WILD IVORY NEWS
In May this year Wild Ivory Eco Lodge welcomed two new staff members to their team, myself (Jennifer) and Jaco. We will be managing the lodge and taking game drives whilst trying to give guests the best overall rustic luxury bush experience possible.
Since our arrival at the lodge we have been most fortunate with our game viewing, both on drives and at the lodge. Frequent wildlife visitors to the lodge include baboons, a pair of klipspringers, impala, wildebeest, zebras, warthogs, giraffes, elephants, common chats, bulbuls and our very friendly black headed oriole. Several elephant bulls have wondered through the lodge area feeding on trees and grasses around the tents and Main Lodge and then drinking from the waterhole or pool – whichever is closest when they get thirsty. We have also had the elephant herds
(once being over 20 animals) visiting the waterhole to drink. On one morning I was even more fortunate to see the entire Western Lion Pride when I was walking to the Main Lodge from the staff area. More recently, we have noticed a large spotted genet that visits the Main Lodge at night and is even getting bold enough to let us see him while we enjoy after dinner drinks around the fire.
Game drives have been just as fruitful with numerous good sightings of the lions, elephants, rhinos and general game species that are abundant on Welgevonden Game Reserve. In the last weekend we had a leopard sighting of about 20 minutes, watched lions practising their hunting and killing skills on a dead baby bushpig and watched a cheetah resting after feeding on his impala kill. Along with the big five though we also often have the opportunity to enjoy some smaller or less noticed animals such as the impala offspring having “Jumping 101” lessons (one impala managed to jump twice on its back legs before its front legs came down), wildebeest digging and rolling in the mud, a honey badger chasing a jackal and kudu trying to get their mouths around a large piece of mineral block. All these sightings make for a great game viewing experience.
But Wild Ivory Eco Lodge doesn’t only encourage guests to enjoy the game. From the lodge and all along the game drives guests can enjoy exquisite views. Recently we built a new kitchen on to Tent 4 for guests wanting to enjoy a self-catering break from the city. This new, open kitchen hosts one of the best views the lodge has to offer whilst providing a romantic area for guests to enjoy a private dinner should they wish to. A new pathway to Tent 4 has also been built to provide guests with a more open and elevated path to their tent.
In the past two months Wild Ivory Eco Lodge has been lucky enough to provide a great location for an engagement, a post-engagement getaway
and an anniversary. We feel privileged to have been a part of these occasions, helping the guests to celebrate in their own little ways. There’s nothing quite like a private, romantic, candle-lit dinner over-looking a large wooded plain whilst listening to the night’s silence broken only by the nocturnal creatures of Welgevonden Game Reserve. We hope to provide this opportunity to many more couples.
Yesterday whilst watching the cheetah male lie next to his kill and relax after his feast, we watched the bright crimson sun descend over the next mountain top. On days like those when you’re feeling completely relaxed by the tranquillity of Africa’s most important asset, all one can utter is “Another tough day in Africa”.
