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Newsletter - Summer 2008

When the rains came this year, they were a bit late, but very enthusiastic!

We have had fairly long spells without much rain this season, but when a storm does come in, it made sure it’s presence is felt with a spectacular display of thunder and lightening and then by dumping a river-load of rain on us before moving off.
After the storm, every dip becomes a pond, every gully turns into a stream, the thick, muddy water hurtling into the river.

After the heat of the last few months, the rain has been very welcome and the bush has reacted immediately, with everything seeming to grow to twice the size and twice as dense overnight.

The insects reacted too, with clouds of butterflies and swarms of grasshoppers appearing almost immediately.

The most noticeable insect reaction has been in the Armoured Ground Cricket population. These critters are specially designed to look intimidating, even if they only stand a few centimetres off the ground. They even act vicious – if you approach one in the open, they back up into an aggressive position and chirp threateningly at you. (Yes, a chirp can sound threatening!)
They start off as a small, light green cricket with attractive brown patterning, but they quickly grow into dark purple little monsters that look like they have escaped from a sci-fi film set. Heavy looking, spiky body armour and a mean glint in their (multiple) eye puts most potential predators off, although some kingfishers and hornbills will eat them given the chance.
We get them every year at this time but this year they are common – very common. They cover the plains and most of the trees at the moment. Every section road has dozens of them going about their business.
They have fairly unappealing table manners – given half a chance they eat each other - but this does not seem to be affecting the population adversely in any way.


After months of fighting , it seems like the lions have finally sorted out who is really in charge of Krokodildrift, our private ground.

The winners seem to be the Bulaya males, a coalition of two impressive 6 year old males, sons of the previous dominant pair, the Batias. They have wasted no time establishing themselves and the local females (the Moselasela female and her daughters, the Kwena females) all have cubs by the Bulays. As always, the females are excellent and very protective mothers and the cubs are doing well. Now that the cubs are a bit older, they are much more confident around the game-viewing vehicles and their mothers are a little more relaxed, allowing for some excellent lion viewing!


Head Guide’s Report

The bush is teeming with new members of our wildlife community. The majority of our antelopes young were born recently in November. Being a few months old, they are full of fun, discovering what there little bodies are capable of. The wildebeest calves, although not the prettiest of antelope when they’re fully developed, are as cute as ever. With their gangly long legs and tiny horns, and oversized ears, they are spending most of the day cavorting around with their piers, always under the watchful eyes of a nervous mom.

I can never get used to how small the impala are when they are first born, and how fast they can be. There are hundreds of the little guys everywhere.

The clan of spotted hyena that previously had a den on our private ground were unfortunately forced to move their den, due to the every-day threat from the lions in the area. But their new den site is not far from us and we have had excellent viewing of the cubs as they have grown. The hyena are now spending less time at their new den as they have reached an age were they too need to head off into the wild. Hyena cubs will stay with their mother at the den site for between 9 to 12 months, relying strictly on their mother’s milk for that period.

The Buffalo sightings on Makanyane’s land, have been better than ever before. A herd is now permanently based in the area around the sleep-out hide, although we see them from time to time in other areas of our ground. The area around the lodge is not a common area that we would find the buffalo as the resident lion population usually convinces them to stay in the thicker vegetation further east. There are two herds that we know of, one group of about eight impressive bulls, and the other is a breeding herd of about thirty, with a couple of youngsters of their own.

Regards,
Dylan
Head Guide, Makanyane Safari Lodge

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We have a new beauty treatment to our list of indulgent offerings, the Bamboo Massage. In this treatment, specially selected and smoothed sections of bamboo stem are used to promote circulation, sensory nerve perception and lymph drainage. Accompanied by gentle stretching movements alternated with light touches bring about a heightened sense of relaxation and well being. It is not to be missed!

In the meantime, back in the kitchen, here is an example of what Executive chef Mauritz is serving up at the moment:

Roast Pepper Gazpacho

In this fresh twist on the traditional tomato gazpacho, sautéed and lightly seasoned red peppers are used to create a unique soup with an intense flavour.

Tomato Tarte Tatin with Crème Fraiche Sauce

Caramelised tomatoes are baked to perfection in a light puff pastry.

Grilled Red Snapper on a potato gallette with a crispy fennel and herb shoot salad.

Fresh, succulent snapper is grilled in the skin, seasoned lightly with salt, pepper, fennel seeds and dried chilli, dressed with extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and sundried tomato before being drizzled with a rich balsamic reduction.


Minestrone of Fresh Seasonal Fruit with a Mascarpone Sorbet.

Plump, ripe peaches, plums, black figs, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries in a delicious fresh berry jus are complimented by a light mascarpone sorbet.

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Typical of this time of year, young bull elephants are frequenting the lodge grounds, moving between the suites to feed or down to the river to drink. Many guests have been provided with excellent up close and personal elephant viewing as the pachyderms have wandered around the lodge, sometimes a few meters from the glass walls of the suites.

Come and enjoy all this with us!

Garth