ROYAL NEWS  

SEPTEMBER 2011

The Howest group arrived back to their African home on a very warm spring afternoon to the heart-warming Tswana melodies of the Royal team. Oteng greeted them with decadent welcome drinks and refreshing hand towels at the main lodge where everyone was afforded the opportunity to catch up and settle into their peaceful surroundings. They were so excited to be back and especially happy that there were no fires to interrupt their wonderful visit to Royal Madikwe. On their very first day back at their African home and on settling down to a decadent lunch, a Black Rhino came for a drink at the water hole! As they were enjoying lunch on the lower deck, they had a magnificent view and a close encounter with one of Africa’s most notorious creatures! What a great start to their visit! Their Safaris with Andrew were magical! They experienced amazing sightings of Buffalo bulls and herds, a Pride of Lions as well as a Lioness, a Male Leopard on two occasions, Caracal, Elephant bulls and herds, white Rhino and on their last morning, they were greeted by a herd of Elephants who very playfully rolled and splashed around in the water hole while they had breakfast. Jordan and Sarah were invited to spend an afternoon of doughnut making with Patience. She explained everything to him, as Sarah was taking some time out for a nap, and he took it from there – cutting out all the shapes. Jordan exclaimed that everyone was having an afternoon nap so he would make doughnuts for everyone! A very sweet thought and of course he had lots of fun doing it. Chocolate and sprinkles covered both the doughnuts and Jordan by the time he was done decorating them! This became fun for the whole family as everyone enjoyed the doughnuts  

with their snacks at Hi-Tea. Jordan and Sarah were very excited to receive the Special Royal Madikwe Kids Backpacks again as they had left theirs behind and needed a new animal checklist, etc.. so that they could keep track of all the amazing African creatures they encountered during their stay. Beautiful sunny days sought to meals being enjoyed outdoors under umbrellas during the daytime and under the starlit night sky in the evenings. The fresh air and tranquil environment ensured that everyone was very relaxed and always ready for the next adventure with Andrew. On their last evening, everyone arrived back to a lantern lit pathway extending to a very inviting fire in the boma! After settling by the fire’s side with something to wet their lips, the Royal team emerged from the lodge with powerful Tswana

melodies in which they conveyed their farewells to their extended family. The Howest party cherished their time back at their home and it won’t be long until we welcome them home again! Their words: “As always our stay was an exceptional experience! Thank you Drienie, Andrew and the Royal team – you always make us feel so at home and go out of your way to make us feel special! See you again soon! P.S. Andrew… Awesome viewing, thank you for making the effort and always going out of your way! All our love, Sven, Nats, Jordan, Linda, Bokkie, Anna, Matthias and Sarah” We are all looking forward to welcoming this wonderful group back to their African home!

It was great weekend with all the @RoyalMadikwe staff lending a valuable hand by re-painting and fixing up the school.

 The ladies were in charge of the painting and the guys were fixing roofs,swings,toilets and just about anything that was broken or not working well. The entire team felt very rewarded, as a few of our staff are also residents at Supingstad.

There is still some more work to be done but the @Royalmadikwe team did a fantastic combined effort and enjoyed lending a helping  hand to the community.

We look forward to getting some more work done at Puisano, as it was a enjoyable experience for all.

As the setting sun left the Afican sky with an orange glow, the water hole at Royal Madikwe came to life!

In the distance we noticed a strange uprising of dust and as it began to settle, mighty emboses began to emerge – glistening in the dissipating sunlight.  A herd of buffalo were slowly approaching our water hole, strengthening in numbers as they arrived at the waters edge.  The splashes grew louder as the herd entered the water with the echoes of emboses crashing together as each one nudged and struggled for a turn to quench their thirst.  Eventually the sheer numbers rendered our waterhole invisible with trails of dust still hanging low as the last few stragglers made their way to the chaos surrounding the water hole. We estimated the herd to be about 200 strong – what a sight!

As the cloak of darkness stretched over the insolbergs, the herd began to disperse just enough for our guests to make their way back to our lower deck at the lodge after an incredible safari.  Having encountered a pack of wild dogs that afternoon, our guests (first-time-safari-goers) were truely in awe of the African bush; exclaiming that they had been converted from the city slickers they thought themselves to be!

**Cherie

The elusiveness of the leopard has made it one the most sought after animals to find while out on safari and is usually the last member of the Big 5 that makes the list, or sometimes doesn’t appear at all. We have been extremely privelaged in the last month to have had numerous sightings of these secretive cats with all of our guests getting at least one sighting and others up to three sightings during their stay. From females with cubs to males on Impala kills, these animals have provided excitment for all.

With surface water in the park starting to dry up it has also provided amazing sightings at all of the remaining waterholes in the park and very often hundreds of animals can be seen there especially on the warmer days when thirsts really need to be quenched. The elephant’s have obviously dominted these areas due to their sheer size and therefore massive thirst!

