It is hard to believe that we have passed the shortest day of the year already and that the lengthening days are the first sign that there may be a summer after all. Once the sun has set on the afternoon game drives the temperature plummets and ponchos are worn whether stylish or not.
It gives me great pleasure to announce that our Kalahari lioness (Tswalu) has given birth and that a new bloodline has been introduced in Nambiti, although there has only been audio of the cubs the mother has shown signs of giving birth and is being extremely aggressive towards any guide that ventures close to her den site, so much so that the road leading to her den sight has now been temporarily closed to allow the new mother and cubs time to bond and acclimatize and afford them a little breathing room. We will keep you up to date with sightings of these cute furry little ones … watch this space!
Keeping with new additions to our animal population, the hippo population has increased by one individual. After a gestation period of eight months a hippo cow will give birth to a single calf underwater. The cow and calf will remain apart from the rest of the pod for between 10-14 days. Mating also occurs underwater with the bull often submerging the cow who will come up for a breath every few minutes.
Apart from 2mm in mid-June – the last good rains we had was in the beginning of May and the bush is starting to reflect the lack of water, the light brown hues of the turpentine grass dominates the reserve. Some of the watering holes are showing signs of drying up as they creep further and further in on themselves. The hippos are starting to favour the more prominent water holes, thanks to the completion of the pipeline leading from the Sundays River in the north all the way across the reserve to the south, thus there will always be some dams that will contain water all year round as they are now fed by the said pipeline.
We are also thrilled that our highly anticipated renovations will begin at the end of July. These renovations will include a new kitchen and 4 new offices and storerooms (yay!). We will also be renovating the current curio shop and reservations office into a new reception area, a bigger curio shop and new ladies toilets. While our Lodge remains the preferred choice for many families and business travellers alike, these extensions and renovations will improve our facility and provide the very best lodging experience to our valued guests.
We will make every effort to ensure that this project does not affect our guest’s quiet time at the Lodge and will be taking extra precautions to make certain that your holiday is not affected. Most of the building alterations are being done in the back of house area and should not hinder your stay and experience at all nor interfere with the day to day program at the Lodge.
Keep Calm and Go on Safari!!!