Trip report - Botswana and South Africa
Jan 10th, 2008, 11:25 AM
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Trip report - Botswana and South Africa
It's been a while since we returned from our trip in August and September of 2007, but this board was so helpful when we were planning our trip, that I thought it would be good to post a trip report.
We left the US on August 20th (from Charlotte, NC) and flew through JFK to Frankfurt, spent a day in a day room near the airport (we've done this several times before and it makes the trip much more relaxing), flew to Jo'burg and then on to the Madikwe airstrip for our firstnight at Mateya in the Madikwe Game Reserve. We arrived just in time for lunch on the terrace. Mateya was gorgeous, the food was fantastic and our ranger, Philip was one of the best we've ever had (this was our 3rd trip to Africa). I would definitely recommend Mateya for the intimacy and luxury. My only complaint was that it felt a little removed from the bush. The lodge was fenced so there was no wildlife coming through the property. Some people may love this, but we like the feeling of truly being in the wild. That said, there was a water hole in view of the dining terrace and it was almost constantly in use. When we arrived there was a pride of lions (about 8) and a small group of baboons at the waterhole. When we went out on our afternoon drive, we watched these lions for over an hour. I've never seen lions so active and playful. The whole time we were there they were chasing each other up trees, sparing with one another and generally just having fun. There were two very old males with the pride and we were sure they wouldn't be able to hold on to the pride much longer. It was sad to see these two old guys in the waning part of their lives. This same pride played for us again the next morning around a dam and kept us entertained for over an hour this time. This is probably a good time to mention a big advantage of Mateya. They only put 4 guest in a vehicle, and since there are only 5 rooms, obviously there aren't many Mateya vehicles around. Another curious thing we'd never witnessed before was that the trackers stayed on the front of the vehicle even when there were predators close by. I asked our tracker, Adolph if this bothered him and he said he couldn't see any reason to be afraid since he had lived in the bush all his life and knew how to read the animals pretty well. Adolph and our ranger, Philip were a superb team and Philip had a great sense of humor and we all started kidding each other as soon as we started out. This made for a very fun time. Philip was also a very good photographer and help me with my meager skills. The animals at Mateya look very healthy and since the park was only recently populated, the animals are well-known to the rangers. We enjoyed Mateya, but the wildlife was somewhat sparse on our visit, although there had been wild dogs a few weeks before we arrived. We saw a wonderful group of about 60 elephants around a waterhole and it was a terrific sighting. We stayed three nights before heading to Botswana. In summary, I'd say that Mateya was a good first stop because it was so restful and easy. It gave us a chance to get over our jetlag in grand style. The food and service were outstanding and they didn't miss any detail. But for me it still felt a little cutoff from the wild and Madikwe itself did not live up to expectations. I'd give the entire experience about a B+.
We left Mateya by hired car to drive to Gaborone to catch our chartered flight to the Chitabe airstrip. The ride was enjoyable and we were very impressed with Gaborone. Our charter was long (about 3 1/2 hours), but uneventful. Fortunately we could land directly at the Chitable airstrip without having to go through Maun.
We stayed at Sandibe, in the Chitabe concession. I haven't read much about Sandibe on this site and was a little apprehensive going into it. We had stayed at other CCAfrica properties, however, and always had wonderful experiences, so this helped our comfort level somewhat. I must say the the level of accommodation was lower than we had expected, and the food was not good either. However, even with these to fairly big negatives, we had a wonderful time at Sandibe and I can say that it was the most fun place we visited. The staff was very warm and accommodating and since we were there for 5 nights, we felt like family before we left. Elephants were everywhere (even in camp) and each morning I woke up about 4am to the sound of an elephant splashing in the water just in front of our room. While I wished he'd come a little later, I loved this exciting wake up call. At Sandibe, we truly felt a part of the Delta and the experience was just the opposite (in a great way) from what we found at Mateya. While we were at Mateya we saw a leopard briefly, but followed an African Wild Cat for over 30 minutes on the road, we finally had to drive around her to make it back to camp. She seemed to love our presence. We also saw several servals. We got to know a small lion family; 3 cubs (about 6 mos. old), an older cousin (about 18 mos. old, and the mother of the three cubs. Our excellent ranger (Tsabo) told us the outlook for this group was not very good because the mother was having a hard time getting enough food for the 4 cubs. On our last full day, however, we were lucky enough to witness not only a kill, but the first kill by this older cub. She was able to take down a warthog by herself, and while the kill was not clean or fast and that made it difficult to watch, it was wonderful to know that now that she can kill, the small family has a much better chance of survival. To top off that wonderful day, we saw 4 honey badgers that evening at sundowners! In summary, I'd recommend Sandibe for the wonderful staff and rangers and for the abundance of wildlife we found on our visit.
Next we took a break from our safaris and headed to Franschoek (sp?) for some wine tasting and to see Cape Town. We stayed at Le Quartier Francais and had a wonderful time. The restaurant there did not disappoint us. Great service and beautifully presented delicious food. We spent one day visiting the wineries (including Spier for some interaction with the cheetahs and birds of prey) and a second day driving around Cape Town.
Unfortunately it rained our entire visit and the fog was so bad that we couldn't go up Table Mountain. We drove down the coast, saw the penguins at Boulder's Beach and made it to the Cape. We saw just enough to know we'd like to return in better weather and with a few additional days.
