It has long been a wish of mine to go on safari and despite my absolute love of nature and animals I hadnt actually ever managed to accomplish this desire, so, when Richard and I were looking for special holidays, Ulusaba was pretty high up on the list. To celebrate our forthcoming nuptials we had booked the 3 night Honeymoon package at Safari lodge with Virgin Holidays/VHIP Hotels and booking was relatively simple and straightforward.
We had flown out to South Africa a few days beforehand. We had wanted to arrive on New Years Day but Ulusaba have a 5-night minimum stay requirement during Christmas and New Year which meant that there was no availability for the dates we wanted (we later learned that this was also because SRB was staying for New Year with Fergie and her daughters and had taken over much of Rock Lodge) so we booked in for the 5th-8th January and would spend the first few days of our trip in the winelands instead. This left us with the task of getting to Ulusaba from Cape Town. The game reserve is in Sabi Sands which borders with Kruger National Park. You can take a direct flight to Ulusabas private airstrip from JNB but these flights were working out to be very expensive (perhaps because of the time of year) and the one hour flights for the two of us were coming in at not much under a grand. We looked at other options such as flying into Kruger airport or Nelspuit, both a few hours drive from Ulusaba but the flight times did not work in terms of connecting from CPT (there are no direct flights from CPT to Ulusaba/Nelspruit/KMIA). We finally decided that wed take the first SAA flight from CPT to JNB and drive to Ulusaba from there. It would save us a small fortune and we figured that the drive could actually be very interesting as wed get to see a little of the real Africa.
So the alarm went off in Franschooek at 4.15am and I was still awake from the night before. We dressed and drove to CPT for the uneventful flight to JNB. We collected our hire care from Avis, picked up a map and armed with the directions provided we started the long drive to Ulusaba.
I wont lie, the drive is very long but I did enjoy it. The first part is all motorway and towns until you get to Nelspruit, which takes about 2-2.5 hours, then you turn onto one of the smaller roads and drive through some of the townships and onto Hazyview, the small town outside the game park (which is where Ulusaba have a head office incidentally). I found Hazyview very interesting, full of life with the locals plying their trade to each other and selling everything from mangos to chairs. From Hazyview you turn off onto a dirt track road and follow the not completely clearly posted signs to Ulusaba. You enter the Sabi Sands game reserve, paying an 80ZAR entrance fee and drive another 32km to the lodge.
Ulusaba do not recommend you drive and state that it will take 5-6 hours from JNB. We managed it in 4.5 hours but we were driving fast with only one short fuel stop in Nelspruit and there were no traffic jams on the way. The only cautionary I would give is that the last 32km are through the game park and while you stay on main roads the game do not necessarily do the same so you do need to be alert. The roads are also very off-road in nature with lots of bumps and potholes so while a 4x4 would have no issue at all we did have to go carefully in our intermediate Avis hirecar!
We turned into Ulusaba and parked up at reception. As we got out of the car my first sight was a herd of water buffalo in the area opposite, I was so excited (and shouting Look, look..! to Richard) that I didnt notice our welcoming party.
We were invited into reception, told to leave our car and luggage and offered a glass of Champagne from a fresh bottle while filling in our registration cards. We had a great view of the private airstrip and the charter planes as we took in our new surroundings.
'Reception'
A game vehicle soon arrived and loaded our luggage up to take us to the lodge. We didnt realize at the time but the ranger (Stuart) and tracker (John) who met us at reception would be dedicated to us our whole stay. Stuart informed us that we would have plenty of time before the evening game drive and that we would meet in the main house at 4pm. With that we were driven to Safari lodge, only a short 5 minute drive away, and it is a sight to behold to see this mass of tree houses and rope bridges appear from the bush.
