Tag: Big Five

The New-Look Rattray’s on Mala Mala

Posted on by James

Since the 60’s, Mala Mala has been wowing guests with its game viewing.

The camps have developed somewhat in the last five and a half decades, but the phenomenal wildlife viewing has remained ai its consistent best.

MalaMala Rattray’s Camp offers an intimate glimpse into an era long lost, when travellers from afar married the magic of the African bush with elegance and refinement.

Combining humble opulence and romantic exclusivity with unrivalled game viewing, MalaMala Rattray’s Camp is one of the premier safari destinations for those seeking to experience the wild heart of Africa.

 

Mala Mala’s hashtag #itsallabouthewildlife, says it all; wildlife safaris are their number one priority. A maximum of only four guests per safari vehicle out of Rattrays Camp is the norm and a flexible operation ensures your adventures into the bush will be intimate and unforgettable. An experienced ranger will serve as your guide and host, handling all the minutiae that go into making your trip as seamless as possible, both in camp and out in the bush.

Sumptuous meals can be enjoyed in a variety of locations including the boma, the deck, the dining room or in the privacy and comfort of your own suite. And with unobstructed views down into the Sand River, it is more than likely that mealtimes will feature a wildlife show of some sort, be they elephants drinking from the gently flowing water, or a leopard skulking through the reeds.

Rattray’s on Mala Mala features everything you may need to make a slightly longer complete from all angles. A beautifully appointed library containing rare African books and magnificent works of art lets one pass the heat of the day reading of explorers of old, and an historic bar adorned with antique photographs lets one hearken back to the early days of game viewing in the reserve.

Lunches are served on the most phenomenal viewing deck, whilst evening meals will more than likely (although weather permitting) be served under the stars in the boma. Thos who would like to take home some mementos of their visit will find more than they could wish for in the boutique shop, and to ward off the inevitable gains that come with the delicious hearty meals on offer, a fully equipped gym will let you remain active between game drives. WiFi is available in all the rooms.

Rattrays can host 16 guests in eight luxury villas, each of which boasts a private verandah with grand river views and a private heated plunge pool, a private indigenous garden, en-suite bathrooms with double vanity, ball-and-claw bath and double indoor shower and outdoor shower; outdoor and indoor dining area, air-conditioning, heating, overhead fans, hairdryer, minibar, tea and coffee facilities. Satellite television, DVD player and laptop with wireless connectivity are available on request.

The accommodations here are everything you could ever wish for on safari, and with the high likelihood of encountering wildlife roaming through the camp, things couldn’t get any bette

Whether you’re visiting for three days or fifteen, Rattray’s on Mala Mala will make you feel as though your trip was too short, so at home will you feel.

If you want to find out more about staying in this wildlife-intense camp, mail us on info@iconicafrica.com, and let’s start planning your Mala Mala safari…

The Ultimate African Rivalry

Posted on by James

Iconic Africa director Terri Abadi and family are currently on vacation at South Africa’s Londolozi Game Reserve, a place Terri has been visiting for over twenty years.

On their very first morning on safari, they headed into the north of the reserve to see what they could find, and soon came across tracks of a large pride of lions.
After tracking for well over an hour, the bellow of a buffalo up ahead was heard, and the vehicles involved in the search moved into the dense thickets the noise had emanated from.

This is the scene that met their eyes:

Standard practice among lion prides attempting to bring down buffalo bulls is for one or two to try and anchor the bull from behind while others distract him from up front, and slowly wear him down.

A local group of lions known as the Nkuhuma Pride had cornered an old bull buffalo and had already inflicted some injuries upon him, although only superficial thus far. Three other bulls from the bachelor herd would run in repeatedly to help out their comrade, but would get chased off by the pride.

After an hour-and-a-half things seemed to have reached a stalemate, with both the lions and the buffalo exhausted and not making any further moves. It wasn’t too long though before the adult lionesses in the pride had recovered enough to renew the attack, and this time the old bull could stand it no longer, and went down under their weight.

The old bull put up a valiant fight, but being so severely outnumbered the odds were never in his favour.

The rest of the pride swarmed in to finish him off, and with one lioness smothering his muzzle and a second clamping her jaws over his throat to asphyxiate him, the buffalo was dead within minutes.

The final moments as the lions move in to finish the buffalo off.

Although difficult to watch, the reality of this age-old scene is that in nature the weak go under in order for the strong to survive. The buffalo was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and despite probably having survived numerous lion encounters before, this day was when he finally met his match.

Fun Facts About African Wildlife

Posted on by Lexi Hall

When on safari you will learn so much about the animals and the bush – here are a few interesting facts to give you a head start.

Marataba Safari Lodge River Cruise

The African Elephant is the world’s largest living land animal. Elephants have the largest brain of any mammal in history. They are extremely protective of their young. Did you know, like humans, elephants undergo menopause.

Walking Safaris Elephant Iconic Africa

Like humans that use GPS, birds use landmarks to navigate long journeys. They can fly thousands of kilometres to find the same roosting spot with no navigational difficulties. Some species of birds make a round-trip journey every year, and use ferromagnetism to detect their orientation with respect to the Earth’s magnetic field. A 2006 study published in Animal Behaviour suggested that pigeons also use familiar landmarks on the ground below to help find their way home.

European Roller Walking Safaris Birds Iconic Africa

Did you know, crocodiles swallow stones to help them swim? Firstly, a crocodile digests everything from turtles, fish and birds to giraffes, buffalo, lions and even other crocodiles. In addition to their diverse appetite, they swallow large stones that stay permanently in their bellies. It’s been suggested these are used as weight stabilisers in diving.