After this quick break we were ready to get back in the bush and headed to Ngala Tented Camp in the Timbavati area. Our first gamedrive was spectacular. We stopped to see a giraffe on the road near a waterhole and while we were watching him, we heard baboon alarm calls near the waterhole. We searched briefly and came to a mother lion with three cubs. The cubs were being playful, and just like in Sandibe, I could have watched them all day. In a few minuted we heard a ruckus and looked over to see that a huge male elephant had joined us at the water hole. Then within a few minutes a bachelor herd of about 8 Cape buffaloes were also with us. So, sitting at this one spot, we had a giraffe by the road, baboons in the trees, a family of lions on our left and an elephant and herd of buffalo on our right! What an incredible feeling. After a while, the elephant ran off the mother lion and as he was walking away, the bravest of the little cubs gave the ele a good chase. This is one of my favorite pictures! But the evening wasn't over. We were called to see a leopard in a tree with 3 elephants hanging out below. We got there with enough light for a few good pictures of the prettiest leopard we'd see on our trip.
The other major animal highlight of Ngala was the last day we heard noises and when we investigated we saw that we had just missed a huge kill. A pride of about 12 lions had taken down 2 wildebeest and 2 impalas at the same time. We got there just as they were beginning to feed. This was a very wild pride of lions. Our ranger and tracker told us that this group lived in a totally wild area of Kruger and is seldom seen out of that area, so they were not accustomed to our vehicles or certainly not to us. Our ranger (who was not very experienced....more on that later) did not want to stay, but our tracker, Sandros, said that he had seen the pride and thought we were fine. Nevertheless, while we watched, they never took their eyes off of us and we held our breath the entire time. This is the first time in Africa where we've witnessed a kill and I felt a heightened sense of danger. We got some incredible pictures, especially of the eyes of these cats that never left us for a moment.
Regarding staying at Ngala Tented Camp, this was our most disappointing experience. First and foremost, we had a ranger with very little experience and he was also a "fill in" from another lodge (Phinda), so not only did he have little experience, he did not know his way around the park. Our tracker, Sandros, had a great deal of experience, but he and Justin (our ranger) were clearly not compatible. They didn't seem to respect each other and it made it very uncomfortable for all of us. I think either would have been good on their own, but together they were a terrible combination. (By the way, I have expressed our concerns with CCAfrica Management and receive an immediate and supportive response). The other thing I didn't like about Ngala was that the tents were very close together, so you could hear everything that went on in the other tents (some of it quite interesting!). Needless to say, if you like privacy (we do) this needs to be a consideration of staying here. On the positive side, however, the camp management was great, as was our "butler" David. Also, the tents were beautiful, just too close together for my taste.
After Ngala we headed to Singita. this was our second visit to Singita. The last visit was so long ago that they were a CCAfrica property at that time. We went back because we were traveling with another couple and we wanted them to see how amazing the property is and also how abundant the animals are in Sabi Sands. The physical property was just as wonderful (maybe moreso) than we'd remembered and the service and food were also superb. But what made this the best experience of the trip was the fantastic ranger we had, Marc E. (there are several Marcs.) It was clear that he didn't want to just go where others were going and we felt like we were truly tracking the animals. (On our first trip to Singita, one of our complaints was that it seemed to much like a zoo.)
Everyday was special and we saw all the big five the first day. The best day was when we left, just after daybreak, and were called back to the lodge because a leopard was on the roof of one of the rooms. Well, this turned out to be our room, so we claimed this to be "our leopard". This young male was born in the rock outcropping nearby and Singita was in his territory. During the time we were there he made many appearances and the ability to get good daylight photos of this beautiful guy was almost a daily treat. He also stole things from the lodge. While we were there he stole a hot water bottle, a spray bottle, a towel, a zebra skin rug, and several pillows. After we returned, our "butler" Linda sent us a picture where he had taken one of the guests jackets and taken it into a tree! While this was exciting and great fun for us, there was a serious concern that the leopard hadn't gone away to establish his territory yet. There was a coalition of 6 male lions in the area and there was fear that the young leopard would meet an unhappy end.
One night, after dinner, Marc asked us if we wanted to go back out with him to investigate some lion roaring not far from the lodge. He really wanted us to be able to hear a lion roar closeby. So, about 10:00, we got back in the vehicle and heading toward to place where we had left the lion before dinner. It took a while to find him, but there he was. It was perfectly dark and we were the only people anywhere around and soon he began his series of roars. We were probably only 4-5 feet from him and I have to say that this was one of the most memorable moments in my life. The entire vehicle shook as his roars reverberated off the hills. We had heard roars before, but never so upclose and never in the pitch of darkness. I'll never forget this experience and will always be grateful to Marc for spending this extra time making our visit so special.
The last night we were at Singita, Marc and Linda planned a special night for us. They decorated the airstrip and "terminal" for cocktails and dinner just for our vehicle. They had set out a telescope in the middle of the airstrip and Marc gave us a good astronomy lesson to boot. It was a sensational way to end a fabulous stay. My one and only complaint about Singita is that many of the guests there seem to be the type to "check it off the list" rather than truly be there for the wilderness. It was the only place we saw "designer" safari outfits and that women wore makeup and jewels on gamedrives. However, nothing could take away from the perfect time we had at Singita.
