Bags were packed, tickets were booked. I was ready to see the Big 5, the Ugly 5, the Magnificent 7 and any other category of wildlife normally included seen in the wild only in a safari.
The Big 5 refers to the five large mammals: Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and the Buffalo. These animals are known as “Big 5” because they were the hardest to shoot by the big game hunters and become more ferocious when cornered and injured.
The Magnificent 7, it seems that the animals in this category change depending on where you are and who you talk to. Some people say the magnificent 7 includes Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Giraffe and the Cheetah. Others include Whale and white shark to the Mag 7 (instead of Cheetah, and Giraffe)
The Ugly 5 are the underdogs of Africa that include Hyena, Wildebeast, Vulture, Warthog, and the endangered Wild dog.
A trip last year took us to South Africa. We were able to visit Johannesburg and safari at Kruger National Park. We had debated whether to fly from S. Africa to Serengeti for the safari or visit Kruger NP. Due to the fact that we were going to be in East London, the time-off constraints, cost, and time of the year, we decided to stay with Kruger. Both Kruger and Serengeti warrant iconic status when it comes to Safari. Serengeti dominates the northwest Tanzania while Kruger an equally large park dominates the southeast S. Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. I have not yet been to Serengeti, so this post will not compare the two safari experiences but I have heard Serengeti is renowned for its vast grasslands, and the sheer volume of wildlife that makes it a peerless reserve. Kruger and the adjoining private reserves make for near certain sightings of a huge variety of wildlife.
ThornyBush Nature Reserve
We stayed in ThornyBush Private Reserve. ThornyBush is a collection of private lodges in a reserve that shares fenceless border with Kruger National Park allowing for free roaming of wildlife among the park and various private reserves that surround the national park. The 14,000 hectare private reserve has many water holes, that encourages wildlife visits especially during the dry season. This makes for consistent sightings of iconic animals and the resulting success of private game reserves and lodges.
Lodging & Meals
Chapungu is one of the 12 lodges on ThornyBush reserve. Classified as a 4 star, these are 8 tented camps set in a small compound. The tented camps themselves are very comfortable. Each tent has its own permanent bathroom that includes a shower area and a tub right off the deck. You look out (and relax) into the wilderness as you shower or take a bath. The bedroom is very comfortable with enough space for two adults, the beds covered by mosquito net, with an AC and a fan in the room.
The Lodge had an open plan (a roof but no walls) lounge, and dining room overlooking a small swimming pool. Everyday we saw Kudu, Nayla and baboons visit the lodge, kept at bay by the staff.
The breakfast is served in the lounge on a long common table. The meals are no simple affair. The breakfast included various beverages including juice, tea, coffee, breads, pastries, eggs (made your way), toasts, and fruit.
Lunch is served in the open plan dining area overlooking the camp and the swimming pool. For lunch, there are smaller (family) tables and chairs. The food is prepared by cooks that come in from their villages and stay on site for a couple of days at a time. Usually there is salad, bread, 1-2 types of meat (chicken and fish) sometimes pork and steak. There are also 1-2 veg dishes. During check in, the staff asks for food preferences, and the lunch and dinner are prepared accordingly. For drinks there was a large assortment. However, be aware, the alcoholic drinks are not part of the “all-inclusive’ plan.
For dinner, the staff made great attempts to create an intimate and romantic ambiance. While we were at camp, there were 4 adult couples (no kids). So every day, there was either candle lit diner, or dinner by the firepit. Open plan allowed us to see any wildlife that wandered in. Around lunchtime we would get Nyala, and different birds as visitors. Geckos were all over the camp (thankfully none in our tent).
At night we would hear the sounds of hyenas, baboons, elephants and other critters. Supposedly, these animals were roaming from one reserve to another or one part of the reserve to another and the sounds were of them roaming and informing other animals about their whereabouts. In the morning we could see evidence of a herd of elephants having passed by. The camp itself was surrounded by an electric fence so there was less risk of large mammals wandering into the camp. The fence was not meant to prevent smaller animals from coming in. When asked about the early morning and the after dinner escort by an armed guard from the common lounge area to the tent, the reason was, it was for the protection of the animals. If an animal were to wander on premises, and got spooked by the human (or vice versa) and the animal were to attack the human, the staff would have to shoot the animal to protect the human. They did not want to shoot the animal, thus the guard. The guard could shoo the animal away or use the firearm to create sound to scare the animal away..
A Safari Day
Typically, all outfitters include two safari outings per day. One at dawn and another at dusk. The day starts at the crack of dawn at 5 am. You are woken by an armed guard. At 5:30 am, you are escorted to the Land Cruiser for the dawn safari. Sitting comfortably in the Land Cruiser with a warm throw, feeling the coolness of the morning and watching the sun slowly rise, you would imagine that the day has just begun. But watching the animals hunt, eating or resting as we drove, it felt as if the day was already half past.
Each Land Cruiser had a driver and a tracker. The safari experience really depends on these two guides. Their tales, their tracking of the animals, their explanations of animal behavior and the animal sightings, is what the safari experience is all about.
During the dawn trip, our guides would stop half way and would serve tea/coffee as we looking upon some animal. At the dusk trip, they would serve gin & tonic (or another alcoholic beverage of your choice) and some snack. At one of these dusk stops, we saw a big herd of Giraffe peeking out over the trees just a few hundred yards away. Imagine a sunset, with you snacking on Biltong and savoring Gin & Tonic while standing next to you is a Giraffe munching on Acacia leaves. That is a scene not from any movie, but from my S. African safari trip.
The Big 5 refers to the five large mammals: Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and the Buffalo. These animals are known as “Big 5” because they were the hardest to shoot by the big game hunters and become more ferocious when cornered and injured.
