ROAD TO MABULA GAME LODGE

Waterberg Biosphere, North Limpopo Province

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SAVANNAH GAME DRIVE in the BUSH

SOUTH AFRICAN SAFARI

This was THAT day at last!

A late morning arrival in Johannesburg with only a 2 hour drive to the north, and it was go time, game on (pun intended) to I can’t believe it’s really happening bucket list busting for this girl & her favorite partner in crime & adventure, Dave! Excited doesn’t even begin to describe how we were feeling.

The route to Mabula Game Lodge takes N1, THE major highway in South Africa that runs from the southernmost tip all the way north to the border of Zimbabwe. It passes through the beautiful lush green hills of suburban Pretoria, home to South African president & parliament as well as our lovely guide Desiree (artist extraordinaire) who explained this region’s rich history of gold & diamond mining. Johannesburg is known as “Gauteng: The City of Gold” where the gold extraction continues to this day & their diamonds are world renown.

Fun fact: Britain’s famous crown jewels include the largest diamond ever found (3,100+ karats) “Star of Africa” discovered near Pretoria in 1905. England obtained the massive rock via their imperialist control … & South Africa would like it back!

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As the terrain flattened to gorgeous amber grass plains, our bus was unexpectedly waved over by a uniformed officer who was next to an official Limpopo Traffic Police vehicle. Our group’s audible unison gasp & clinking of unbuckled seat belts was met with Desiree‘s standing up to deliver her classic eye roll while muttering a unique & adorable guttural “Auckh” in disgust (so perfect an expression of exasperation, Dave & I have lovingly incorporated it into our vocabulary). She explained police shake downs for cash are common looking to intimidate coaches headed north to Zimbabwe, but once these two shysters saw our bus of foreign tourists up close we were allowed to leave. Desiree’s calm, confident annoyed response was key to keeping the group reassured during a somewhat unsettling moment… I should say moments. It happened twice.

A little over an hour in, nestled along the highway, we passed walled off groups of modest homes & learned they were Tribal Trust land communities, Townships, where permission from the chief is needed to live. We caught a scurry of school children headed home on the return drive.

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The route also took us through the small country town of Bela Bela known for its hot springs AND an exciting milestone for us…. it marked we were nearing our destination!

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From here high open wired fencing along the roadside distinctly identified all this gorgeous free range land as a wildlife reserve. Some animal reserves are public (Kruger Nat’l Park in the north), some designated as “farms” to harvest animals for the SA venison market & others are private holdings, mostly for ecotourism use. This section of black top road is where I was able to catch a glimpse of 3 giraffes off in the distance (spotted a spiral horned kudu as well, but wasn’t quick enough to get a photo). Sighting a herd of giraffe in the wild… along side the highway… not even yet on a game drive?? Oh, be still my heart!!

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Within a few short miles, we arrived at a gated & heavily guarded roadblock checkpoint, part of wildlife officials efforts to stop illegal poaching of rhinos where 2 per day are tragically lost. The issue is severe enough we were asked not to post any photos rhinos we saw on safari…and we did see a number of magnificent healthy white rhinos chomping grass in the light of day as well as at night. It was breathtaking! (I have personal photos… if you’d like a look, let me know!) For now, the Lodge’s gorgeous metal sculpture will have to do…you get the idea!

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The next gated stop … the entrance to Mabula Game Reserve!! 30,000 pristine acres of private bushveld plains in Waterburg, the first region in the north of South Africa identified as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Several miles of red dirt roads meandering through African Savannah led us to the picturesque lodge where we were welcomed with a reception of warm towels to cleanse the dirt from the road & fresh fruit juice. Oh, I think I’m going to like it here!

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With just enough time to drop our luggage in our thatched roof bungalow before a short somewhat hoity toity lovely afternoon Terrace tea, that short walk from here to there on the property grounds encountered free roaming antelope, monkeys & a cute little tailless rodent called caspybara. Wow! What a place! But, the main event, that safari we’d been dreaming of, was rolling within an hour of our arrival.

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We climbed in the open air Land Cruiser to experience the spectacular green rolling hills & amber grassland valleys of Waterberg. The vibrant colors of the landscape & variety of terrain was such a surprise… not at all barren & dusty like I’d imagined.

And … to experience our first exciting expert guided game viewing. Animal sightings were frequent & exhilarating under the skilled leadership of our Game Drive Ranger, Frans.

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And the picturesque views of the African Wilderness… spectacularly stunning, captivating & etched in my memory forever, never to be forgotten!

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(Next Blog Post… This is South Africa – Savannah Game Drive … lots of animals!)

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