In all game reserves probably the highlight for tourists is the lions, and at Entabeni they have their own pride of lions. Due to the size of the reserve there is only one pride but it is very interactive and fairly relaxed so good viewings are common.
The pride itself has 7 lions - 2 pride males, 3 big females and 2 18 month old sub-adults (one male, one female). There is also a suspicion that one of the females has cubs but these have not been seen yet. If this is true then this may prove a headache at some stage for the reserve as they only have space on the reserve for 7 lions.
There is a strange dynamic in the pride as the old male is 17 years old and the younger (but bigger) male, the son, is 8 years old. To those in the know this is interesting because males usually hit sexual maturity at aged 4 (ish) and get and keep their pride to about the age of 8 (ish). The average age for a wild lion is 8 years old. So here we have two males who, due to a lack of competition, are bucking the trend. The old male though is by no means past it; he is still very much in charge and still beats up his son to get the food first.
Of the other lions, two of the females are quite relaxed (for lionesses) whilst the one with cubs is known to be 'temperamental', to say the least. A lot of the rangers are wary of her as she frequently charges vehicles and 'revs' them (that is roars at them and shows her distaste).
Update : late Feb. 3 cubs have now been seen and are thought to be about 10 weeks old. The female is still vary wary of cars so there is a block on approaching her and the cubs for now.
Update 2 : late Feb. The old male went missing for a week and was feared dead. Apparently he had a big fight with his son and came off the worst. Game management were very concerned for him and asked us at the school to help in the search for him (or what might be left of him). We spent 2 days searching for him and did find tracks but others rangers were convinced that we have found tracks only of the older male. Anyway, the following day the old boy was found safe and well and sitting on a kill - he was in the area where we had seen the tracks so we are pretty smug about finding him first ;)
Friday, 25 February 2011
Rain, Rain, Go Away
The first 1 1/2 weeks here was wet wet wet. As Brits we didn't mind too much; for one thing, the rain was warm so we quite enjoyed it :) Since then though the rain has gone and we have had nothing but sunshine - this does unfortunately mean that our pale skin has started to turn a dangerous shade of pink, but hey, that's what us Brits do best in a hot country ... burn.
The Work Begins
Well not too much, but the first week does see some lectures, text books being given out and 2 game drives a day (which is typical).The routine is fairly standard each day... up at 5 o'clock and on the vehicle for 6 o'clock sharp for the first drive of the day. Back to the school for 10 ish and brunch at 10-30. Lecture follows at 12 ish for an hour or so. Then personal study time until 3-30 when we go out for the second drive of the day. Back for 7 ready for dinner at 7-30. Then pretty much off to bed ready for the next day's early start.
There is a bar area where we sometimes pop down after dinner for a quick beer and a game of pool. But we are generally in bed by 9 at the latest.
The FGASA syllabus is fairly wide and detailed, anything from astronomy, mammals, reptils, weather, biomes of SA and many more. We also need to learn how to track animals, become first aiders and obviously learn how to drive a game vehicle and approach dangerous (i.e. animals that might kill us and all in the vehicle) safely. Hmm....they do realise we are city folk don't they?? Oh, yeah, we also have to learn how to walk with dangerous game (lions, rhino, ellies etc) again without getting anyone killed - it's Ok though, they will also teach us how to shoot a gun!!!!
There is a bar area where we sometimes pop down after dinner for a quick beer and a game of pool. But we are generally in bed by 9 at the latest.
The FGASA syllabus is fairly wide and detailed, anything from astronomy, mammals, reptils, weather, biomes of SA and many more. We also need to learn how to track animals, become first aiders and obviously learn how to drive a game vehicle and approach dangerous (i.e. animals that might kill us and all in the vehicle) safely. Hmm....they do realise we are city folk don't they?? Oh, yeah, we also have to learn how to walk with dangerous game (lions, rhino, ellies etc) again without getting anyone killed - it's Ok though, they will also teach us how to shoot a gun!!!!
The Reserve
The reserve itself is called Entabeni and within this (in addition to the school) there are about 5 tourist lodges. Some are quite rustic whilst others (like Legend) are top of the range resorts complete with multiple golf courses, quad biking, beauty spas etc. So from a tourist point of view, something for everyone.
It's a 'big 5' reserve which is a big plus. This means it has the 5 most desired animals to see: White Rhino, Lion, Cape Buffalo, Leopard, Elephant. At the time of writing this (after 3.5 weeks here) we have onloy seen 3 of the big 5 as we haven't yet seen a leopard or buffalo. In addition to the big 5 there are plenty of other animals about including Brown Hyena, Kudu, Eland, Honey Badger, Blesbok, Hippo, and the list goes on. There are also hundreds of bird species both seen and heard.
