The group are happy after a good nights rest, and superb dinner at “Mrs Simpsons Restaurant” walking distance from the Inn, which consisted of…wait for it…a tender freshly caught trout! After a delicious English breakfast we’re on the road again and its Timbavarti here we come!
The drive through magnificent mountains and spectacular scenery was fascinating, the landscape transformed before our very eyes from lush green gently rolling hills to stony, rocky, mountainous terrain, dotted with aloes, thorny shrubs and acacias. What a contrast. We stopped occasionally for the “bathroom” as our American visitors put it and to look at curios at local craft stores, where “lucky bean” necklaces and soap stones were purchased.
At least half an hour of our travelling time was spent browsing and admiring the craft work at the curio shop immediately before the long tunnel which had been carved by our forefathers, in the good old days, through the majestic Drakensburg Mountains whose peaks looked as though they’d been dipped in pots of green and orange paint. The weather was in our favour, it was lovely and cool on arrival at Timbavarti Safari Camp.
Grey clouds were definitely not what we had been expecting and we were all very grateful for them. The Timbavarti Reserve falls within a subtropical region. The vegetation is made up of fine bushveld trees and Mopani shrub terrain. Recommended months to visit are January, February and March the summer months, the winter months are a bit dry and not quite as green, so we had arrived at the right time of year
. Each group member was shown to his or her tent by Andreas Liebenberg our host and expert guide. Andreas pointed out the “roofless” hot showers (which enable you to look at the birds flying in the sky and roosting in the trees in the evening whilst you wash, an exquisite experience I discovered, during my stay) and flush toilets which were a short way from the very spacious luxury tents which housed two single beds with the most comfortable mattresses I might add.
The tents are fully gauzed against bugs and must remain zipped up at all times to keep out the marauding monkeys who come looking for food. Inside the tent is a whistle (to call for help if necessary or ward off snooping wild animals) a lamp and a torch. The most wonderful peaceful atmosphere abounds, we are in the wilderness, the cacophony of bird sound is music to the ears, this is the bushveld. I felt suddenly at one with nature, totally and completely.
Miraculously, thoughts of hairdryers and makeup and clothes had evaporated, this is simple, this is the truth, the real thing, and this is glorious. After introductions and cold drinks lunch was served, we were hungry, so the homemade pizza and leafy green salad were an answer to a prayer, everybody tucked in chattering away madly like the bunch of excited “Starling birds” in the nearby Msasa tree.
The dining room consisted of a very large tent and one long table which all the guests were seated around for each meal. As this happened to be a first time Safari and camping experience for the whole group, the rules of the camp were read out for our own benefit and safety by Foreman Matabula the manager at Timbavarti.
At 4.30pm, after freshening up we were invited to board the two smart land rovers for our first evening game drive. Refreshments were firmly packed into cooler boxes at the rear of the vehicles and off we set into the sunset. LD driving one vehicle and Foreman the other. It was thrilling to see Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra and a variety of birds close up on our first outing. Near the watering hole we stopped for evening Sundowners.
It was dark by the time we set off back to camp, suddenly the vehicle was drawn to a halt and our guide Foreman shone his torch on a thick snake slowly slinking into the long grass, “A Puff Adder” he told us and there, he pointed his torch towards a shrub “A Wild Cat” What a wildly breathtaking experience, and this was only our first day Sunday, we still had the whole of Monday and Tuesday at Timbavarti.
As we drove back to camp beneath the stars, with frogs croaking in nearby ponds, I felt so pleased and happy with myself for grabbing this opportunity. Back at the camp we sat in a circle around the campfire listening to the guides recall riveting bushveld stories “close encounters with the big five” Supper consisted of Potjie (A stew cooked slowly over coals in a round cast iron three legged pot) This traditional South African meal was served with pap (a maize meal dough) and corn on the cob.
DAY THREE Monday the 19th Jan, 5am wake up call “The morning game drive” We’re told that the assemblage of wildlife at Timbavarti which lies on the outskirts of the Kruger National Park is particularly rich and boasts not only the big five experience; Elephant, Lion, Rhino, Buffalo and Leopard but also an extraordinary profusion of bird and diverse animal life. Since there is no enclosure between the reserve and the National Park, animals move freely in and out.
On this particular morning we saw a herd of Buffalo and three male lions resting together under a tree. LD showed us the black and yellow “Golden Orb” Spider, we touched the strong threads of its web, and he pointed out Impala drinking with the Water Buck. We watched, looked and listened until it was time to get back to camp for a full “help yourself” breakfast which included fruit, yogurt, bacon, egg, sausage toast followed by tea and coffee. Timbavarti Bush Camp is an educational bush safari so this was an ideal starting point for our inexperienced group.
The guides teach everything one needs to know about the bush, including tracking, bush survival, conservation and flora and fauna, after breakfast we gathered together under a big shady tree for Andreas bush education talk in which he told us what fruits we could eat in the bush if we were ever stranded e.g. the sour plum, the fruit from the Marula tree, he showed us how to make a fire using the hand drill method. He showed us what a Leadwood tree looked like and how we could use its dry leaves for medicinal purposes, they contain relaxation properties.
By inhaling the smoke, one can obtain relief from headaches and sinus’s can be cleared. The smell of the smoke was surprisingly refreshing and sweet smelling. He told us that the ash from the Leadwood tree could be used safely as toothpaste. We were shown how to make a “fire carrying parcel” and how dry buffalo dung is perfect to use in fires as it smoulders for a long time.
He showed us what a “Russet bush Willow” looked like and told us that it’s dry leaves were just the answer to boil up, and make into a refreshing cup of tea, which was full of anti oxidants. We were shown how to make rope from the bark of a tree, and how to trap birds, amongst other things. The game drive that evening was a truly spectacular experience for all. In one trip we managed to see White Rhino, Lion, Elephant, Buffalo and finally a Leopard.
Foreman with his eagle eyes spotted the tail of this majestic beast hanging out of a tree to the left of the vehicle, very quietly he drove to about forty metres of the tree; he turned off the engine, enabling us to gaze at this beautiful specimen in silent awe for a lengthy time.
Binoculars brought him that much closer, his eyes, his exquisite face, his leopard spots, his relaxed body draped in the fork of the tree, what a truly handsome creature, the group managed to get some great shots with their cameras.
Everybody was over the moon, we had all seen the big five, had learnt so much about the bush and by this stage we all knew the difference between the various antelope:- the Impala, the Sable, the Waterbuck, the Kudu the Nyala. Satisfied sounds resounded all around.
Written by Nikki Ziehl Please see the website [404 Check: was link to http:/ / www. tulasanasafaris. com, anchor: www.tulasanasafaris.com] for my 10 day story I would like to write for YOU!