After Singita it was sadly time for the long trip home.
For pictures, we posted a few at:
http://safarigirl.smugmug.com
We left the US on August 20th (from Charlotte, NC) and flew through JFK to Frankfurt, spent a day in a day room near the airport (we've done this several times before and it makes the trip much more relaxing), flew to Jo'burg and then on to the Madikwe airstrip for our firstnight at Mateya in the Madikwe Game Reserve. We arrived just in time for lunch on the terrace. Mateya was gorgeous, the food was fantastic and our ranger, Philip was one of the best we've ever had (this was our 3rd trip to Africa). I would definitely recommend Mateya for the intimacy and luxury. My only complaint was that it felt a little removed from the bush. The lodge was fenced so there was no wildlife coming through the property. Some people may love this, but we like the feeling of truly being in the wild. That said, there was a water hole in view of the dining terrace and it was almost constantly in use. When we arrived there was a pride of lions (about 8) and a small group of baboons at the waterhole. When we went out on our afternoon drive, we watched these lions for over an hour. I've never seen lions so active and playful. The whole time we were there they were chasing each other up trees, sparing with one another and generally just having fun. There were two very old males with the pride and we were sure they wouldn't be able to hold on to the pride much longer. It was sad to see these two old guys in the waning part of their lives. This same pride played for us again the next morning around a dam and kept us entertained for over an hour this time. This is probably a good time to mention a big advantage of Mateya. They only put 4 guest in a vehicle, and since there are only 5 rooms, obviously there aren't many Mateya vehicles around. Another curious thing we'd never witnessed before was that the trackers stayed on the front of the vehicle even when there were predators close by. I asked our tracker, Adolph if this bothered him and he said he couldn't see any reason to be afraid since he had lived in the bush all his life and knew how to read the animals pretty well. Adolph and our ranger, Philip were a superb team and Philip had a great sense of humor and we all started kidding each other as soon as we started out. This made for a very fun time. Philip was also a very good photographer and help me with my meager skills. The animals at Mateya look very healthy and since the park was only recently populated, the animals are well-known to the rangers. We enjoyed Mateya, but the wildlife was somewhat sparse on our visit, although there had been wild dogs a few weeks before we arrived. We saw a wonderful group of about 60 elephants around a waterhole and it was a terrific sighting. We stayed three nights before heading to Botswana. In summary, I'd say that Mateya was a good first stop because it was so restful and easy. It gave us a chance to get over our jetlag in grand style. The food and service were outstanding and they didn't miss any detail. But for me it still felt a little cutoff from the wild and Madikwe itself did not live up to expectations. I'd give the entire experience about a B+.
We left Mateya by hired car to drive to Gaborone to catch our chartered flight to the Chitabe airstrip. The ride was enjoyable and we were very impressed with Gaborone. Our charter was long (about 3 1/2 hours), but uneventful. Fortunately we could land directly at the Chitable airstrip without having to go through Maun.
We stayed at Sandibe, in the Chitabe concession. I haven't read much about Sandibe on this site and was a little apprehensive going into it. We had stayed at other CCAfrica properties, however, and always had wonderful experiences, so this helped our comfort level somewhat. I must say the the level of accommodation was lower than we had expected, and the food was not good either. However, even with these to fairly big negatives, we had a wonderful time at Sandibe and I can say that it was the most fun place we visited. The staff was very warm and accommodating and since we were there for 5 nights, we felt like family before we left. Elephants were everywhere (even in camp) and each morning I woke up about 4am to the sound of an elephant splashing in the water just in front of our room. While I wished he'd come a little later, I loved this exciting wake up call. At Sandibe, we truly felt a part of the Delta and the experience was just the opposite (in a great way) from what we found at Mateya. While we were at Mateya we saw a leopard briefly, but followed an African Wild Cat for over 30 minutes on the road, we finally had to drive around her to make it back to camp. She seemed to love our presence. We also saw several servals. We got to know a small lion family; 3 cubs (about 6 mos. old), an older cousin (about 18 mos. old, and the mother of the three cubs. Our excellent ranger (Tsabo) told us the outlook for this group was not very good because the mother was having a hard time getting enough food for the 4 cubs. On our last full day, however, we were lucky enough to witness not only a kill, but the first kill by this older cub. She was able to take down a warthog by herself, and while the kill was not clean or fast and that made it difficult to watch, it was wonderful to know that now that she can kill, the small family has a much better chance of survival. To top off that wonderful day, we saw 4 honey badgers that evening at sundowners! In summary, I'd recommend Sandibe for the wonderful staff and rangers and for the abundance of wildlife we found on our visit.
Next we took a break from our safaris and headed to Franschoek (sp?) for some wine tasting and to see Cape Town. We stayed at Le Quartier Francais and had a wonderful time. The restaurant there did not disappoint us. Great service and beautifully presented delicious food. We spent one day visiting the wineries (including Spier for some interaction with the cheetahs and birds of prey) and a second day driving around Cape Town.
