by man making fire over 4500 years.

 

I don't really see the point you are trying to make. I imagine a number of other lodges in the SS burn, though you may have missed it. They are also unlikely to inform their guests.

 

Another consideration is that is was all natural? Morning dew magnifying the suns rays on long grasses from the rainy season? Or a lighting strike from some of the late summer storms.........

Edited June 19, 2011 by russell

[twaffle]

Interestingly, Lewa used to burn for the above mentioned reasons and I remember large expanses of burnt grassland when I visited in 2005. On subsequent visits there is no longer these ugly black scars. They have found it works much better to allow local herdsmen to bring their cattle into the reserve to graze in certain sections on a rotational basis. The cattle appear not to mind the rank grass, new shoots of palatable grass come up for the ungulates and the local herdsmen get a little extra grazing for their cattle at certain times of year.