The Magnificent 7, it seems that the animals in this category change depending on where you are and who you talk to. Some people say the magnificent 7 includes Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Giraffe and the Cheetah. Others include Whale and white shark to the Mag 7 (instead of Cheetah, and Giraffe)
The Ugly 5 are the underdogs of Africa that include Hyena, Wildebeast, Vulture, Warthog, and the endangered Wild dog.
A trip last year took us to South Africa. We were able to visit Johannesburg and safari at Kruger National Park. We had debated whether to fly from S. Africa to Serengeti for the safari or visit Kruger NP. Due to the fact that we were going to be in East London, the time-off constraints, cost, and time of the year, we decided to stay with Kruger. Both Kruger and Serengeti warrant iconic status when it comes to Safari. Serengeti dominates the northwest Tanzania while Kruger an equally large park dominates the southeast S. Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. I have not yet been to Serengeti, so this post will not compare the two safari experiences but I have heard Serengeti is renowned for its vast grasslands, and the sheer volume of wildlife that makes it a peerless reserve. Kruger and the adjoining private reserves make for near certain sightings of a huge variety of wildlife.
ThornyBush Nature Reserve
We stayed in ThornyBush Private Reserve. ThornyBush is a collection of private lodges in a reserve that shares fenceless border with Kruger National Park allowing for free roaming of wildlife among the park and various private reserves that surround the national park. The 14,000 hectare private reserve has many water holes, that encourages wildlife visits especially during the dry season. This makes for consistent sightings of iconic animals and the resulting success of private game reserves and lodges.
Lodging & Meals
Chapungu is one of the 12 lodges on ThornyBush reserve. Classified as a 4 star, these are 8 tented camps set in a small compound. The tented camps themselves are very comfortable. Each tent has its own permanent bathroom that includes a shower area and a tub right off the deck. You look out (and relax) into the wilderness as you shower or take a bath. The bedroom is very comfortable with enough space for two adults, the beds covered by mosquito net, with an AC and a fan in the room.
The Lodge had an open plan (a roof but no walls) lounge, and dining room overlooking a small swimming pool. Everyday we saw Kudu, Nayla and baboons visit the lodge, kept at bay by the staff.
The breakfast is served in the lounge on a long common table. The meals are no simple affair. The breakfast included various beverages including juice, tea, coffee, breads, pastries, eggs (made your way), toasts, and fruit.
Lunch is served in the open plan dining area overlooking the camp and the swimming pool. For lunch, there are smaller (family) tables and chairs. The food is prepared by cooks that come in from their villages and stay on site for a couple of days at a time. Usually there is salad, bread, 1-2 types of meat (chicken and fish) sometimes pork and steak. There are also 1-2 veg dishes. During check in, the staff asks for food preferences, and the lunch and dinner are prepared accordingly. For drinks there was a large assortment. However, be aware, the alcoholic drinks are not part of the “all-inclusive’ plan.
For dinner, the staff made great attempts to create an intimate and romantic ambiance. While we were at camp, there were 4 adult couples (no kids). So every day, there was either candle lit diner, or dinner by the firepit. Open plan allowed us to see any wildlife that wandered in. Around lunchtime we would get Nyala, and different birds as visitors. Geckos were all over the camp (thankfully none in our tent).
At night we would hear the sounds of hyenas, baboons, elephants and other critters. Supposedly, these animals were roaming from one reserve to another or one part of the reserve to another and the sounds were of them roaming and informing other animals about their whereabouts. In the morning we could see evidence of a herd of elephants having passed by. The camp itself was surrounded by an electric fence so there was less risk of large mammals wandering into the camp. The fence was not meant to prevent smaller animals from coming in. When asked about the early morning and the after dinner escort by an armed guard from the common lounge area to the tent, the reason was, it was for the protection of the animals. If an animal were to wander on premises, and got spooked by the human (or vice versa) and the animal were to attack the human, the staff would have to shoot the animal to protect the human. They did not want to shoot the animal, thus the guard. The guard could shoo the animal away or use the firearm to create sound to scare the animal away..
At night, you could hear the wind howl from the tent. The first night at the camp was very windy. The howling of the wind, the tent flapping with each gust and the elephant choir in the background, it felt as if the entire tent would either be blown away or stampeded by the elephants. We did not sleep a wink that first night. The other nights were calmer and felt quite luxurious, lying on a comfy bed under a canvas tent, covered by a mosquito net and drinking Gin & Tonic. Being of Indian heritage, I thought of the life under the British raj.
A Safari Day
Typically, all outfitters include two safari outings per day. One at dawn and another at dusk. The day starts at the crack of dawn at 5 am. You are woken by an armed guard. At 5:30 am, you are escorted to the Land Cruiser for the dawn safari. Sitting comfortably in the Land Cruiser with a warm throw, feeling the coolness of the morning and watching the sun slowly rise, you would imagine that the day has just begun. But watching the animals hunt, eating or resting as we drove, it felt as if the day was already half past.
Each Land Cruiser had a driver and a tracker. The safari experience really depends on these two guides. Their tales, their tracking of the animals, their explanations of animal behavior and the animal sightings, is what the safari experience is all about.
During the dawn trip, our guides would stop half way and would serve tea/coffee as we looking upon some animal. At the dusk trip, they would serve gin & tonic (or another alcoholic beverage of your choice) and some snack. At one of these dusk stops, we saw a big herd of Giraffe peeking out over the trees just a few hundred yards away. Imagine a sunset, with you snacking on Biltong and savoring Gin & Tonic while standing next to you is a Giraffe munching on Acacia leaves. That is a scene not from any movie, but from my S. African safari trip.
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