It’s been over 40 years since Londolozi first viewed the original Mother Leopard, a young female who for some reason was more relaxed around the Land rovers than her predecessors or conspecifics on the reserve at the time.
For the next decade, Londolozi co-founder and Tracker Elmon Mhlongo would follow her life, watching as she raised no fewer than 9 litters of cubs to independence; a feat that has not been recorded in a leopardess since.
Londolozi offers the perfect leopard habitat…
The early years at Londolozi did not feature leopards as part of the standard viewing on a game drive. Conflict with man over the course of the previous half-century had made them skittish, wary, and extremely distrustful of anything unnatural in their environment, which included vehicles and people on foot.
Tracks in the sand, the remains of a kill stashed high in a tree or even a fleeting glimpse in the spotlight after dark were all the evidence the early visitors to Londolozi had of this elusive predator.
A female leopard comes scurrying down from the canopy of a marula tree.
Yet when the Mother Leopard arrived and allowed people into her secret world, all that changed. Her cubs grew up recognising that a Land Rover parked at a respectful distance was neither a threat nor a food source, and their cubs in turn did the same. From that first female came generations and a subsequent dynasty of habituated leopards, which quickly put Londolozi on the map as the place to view them; a reputation it continues to enjoy to this day.
A male leopard stares right back into the camera while drinking…
Not only does Londolozi currently sit in the heart of the densest leopard population yet recorded in Africa, with the bulk of the cats completely ignoring the presence of the game drive vehicles, but the rangers and trackers – many of whom have lived and worked on the land for decades – have an intimate knowledge of most of the individuals.
Life-histories, relatedness, matrilines, territories… it has all been recorded in one of the most closely documented records of a leopard population known on the African continent.
A leopard cub peers cautiously out from behind a tree as its mother moves away from it.
Although there is no such thing as a guarantee in the African bush, Londolozi is as near as can be going to provide leopard viewing the likes of which you’ve never experienced before. The almost supernatural skill of the Londolozi trackers and rangers is almost certain to give you front row seats to what has to be some of the greatest wildlife sightings on earth, with the enigmatic leopard more than likely taking centre stage.
It’s an experience that has guests returning year after year to follow the lives of these magnificent cats, and one that is certain to redefine the way you view the symbiosis between man and wild…
A common misconception when hearing the word “tented” is to think of a more rustic experience.
Well, &Beyond’s Ngala Tented Camp will turn that idea on its head.
Nine luxurious tents, all on raised platforms and blending perfectly into the riverine habitat, offer the visitor every comfort they may desire. Each suite is air-conditioned, providing comfort during the warmer summer months, and comes equipped with electric blankets for the chilly winters.
The tents are spaced in such a way that each is completely private, making this the perfect romantic getaway for couples, but the camp is also small enough to make it a fantastic exclusive-use destination for entire families.
The main area of Ngala Tented Camp is a wonderful place to lounge during the day when the sun is high.All the tents at Ngala Tented Camp feature indoor and outdoor showers, with the outdoor almost always being the preferred choice…Wildlife can appear at any moment from the surrounding bush, meaning an encounter from the pool loungers is always possible…
Discreetly tucked away on the banks of the seasonal Timbavati River, the camp is located in the Ngala Private Game Reserve, which in turn is part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, the largest transfrontier park in the world, comprising over 6 million hectares of pristine wildlife habitat. Ngala itself has over 14 000ha of exclusive traversing, meaning the bush is yours to explore with your ranger and tracker as you would like; on foot or in the vehicle. Off-roading is allowed in a sensitive manner, so close-up sightings of wildlife are practically a guarantee.
Incredible encounters on foot are possible if walks are conducted in the right way.Leopards are a regular feature on a game drive at Ngala.
Ngala shares an unfenced border with the Kruger National Park itself, and the sheer abundance of wildlife to be viewed on the reserve reflects that. Africa’s famed Big 5 are all to be found here, and sightings are expertly conducted by experienced rangers and trackers. After a day or two you start struggling to remember what you saw when, so readily do the sightings flow into one another.
