Destinations

From guest blogger Wayne Suttie of Tintswalo Safari Lodge.

This month just when we thought the bush couldn’t possibly become thicker, more lush, and beautiful, we found ourselves pleasantly surprised! The grass and trees have become almost impenetrable and the bush is vibrant and green. Our small dams are turning into lakes and our normally dry drainage lines have flowed with gushing water on a few occasions throughout the month. The game viewing has been splendid as usual, despite the thick bush. If anything, it’s helped viewing, because much of the game is choosing to use the roads instead of wading their way through the thick bush.

Our southern pride of 14 lions has been frequenting the area around Tortoise dam and we have had good viewing of the cubs. It’s an amazing sight to see such a large pride in action. The three lionesses that stay in the area around the lodge have been hiding from us, and it seems that they have been covertly operating in the wilderness south of the lodge.

The north of the reserve has also been very productive this month. Cheetah, lions and leopard have been seen frequently in the area around Wilderness, Skybeds, and Khoka Moya. We had an especially memorable sighting of a relaxed male leopard, which we were able to sit with for some time on an evening drive as he posed for some brilliant photos.

Several elephant herds have been moving through the area, and as a result, we’ve also had several sightings of bulls. The bulls have been delighting us with visits to the small pan in front of our deck, whilst we sit having breakfast with the guests. These huge animals have also been enjoying the new, thick vegetation and wet weather.

Our old resident hippo has moved into Ingwe Manzi, a dam not too far from the lodge. One evening, we sat with him after dark as he grazed around the water’s edge. At the same time, a rhino bull was coming to the water for a drink. It was quite a unique occurrence to be able to observe both giants at the same time.

The days are slowly getting shorter as we move closer to the end of summer, and with the changing seasons, we are excited to see what new adventures come our way!

I recently participated in the Dolphin Encounter program at Anthony’s Key Resort in Roatan, Honduras. What an experience! I highly recommend to anyone who has the opportunity.

After a short briefing upon arriving at the lagoon, we waded into the water and met our dolphin, Cedena, and her trainer. As she floated in front of us letting us rub her back and stomach we were told about dolphin behavior and physiology. Cedena was sent out to demonstrate various behaviors and would return for her reward of fish (and more rubs from the guests). After posing for some photos we returned to the beach to don our masks and fins and joined the dolphins for a swim. They often stayed just out of range, seeming to tease us for our inability to match their speed and grace. The seemed to enjoy playing, when we pulled up clumps of sea grass they would speed by to take it from our hands and toss it around before getting bored and moving on to something else. There was something very special about being in the dolphin’s element with them and letting them choose how or if they would interact with us. While these were not dolphins in the wild they are still wild creatures at heart and being able to share a bit of their world is something few of us experience. And, something I’ll not soon forget.