As the vehicle arrived we were greeted with hot towels, smiling faces and a warm welcome from James, the lodge manager. James slowly walked us around the lodge to advise where everything was (such as the gym and the spa), the times of dinner and the game drives and also a little history of the lodge and the animals. He showed us to the main house, pointed out the very well stocked bar and told us if nobody is here, please, help yourself as I was looking at aged malts. The whole lodge just looked amazing. Safari lodge has pretty much everything; 11 guest rooms (including the new Treehouse lodge), the gym, the spa, the pool, Wi-Fi and a PC in the main house which has a bar, a lounge and a dining room as well as plenty of seating outside on the veranda, all nestled into the bush and made out of natural materials and decorated with wonderful African art and artifacts. The main house itself is literally up in the trees, built between a number of large trees and in essence using them as structural support.
James also told us a few of the ground rules, such as ensuring we lock our doors and windows to prevent baboons from coming into our rooms and that at night time we couldnt walk back to our rooms alone and had to be escorted back by one of the security team. I had read about this online before. The reason for this is purely because of how close to nature you really are in the lodge and it hasnt been unknown for lions or leopards to come right into the lodge area. James told us how when the lodge was first built they had some real problems with the elephants coming in to drink out of the pool, being so large they would destroy much of the paving and the trees without meaning to. James said that they put a loose fence up around the main area but the elephants came along and tore it down with their trunks. A small electric fence was then erected but the staff witnessed the elephants come along, tap the line with their trunks to see how strong the current was and then once assured it wasnt a threat theyd pull that down too. There is now a stronger electric fence around the main house and the rooms but this is really for the elephants, the smaller animals can walk underneath it (as we later discovered!).
Our bags arrived at our room when we did, and we would be staying in Elephant 2, the mid-category of room between the standard Safari room and the plush River rooms with plunge pools.
Our first impressions were wow. The natural and raw materials that have gone into the construction are great, lots of wood and stone but with a wonderful power shower and a full size bath and air conditioning.
Elephant 2
Table with Champagne on Ice
The bath
The shower
Sun deck
The cables and fixings are hidden very well. We opened the patio doors to our own private sun deck which overlooks a dry riverbed and I could see a herd of Impala in the distance. Perfect. We had a fresh fruit platter and Champagne on ice waiting for us too. On the bed were a selection of handwritten notes on handmade paper from the Ulusaba family to welcome us. The minibar was pretty cool too, all included of course, and stocked with bubbly, water, wine, sodas and biscuits. A UK-to-African power adapter was also supplied (which was great news as we only had one, not remembering that ZA use their own plug type that isnt featured on most travel adapters). You are also provided with Mozzy spray which I didnt use and later regretted as I was bitten to death in the night.
Handwritten note
The room was beautiful. No television, but then I didnt really have time or the desire to watch it. There are no key cards here, just a small lift catch for the windows and a key for the door. There was a phone in the room but I really got the sense that if you wanted anything instead of calling reception as youd normally do in a hotel, you just go to the main house. Reception was James and the rest of the family, and theyd be walking around and always on hand. I also noted how quickly all of the staff, and I mean ALL of the staff learn your names and call you by your first name. You are part of the Ulusaba family and definitely treated that way.
We walked over the main house and a staff member quickly introduced himself to us and asked us if he could fetch us a tea or coffee. We helped ourselves to a few cakes and pastries from the cake stand (food is always on offer here!) and took in our surroundings before Stuart called us for our first game drive. We met up with another couple who were also staying three nights. Wed be going on the drives with them each day, so only four of us to a nine seater game drive vehicle which ensured we all got a great view and a personal experience.
Off for the first game drive:
And so we set off for our first game drive. Having not been on safari before I was sure I would enjoy the whole experience regardless and reminded myself that I may not see all the animals that I wanted to see but I really need not have worried. Stuart asked us what we would really like to see so I said Giraffe but that I would be happy with any sightings.