“Ngala” is the local word for lion, and there is no shortage of them on the reserve.
Ngala Tented Camp really is the perfect place for a bush immersion; connect with nature and ultimately yourself through star-gazing, sleep-outs on a private deck, being up close and personal with magnificent wildlife, or simply by lounging by the poolside in the day, where something is bound to wander out of the vegetation into the riverbed below.
If it is ultimate comfort whilst still feeling as close to the wilderness as you can be that you are after, Ngala Tented Camp is for you…
It has been 26 years since I first journeyed to Londolozi Game Reserve, yet every time I visit I still feel the same sense of giddy excitement I did on that initial visit so long ago, the same sense of nostalgia when I climb up into the Land Rover for the opening game drive of the trip, and the same overwhelming sense of sadness when I leave.
It’s not just the amazing sightings of leopards in trees, lions wading through the Sand River, or being surrounded by the 7th herd of elephants for the morning. It’s far more than that.
This for me was where my true love for the bush began, as I began to see exactly what type of experience it could – and should – be.
My first visit to Londolozi, 26 years ago (I am standing centre). Ranger Julius Ngwenya (sitting in front) has his son now working as a tracker at Londolozi.And our latest trip, out on game drive waiting for lions to wake up in the evening.
This is what Londolozi does so well. There’s no formula. That went out the window long ago. Yes there is a framework within which the lodge operates – out before sunrise each morning to catch the dawn chorus, night drives following lions on the hunt, bush walks to make you touch, smell, and truly listen – but the reality is that each safari, each time you venture out of the camp gates in fact, is tapered to suit your specific needs.
One of the many herds that inhabit the reserve wade across the Sand River (Pioneer Camp is just out of picture to the left).The winter months are an especially good time to see elephants in the South African bush.
Birding is your thing? No problem; the focus shifts to the myriad different habitats that the reserve features, with the guide and tracker fully aware of which species are to be found where. Photographically inclined, wanting to capture that magical silhouette shot of a leopard outlined against the vivid reds of an African sunset? The tracking team will find that leopard, and – conditions permitting – the ranger will know exactly where to position the vehicle and what camera settings to use to make sure you nail the shot. There is no such thing as homogeneity in the Londolozi experience. It’s always unique and always special.
You never know what will be around the next corner at Londolozi…
I try to get back there once a year, except these days it’s not just me and my husband but my kids as well, and my brother and his wife regularly accompany us.
We try to stay in Pioneer Camp each year, the most westerly of the Londolozi camps. One of Londolozi’s three Relais and Chateaux camps, Pioneer only has three rooms, perfect for a family of our size. The adults go into two of them while the kids squeeze into the third (which is connected to ours by a discreet walkway).
And for a magical ten days, the camp becomes home.
The camp manager this year was Shannon Dawson, the most wonderful person you could ever wish to meet, and she shares a similar history with us in that she has also been visiting Londolozi with her family since she was small. And now she calls it home too.
Nothing was ever too much for Shannon, and her delightful smile was always there to welcome us home after game drive, morning and evening.
This leopard was waiting for us just off the edge of the Pioneer Camp deck as we returned from game drive one evening!
Travelling out from Atlanta, GA, where I live these days (having moved from South Africa in the 90s), it makes far more sense for us to come for a longer trip, so ten days is usually the least amount of time we will stay. I cannot emphasise enough the value of a longer stay. It allows one to truly sink into a place, to adjust to the flow of the African bush, and get to know the ranger, tracker and camp staff far better than one would in what would traditionally have been a three night adventure.
Our coffee stop one morning in a treehouse overlooking the Sand River.
A young leopard cub peers down nervously from the boughs of a marula tree, still uncertain of the best way to descend.
Particularly for those coming from further afield, long stay safaris are slowly starting to replace the three night visits, which travel trends are definitely starting to reflect. The idea it seems, is to go deeper, not broader. Rather than hopping between lodges, discerning travellers are preferring to remain in one place, getting the absolute most out of a visit that they can.
This is certainly what we try to accomplish each time we visit Londolozi.
