In October 2024 I did the South Africa safari adventure which I enjoyed so much that I was thinking of doing it again. And then I got an e-mail announcing this trip which I booked the same day it was announced!
I opted for September, and what happened to be the debut for this tour, as talking to one of the rangers last time he said September was a particularly good month as it was their spring and undergrowth, providing cover for wildlife, has yet to flourish.
Another brilliant.tour and experience
As with the Mabula safari there is no holiday director. I gave some thoughts on this in my Mabula review last year and my views are unchanged. We were again met at J’Borg airport by a rep “Diggie” who accompanied us, with commentary, for the drive to the Kaingo private game reserve where we were checked into our rooms at Royal Morubisi and there we stayed for the entire trip. At the end of our trip Diggie escorted us back to J’burg airport.
The staff at Royal Morubisi were lovely and nothing was too much trouble.
The group comprised 7 ladies and 3 men. Everyone sat together at meal times. And found their own comfort zone. There were again a mix of first timers to safaris and/or South Africa to those who were on a repeat visit to the country and some safari veterans. There is a WhatsApp group to enable people to keep in touch with each other.
We again had 2 9 seater open sided off road 4 x 4 jeeps with 5 of us in each jeep. After a bit of initial shuffling around we kept to this arrangement throughout and opted to keep to the same seats but there is nothing to prevent individuals moving around.
Our drivers were local rangers, Jolandie and Sunny. I was mostly in Jolandie’s jeep and she was one of the best rangers I have ever come across. She was familiar with all types of flora and fauna and able to spot things from animals to the smallest birds long before anyone else in the jeep spotted them and her tracking knowledge was excellent. I travelled with Sunny a few times and she was equally knowledgeable.
Animal wise we saw 4 of the big 5 the leopard, again, being somewhat elusive. One morning in the space of 45 minutes we saw a lioness, a cheetah at a kill and a male lion but be prepared for drives where not a lot happens. But when it does happen it is extraordinary. There were numerous other animals and the reserve is home to over 300 species of birds with the bird lovers recording well over 50 different species. There are reserve limits on the number of vehicles at sightings so there were occasional waits but this is for the benefit of the animals.
Accommodation is in purpose built buildings comprising 5 “semis” with a living/sleeping area and a bathroom. All plumbed in with tea and coffee facilities, Wi-Fi and air conditioning. You have your own private verandah and the rooms are in a line overlooking the Mokolo River which is home to a number of hippos and crocodiles. On the opposite bank can sometimes be seen elephants and giraffes moving around whilst the reserve is home to some 300 plus species of birds. Rooms are not numbered but are named after local wild animals. Contrary to all popular beliefs I was a sweet little bush baby!
During downtime some gathered by the pool and others congregated on the dining area verandah whilst others, like myself, preferred my own verandah where I could quietly enjoy the sights, and sounds, of the bush.
The daily routine was along the following lines;-
- 5.30am coffee and a snack – there is no early morning alarm so you set your own time to get up,
- 6.00am set out on morning drive – this as ever depended on where animals were thought to be
- 9.000am (ish) back for breakfast This comprised a variety of cereals and fruits followed by a full English with, or part thereof, as much as you wished each day
- Then free time. It is generally too hot during the middle of the day and animals are likely to be sleeping or otherwise inactive.
- 3.000pm afternoon tea – although this is more of a late lunch rather that cups of tea and cake. This would be a salad accompanied by something like meat balls, pizza, quiche etc
- 4.00pm depart for afternoon drive
- 7.00pm (ish) back from drive
- 7.30pm dinner. There was usually time to freshen up before dinner and whilst some changed for dinner there was no compulsion to do so. I didn’t – it is all very relaxed
- Then retire ready for the next day’s adventure.
Food wise there was one person who was vegetarian who was separately catered for. I am not aware of any other preferences or intolerances or how these may have been catered for.
There are some laid on events in the evening at dinner time and also some other activities during the day.
Some pointers that may be useful to future travellers:-
- Water from the taps is safe to drink but you may want to bring your own bottles to decant to take water out.
- There is no shop so forget to bring anything at your own peril
- There is a small shop at the sister site Founders Lodge but this was only open on the odd visit there and was souvenirs only.
- There was no compulsion to dress for dinner.
- Lodges are arranged in a line along a well-lit flat grass path with the furthest away being no more than about 200 yards from the main complex.
- There is no TV or radio in the tents – bring entertainment as desired with you.
- SA has it’s own unique adaptors. Some were able to rent adaptors from reception but my advice would be to bring your own.
- Drinks etc at meal and other times are charged to your room to settle up before leaving. You can settle up using cash or card.
- There is a laundry service which I found to be very good.
On the subject of animals then this is what we were here to see and again I won’t do a day by day, blow by blow, account but over the course of the trip we saw 4 out of the big 5, often more than once, with the leopard being particularly elusive. In addition to the big 5 there are numerous other animals including, in no specific order of preference, zebra, giraffe, warthogs, wildebeest, impalas, hippos and many, many more. The reserve also has an abundance of birdlife Both Jolandie and Sunny were excellent at spotting and identifying wildlife and both were a wealth of knowledge on both flora and fauna.
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Overall another really superb trip that I heartily recommend.
Finally “How much money do I need?” is a perennial question to which there is no hard and fast answer. Having been to South Africa previously I already have the usual array of fridge magnets and other destination souvenirs. All meals have been paid for in the cost of the trip so at Royal Marubisi it was just the drinks bill, and in my case laundry. I don’t drink alcohol so can give no guidance to those who do. With early morning drives then overindulge at your own risk! If you prefer high end shopping and have some rand left over there are some excellent shops at J’Burg airport
On a final note then there have been questions elsewhere on the forum about drive times at different times of the year. I did raise this with one of the rangers and this is a bit like how long is a length of string! There are no hard and fast rules on this however winter (summer in the UK) morning drives will often start at around 7.00am but could sometimes even be later if very cold as there may be no animals around. Afternoon drives culminate with a sundowner as the sun goes down so this depends on the time of the local sunset so work out the start time of the drive from that. There may be different timings on the same days in different parts of the country as weather etc conditions can vary from region to region. Googling (other search engines are available) sunrise and sunset times for different times of the year may help here.
Any specific questions then do feel free to ask.
Ian