The reserve is large and split into 2. There is the lower crater that the school is in and an upper escarpment where there are some more camps. There is a very steep road (inside the reserve) going up to the top escarpment. At the bottom we have the lions, cheetah, some rhino, ellies etc and at the top there are no introduced predators (leopards and jackals are around there but they pretty much go where they like). They have also seen wild dogs on the top before which appear from time to time - so despite the reserve being fenced because the area is so hilly/mountainous it appears to be hard to completely enclose the place. This is one of the reasons I believe that there are no lions on top, as they may just start visiting neighbouring farmers who wouldn't welcome the mained guests!
The area itself is dominated by the waterberg mountain range and whithin this are 2 prominant bits, the Entabeni mountain (hence the name of the reserve) and the Hanglip (which looks like the face of a man). I wish I could load some pics to the blog to show both of these but due to the school not wnating us to use all their internet bandwidth we are requested not to upload or download files (emails and this text blog take no space so I'm happy with this :) )
The range is very impressive and gives a stunning backdrop to the reserve. When the late afternoon sun hits the mountain it is truly stunning.
At 2 points of the steep climb to the escarpment there are 2 natural pools at the bottom of waterfalls. These are popular swimming areas and there are tables etc set up there for use as sundowners/afternoon drinks etc. We been there a coupld of times already and it is so relaxing in the water, and great fun to sit under the waterfalls. For those who are stronger swimmers than me there are plenty of rocks to throw yourself off into the pools - I may have to brave this one time, so long as one of the guys is happy to save me when I drown!
It's a 'big 5' reserve which is a big plus. This means it has the 5 most desired animals to see: White Rhino, Lion, Cape Buffalo, Leopard, Elephant. At the time of writing this (after 3.5 weeks here) we have onloy seen 3 of the big 5 as we haven't yet seen a leopard or buffalo. In addition to the big 5 there are plenty of other animals about including Brown Hyena, Kudu, Eland, Honey Badger, Blesbok, Hippo, and the list goes on. There are also hundreds of bird species both seen and heard.
The reserve is large and split into 2. There is the lower crater that the school is in and an upper escarpment where there are some more camps. There is a very steep road (inside the reserve) going up to the top escarpment. At the bottom we have the lions, cheetah, some rhino, ellies etc and at the top there are no introduced predators (leopards and jackals are around there but they pretty much go where they like). They have also seen wild dogs on the top before which appear from time to time - so despite the reserve being fenced because the area is so hilly/mountainous it appears to be hard to completely enclose the place. This is one of the reasons I believe that there are no lions on top, as they may just start visiting neighbouring farmers who wouldn't welcome the mained guests!
The area itself is dominated by the waterberg mountain range and whithin this are 2 prominant bits, the Entabeni mountain (hence the name of the reserve) and the Hanglip (which looks like the face of a man). I wish I could load some pics to the blog to show both of these but due to the school not wnating us to use all their internet bandwidth we are requested not to upload or download files (emails and this text blog take no space so I'm happy with this :) )
The range is very impressive and gives a stunning backdrop to the reserve. When the late afternoon sun hits the mountain it is truly stunning.
At 2 points of the steep climb to the escarpment there are 2 natural pools at the bottom of waterfalls. These are popular swimming areas and there are tables etc set up there for use as sundowners/afternoon drinks etc. We been there a coupld of times already and it is so relaxing in the water, and great fun to sit under the waterfalls. For those who are stronger swimmers than me there are plenty of rocks to throw yourself off into the pools - I may have to brave this one time, so long as one of the guys is happy to save me when I drown!
The School
First impressions are very good. It feels more like a safari camp than a school which of course is to be expected as we are deep in the bush. We were greeted by one of the trainers, and larger than life Afrikaana called JP. He's lived in the UK for some time so he knows our sense of humour and wit quite well so a bit of banter was given (started in part by the fact we are the only maried couple here and I was wearing a rugby shirt).
The rooms are great - Wooded pole structure and tent material, so for the next 6 months we will be living in a tent. There is a bedroom area with 2 single beds (we can improvise when needed ;) ), a study desk each and side table with light. At the back is a curtained off area with a toilet, shower and hand basin. All perfectly nice and pretty much what we expected - also not dissimilar to what we have stayed in before when we have stayed in nice safaru lodges before.
