The day before my visit to the Tuningi Safari Lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve in the North West, I got myself a chiskop (shaven) haircut, aiming to feel more in touch with nature. But I did not expect to encounter an elephant roadblock before even checking in.
“These are not zoo-trained animals, so you can’t invade their space, especially when there are calves around,” says Tuningi staff member Harry Matlapeng, who is driving a lodge vehicle ahead of me.
Clearly these elephants have their own rules, so we wait in our cars for 20 minutes before the jam clears. After this encounter, I’m more alert as we make our way along the gravel road to the lodge.
At the lodge’s main building I find manager Heidi Janson and a colleague waiting at the door and they offer me a warm, white cloth to wipe the dust off my chiskop. As I settle down for a three-course dinner (with the main course of stuffed chicken breast, veggies, mash potatoes and creamy white wine sauce) I try to call Sihle, my five-year-old son, who should have travelled with me, to tell him that I’m loving this place. But… no cellphone connection. This is Big Five country, as the boards warn at the entrance – no cellphones necessary.
As Janson walks me from the main building to my sleeping unit, I realise that Tuningi is big on privacy. Six luxury units of different sizes are situated at a reasonable distance from each other and can accommodate singletons, families and groups. The lodge can host 16 guests at a time.
Inside my unit, the decor is fit for the television cameras. It’s a five-star establishment after all. The gas fireplace is handy given the biting cold. All the room’s accessories seem to come out of a modern African décor book. A white net hangs over the bed. It’s meant to keep out the mosquitoes, but luckily it’s winter and I know I don’t have to worry about that. Even in summer, I don’t think guests are too concerned because Madikwe is in a malaria-free area.
The next morning game ranger Grant Marcus wakes me up. I need to get ready for the morning game drive. We’re leaving at 6.30am. I’m at the main building by 6.20am. I join Marcus for the day’s first cuppa. We chat about his career and the game park’s efforts against rhino poaching. Marcus has been working here with his wife, Monique, for five years. In that time, the reserve has lost one rhino to poachers.
It’s nice to have a hobby and turn it into a job, I suggest. “It’s not just a job, it’s become a lifestyle for me…”
Before he finishes the sentence, something attracts his attention.
“She’s taking her babies up the mountain where it’s safe,” he says as a lioness walks past confidently, two cubs in tow. The mother’s eyes are mean as she stops for a moment to scrutinise us. She then continues in her slow, million-dollar walk. Seeing that I’m concerned about our safety while watching the animals at such close range, Marcus mentions there’s an electric fence under the wooden deck of the building to keep the animals at bay.
Feeling lucky, we begin the two-hour game drive. We head to the south of the 75 000ha reserve. For most of the drive we’re not so lucky. But as we’re about to give up, we spot some warthogs.
“Have you ever seen warthogs mating?” Grant shouts passionately into the two-way radio. “The male pulled a serious face when he saw us.” (Why wouldn’t he, our timing was bad for him.) His colleague on the other end thinks Marcus is joking.
“I’ve seen them once, but it was in a dream,” he answers.
We return to the lodge. The drive was not dramatic, but I’m satisfied – it was not in vain.
It’s now warming up and I’m keen to take an outdoor shower after breakfast in the sun. It’s not every day that you get to shower under a tree – in my case it’s the Ficus thonningii tree – with leaves as your natural shower mat. Tuningi Lodge derives its name from that particular tree.
After a delicious lunch I ask how they keep energetic children busy. “Sometimes you can’t let school stand in the way of a child’s education,” Janson laughs.
She’s the one who entertains the children at the lodge. “We make sure they leave this place with some new knowledge about animals.
“We do things like treasure hunts and T-shirt printing with the kids. It’s all educational. As a lodge you can’t say you’re child-friendly only because you accommodate children. There must be activities for them.”
More guests arrive. We go on an afternoon drive with a family of four from Delmas. And this time luck is on our side. We drive past the zebras and elephants. A group of giraffes walks slowly into the sunset. Cameras come out.
After driving further for a few minutes we meet an American group, also on a drive. It’s their first day at Tuningi, but they’ve been in South Africa for four days now.
“I celebrated my 40th a few days ago,” says a member of the US team. “That’s lekker,” I tell him. His reply is unexpected: “You mean that’s cool?” I’m slightly baffled. Can he speak Afrikaans, I wonder. “I speak German,” he says proudly.
There’s a birthday for the other group too. “My wife is turning 40 today,” says Theresa Williams’s husband.
The game drive the next morning is, in one word, spectacular. We find lions feasting on a zebra. A female lion and two males growl incessantly as they rip the zebra carcass apart. We’re watching from a distance of 2m. We can hear the sound of zebra bones being crushed.
Two younger males – from a different pride, according to Marcus – are on the sidelines of the feast. One of them tries to get a piece of the action and gets a left hook on the face. He surrenders, but patiently stays in the vicinity. The gate-crasher’s patience pays off, he finally tears a leg off the carcass and walks away.
After half an hour the feast is nearly over. The lions start chewing on the yellow fat on the zebra’s skin. In minutes the party’s over.
Back at the lodge, we can’t stop talking about the experience. Janson asks me for my views of the place. Tuningi is luxurious and the bush experience is phenomenal. But, I mention to her, the most important thing to me was the service.
Next time I come here I’m bringing my family. The staff really made me feel at home. Thanks to Rea Keepilwe, Bontle Rakobane and Peggy Sebaeng for making my stay at Tuningi memorable.
l www.madikwecollection.com, Tel 011 805 9995; email [email protected] - Saturday Star