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A few more pics from around the lodge:
Dining area, gift shop, lounge
Dining area, gift shop, lounge
Rocking on Rovos Rail and wonderful wildlife
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Ok, now to some good stuff - the animals. After all that was why we came here. If you aren't into animals, my apologies, just tune out!
We arrived in time for lunch and then met at 3.30 for afternoon tea and the afternoon drive. There were 5 of us in the safari vehicle with Bernard, our guide and Jimmy, our tracker. The others were a family from Chicago and they were delightful.
There was a pride of lions with a number of youngsters and also a small cub in the area so off we went to find them. I must admit that going off track and through the bush was unexpected as when we had been in Kruger we had to stay on road. Nope, not here. The idea is to follow and get as close as possible to the animals (safely). They do not see the vehicles as a threat and as long as you don't make excess noise or any sudden moves or stand up, the animals seem to ignore you.
We followed the pride and they ended up on the dry river bed and settled down for a nap. There were several lionesses, two males, the older young ones and little "Cubbie" as he was known. Unfortunately we learned later that Cubbie had been injured and had since died. Nature seems very harsh sometimes.
One of the males
Pride with Cubbie - he's the little one
Lioness
And here they come right towards us
One of the older cubs
We arrived in time for lunch and then met at 3.30 for afternoon tea and the afternoon drive. There were 5 of us in the safari vehicle with Bernard, our guide and Jimmy, our tracker. The others were a family from Chicago and they were delightful.
There was a pride of lions with a number of youngsters and also a small cub in the area so off we went to find them. I must admit that going off track and through the bush was unexpected as when we had been in Kruger we had to stay on road. Nope, not here. The idea is to follow and get as close as possible to the animals (safely). They do not see the vehicles as a threat and as long as you don't make excess noise or any sudden moves or stand up, the animals seem to ignore you.
We followed the pride and they ended up on the dry river bed and settled down for a nap. There were several lionesses, two males, the older young ones and little "Cubbie" as he was known. Unfortunately we learned later that Cubbie had been injured and had since died. Nature seems very harsh sometimes.
One of the males
Pride with Cubbie - he's the little one
Lioness
And here they come right towards us
One of the older cubs
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Excellent photos!
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Yes, there are so many TRs I decided not to post one but then weakened. That's why I haven't taken food pics. A good camera helps with the photos and also having the animals literally within arm's reach at times! My big lens was too big a lot of the time.
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amaroo
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I'm glad you did - it's an excellent TR!
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Couldn't agree more. When the guides at both lodges asked us to identify what it was we particularly wanted to see, it was 'cats'. And we were very lucky - had some very close encounters with the gorgeous creatures.
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Morning drives always had a break at about 8 am - an opportunity to find a tree for the call of nature, and also to have a cup of hot beverage, coffee, tea, hot chocolate or the special, a mocha with Amarula.
Sundowners on the afternoon drive were a chance for the tree again but this time, an alcoholic drink. I tended to go for the G & T, and it was somewhat surreal to to handed a drink in a glass, with ice and lime! A range of other spirits, beer, wine or soft drinks was also on offer, with nibbles. I was particularly taken by the table cloth and tiffin tins for the food! This is a common thing and was the same at both the lodges we were at.
One evening we were visited by a group of hyenas. One of them was particular;y curious and stood in the middle of the track about 10 metres off and watched us intently for quite some time before finally wandering off to join the others.
A sunset fit for a king (or drron)
Sundowners on the afternoon drive were a chance for the tree again but this time, an alcoholic drink. I tended to go for the G & T, and it was somewhat surreal to to handed a drink in a glass, with ice and lime! A range of other spirits, beer, wine or soft drinks was also on offer, with nibbles. I was particularly taken by the table cloth and tiffin tins for the food! This is a common thing and was the same at both the lodges we were at.
One evening we were visited by a group of hyenas. One of them was particular;y curious and stood in the middle of the track about 10 metres off and watched us intently for quite some time before finally wandering off to join the others.
A sunset fit for a king (or drron)
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Our second day was spent following the lion pride again.
They went down to the dry river bed again but this time stayed on the bank. It was a real domestic scene with Cubbie playing with his aunts and cousins and then settling down for a feed. The males were not to be seen this time.