Unfortunately it rained our entire visit and the fog was so bad that we couldn't go up Table Mountain. We drove down the coast, saw the penguins at Boulder's Beach and made it to the Cape. We saw just enough to know we'd like to return in better weather and with a few additional days.
After this quick break we were ready to get back in the bush and headed to Ngala Tented Camp in the Timbavati area. Our first gamedrive was spectacular. We stopped to see a giraffe on the road near a waterhole and while we were watching him, we heard baboon alarm calls near the waterhole. We searched briefly and came to a mother lion with three cubs. The cubs were being playful, and just like in Sandibe, I could have watched them all day. In a few minuted we heard a ruckus and looked over to see that a huge male elephant had joined us at the water hole. Then within a few minutes a bachelor herd of about 8 Cape buffaloes were also with us. So, sitting at this one spot, we had a giraffe by the road, baboons in the trees, a family of lions on our left and an elephant and herd of buffalo on our right! What an incredible feeling. After a while, the elephant ran off the mother lion and as he was walking away, the bravest of the little cubs gave the ele a good chase. This is one of my favorite pictures! But the evening wasn't over. We were called to see a leopard in a tree with 3 elephants hanging out below. We got there with enough light for a few good pictures of the prettiest leopard we'd see on our trip.
The other major animal highlight of Ngala was the last day we heard noises and when we investigated we saw that we had just missed a huge kill. A pride of about 12 lions had taken down 2 wildebeest and 2 impalas at the same time. We got there just as they were beginning to feed. This was a very wild pride of lions. Our ranger and tracker told us that this group lived in a totally wild area of Kruger and is seldom seen out of that area, so they were not accustomed to our vehicles or certainly not to us. Our ranger (who was not very experienced....more on that later) did not want to stay, but our tracker, Sandros, said that he had seen the pride and thought we were fine. Nevertheless, while we watched, they never took their eyes off of us and we held our breath the entire time. This is the first time in Africa where we've witnessed a kill and I felt a heightened sense of danger. We got some incredible pictures, especially of the eyes of these cats that never left us for a moment.
Regarding staying at Ngala Tented Camp, this was our most disappointing experience. First and foremost, we had a ranger with very little experience and he was also a "fill in" from another lodge (Phinda), so not only did he have little experience, he did not know his way around the park. Our tracker, Sandros, had a great deal of experience, but he and Justin (our ranger) were clearly not compatible. They didn't seem to respect each other and it made it very uncomfortable for all of us. I think either would have been good on their own, but together they were a terrible combination. (By the way, I have expressed our concerns with CCAfrica Management and receive an immediate and supportive response). The other thing I didn't like about Ngala was that the tents were very close together, so you could hear everything that went on in the other tents (some of it quite interesting!). Needless to say, if you like privacy (we do) this needs to be a consideration of staying here. On the positive side, however, the camp management was great, as was our "butler" David. Also, the tents were beautiful, just too close together for my taste.
After Ngala we headed to Singita. this was our second visit to Singita. The last visit was so long ago that they were a CCAfrica property at that time. We went back because we were traveling with another couple and we wanted them to see how amazing the property is and also how abundant the animals are in Sabi Sands. The physical property was just as wonderful (maybe moreso) than we'd remembered and the service and food were also superb. But what made this the best experience of the trip was the fantastic ranger we had, Marc E. (there are several Marcs.) It was clear that he didn't want to just go where others were going and we felt like we were truly tracking the animals. (On our first trip to Singita, one of our complaints was that it seemed to much like a zoo.)
Everyday was special and we saw all the big five the first day. The best day was when we left, just after daybreak, and were called back to the lodge because a leopard was on the roof of one of the rooms. Well, this turned out to be our room, so we claimed this to be "our leopard". This young male was born in the rock outcropping nearby and Singita was in his territory. During the time we were there he made many appearances and the ability to get good daylight photos of this beautiful guy was almost a daily treat. He also stole things from the lodge. While we were there he stole a hot water bottle, a spray bottle, a towel, a zebra skin rug, and several pillows. After we returned, our "butler" Linda sent us a picture where he had taken one of the guests jackets and taken it into a tree! While this was exciting and great fun for us, there was a serious concern that the leopard hadn't gone away to establish his territory yet. There was a coalition of 6 male lions in the area and there was fear that the young leopard would meet an unhappy end.
One night, after dinner, Marc asked us if we wanted to go back out with him to investigate some lion roaring not far from the lodge. He really wanted us to be able to hear a lion roar closeby. So, about 10:00, we got back in the vehicle and heading toward to place where we had left the lion before dinner. It took a while to find him, but there he was. It was perfectly dark and we were the only people anywhere around and soon he began his series of roars. We were probably only 4-5 feet from him and I have to say that this was one of the most memorable moments in my life. The entire vehicle shook as his roars reverberated off the hills. We had heard roars before, but never so upclose and never in the pitch of darkness. I'll never forget this experience and will always be grateful to Marc for spending this extra time making our visit so special.
The last night we were at Singita, Marc and Linda planned a special night for us. They decorated the airstrip and "terminal" for cocktails and dinner just for our vehicle. They had set out a telescope in the middle of the airstrip and Marc gave us a good astronomy lesson to boot. It was a sensational way to end a fabulous stay. My one and only complaint about Singita is that many of the guests there seem to be the type to "check it off the list" rather than truly be there for the wilderness. It was the only place we saw "designer" safari outfits and that women wore makeup and jewels on gamedrives. However, nothing could take away from the perfect time we had at Singita.