Ulusaba team their rangers and trackers so that they always work together, this really helps create a great bond and a partnership. Their knowledge is amazing and humbling, as is their real love and respect for the wildlife in the park. They have got to know many of the animals and can tell you about them, such as a juvenile elephant being the baby of a particular elder one, or the sad tales of a change of male in a lion pride which sees the new male kill all of the young male cubs. Stuart advised that he would try to get us sightings of the animals we most wanted to see and that his tactic was to try and choose an animal or two a day and focus on a very close encounter rather than driving around to tick them all off. He did say that each ranger has their own style and to just let him know what we wanted to get out of the experience. All of the vehicles stay in touch by radio so that any sightings can be passed around everybody. They also share sightings with many of the other lodges too, which I thought was very good. Stuart advised us that the rangers generally knew each other and helped each other out (particularly as the profession isnt highly paid, its something you do for the love of the job) but the actually lodges themselves had some competition at a management level. We learned that Singita did not allow Ulusaba vehicles onto their land (and vice versa) though of course the animals can go where they please. We also learned about the complex queue system Ulusaba have for vehicles to animals and the ratios they use. The idea is that the animals should never be stressed or bothered by the game viewing so they have no more than 2 vehicles per sighting at any time and if its a good sighting you have to queue, so you go off and look for other game and your car will get called on the radio when another vehicle has moved off. Obviously you cant guarantee that youll still be able to get a good sighting with this system but I think its good that they have it. Id much rather ensure that the animals are not harassed and certainly had excellent game viewing.
As we drove off we found a herd of Impala just outside the lodge, a huge herd complete with large horned males and the nursery herd of small babies, we turned right and drove for a few minutes more to find a small herd of water buffalo that were well hidden in the bush. I was pretty amazed at how the vehicles will turn off the roads and drive straight into the bush, knocking down small trees and plants. This is the advantage of a private game reserve, the public game reserves like Kruger allow you to take your own vehicle and drive, or join one of the drives with a ranger but you have to stick to the roads, the private reserves can drive where they like so you will (and we did) get within meters of the big five as you go driving through thick bush. The vehicles park slightly away and turn the engine off and either let the animals come to you or edge in closer once it is clear they are not upset by your presence. We carried on and saw Rhino and a warthog, lots of sightings for the first drive.
We drove past a beautiful watering hole that had a large tree filled with weaver birds sitting in their elaborate nests. Stuart stopped the vehicle and told us that we could get out and stretch our legs. As we climbed down they set up the bar and we were slightly gobsmacked to see the half bottles of champagne, the variety of spirits and mixers and the bar snacks all neatly laid out for us on the front of the truck. It seemed unreal as we stood in the park watching the sun go down while sipping Champagne and listening to the sounds of the animals and insects.
Sundowner drinks
We paused for about 15-20 minutes and climbed back into the vehicle as we had a radio call to say that two male lions were out hunting nearby. Our two other guests took a small miniature brandy to quaff in the vehicle as we made the drive over. It was now dark so John our tracker had a large flashlight to guide us. We found and followed the lions for what seemed like 30 minutes but in reality must have been 90 or 120. The Lions were not phased at all by the flashlights or the vehicles, largely ignoring us as they followed the scent they had picked up. Several times the lions walked beside the vehicle, literally a meter or less away, looking up into the vehicle at the faces starting back at them and once sure that we were not of interest or threat they waked away. I have to admit I actually started crying, being so close to such beautiful animals and looking them in the eye but seeing them out in the open instead of behind a pane of glass. I dont think I can ever really go to a zoo again.
Typically the drives are around 3 hours long but it feels like less than one. If there is something particularly good going on like a kill or a rare Cheetah sighting then the rangers seem to be happy to stay out late as Stuart reminded us a few times. I never failed to be amazed that this chap had been a ranger for 13 years now but still had so much passion for his job. Youd think that he wouldnt get excited any longer but he was the one asking us if we wanted to go back or could we stay out just a little longer to watch the lions.
We arrived back at the lodge just after 8pm where the staff were waiting with hot towels and security staff to escort us back to our rooms or the main house. We decided to go back to our room to freshen up but really we didnt have that much time before dinner and everyone seemed to be staying in the clothes they wore earlier for dinner. Ulusaba is very relaxed, you do not need to take any smart clothes at all.