Cubbie was particularly playful which makes it all the more heart wrenching to realise that he didn't make it.
He was bold enough to climb down here
And was busy sharpening his teeth on a bush
And then having a bit of a swing on Mum's tail
They went down to the dry river bed again but this time stayed on the bank. It was a real domestic scene with Cubbie playing with his aunts and cousins and then settling down for a feed. The males were not to be seen this time.
Cubbie was particularly playful which makes it all the more heart wrenching to realise that he didn't make it.
He was bold enough to climb down here
And was busy sharpening his teeth on a bush
And then having a bit of a swing on Mum's tail
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After the lions we headed off to see if we could find a pack of African wild dogs. This pack is the largest in southern Africa with 31 members, including quite a few young. As the species is quite endangered, the presence of this pack is closely followed by the guides. The pack was spectacular and the pups were just mad - chasing each other and racing round the area. The photos aren't great as they were moving so fast and when they stopped it was only for a few moments!
Playing stacks on the mill!
Of course there were also many other species and the expected comment, 'Zebra crossing'!
and a lovely sunset
Playing stacks on the mill!
Of course there were also many other species and the expected comment, 'Zebra crossing'!
and a lovely sunset
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We woke to rain on our third day and it was cold. The knock still came at 5am so up we got and over for coffee to see what would happen. I should have known, Bernard was not one to throw in the towel and as it was the family from Chicago's last drive, of course out we went, covered in heavy ponchos against the rain (fat lot of good they did!). It turns out we were the only vehicle to brave the elements and we were rewarded with a wonderful pair of tusker elephants feeding next to the road. We watched them for quite some time but decided discretion was the better part of valour and this was only a shortish drive. We were back by 9 am, in time for an early breakfast!
I should say that the ponchos worked well until somehow the water got in towards the end of the drive. I ended up sitting in a pool of water and believe me, it was very sloshy. People who know me well, know that I absolutely hate getting wet and here I was cold and dripping! Knees were knocking and teeth chattering! Luckily I was first for the shower when we got back and boy was it good. Mr LtL stripped off, put the dressing gown on and climbed back into bed with the heating cranked up as far as it would go.
The suites at Ngala were quite cosy with individual reverse cycle air cons and the lounge area had a lovely open fire so a bit of rain was not too much of a dampener (excuse the pun) on our activities. By the afternoon the rain had stopped so we were able to venture out again on our game drive.
A couple of points about the lodge might be in order here; suites are for two people so Dr LtL had her own, though there was a single supplement on this. The lodge has one 2 bedroom villa as well though this was more expensive than the cost of two suites per night. It is much larger with its own pool. A decanter of sherry was provided in the suites but for other drinks and snacks you could go to the lounge/bar area. Breakfast was buffet of fruits, cereals, cold meat and cheeses with the addition of a cooked to order dish (eggs, waffles etc). Lunches were buffet as well with salads and a couple of hot dishes as well as fruit and dessert and a soup. Dinner was three courses with a choice for each - a soup or entree, main dish then dessert and coffee. On the first night Bernard dined with us on a large table with the other family from our vehicle, on the second we had courtyard dining lit by fire pit and lanterns and for the third night we had a table set on our patio for just we three. They really try to provide a variety of experiences for you. On arrival you are introduced to your server and he/she is the one who looks after you during your stay. How they manage to remember our names will always amaze me! Collie was our butler at Ngala and he was excellent.
I should say that the ponchos worked well until somehow the water got in towards the end of the drive. I ended up sitting in a pool of water and believe me, it was very sloshy. People who know me well, know that I absolutely hate getting wet and here I was cold and dripping! Knees were knocking and teeth chattering! Luckily I was first for the shower when we got back and boy was it good. Mr LtL stripped off, put the dressing gown on and climbed back into bed with the heating cranked up as far as it would go.
The suites at Ngala were quite cosy with individual reverse cycle air cons and the lounge area had a lovely open fire so a bit of rain was not too much of a dampener (excuse the pun) on our activities. By the afternoon the rain had stopped so we were able to venture out again on our game drive.
