Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Here kitty kitty!

I bet those of you who have never visited Africa are sitting there in front of your computer with a nice cup of coffee and a Tim Tam, reading this, and wondering what a day in an African safari lodge would be like. No? Well, I’ll tell you anyway.

Your day starts at about 6am with a knock on the door and cheery “Good Morning!” from your guide whose job it is to wake you up and suffer the abuse of those guests with hideous hangovers. You then make your way up to the main lodge where a welcome cup of coffee and a biscuit or rusk is waiting for you. I should warn you about these rusks. They are delicious but on no account should you attempt to eat them without first dipping them in your coffee to soften them up, they’re as hard as house bricks.

Coffee consumed, guests are then ushered onto their game viewing vehicles, usually an open landrover or landcruiser. It can be very cold on winter mornings so rug up. The lodge always provides blankets and sometimes even hand muffs.

To those who have never before done a game drive it often comes as quite a shock to see a tracker precariously perched on a seat bolted to the vehicle’s bull bar. It’s his job to look for animal tracks and the driver will follow his directions. It’s also his job to look cool and unfazed as lions wander around the truck, pausing now and again to sniff at his feet. The fact is that the animals become familiar with the vehicles, their smell and shape and they don’t view them as a threat, and certainly not as food. You’ll be given a short safety talk at the start of the drive. “Don’t stand up.” “Don’t make loud noises.” “Don’t leap out of the vehicle yelling here kitty kitty when you see a leopard.” That kind of thing.

Halfway through the morning game drive you’ll stop for coffee and more rusks and then it’s back to the lodge for a huge, well earned brunch. You’ll then have the rest of the day to relax, swim, read or whatever before afternoon tea is served at about 3pm. Then it’s off on the afternoon game drive – more great animal adventures with a sundowner drinks break at sunset. Dinner is served at the lodge at about 8pm – and what a dinner! The food at these lodges is first class. There’s plenty of time to sit around discussing the day’s excitement before waddling off to bed with a distended stomach looking forward to doing it all again the following day.

7 Day Phinda & Elephants Adventure from $2295 per person.
Set within easy reach of the Indian Ocean coastline and the famous iSimangaliso / Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in northern KwaZulu-Natal, Phinda Private Game Reserve is known for its abundant wildlife, diversity of habitats and wide range of activities. The reserve is a leader in the conservation and rehabilitation field for the reintroduction of both flora and fauna.

Phone 0449 689 447 0r email peter.emery@ucango.com.au

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