After Singita it was sadly time for the long trip home.
For pictures, we posted a few at:
http://safarigirl.smugmug.com
Jan 10th, 2008, 01:38 PM
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Great report! It sounds like a wonderful trip, and made me want to look up these places to help with my daydreaming about southern Africa... You had some fantastic wildlife sightings! Thanks for posting pictures, too.
Jan 10th, 2008, 07:21 PM
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We are booked at Ngala and Sandibe in September thru an independent agency. Would you say that one tent location was better than another. Also any specific pointers you have for us.It did seem as if you were disappointed in both of these properties.
Jan 10th, 2008, 08:30 PM
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Sounds like you had great sightings. Love the photos. Lion in the tree, leopard on the room, the eles, and even a cheetah at Singita.
I was happy to hear more about Sandibe. Too bad about your ranger at Ngala Tented. The tents are a little close. We had tent #1, closest to the river, so it felt more private because we were at the end. It's good that you let CCAfrica know of the situation with the tracker and ranger.
CW
I was happy to hear more about Sandibe. Too bad about your ranger at Ngala Tented. The tents are a little close. We had tent #1, closest to the river, so it felt more private because we were at the end. It's good that you let CCAfrica know of the situation with the tracker and ranger.
CW
Jan 11th, 2008, 05:43 AM
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3 years ago, Londolozi was operated by CC Africa and my guide there was named Sandros. debwarr -- would you (or anyone else) happen to know if your tracker at Ngala is the same fellow? (He is sort of a burly fellow, and he especially admired the skill and wisdom of elephants.)
Jan 11th, 2008, 06:55 AM
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Hi rizzuto,
We also had Sandros at Londolozi in Sept. 2006. It was still CCAfrica then but the changes were imminent. "Our" Sandros was an excellent ranger, had been there for 17 years, and implied that he would be staying on when the Varty family resumed the management of their camp.
We were told that the employees would have a choice whether to stay at Londolozi or stay on with CCAfrica at a different location. In general, it seemed that the people who lived locally would remain at Londolozi.
CW
We also had Sandros at Londolozi in Sept. 2006. It was still CCAfrica then but the changes were imminent. "Our" Sandros was an excellent ranger, had been there for 17 years, and implied that he would be staying on when the Varty family resumed the management of their camp.
We were told that the employees would have a choice whether to stay at Londolozi or stay on with CCAfrica at a different location. In general, it seemed that the people who lived locally would remain at Londolozi.
CW
Jan 11th, 2008, 03:28 PM
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Enjoyed your report and hope to find time to check out your photos this weekend. I am looking for a recommended day room in Frankfurt as I have an 8 hour layover. Also, would you mind sharing your rental car information as I need to research this as well.
Thanks!
Carla <
Thanks!
Carla <
Jan 14th, 2008, 08:23 AM
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You had some fantastic experiences. Not to start negative, but no wild dogs in Madikwe? So going there is not a practical guarantee for a sighting of that species. Any glimpse of or talk about the brown hyena?
You put in a great plug for Sandibe. To see the first kill of a lion cub is marvelous. Any lion kill is a trip highlight, but the first...wow!
That elephant splash alarm would be a wonderful way to wake up in the morning.
Sandibe did well from a wildlife standpoint.
You'll have to post some of your photos so we can see the lions' eyes on the kill in Ngala. Thanks for the comment on the closeness of the tents. Seems I've heard that before.
The tracker-ranger relationship really is important and when it is not good, everything suffers. I'm glad CCAfrica addressed the matter to your satisfaction. Things can go wrong, but it's how the hiccups are handled that can make the biggest impression.
Do you know what happened with the leopard on the roof? Or the guest's jacket?
You put in a great plug for Sandibe. To see the first kill of a lion cub is marvelous. Any lion kill is a trip highlight, but the first...wow!
That elephant splash alarm would be a wonderful way to wake up in the morning.
Sandibe did well from a wildlife standpoint.
You'll have to post some of your photos so we can see the lions' eyes on the kill in Ngala. Thanks for the comment on the closeness of the tents. Seems I've heard that before.
The tracker-ranger relationship really is important and when it is not good, everything suffers. I'm glad CCAfrica addressed the matter to your satisfaction. Things can go wrong, but it's how the hiccups are handled that can make the biggest impression.
Do you know what happened with the leopard on the roof? Or the guest's jacket?
Jan 23rd, 2008, 02:13 PM
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Hello, everyone. Thanks for responding to my post. I've been out of town for a while and am just getting back to responding to some of your questions. I'm sorry for the delay. Yellowpellican, we had a center tent at Ngala, and I agree with another poster that one on the end would be much better. I don't remember how they are numbered, but the one nearest the carpark seemed to be the fairly private as well as the one near the river. There was a very "active" couple a few tents down which made for some entertaining sounds and noises. The great thing about the tents at Ngala (and most tents in general) is that you can also hear wonderful, non-human noises, like roaring lions very well too. I'm not sure if the our tracker Sandros was from Londolozi or not, but he was a short stocky fellow. I think he is a very good experienced tracker, it was the relationship with the ranger that just didn't click.
