CAMP JABULANI

SIMPLY THE MOST EXCITING, LUXURIOUS AND MEMORABLE SAFARI EXPERIENCE

Some of the Springbok Reservations girls were lucky enough to spend some time at the outstanding Camp Jabulani recently.  It turned out to be the most magical 24 hours they had ever spent in South Africa – here’s an extract from Karrie’s report:

*     Rooms are absolutely beautiful – fireplaces, open baths… total luxury, which makes it hard to believe you are actually under canvas!

*     Riaan our guide was wonderful – he did everything in his power to make our stay memorable and enjoyable. His knowledge on both flora and fauna is astounding.

*     Food was amazing – everything cooked to perfection, even the table layout was a work of art.

*     Behind the scenes visit to cheetah sanctuary was brilliant.

*     Could not fault anything.
 

We were greeted at Jabulani by cool flannels and cold bubbly.  We sat down for a fabulous lunch before Riaan took us to see the latest addition to the Jabulani family – an 11-day-old elephant called Limpopo.  Whilst out feeding, Tokwe (her mum) had run off for a late night tryst and Limpopo was the unexpected but welcome result. We were told we might not get a good look as she was so young and her mother was still protective, but we were not disappointed as the groom brought mum and daughter over to the fence where the Tokwe proudly showed off her offspring. Limpopo was still so young she didn’t have control of her trunk but was quickly learning where the treats came from. After taking plenty of photos we headed back to the lodge to prepare for the elephant back safari.

We didn’t have to wait long before we went to meet the rest of the elephants.  We had an introduction which gave us the chance to feed them some treats then we clambered up the ramp to hop on the elephant. My elephant was called Semopani and the groom (Tiger) told me that he is an excellent tracker and if I was to walk through the bush Semopani could still find me 12 hours later.

We all trudged through the bush  surprisingly silent for such huge beasts – and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment, the hour passed all too quickly and we soon arrived in a clearing to find table and chairs with drinks and snacks waiting for us. Riaan treated us to a bushman’s astrology lesson before taking us on our final night drive and back to the lodge.

Awaiting us was a beautifully decorated table and a sumptuous meal prepared by Rudolph.  It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

The next morning we headed down to the cheetah sanctuary – a centre looking after endangered species. This sanctuary is open to the public but today we were to have a special treat and were allowed into the enclosure with two adult cheetahs who have been hand reared.  There was a normal coloured cheetah called Tiaan and a King cheetah called Bernard – once we were in there they behaved like domestic cats, purring and rubbing against us and they enjoyed being scratched behind the ears. It was so enjoyable, and I would have to chalk it up as one of the best experiences of my life – many people have never seen a king cheetah (even in captivity) and I have cuddled one!

Riaan then continued the tour taking us to see the caracals they have in an enclosure – these animals look like domestic cats but are strong enough to kill an impala and here I was stroking it under the chin!

Onwards to see the ground hornbills and then we stopped at the Vulture restaurant – a big pile of bones where fresh meat gets put out daily and vultures come from miles around to swoop down and feast. We saw 4 of the 5 species of vultures in one go.

We then moved into the Wild Dog enclosure. These predators are highly successful hunters in the wild but their depleted numbers mean breeding programs like this are essential in the ongoing survival of this breed.  We left the centre with a quick stop at the curio shop and went to the lodge , but Riaan had one more surprise left for us.

He took us down to a waterhole where we waited… then over the hill came the Jabulani elephants coming down for their daily bath, they splashed and swam and had mud baths to cool off in the African sun. Riaan told us that the groom will just sit under the tree, relax and wait for the elephants to get out because it would be impossible to get these guys out of the bath when they were having so much fun!

I would thoroughly recommend a visit to Camp Jabulani – it would be the highlight of any holiday in South Africa.

Karrie.

 LET KARRIE AND THE SPRINGBOK TEAM HELP YOU HAVE A MAGICAL FEW DAYS AT CAMP JABULANI . RATES START FROM £279 PER PERSON SHARING BETWEEN 01 MAY 2008 - 31 MARCH 2009.
 CALL 01784 465511 AND START PLANNING NOW!

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