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South Africa 2002

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Travel

South Africa 2002

1 Rocktail Bay KZN

2 Londolozi Safari

3 Cape Town

4 Winelands/Karoo

5 Garden Route

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last updated: 9-Aug-2005

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Part 2 - Londolozi

Getting there

There is an airstrip just outside the Maputaland Coastal Reserve park gate. Our travel agent had arranged a charter flight to Londolozi's airstrip. While landing we saw the first zebras and impalas. And on the short drive to the lodge we met a warthog family...

Londolozi Tree Camp

Londolozi consists of several camps in a private game reserve adjacent to Krueger NP, which are operated independently from each other; they just share the concession. We stayed in Tree Camp (because I wanted to enjoy a private plunge pool). The lodge is simply luxurious: great cuisine (really!), nice hosts, competent and experienced guides and trackers, fully-equipped landrovers, splendid sundownders, an outdoor shower and (cold) plunge pool - and just spectatcular wildlife. But there is one downside except the price: too luxurious suites. It feels strange to be in the bush, but in a closed air-conditioned house surrounded by velvety cushions. Too relais-et-chateauxy! Now in 2005, I can easily say that I prefer Plains Camp on the other side of the Krueger boundary - even though we didn't see a leopard there.

Londolozi Boma

Leopards

Londolozi is famous for leopards. We stayed 3 nights, and saw one mother with two cubs, and one single juvenile. More than anywhere else. The cats take guests easy, and the keen eyes of one guide are enough to then call all vehicles together.

The mother was seen in twilight spreading on a termite mound, in good view a few meters from the road. The two cubs could be glimpsed occasionally in a bush behind her, fighting about something. The juvenile was spotted during the day. Our driver steered our landrover through the dense underwood (imagine arm-thick trees) to follow it for more than half an hour. The cat didn't really care about us, but scratched, dozed, walked away, drank from a puddle (like our cats at home) and paraded around our car.

So: If you really want to see leopards, go to Londolozi.


Juvenile Leopard	Leopard mother

Other game

Londolozi was our first safari destination ever. And it also offered much more than "just" leopards. See yourself... We did 2 game drives per day, and once a game walk in the afternoon. The walk was not for big game viewing (though we saw zebras), but was more about small animals and trees and medicines made of them. Really worth going!

Go to Part 3