Even though the property wasn't outstanding, and the food was only okay, we had a wonderful experience at Sandibe. Our ranger, Tsabo was fabulous, so you may want to ask for him. Another ranger that seemed wonderful was BT (we met people who had him and they raved about him). We had great sightings at Sandibe, especially the elephants and the lions. When you go to Sandibe, if you see a lion family of mother, niece and three younger cubs (although they'll be about 18 mos. by then), I'd really like to know how they're doing. It's amazing how involved we became in the lives of these animals in just a few days. Also, at Sandibe, we found the staff to be very warm and friendly, especially when we took the initiative to kid around with them and get to know them. This made our trip so much more fun. We laughed a great deal at Sandibe! We really felt like part of their family by the time we left. Be sure to ask them how to say "cheers". It's Pula! and everytime we said it everyone came running and laughing. I think you'll have a good time at both properties and if you haven't traveled with CCAfrica before, they do a wonderful job taking care of everything. This was our third trip where we had stayed at CCA properties.
Carla, I can't remember the name of our hotel in Frankfurt, but I'll ask my husband, he'll remember. It was a nice hotel and we had a surprisingly wonderful dinner there. I'll get back to you with the name. We didn't rent a car while we were on this trip. In Franschhoek we hired a driver and arranged this through our travel agent. After seeing how easy it is to drive in the Cape Town area, however, next time we'll rent our own car.
Atravelynn, no, we didn't see any wild dogs this trip and that was definitely a disappointment. Some had been seen at Mateya the week before we arrived (and also some other guests saw some at Singita the day we arrived), but they had left the area before we got there. We were only there (in Madikwe) for 3 days, but I did expect to see much more wildlife. We did, however, see a brown hyena which was a first for us. He was sparring with a jackal over a giraffe carcass. Interestingly, the jackal won. The brown hyena had a beautiful coat. If I can dig out the picture I'll post it. It's not a great photo, however, since he stayed in the tall grasses. I haven't had a recent update on "our" leopard at Singita, (has anyone else been there since September and was he still hanging around the property?) He was a stunning cat and to see him so often and in such interesting situations was a treat. I don't think I mentioned it in my trip report, but he came into the lobby area while only the receptionist was there. She said she looked up and the leopard was about 5 ft. from her (stealing pillows). She said she was terrified and called one of the rangers that wasn't out on a drive and he told her just to slowly back away, which she did. She said that once he got one pillow he came back for the second one and then left. Then one night when we returned from our game drive he was sleeping on the boardwalk between our room and our traveling companions' room. We had to be escorted with a rifle to get into our rooms that night. Needless to say, when we used our outdoor shower and pool, we kept a watchful eye out for the cat. I hope he's gone to establish his own territory by now, though, since it would be safer for him and safer for the guests. But it sure was fun to have him there on our trip.
The great thing about the tents at Ngala (and most tents in general) is that you can also hear wonderful, non-human noises, like roaring lions very well too. I'm not sure if the our tracker Sandros was from Londolozi or not, but he was a short stocky fellow. I think he is a very good experienced tracker, it was the relationship with the ranger that just didn't click.Even though the property wasn't outstanding, and the food was only okay, we had a wonderful experience at Sandibe. Our ranger, Tsabo was fabulous, so you may want to ask for him. Another ranger that seemed wonderful was BT (we met people who had him and they raved about him). We had great sightings at Sandibe, especially the elephants and the lions. When you go to Sandibe, if you see a lion family of mother, niece and three younger cubs (although they'll be about 18 mos. by then), I'd really like to know how they're doing. It's amazing how involved we became in the lives of these animals in just a few days. Also, at Sandibe, we found the staff to be very warm and friendly, especially when we took the initiative to kid around with them and get to know them. This made our trip so much more fun. We laughed a great deal at Sandibe! We really felt like part of their family by the time we left. Be sure to ask them how to say "cheers". It's Pula! and everytime we said it everyone came running and laughing. I think you'll have a good time at both properties and if you haven't traveled with CCAfrica before, they do a wonderful job taking care of everything. This was our third trip where we had stayed at CCA properties.
Carla, I can't remember the name of our hotel in Frankfurt, but I'll ask my husband, he'll remember. It was a nice hotel and we had a surprisingly wonderful dinner there. I'll get back to you with the name. We didn't rent a car while we were on this trip. In Franschhoek we hired a driver and arranged this through our travel agent. After seeing how easy it is to drive in the Cape Town area, however, next time we'll rent our own car.