Dinner was served in the main house just after 8.30pm at a long table and served communal style to give us a chance to mix with fellow guests. The dinner reminded me much of the conversations I have had after scuba diving where the talk is all of what wed seen and what we hoped to see.
The food was fantastic too. Dinner starts with amuse bouche and has a choice of three starters and three mains with vegetarian options and two puddings. You are also advised that if you want something that isnt listed to ask as they can probably do it. A number of us at the table didnt fancy either of the two puddings, wanting something simple such as sorbet or ice-cream and within minutes of asking if this was possible there it was. All with a smile and a no problem attitude. There were a great selection of wines and port too.
By 10pm we were both exhausted and asked for security to take us back to our room. While it may seem like a hindrance it really wasnt an issue, we never had to wait more than a moment for someone to escort us. Our security chap wished us a good night, and checked that we were still up for the game drive in the morning. We replied in the affirmative and he confirmed that wed get our wake up call at 5am.
DAY 2
The phone rang at 5am, and while I was half awake it still came as a shock. They place the telephone across the room from the bed so that you do actually have to get up to take the call and confirm youll be coming, I had put the blinds up before we went to sleep so the natural daylight that had started to seep in the room had helped me wake up that, and being stupidly excited about seeing the animals.
We threw on some clothes (combat trousers or jeans, t-shirts and a jumper as it is a little chilly first thing in the morning and layers are needed) and headed down to the main house. Time for a quick cup of tea and a pastry before Stuart and John invited us to come and get in the vehicle and head out for the day (at about 5.30am).
Todays drive focused on Lions. Stuart had been told of a sighting of a young male lion cub with his mother who has made a kill during the night so we went to take a look. We found them very quickly, a large male lion, two females and the cub. We were only a few meters away but they were more interested in their food than us. Well, all apart from the cub, who was more interested in biting his tail. We also were advised on the radio of a sighting of a leopard with a cub from last year (a juvenile). There was a queue for the sighting so Stuart suggested we head back to the lodge, grab breakfast and nip back out when all the others return, which sounded very sensible to us.
We returned for breakfast about 8.15am and Stuart joined us which was really great as you get to build up a real relationship with the Ulusaba staff. Stuarts wife also works at Ulusaba and he told us that they live in a staff village behind Rock Lodge and much of your life as a staff member at Ulusaba is about working there and being part of the family. I soon came to realise how true this was when every day I would see the same staff members such as James our lodge manager greeting us all at 5am, serving wine during our lunch at 1pm and still being around at 10pm tending the bar as we headed off to bed, all the while this man has a smile on his face and a willingness to help you. Incredible.
After a very filling breakfast we headed out to see the Leopard. The mother had killed a young impala and was resting from the exertion. Her young charge however was very playful and would not sit still. The youngster played in the grass and jumped up at the trees in the same way my cat does when she gets all skittish. At one point the youngster was less than a meter from me as he walked by the side of the vehicle. Beautiful. We spent a good 40 minutes with the Leopards before heading back.
We had a complimentary massage as part of our honeymoon package so we spoke to Adele the therapist about having this in the afternoon. We also wanted to visit Rock Lodge to see what that was like and as luck would have it our couples massage was arranged for the aroma boma spa in Rock Lodge for 12.30pm. John drove us over to Rock lodge, which is only about 6-8 minutes away in the game vehicles. Instead of being set in the bush, Rock lodge is set up high on a hill, giving amazing views across the bush. Rock lodge feels smaller than Safari lodge but just as lovely. I would like to stay at both lodges, the views at Rock are breathtaking but I loved being among nature in Safari.
After our lovely and relaxing spa treatment we had a spot of lunch up at Rock lodge out on the veranda. The lodges were at 60% occupancy but they never felt busy, there is so much space and such an importance placed on your relaxation and privacy. We kept bumping into the same couples and families at various points during the day but always felt we had our own space and our own time together. The staff are also very engaging and friendly, wanting to know where you are from and your interests but giving you enough space at the same time.
Rock Lodge
What a view!