A couple of points about the lodge might be in order here; suites are for two people so Dr LtL had her own, though there was a single supplement on this. The lodge has one 2 bedroom villa as well though this was more expensive than the cost of two suites per night. It is much larger with its own pool. A decanter of sherry was provided in the suites but for other drinks and snacks you could go to the lounge/bar area. Breakfast was buffet of fruits, cereals, cold meat and cheeses with the addition of a cooked to order dish (eggs, waffles etc). Lunches were buffet as well with salads and a couple of hot dishes as well as fruit and dessert and a soup. Dinner was three courses with a choice for each - a soup or entree, main dish then dessert and coffee. On the first night Bernard dined with us on a large table with the other family from our vehicle, on the second we had courtyard dining lit by fire pit and lanterns and for the third night we had a table set on our patio for just we three. They really try to provide a variety of experiences for you. On arrival you are introduced to your server and he/she is the one who looks after you during your stay. How they manage to remember our names will always amaze me! Collie was our butler at Ngala and he was excellent.
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A great video drron. You can see the advantage in numbers for the dogs.
Flying mermaid
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Glad you decided to do the trip report - very enjoyable. Going off road is the biggest benefit of the private game reserves! That and the small numbers at sightings.
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On our evening drives we did come across some interesting animals though apologies for the poor pics. The light was bad and that combined with moving targets does not result in a nice crisp image.
If you look carefully you can see a genet in the tree
An African wild cat - really looked like a big tabby
Other animals in the area included the usual suspects - giraffe, the supermodels of the animal world with their long legs and eyelashes, lots of impala, bush buck, wildebeest, kudu, buffalo but we did not come across rhino here though they were around. At the lodge as well as the antelope we were entertained by the antics of the baboons, vervet monkeys, tree squirrels, hornbills and we saw a lovely bush baby one evening.
If you look carefully you can see a genet in the tree
An African wild cat - really looked like a big tabby
Other animals in the area included the usual suspects - giraffe, the supermodels of the animal world with their long legs and eyelashes, lots of impala, bush buck, wildebeest, kudu, buffalo but we did not come across rhino here though they were around. At the lodge as well as the antelope we were entertained by the antics of the baboons, vervet monkeys, tree squirrels, hornbills and we saw a lovely bush baby one evening.
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Now it's time for me to 'fess up. On our last morning it was drizzling, I was tired and the 5am call came, well at 5am. Given that it had rained the day before the vehicles would be constrained to the roads and tracks, no off-road pursuits for a day or so. I piked out as they say and Mr LtL and Dr LtL went off on the morning drive. My excuse was that I was going to do the packing! Anyway they returned and I asked "How was the drive?". Their answer? "Not sure we should say". Yes, you've guessed - mega animal sightings!
First there was a new pride of lions on the road itself.
One of the lionesses decided to stalk some impala nearby
This was followed by elephants, buffalo, giraffe.
Then on the way home, a new leopard. He climbed a tree next to the road then came down again and crossed in front of them! So my laziness meant that I missed them, Wah
First there was a new pride of lions on the road itself.
One of the lionesses decided to stalk some impala nearby
This was followed by elephants, buffalo, giraffe.
Then on the way home, a new leopard. He climbed a tree next to the road then came down again and crossed in front of them! So my laziness meant that I missed them, Wah
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Around the lodge
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All too soon it was time to move on to the next lodge, Exeter River Lodge at Sabi Sand reserve. This is another &Beyond lodge, booked through the company as well. It was a hop and a jump on the 9 seater plane to the airstrip and then a 15 minute drive to the lodge. Luckily the weather was more settled and it was a smooth flight.
Exeter River is one of 2 &Beyond lodges here, the other being Leadwood Lodge, a much more exclusive lodge with only 4 suites. Exeter River, though was more 'up-market' than the laid back Ngala. There are 8 suites, meaning a maximum of 16 people at any one time. Each suite faces the river and has a large deck and private plunge pool (I plunged only once as it was not overly hot while we were there).
A few photos of our suite (No 7). Dr LtL again had her own suite.
Exeter River is one of 2 &Beyond lodges here, the other being Leadwood Lodge, a much more exclusive lodge with only 4 suites. Exeter River, though was more 'up-market' than the laid back Ngala. There are 8 suites, meaning a maximum of 16 people at any one time. Each suite faces the river and has a large deck and private plunge pool (I plunged only once as it was not overly hot while we were there).
A few photos of our suite (No 7). Dr LtL again had her own suite.
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