The tents are raised off the ground and there are wooden raised walkways around the camp. I guess this is partly for safety as the camp has no fences around it and the animals (including lions) can and do walk through the camp. JP was very particular during the briefing that we always keep our touches on us and use them when around the camp at night as the lions are never far away.
Apart from the tents there is a lecture room, a dining room and a bar/tv/pool (the ball game variety) room. This will prove to be a popular place to meet up for a few frames of pool before evening meals.
The 3 trainers have their own tents (JP his own, ED and Diana who are a coule share a tent) and Lee who runs the school has a house attached to the school. This is where the office is, a snake room and where we can (very infrequently!) access the interenet for e-mails and my dreaded tax returns.
We met up with 2 other students at the school - one a local Saffer chap (Ian) and the other a Scottish lass (Thyrza) who actually lives in South Africa due to her father's work. The age mix overall in the group is quite good, with enough youngsters to keep the oldies in the group young (at least at heart!).
The rooms are great - Wooded pole structure and tent material, so for the next 6 months we will be living in a tent. There is a bedroom area with 2 single beds (we can improvise when needed ;) ), a study desk each and side table with light. At the back is a curtained off area with a toilet, shower and hand basin. All perfectly nice and pretty much what we expected - also not dissimilar to what we have stayed in before when we have stayed in nice safaru lodges before.
The tents are raised off the ground and there are wooden raised walkways around the camp. I guess this is partly for safety as the camp has no fences around it and the animals (including lions) can and do walk through the camp. JP was very particular during the briefing that we always keep our touches on us and use them when around the camp at night as the lions are never far away.
Apart from the tents there is a lecture room, a dining room and a bar/tv/pool (the ball game variety) room. This will prove to be a popular place to meet up for a few frames of pool before evening meals.
The 3 trainers have their own tents (JP his own, ED and Diana who are a coule share a tent) and Lee who runs the school has a house attached to the school. This is where the office is, a snake room and where we can (very infrequently!) access the interenet for e-mails and my dreaded tax returns.
We met up with 2 other students at the school - one a local Saffer chap (Ian) and the other a Scottish lass (Thyrza) who actually lives in South Africa due to her father's work. The age mix overall in the group is quite good, with enough youngsters to keep the oldies in the group young (at least at heart!).
The Long Road Out
Whilst being long and convoluted it wasn't in reality too bad. We left Tipton in the morning, thanks to Rachel's Mom and Dad driving over and with my Mom taking us to the local train station. Sad goodbyes were said but no tears shed - at least not on our side as we were starting our adventure!
A local train to Birmingham was followed by a train to Reading and a coach transfer to Heathrow airport. Everything ran perfectly and we got to the airport with 4 hours to spare. We checked our bags in anyway and just chilled until the flight was due. We had been concerned the week before that our outbound flight might be delayed and we might miss our Jo'Burg connection at Nairobi (Kenya) but the flight left on time and got us to Nairobi 30 mins early. The flight itself was nothing special - as comfy as 9 hours sitting down can be but we managed a few hours kip so we were not in too bad a shape when we got to Nairobi.
We had a 3 hour transfer wait in Nairobi but this gave us a chance to freshen up a bit, grab and drink and reflect and what we were about to embark on. We met a few other Brits at the airport who were also in transit so we could all share stories and plans, which was nice. One couple were heading to Burundi to work at a school for 4 weeks - they had brought books, pencils etc to help out the locals. The previous year they had gone there to help build the school.
A short flight later and we were in Jo'burg. I actually love this airport; so clean, efficient and so far has never lost my luggage (am I tempting fate here?!). We got through passport control, grabbed our bags and headed to meet our transfer to the school. We had booked the transfer via the internet so there is always a bit of doubt but there were 3 other students sharing ourt lift so we knew between us we would be fine. Anyway, no need to worry as the Mad Dog Adventures guy was there waiting for us.
Also with us was 1 other Brit (Tom), a Spaniad (Javi) and an American (George). There was supposed to be another Brit too but his visa hadn't been finalised yet so he would be following in a few days time. The transfer to the school was about 4 hours and quite univentful, and quite quiet as I think we were all so knackered. We got to the school gates and for me anyway, the addrenalin kicked in. When I say school gates try not to think of normal school gates, but an entrance to a safari park complete with electric fencing and lion warning signs. Yep, this was for real.
We drove to the school for about 5 minutes through part of the reserve. We saw a few animals (impala, wildebeest, blesbok) which was a nice start.