We were driven back to Safari lodge where Richard went back to the room for a nap and I stopped by the main house to quickly use the Internet. As I left the main house to walk back to our room I noticed that a family of Nyala had come under the wire fence and into the lodge to feast on the lush young grasses that grow around the rooms. They were literally next to the main walkway between the rooms, from adults to small babies. I then realised why we had security take us to our rooms, while Nyala are harmless you can see how easy a Lion or Leopard can get in to the lodge as we discovered the next morning when one of the guests opened their door to find a leopard on the rope bridge. He quickly shut the door and called security and there is no shame in being smart here.
It was soon time for our afternoon game drive. A quick cup of tea at the lodge then it was time to head out to look for elephant, leopard and giraffe, with sightings of all and the highlight of a baby elephant that was about 2-3 days old. I had a G&T at our sundowner, a different spot in the bush this time where we could see giraffe. Stuart took us for a very slow walk into the long grasses as Giraffe typically stand still when they see something so he allowed us to walk to about 200 meters away from one of these gentle giants. Amazing.
As we returned we decided not to go back to the room as wed learned that you only get a very short amount of time, plus nobody dresses up for dinner. As we all filed into the bar for nibbles and drinks James advised us that wed be having a different meal tonight and to head over to the boma area when we were ready. Richard and I walked over, not sure what to expect when we saw tea lights and oil lanterns lighting the way to the most amazing fire pit, a long table all set up and a braai cooking, out under the stars. The staff welcomed us and the chef greeted us all individually to tell us what he was cooking (which was everything from parsnip soup to vegetable curry to the prawns, beef and warthog on the braai). We then were entertained with traditional African music and dancing while all the guests took their seats. I assumed the dancers were from a local village but when they had finished James told us that they were our housekeeping staff and these were songs that they knew or had devised. I thought it was fantastic.
We were joined by a new family, 8 in all and very reminiscent of the Northern Bragathon that mdvipond had encountered on his flight from BGI. These people irritated me from the start, primarily as they seemed to hate nature and were doing the safari as a prestige holiday. They made a few rude remarks about the African dancing and while I know its not everybodys cup of tea there is no need to be impolite. After hearing the latest long story full of words devoid of any hs or ts about their various holidays we decided to call it a night (after I had sampled the lovely cheeseboard of course).
DAY 3
We were awoken by the 5am alarm call, and I mean awoken. It was much harder to get up on this day than the one before so we pulled on some clothes and stumbled down to breakfast. One of the other trackers told us that we needed to have a nap after breakfast to combat the busy days. We started our morning drive and headed out to the airstrip used by the Inyati lodge as Stuart had heard that a pride of lions had recently eaten and were lounging around and he wasnt kidding! We saw a good number of very plump looking lions lazing about in the sun. Stuart said it would be unlikely for them to move far for about 3 days.
We pulled up at a safe spot and John drove back the other couple that joined us each day for the drives as Richard and I would walk back with Stuart as part of a bush walk. Stuart had a rifle but advised that hes only used it once and for a warning shot to a lioness. I could tell that if the guy ever had to use it on an animal hed be devastated, and I know I would feel the same.
We started walking in single file and stopping to look at insects, birds, trees, tracks and droppings along the way. I was fascinated by this walk but I know not everyone would share my enthusiasm. I learnt so much, from identifying tracks and droppings to learning which plants you can use as soap and toilet paper in the bush. We looked at millipedes and beetles and some of the tiny five. Most people know the big five but there are also the small five, five of the smallest creatures to spot, one for instance that preys on ants. We walked for a while and Stuart called John on the radio to pick us up and I thought he was abandoning the walk as it has started to drizzle but Stuart told us that wed been walking over an hour it felt like ten minutes.
We came back for breakfast and we decided to take the trackers advice and have a short nap before lunch which worked a treat. We took a light lunch with some wine (the staff are very keen for you to enjoy their fayre) and walked over to the Treehouse. This is a separate room that can be hired out by (or for!) a small party. It has a split level room but also has a separate dining room, seating area and game viewing over a watering hole. The lodge takes a good 10 minutes to reach through swinging walkways so is very secluded.