Atravelynn, no, we didn't see any wild dogs this trip and that was definitely a disappointment. Some had been seen at Mateya the week before we arrived (and also some other guests saw some at Singita the day we arrived), but they had left the area before we got there. We were only there (in Madikwe) for 3 days, but I did expect to see much more wildlife. We did, however, see a brown hyena which was a first for us. He was sparring with a jackal over a giraffe carcass. Interestingly, the jackal won. The brown hyena had a beautiful coat. If I can dig out the picture I'll post it. It's not a great photo, however, since he stayed in the tall grasses. I haven't had a recent update on "our" leopard at Singita, (has anyone else been there since September and was he still hanging around the property?) He was a stunning cat and to see him so often and in such interesting situations was a treat. I don't think I mentioned it in my trip report, but he came into the lobby area while only the receptionist was there. She said she looked up and the leopard was about 5 ft. from her (stealing pillows). She said she was terrified and called one of the rangers that wasn't out on a drive and he told her just to slowly back away, which she did. She said that once he got one pillow he came back for the second one and then left. Then one night when we returned from our game drive he was sleeping on the boardwalk between our room and our traveling companions' room. We had to be escorted with a rifle to get into our rooms that night. Needless to say, when we used our outdoor shower and pool, we kept a watchful eye out for the cat. I hope he's gone to establish his own territory by now, though, since it would be safer for him and safer for the guests. But it sure was fun to have him there on our trip.
Jan 25th, 2008, 10:49 AM
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Atravelynn, I definitely agree about the luxury. I guess that smart leopard sees how everyone at Singita lives and wants a little himself!
Carla, I checked and we stayed at the Frankfurt Airport Sheraton. It was nice, especially for an airport hotel and we had a wonderful meal there before we boarded for the overnight to Jo'burg. We ate dinner so we could get to sleep as soon as possible and just skip the on board dinner service.
Carla, I checked and we stayed at the Frankfurt Airport Sheraton. It was nice, especially for an airport hotel and we had a wonderful meal there before we boarded for the overnight to Jo'burg. We ate dinner so we could get to sleep as soon as possible and just skip the on board dinner service.
Jan 28th, 2008, 08:03 PM
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I enjoyed your photos Debwarr, especially the lion cubs and ellies. The leopard carrying the bath towel is funny. My cat likes to do that too 
You had some great close encounters! Wonderful!
Thanks for the Frankfurt hotel info. Their dayroom price was a little too pricey for me but it looks wonderful. I may just sight see instead for a few hours.
You had some great close encounters! Wonderful!Thanks for the Frankfurt hotel info. Their dayroom price was a little too pricey for me but it looks wonderful. I may just sight see instead for a few hours.
Jan 30th, 2008, 06:23 PM
#17
Enjoyed your report and it sounds like a great trip. You have some wonderful photos and stories. I would love to be woken by ellies splashing in the water (later than 4am!). Great cat sightings!
Feb 19th, 2008, 02:06 PM
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Incredible report and stunning pictures! We are going to Singita for the first time this summer...Boulders. Any suggestions or comments for our trip. We've been to southern Africa about 11 times and never tire of it. I agree about Mateya and it's top notch service and accommodations. Philip and Adolph are without question the best in the business.
After all these years, I have loads of animal shots, but yours blew me away. Please share details of your camera equipment and settings. The Buff doing a head butt is amazing....what zoom lens do you use?
Thanks for giving us a taste to hold us over a few more months!
After all these years, I have loads of animal shots, but yours blew me away. Please share details of your camera equipment and settings. The Buff doing a head butt is amazing....what zoom lens do you use?
Thanks for giving us a taste to hold us over a few more months!
Feb 20th, 2008, 02:12 PM
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Hi, Atlga! Thank you for the nice words about our photos. We took so many that we were sure to get a few good ones. We were using Canon equipment - the camera is a Rebel XTi. We had various lenses. Our telephoto lens was a Canon L series 70-200 2.8 IS. We used this with a 2x converter so we could stretch it to 400. The only complaint we had was that it is very heavy. We used a monopod and a beanbag, but with the speed of the lens we were able to get away with handholding when the light was good. We also had a slower (4.5) 75-300 lens that was much lighter (My husband and I each had a camera). When we were close enough (practically all the time at Singita) we used a Canon 17-55 2.8 IS which got us crisper shots when we handheld. But mostly we used our telephoto lenses. We also took a 60mm Micro lens (just because I love it) that we almost never used.
For Singita, ask for Marc Eschenlohr for your Ranger. He was excellent. He like to go his own way and seemed to enjoy the thrill of being the first to get a sighting. That's not to say that he wouldn't go to a great sighting that someone else called in, but we liked that he didn't just follow the pack. I may have mentioned this in my trip report, but one night during dinner we heard a lion roaring and, assuming it was one of the males we had seen late afternoon, he asked if we wanted to go out again to just listen to him roar. Of course we did, and we drove out after dinner and were right beside this big guy in the pitch dark as he roared and roared. I'm sure you've heard that if you've been to Africa 11 times, but although we had heard plenty of roaring in our past trips, this was the first time we were up close. The total darkness and incredible sound (the entire vehicle shook) is something I'll never forget. Marc just wanted us to have a wonderful experience and we did. This was our second visit to Singita and this time was much better than the first. As I mentioned in my trip report, we had a young male leopard that hung out around our room. I'd imagine he's moved on by now, but he was quite a treat. Boulders is stunning. We were in room number 10 which was at the very end of the property. It was a great room and if you are traveling with any one else, it adjoins room 9 with a lounging area between. From every room you are right on the river and elephants walk by all the time. We went over to Ebony one night for dinner and enjoyed that. We stayed at Boulders both times and after seeing Ebony we were happy with our choice. It was nice to have dinner there, however. Our "butler" was Linda and she was fantastic. As you get closer to your trip, if you'll touch base with me again, I'd love for you to tell Linda and Marc hello for us (we've emailed Linda a few times since). Finally, if you decide to get a massage, choose your room rather than the spa. We found the spa to be noisy. The only thing we don't like about Singita is that some of the guests can be a little more interested in Singita and a little less interested in the animals. We had a couple in our vehicle that was a little that way (she took pictures with her cellphone and tapped on her Blackberry nonstop, but her husband seemed okay). But really, you can get this anywhere, we've just noticed it more at our two visits to Singita. No matter what, you'll love it.
