Safari on the Elephant Coast
June 2008
South Africa is as diverse as the people who call this beautiful nation home. Liz Sinclair shares this account of her first African safari experience at Thanda, in KwaZulu Natal.
I’m in Zululand – home of South Africa’s legendary warrior, Shaka Zulu. Base camp for the next few nights is the multi-awarded private game lodge and wildlife reserve, Thanda (pronounced Tunda, and meaning ‘love’ in Zulu); about three hours drive north from Durban.
As I am shown around my sprawling, luxuriously appointed villa, I know I am about to experience something very special. The prevalent shape is circular – Zulu inspired. From the nine villas styled to traditional hut design snuggled on the hillside of the reserve’s highest point, to the round stone fireplace, the bath and private plunge pool outside on the deck, to the interior furniture and fittings – circles are everywhere. The fabrics are rich and the bold colours reflect those favoured by the Zulus and other African tribes.
The bed is romantically swaddled in mosquito netting, and is so big, a search party is almost required to find the telephone - ringing to rouse sleepy guests to action in preparation for the morning’s 6am game drive departure.
There’s no time to do anything more than throw on some warm clothes, scrub the teeth and rub the sleep from my eyes before a soft knock at my door announces the ranger’s arrival to escort me to the main house. Accommodation is unfenced inside this Big Five game park with nothing separating the lodge from the animals, which wander freely around the reserve. So walking around the grounds after dark is wisely not permitted without ranger assistance.
On safari
Before long, I am clambering into the open vehicle with my game drive companions, as excited as a child on Christmas Eve, in anticipation of what I instinctively know is going to be a life-changing experience.
Our ranger is an amiable fellow named Truman, the head guide at Thanda, ably assisted by Mosi – a tracker who we soon learn can spot an elephant in the next province from his seat suspended from the vehicle’s bull-bar.
Truman runs through the safety briefing making sure we understand the realities of being in close proximity to wild animals in their own territory, and what behaviour is required from us to keep everyone safe.
Truman has been expertly guiding guests through South African bushlands in search of the ‘Big Five’ for over 13 years. He and Mosi have worked as a team for five of those years, guiding two, three-hour game drives every day. They know each other like brothers which is welcome news – we’re obviously in capable hands.
This is the Elephant Coast – so it’s appropriate that our first sighting is of a herd making its way to drink at the waterhole. The next three hours pass in a blur of excited gasps and the sound of furiously clicking cameras. We see giraffe, lion, buffalo, white rhino, zebra, warthog and a swag of antelope and other deer and stop for morning tea in the bush.
Truman is a walking encyclopaedia on all things African – of the flora and fauna variety. He knows a thing or two about Zulu culture, astronomy and South African politics too – and imparts his knowledge with authority and good humour. I am mesmerised by his melodic voice and his passion for the land and its creatures – awestruck by his ability to read his surrounds like a book – reminded once again about how important people are in this business of tourism.
Sawubona; welcome to our land
Located on the reserve is a Zulu village, operated by Thanda employees. The village exists to celebrate and honour the greatness of the Zulu nation through entertainment and education of guests where King Shaka’s descendants share their ancient tales of the Zulu. Unlike the lodge, where access is restricted to guests only, the Zulu village is open to the public and provides an engaging insight into local culture and custom.
All too soon we’re back at the lodge and it’s time to head for the onsite wellness spa overlooking the African bush veldt. The facilities are world-class, and with the current exchange rate so favourable to the Aussie dollar, I am pleasantly surprised to find treatments priced well below market rates in Australia.
Dusk falls and we’re back in the open vehicle for the evening game drive – another benefit of a private game reserve.
Truman’s two-way radio crackles to life, he listens intently, and then informs us of the change of plans. Two cheetahs have made an impala kill on the western boundary - presenting a rare opportunity to witness natural drama at its gruesome best.
The evening drive unfolds with more lion sightings, and funnily enough, the group seems to stand a little closer together this time, when Truman and Mosi stop and set up ‘Mosi’s Bush Bar’ for sundowners and biltong. By the end of the drive the elusive leopard is the only member of the Big Five we haven’t seen, but all agree that the cheetah sighting more than made up for it.
The ultimate in rustic refinement
It comes as no surprise to learn that Thanda has been voted the ‘most luxurious private lodge’ in all of Southern Africa by Leading Small Hotels of the World, for three of the five years it has been operating – and as I soak a little longer in my private, perfectly heated, plunge pool, watching a trio of young warthogs forage through the grass below – I wonder how many guests have been forcibly removed from this oasis of pleasure. I know I don’t want to leave.
Thanda isn’t a budget property by any stretch of the imagination, but when you consider the quality of the property and that all meals served in its outstanding restaurant, or in the villas; a selection of very good local wines and beers; two game drives (three-hours each) every day, plus various other activities are all included in the rate, the package represents good value.
Published high season rates (October – April) are around $700 per person, per night, dropping down to around $630 per person, per night in low season (May – September). As with any high-end lodges in South Africa, it generally pays to book through a travel agent who can package the accommodation with flights and other product for less than you’ll shell out if booking direct.
Before I know it, it’s time to bid farewell to the staff who have made me feel so welcome at Thanda. And as we drive back towards the property’s main gates through a beautiful grove of ghostly yellow-green Acacias, I realise that while an incredible attention to detail made Thanda a delightful place to stay, it was her people and the experiences they helped to create that have found a treasured place in my heart forever.
TRAVELTALK TIPS
¨ Tipping can be an awkward subject for Australians, so the general guidelines are five Rand per bag for hotel porters and around 10 per cent of the total bill in restaurants. Tips at lodges are paid at the end of your stay and are usually pooled and shared among all staff. Tip your guide and tracker separately in two envelopes.
¨ Private game reserves generally offer a more flexible game drive experience than National Parks as they are not governed by public reserve regulations.
¨ Older, more established reserves tend to have more animals to view.
¨ It can be quite chilly on the early morning and evening game drives. Blankets are supplied but remember to pack warm clothing regardless of the season.
¨ Carry spare batteries in your camera bag on every game drive and be sure to charge your camera overnight. This is one holiday you won’t ever want to be without your camera.
¨ South African Airways flies around a dozen flights per day to Durban from Johannesburg and Thanda will arrange transfers to the lodge by private vehicle. Transfers by twin-engined light aircraft are also available.
¨ When in Durban, share a Bunny Chow – a delicious Indian-curry variation on San Francisco’s sourdough bowl of seafood chowder.
¨ For more visit http://www.thanda.com
Did you KNOW?
The word Zulu means sky, heaven, weather or lightning – so the popular and romantic translation is that the Zulus are ‘the people of heaven’ and Zululand is ‘heaven on earth’. By the mid- 1820s the Zulu kingdom was the most powerful force in all of south-east Africa. Zulu beadwork is not only decorative but an important communication tool in Zulu culture.