Lunch at Safari Lodge:
The many rope bridges:
Walking to the Tree House:
After a cup of tea, some Internet time and a few nice cream cakes from the cake stand it was time for our last evening game drive. As we congregated in the lodge there was a lot of talk between the rangers and trackers about the earlier sightings of African wild dogs. The dogs are a rare sight and also very hard to see as they are not afraid at all and are able to move very fast. They are pack hunters and the rangers and trackers exchanged information on last sightings before we all headed out to find them. Ulusaba allow three vehicles to view dogs as they are so rare and also not timid in the slightest. We drove for quite a long time with John looking at tracks and using the radio. An hour passed and I started to think we wouldnt see them as they seemed to be outsmarting us. Wed drive up a road following a sighting, see nothing, turn around and see fresh dog tracks across the tyre tracks wed made moments earlier. It was very frantic, driving back and forth, constant radio communication and basically trial and error from all of the Ulusaba vehicles to be sure that the dogs were in a particular area, though we still hadnt seen them. We saw an Impala running and thought it might be being chased but it was a red herring. At this stage the other couple in our vehicle became bored and one of them started a long cell phone conversation with someone. It was the height of rudeness and a great aggravation to our tracker and ranger as were were supposed to be sitting quietly listening for signs of the dogs. It is a shame that some people want the game drives to just deliver them the big five when they were missing the greatest show of all watching how these guys actually find the game.
We were sure the dogs were very close so John leapt off the vehicle (the trackers sit on a seat right at the front) and just ran into the bush with a fellow tracker to look. Stuart explained that John has a real passion, that there have been times where they have been tracking an animal for hours and hes called it a day as they lost the tracks a long time ago but John will stay out on his own until hes found him or her and excitedly call Stuart to tell him. Watching all this was a privilege. We knew we were onto something when Stuart told us to hold on tight and drove like a madman through the bush. We turned a corner and there they were, six wild dogs that had just killed a baby Wildebeest. I wont deny that watching parts of the spectacle made me slightly queasy but it really is nature at work. The dogs are very admirable, they have a close knit community that means that they all look after each other with dogs regurgitating meat back at the den for the babies, the old, the lame and any dogs who could not join the pack. Sadly, the dogs are becoming rarer due to loss of habitat, disease (particularly rabies) and the increase of farming land. We picked John up from the bush and headed back to the lodge for dinner, all the while stopping on the way to look at a chameleon or spider or something that John had spotted in the flashlights. Their skills at spotting even the tiniest creatures just do not cease to amaze.
African Wild Dog:
We came back to the main house where James confirmed that we had a private dinner arranged in the wine cellar. Wed both wanted to have a look in there so this was great. We had a private dinner on the last night as part of our honeymoon package but as we came down we saw that the staff had laid out separate tables for each couple or family there which was nice, so its not all communal dining.
We went back to our room to get changed, thinking that wed make an effort for our private dinner and were later led to the wine cellar. Its a lovely but small room, stocked to the brim with reds and whites of all sizes and varieties. The lady serving us gave us some history and pointed out the fridge at the back with chilled Champagne, water and wine and said that if we wanted to try anything we could and if she wasnt there to help ourselves. We didnt though. The wine cellar then has a small deck that seats six, but tonight it was set for two. The chef came to give us the menu which sounded delightful. Stuart had told me to try kingclip earlier in the day if I got the chance, its a national fish and he said it tastes like lobster. Amazingly, it was one of the three choices so I opted for that and the goats cheese tart while Richard had the soup and the beef fillet. We were alone for a few moments as we took pictures like crazed Japanese tourists before our amuse bouche arrived which was a salmon mousse on toasted brioche. We had a beautiful dinner together and much of the conversation revolved around how much we both were enjoying our stay and how wonderful the place was.
We shared a vanilla pannacotta and headed back to our room after a wonderful dinner to find that the staff had decorated the room with rose petals and tea lights and run us a hot bath. Beautiful.
The bed:
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