Crocodile Attack Great Migration Angama Mara Tanzanaia Masaai Mara

The giraffe is known for its long neck and slender features. But did you ever consider the difficulties that come with having your head sit 16 feet above your shoulders? The stately giraffe adapted its neck to compete for foliage with other grazers. It compensates for its height with unique blood flow. The giraffe’s heart needs to pump twice as hard to get blood to the brain. It also has a complex blood vessel system that ensures that blood doesn’t rush to the head when bent over. Even more amazing, the giraffe has extremely tight skin in the legs to prevent blood from collecting at the hooves.

Did you know, Africa’s ostrich can kill a grown man with its kick? And one ostrich egg is the same size as 24 chicken eggs.

Vincent van Gogh was not the only one inspired by the night sky. Did you know that dung beetles use the Milky Way to guide them as they roll dung?

Like most cats, lions hate swimming. And keeping in sync with feminism, female lions do almost all of the hunting, and will make up to 20 kills in their lifetime.

Despite its questionable size and weight, the hippopotamus can run really fast reaching speeds of about 32 kilometres (or 20 miles) per hour.

Delight in the sighting of cheetah cubs as only a small proportion actually survive to adulthood – around a shocking 10%.

We hope just these few interesting facts have got you excited to go on safari! Hopefully you can mention one or two of them on a game drive to impress your guide or fellow guests!

The Big Five – Fun Facts

Posted on by Lexi Hall

‘The Big Five of Africa’ is one of the most relentlessly searched for and often mentioned phrases.

The term “big five” began as a way of referring to the five animals most difficult to hunt on foot. The lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo were the five large African mammal species that were known to hunters as dangerous and successfully hunting them was considered an accomplishment.

However, today the expression takes a much gentler approach – referring to seeing the majestic wildlife species on safari in Africa. These friendly giants are frequently sought-after for sightings, encounters and photo opportunities.

Given the formidable five’s status and significance, here are some interesting facts about the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo that we thought you might find interesting:

Lion:

The lion is Africa’s top predator and the second largest big cat in the world. Roaming the savannah grasslands and open plains of Africa, these social felines are the only cats that live in groups (prides) and need a lot of contact with each other. The lions will greet each other by rubbing their heads against one another, exchanging scents that convey information about their intentions, moods and recent activities.

Females share a particularly strong bond as they remain in the same pride for life and raise their cubs together. They do all the hunting, and the males get the first helping – even when there are cubs in the pride. The hunting is done mostly at night as lions can see in the dark. They are not completely nocturnal so their most active time is just before sunrise or just after sunset. However, they are opportunistic feeders and will hunt at any time.

A lion’s roar can be heard up to 5 miles (8km) away, enabling them to communicate with each other over large distances. They spend most of their time sleeping and can sleep up to 20 hours a day!

iconic-africa-kruger-national-park-leopard luxury african safaris

Leopard:

The leopard is nocturnal, solitary and secretive, staying hidden during the day. They are the least seen of the Big Five. These antisocial cats avoid interacting with each other beyond mating and raising young cubs.

Leopards are excellent at climbing trees and will often safeguard their kill in a tree to prevent lions and hyenas from stealing it. They are also strong swimmers and occasionally eat fish and crabs. Leopards can drag prey weighing up to three times their own body weight up into trees over 20 feet (6 meters) tall.

Leopards don’t roar, they bark and snarl. When they are happy they even purr. But this is not only what makes them unique – they are the most adaptable felines! Inhabiting some of the most diverse environments of all the big cats, such as both deserts and forests – their ability to survive across a range of habitats has enabled leopard populations to survive in far flung parts of the world.

Rhino:

The rhino is the most endangered species of the Big Five. The illegal trade of rhino poaching is being driven by an Asian demand for horns, made worse by increasingly sophisticated poachers. Very few rhinos now survive outside national parks and reserves.

A rhino’s horn is not attached to its skull. If it breaks off it will grow back again.

The white and black rhino have no teeth and hence rely on their lips for eating.

Rhinos have poor vision and will sometimes attack trees and rocks by accident. However, their hearing and sense of smell are excellent, thus often making up for their poor eyesight.

Elephant:

Many trees in West African forests – at least one third – rely on evolved seeds to pass through an elephant’s digestive tract for dissemination and germination.

African elephants communicate across large distances at a low frequency that cannot be heard by humans.

Under Africa’s scorching sun, elephants get sunburnt too! They throw sand on their backs and heads to prevent sunburn and keep insects off their skin. And even though their skins are incredibly tough, they can feel those tiny insect walking on their skin!

When baby elephants are born, they are almost blind and some individuals suck their trunks for comfort, similar to the way young humans suck their thumbs.

Elephants love to swim and are able to swim for long distances. They use their trunks as makeshift snorkels. The trunk is also used for grabbing, bathing, smelling, drinking and can pick up something as small as a grain of rice.

Buffalo Walking Safaris Iconic Africa

Buffalo:

A buffalo’s primary predator is the lion. It will try to rescue another member who has been caught or hurt and has often been observed killing a lion after it has killed a member of the group. Unlike the water buffalo – whom has an uncanny resemblance to the African buffalo – the latter is dangerous and has never been domesticated.

Dangerous, and rightly so! Buffalo are said to have killed more hunters in Africa than any other animal. They still kill over 200 people every year earning them the reputation and nickname of ‘Black Death’ and ‘Widow Maker’.

Our safari-goers from across the world are eager to spot the famous rhino, leopard, lion, buffalo and elephant combination. Contact us now to learn more about our safaris to Africa’s finest Big Five viewing reserves!