A dead elephant in the north west of the reserve has offered some amazing sightings of predators and especially of lions. Something quite primeval whatching 8 lion cubs clambering around between the rib cage and intestines of this once magestic animal.

 It is always great to combine Luxury Safari living with out of this world game viewing and Royal Madikwe is just the place for this.

Our guests very first game drive brought with it the thrill of encountering not one, but ALL of the Big five in a single game drive – a magical start to their safari experience at Royal Madikwe!  Starting off with an awe inspiring sighting of a young male leopard and followed by encounters with mighty herds of elephant, a large pride of lions with eight cubs, a crash of white rhino and a  fearsome  herd of buffalo! Without a doubt, this was a true display of what the African bush has to showcase.  The following day brought with it another splendour with sightings of black rhino at our water hole and a pack of the very rare wild dogs who surprised us with a gruelling hunt as they chased an Impala across the stretch of bush veld in front of our lodge!  Needless to mention, we had some very enthusiastic guests!

Let’s hope our current guests will be blessed with the same good fortune…

Winter has not only brought with it a chill in the air, but the most amazing wildlife encounters!

Earth tremering roars of lions at night, dazzels of zebra around our water hole, massive herds of elephants regulary emptying our swimming pool with their ever increasing thirsts, herds of Ganoe and the enchanting echoes of the most beautiful array of bird life are only a few of the magical sightings we are experiencing on a daily basis around the lodge! This winter at Royal Madikwe is proving to be the best time to book your luxury safari holiday!

Dissapointment is not even a word in our vocabulary! Just imagine the opportunities of Big 5 sightings…

The magnificent Lunar eclipse left us all in awe last night! Moment after moment the moon began to dim as the planets aligned, until  finally the backdrop of the African night sky showed off the magnificent sight… a total lunar eclipse!!! Surrounded by flickering stars, the fresh evening air and the quiet whispers of a luxury african safari coming to an end - it was a bitter sweet farewell for our guests and a truely unique and memorable experience!

It has been an interesting few days with massive elephant herds at the Royal Madikwe waterhole and pool ! An estimated 50 – 60 Elephants came to the lodge to quench their dry winter thirst.  The elephants ( or Tlou in the local Tswana language) hung around the lodge for the majority of the day before slowly making there way off.  Being surrounded by such a large herd of elephants – ranging from infants to full grown females and the colossal males just a short distance behind them – makes for a truly unique breakfast dining experience.  When one is just a short distance away from these majestic animals, as was the case with our guests just two short days ago, the scene intrigues ones very perception of these gentle giants while witnessing the amazing social interaction of one of Southern Africa’s Big 5.  Giggles, sighs and awes are among the variety of expressions uttered while observing such a special and interactive sight as one could just imagine while watching the very young ellies -who are still learning how to slurp water through their narrow trunks- stumbling about on the waters’ edge while the “nannies” of the herd watch over them and offer the occasional nudge in the right direction.

One can hear the constant rumbling of communication between the herd.  Then suddenly there is an instruction to move out and allow the next herd to approach.  This is, however, never the final call as the youngsters need a bit of persuasion to move on and stop their playful battles.

Such a close encounter refreshes ones’ mind with newfound insight into a world which is unknown to us and we find ourselves left with a sense of peace with our surroundings.

Another magical Big 5 experience at Royal Madikwe Luxury Safari residence in Madikwe Game Reserve!  Its always lovely to have such a large herd around the lodge and it seems to be a regular event at Royal Madikwe.

All the best,

Adam & Cherie

A Big 5 Safari with a welcome so splendid, it’s hard to beat in Africa when you have only set foot in Big 5 county two hours earlier.

A mere ten minutes into our guests afternoon game drive, I spotted an Impala running for it’s life past our water hole.  I saw him disappear into the drift in front of the lodge, Oteng (our waiter and barman at Royal Madikwe) watched the bush intently and not even a minute after I left announced that the painted wolf of Africa is the one that caused the Impala to run for his life!  The pack of Wild Dogs came sprinting past with one mission only……

I grabbed the radio and called on all the channels to get a hold of our head ranger, Andrew Viljoen, conducting the Safari and let him know about the action in progress. After about 15 minutes I got a call back and he informed me that they have successfully tracked them down and are witnessing the frenzy going on right in front of their eyes!  This cursorial hunter caught up with the Impala and made the kill nearly 2km from the lodge, making this a very long sprint indeed.

“We decided to go on a Big 5 Safari in South Africa not expecting anything more that what mother Nature decides to offer us, a surprise from her is always the best” - and the reward from her – An African Wild Dog experience on their first game drive in Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa.

We trust the rest of their stay will be just as magical.

Drienie