I'd be happy to help you with any other questions, so feel free to ask. Where else are you staying on your trip? Have a wonderful time!
For Singita, ask for Marc Eschenlohr for your Ranger. He was excellent. He like to go his own way and seemed to enjoy the thrill of being the first to get a sighting. That's not to say that he wouldn't go to a great sighting that someone else called in, but we liked that he didn't just follow the pack. I may have mentioned this in my trip report, but one night during dinner we heard a lion roaring and, assuming it was one of the males we had seen late afternoon, he asked if we wanted to go out again to just listen to him roar. Of course we did, and we drove out after dinner and were right beside this big guy in the pitch dark as he roared and roared. I'm sure you've heard that if you've been to Africa 11 times, but although we had heard plenty of roaring in our past trips, this was the first time we were up close. The total darkness and incredible sound (the entire vehicle shook) is something I'll never forget. Marc just wanted us to have a wonderful experience and we did. This was our second visit to Singita and this time was much better than the first. As I mentioned in my trip report, we had a young male leopard that hung out around our room. I'd imagine he's moved on by now, but he was quite a treat. Boulders is stunning. We were in room number 10 which was at the very end of the property. It was a great room and if you are traveling with any one else, it adjoins room 9 with a lounging area between. From every room you are right on the river and elephants walk by all the time. We went over to Ebony one night for dinner and enjoyed that. We stayed at Boulders both times and after seeing Ebony we were happy with our choice. It was nice to have dinner there, however. Our "butler" was Linda and she was fantastic. As you get closer to your trip, if you'll touch base with me again, I'd love for you to tell Linda and Marc hello for us (we've emailed Linda a few times since). Finally, if you decide to get a massage, choose your room rather than the spa. We found the spa to be noisy. The only thing we don't like about Singita is that some of the guests can be a little more interested in Singita and a little less interested in the animals. We had a couple in our vehicle that was a little that way (she took pictures with her cellphone and tapped on her Blackberry nonstop, but her husband seemed okay). But really, you can get this anywhere, we've just noticed it more at our two visits to Singita. No matter what, you'll love it.
I'd be happy to help you with any other questions, so feel free to ask. Where else are you staying on your trip? Have a wonderful time!
Feb 22nd, 2008, 06:25 AM
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Debwarr, thanks for your info. There will be 2 couples traveling together this time and hopefully we'll have close rooms at Singita.
I, too, have a Canon, mine is an EOS 20D and I usually use a 75-300mm IS Canon lens. I think that extra 100mm to 400 really makes a difference...And your L series is a big plus. Maybe a converter would be my answer. I also pack a little Canon Elph for dinners, etc.
Singita does sound wonderful. Loved your stories about that leopard! Whoa! Hope he's found a safe place to live by now. We've had 2 ellies right outside our door and that's pretty fun...but a little scary. Our very first time in SA, we sat in the sunset with a big male lion roaring to his brother in the distance...it's the most exhilarating experience ever! Deep inside the center of your body! Amazing!
I'm with you, I'm not in Africa for a fashion show..and I've been around those that just want to check off the Big 5 and get a stupid "certificate". I want to see those animals too, but love the dung beetles, and the weaver birds, and the brown hyena (which I saw at Mateya and was thrilled)and all the other fascinating facets of the bush.
We'll be back at Mateya after Singita this year. Only gone 10 days. Putting together a Tanzania and/or Namibia trip next. We're good friends with a girl who does studies and conservation with the big cats and hyenas in Namibia and want to go see her there.
Thanks for your advice. Hope we have the same great luck you did on our game viewing!
I, too, have a Canon, mine is an EOS 20D and I usually use a 75-300mm IS Canon lens. I think that extra 100mm to 400 really makes a difference...And your L series is a big plus. Maybe a converter would be my answer. I also pack a little Canon Elph for dinners, etc.
Singita does sound wonderful. Loved your stories about that leopard! Whoa! Hope he's found a safe place to live by now. We've had 2 ellies right outside our door and that's pretty fun...but a little scary. Our very first time in SA, we sat in the sunset with a big male lion roaring to his brother in the distance...it's the most exhilarating experience ever! Deep inside the center of your body! Amazing!
I'm with you, I'm not in Africa for a fashion show..and I've been around those that just want to check off the Big 5 and get a stupid "certificate". I want to see those animals too, but love the dung beetles, and the weaver birds, and the brown hyena (which I saw at Mateya and was thrilled)and all the other fascinating facets of the bush.
We'll be back at Mateya after Singita this year. Only gone 10 days. Putting together a Tanzania and/or Namibia trip next. We're good friends with a girl who does studies and conservation with the big cats and hyenas in Namibia and want to go see her there.
Thanks for your advice. Hope we have the same great luck you did on our game viewing!