A local train to Birmingham was followed by a train to Reading and a coach transfer to Heathrow airport. Everything ran perfectly and we got to the airport with 4 hours to spare. We checked our bags in anyway and just chilled until the flight was due. We had been concerned the week before that our outbound flight might be delayed and we might miss our Jo'Burg connection at Nairobi (Kenya) but the flight left on time and got us to Nairobi 30 mins early. The flight itself was nothing special - as comfy as 9 hours sitting down can be but we managed a few hours kip so we were not in too bad a shape when we got to Nairobi.
We had a 3 hour transfer wait in Nairobi but this gave us a chance to freshen up a bit, grab and drink and reflect and what we were about to embark on. We met a few other Brits at the airport who were also in transit so we could all share stories and plans, which was nice. One couple were heading to Burundi to work at a school for 4 weeks - they had brought books, pencils etc to help out the locals. The previous year they had gone there to help build the school.
A short flight later and we were in Jo'burg. I actually love this airport; so clean, efficient and so far has never lost my luggage (am I tempting fate here?!). We got through passport control, grabbed our bags and headed to meet our transfer to the school. We had booked the transfer via the internet so there is always a bit of doubt but there were 3 other students sharing ourt lift so we knew between us we would be fine. Anyway, no need to worry as the Mad Dog Adventures guy was there waiting for us.
Also with us was 1 other Brit (Tom), a Spaniad (Javi) and an American (George). There was supposed to be another Brit too but his visa hadn't been finalised yet so he would be following in a few days time. The transfer to the school was about 4 hours and quite univentful, and quite quiet as I think we were all so knackered. We got to the school gates and for me anyway, the addrenalin kicked in. When I say school gates try not to think of normal school gates, but an entrance to a safari park complete with electric fencing and lion warning signs. Yep, this was for real.
We drove to the school for about 5 minutes through part of the reserve. We saw a few animals (impala, wildebeest, blesbok) which was a nice start.
Monday, 3 January 2011
One day to go
Yep, we are almost there. Tomorrow we fly, today we pack. We have gone through a number of test packs, which has proved both useful and scary - I mean, how do you pack for a year away?
Well we are trying to be sensible and pretend we are going away for a week and packing for just that amount of time. It's more difficult than it sounds and only time will tell whether we have been successful or not. We each have one rucksack and one hand luggage - it's a good job I lost weight, as at least my underpants are a size smaller now!!
So what have we done since I last wrote - apart from packing bags, we had a nice week in Cornwall with Joe and Laura, have survived Christmas and celebrated New Year with my Carol, Mel and Jen. Mel put on a lovely spread and I don't think we did it justice - and I went back for seconds and thirds :)
Our week in Cornwall was cut short by a day due to the weather. We had kept an eye on the forecasts and decided to travel back a day early and this proved to be a good call. This journey was still a nightmare and took 7 hours rather than 4, but the snow that caused the bad journey lasted all through Christmas so had we not left that day I don't know when we would have got back. Joe and Laura would have been stuck with us longer and have to make their Christmas duck stretch to 4.
Despite the bad weather though I do like driving in the snow - we had (note the past tense, we no longer have a car!) a nippy little Peuguot that skid quite nicely on the snow and ice. Always made the drive exciting :) I never actually lost full control, but sometimes the back end would flick out and there I was imagining I was a rally driver. I wonder how this will transfer to 4x4 driving in Africa?
Must dash - things to do. Wish us luck on our journey.
Well we are trying to be sensible and pretend we are going away for a week and packing for just that amount of time. It's more difficult than it sounds and only time will tell whether we have been successful or not. We each have one rucksack and one hand luggage - it's a good job I lost weight, as at least my underpants are a size smaller now!!
So what have we done since I last wrote - apart from packing bags, we had a nice week in Cornwall with Joe and Laura, have survived Christmas and celebrated New Year with my Carol, Mel and Jen. Mel put on a lovely spread and I don't think we did it justice - and I went back for seconds and thirds :)
Our week in Cornwall was cut short by a day due to the weather. We had kept an eye on the forecasts and decided to travel back a day early and this proved to be a good call. This journey was still a nightmare and took 7 hours rather than 4, but the snow that caused the bad journey lasted all through Christmas so had we not left that day I don't know when we would have got back. Joe and Laura would have been stuck with us longer and have to make their Christmas duck stretch to 4.
Despite the bad weather though I do like driving in the snow - we had (note the past tense, we no longer have a car!) a nippy little Peuguot that skid quite nicely on the snow and ice. Always made the drive exciting :) I never actually lost full control, but sometimes the back end would flick out and there I was imagining I was a rally driver. I wonder how this will transfer to 4x4 driving in Africa?
Must dash - things to do. Wish us luck on our journey.
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