We moved base again today, this time to Chane Cheese Farm, from where we’ll be exploring the southern reaches of Lake St. Lucia and the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park. The farm is surrounded by bluegum plantations, huge swathes of which have already been removed and rehabilitated after the proclamation of iSimangaliso as a World Heritage Site in order to restore a natural ecological balance to this diverse area.
Morning rush hour at Kumasinga; nyalas and impalas jostling for position at the waterhole.
Already a week into our summer holiday in the bush, and we’re still enjoying it to the full!
This morning we departed from Ithala and headed here to uMkhuze Game Reserve, part of the greater iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site. And what a welcome; encountering two of the reserve’s lionesses on a guided night drive!
The giraffe is Ithala’s emblem, and this morning we were treated to several up-close sightings of these elegant animals.
It was wet, windy and rather cool here at Ithala today, and yet, we have no reason to complain! We had some very memorable sightings again, including an encounter with Ithala’s elusive elephants this afternoon.
We arrived at Ithala Game Reserve today, and we are thrilled to be back!
Yesterday evening we were treated to a spectacular sunset at Chelmsford Nature Reserve
Today marks the start of our long-awaited, epic summer holidays in the bush, and we’re kicking it off with a visit to the lovely Chelmsford Nature Reserve. We’d have loved to post a photo from here for you this evening, but unfortunately the network connection’s just not good enough 😦
Seems we are able to post to our facebook page though 🙂
Edit 15 December 2014: At last I could add the photo I wanted to 2 days ago 😀
Joep’s second installment on “Kruger History” is dedicated to the fascinating history of Punda Maria, the northernmost main rest camp in the Park.
The Shingwedzi Reserve was proclaimed in 1903 and comprised the area between the Luvuvhu and Letaba Rivers. Being a very remote part of South Africa, poaching and other illegal activities, such as prospecting, illegal logging and so called “black-birding” (the illegal recruitment of black workers from Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia) and Mocambique (then Portuguese East Africa) for the gold and coal mines) was a serious concern to Major James C Stevenson-Hamilton, Warden of the Sabie and Shingwedzi Reserves. From 1904 until 1919, the only ranger in charge of the entire Shingwedzi Reserve was Major AA Frazer, based at Malunzane next to the Shongololo River (a tributary of the Tsende), west of the existing Mopani Camp. Stevenson-Hamilton expresses the need for a game ranger in the far north of the Shingwedzi Reserve.
Captain Johannes Jacobus (“Kat”) Coetser was appointed as game ranger on 01 May 1919 for the far northern…
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