SSN

Hello,
We are planning for a safari in Entabeni & Pilanesburg but worried about malaria. Has anyone been there lately? Should we take the malaria medication?

Has anyone stayed in Entabeni? Do you like it? How's the food, accommodation and the staff? Are mosquiteos a big problem? Do they provide mosquitoe nets?

Dumb question #1: do they have electricity there? I need it for my hair dryer and battery charger. Can you drink the water there? Is it safe to swim?

Sorry for the loads of questions but it's our first time to South Africa & we got a bit worried after reading the guide books.

Thanks in advance for your help. Cheers!

ArthurSA

Entabeni appears to be in the Waterberg, and neither the Waterberg nor the Pilanesberg is anywhere near the malaria-endemic area. That is confined to the NE part of S.A., and includes the Kruger Park and the Northern KwaZulu-Natal reserves.

You'll find the "malaria risk map" at http://www.malaria.org.za/Malaria_Ri.../risk_maps.htm. Entabeni is near Mokopane (formerly named Potgietersrus) on that map. And the Pilanesberg is much further South than that.

ArthurSA

And, I'm pretty sure that the answers to your questions in your "Dumb question #1" para are yes, yes, and yes. But I'll leave it to posters who have stayed in the area to confirm that.

ArthurSA

And . . . when I said "near" Mokopane, I was talking in S.A. distance terms. It's probably about 50km West of Mokopane as the crow flies. But travelling by road (on the major N1 highway) from Johannesburg/Pretoria, you'd turn off the highway well before Mokopane.

mkhonzo

I have stayed at Entabeni, it is a superb property which spans the upper reaches of the waterberg and the lower plains of the "lowveld". The result is a rich variety of game species and unique views.

The gorge that links the highlands with the lowveld is a beautiful drive through a rare yellow wood forest. Good potential for seeing leopard too.

The activities they offer include horse riding, dramatic helicopter flips and walks in addition to the standard 4x4 safari. The guides were all great; As I recall many were ex Sabi Sabi rangers, which is a signature of quality. I have discovered many sabi rangers throughout the industry in Zambia, Bostawana, SA and Tanzania, which I believe is indicative of the training effort that company makes.

Entabeni has great food, spacious and comfortable rooms, charming staff spread across their two main camps. In addition they have a tented camp, which is a true bush experience, simple tents etc.

ravinside is perched overlooking the escarpment & so on. Yes I believe this will be a good exprience and you will be abble to blow dry your hair, too!

SSN

What a relief! Arthur, thanks for the website and the information. We are looking forward to S.A. although we have to learn more about the people, places and the food.

Mkhozo: Your information helps us a lot. Really appreciate your input. was there anything that you didn't like about Entabeni? Or anything we should be aware of? Thanks again to both.

mkhonzo

As you will note from previous posts of mine, i prefer to avoid making negative comments as most often they are subjective.

So out of character, yes there were some areas of dissapointment:
Lions only roam the lowveld area. The upper reaches are breeding grounds for a rare antelope and disease free buffalo, this is a big investment and I gather Entabeni is not into providing "gourmet" packages for the Pride.

The reserve is obviously fenced, however that was a small negative for the price and value does not promise endless Africa.

The cultural village was an iffy experience, but none the less an interesting one. I too enjoyed going through the Leipold museum, he wrote many of his books from that area of the Waterburg.

So there you go.

SSN

Thanks, Mkhonzo for your comments. We try to research as much as possible to be better prepared for our trip and to enjoy it more. Even though some comments are negative and subjective, we believe in knowing than not knowing. Thanks again!