Tiny wild dog pups emerge from their den as their mother calls them out.
This was our first time back in a couple of years, Covid-19 and other circumstances having prevented us visiting since July 2018.
The best thing for me was just how easy travel was in these times: flights were not a problem, covid-compliant and everything almost seemed easier than normal, especially given that airports are far less crowded. A hop, skip and a jump, and back in Londolozi we were…
And what a return it was.
Lions taking down a buffalo on our first morning, male leopards roaring back and forth at each other, a female leopard with her cubs just learning how to climb, wild dog pups emerging from their den for the first time… The sightings were incredibly varied and seemingly endless.
And in between them was the Londolozi fun; Wimbledon-themed dinners, soccer games for the kids, tracking lessons from Joy Mathebula… Whenever we least expected it, there was something new and exciting on the cards.
Tracker Andrea Sithole – who our family have known for years – celebrates a goal with my daughter Brodi in a soccer game organised for the kids staying in camp.One of the dominant male leopards that Londolozi is so famous for, drinking only a few feet from our vehicle.
Londolozi doesn’t just thrill with the wildlife. They take you into their world and open your eyes. You get to see what this one wild life we have all been given should really be about: fun, connection, intimacy with nature and ultimately finding the best version of yourself.
I know I find that person whenever I’m at Londolozi.
And you can too…
Down towards the south-east corner of South Africa’s world-famous Sabi Sand Game Reserve lies one of its hidden gems.
Unobtrusively nestled between the old bed of the Selati railway line to the west and the Sand River to the east lies Notten’s Camp, a small, family-run bush lodge that redefines what it means to feel at home in the wild.
Owned by the Notten family since 1963 and open as a commercial lodge since 1986, this land has seen almost four decades of conservation-focused safaris conducted upon it, and the experience of the staff reflects that.
Like the rest of the Sabi Sand Reserve, Notten’s is a leopard paradise, and the greater area boasts the highest density of these magnificent cats yet recorded on the African continent. It is not at all uncommon to spot a leopard sauntering past the deck of your chalet, or even to catch a glimpse of one ducking off the camp walkways. Sightings are common out on game drive, and the Notten’s guides are well practiced in getting photographers into the right position for the shot.
Two young leopards spar playfully. Despite already possessing fiercely sharp claws, their play sessions generally cause no harm, and are important in developing the skills they will need in later life.
The rest of the Big 5 are sure to fill your frame just as fast, and elephant, buffalo, rhino and lion are also plentiful in the area. The waterhole situated in the open clearing directly in front of the lodge’s main area attracts a plethora of wildlife throughout the day, particularly during the dry winter months, and one simply has to glance up during breakfast to see herds of impala, stately kudu or the resident bull waterbuck sauntering by.
Lions are regularly encountered on safari at Notten’s…
It’s certainly not only about the larger stuff though, and it is the sheer diversity of life here that will astound you. Over 2000 species of mammals, birds, trees, insects, reptiles and amphibians have been recorded on the reserve; an incredible amount of biodiversity which makes game drives, bush walks, or even a simple stroll through the camp a constant stimulation.
The Notten’s camp is unfenced, and wildlife is regularly encountered on the lawns around the swimming pool in particular.
The rooms at Notten’s are what make the place truly special. Lit by candlelight and paraffin lanterns, they retain the feel and charm of an old-school bush camp, whilst sacrificing none of the comfort. The rooms are air-conditioned and charging facilities are available, so there’s no danger of running out of power for your battery or cellphone.
Whether it’s a romantic getaway you are after or a Big 5 photographic experience, Notten’s ticks all the boxes, and with their current specials there is no better time to visit. The winter months offer some of the best game viewing on the continent, and when summer starts rolling around again, visitors will be treated to the most remarkable changes as the bush flushes green once more, the migrants return, and the lodge comes alive with the buzz of cicadas and the galavanting of newborn antelope.
An African safari has the power to change you. To make you feel so truly connected to yourself and your surroundings that you feel that this is the way life should be lived. Far from the trappings of the fast-paced modern world with all its distractions, the African wilderness reaffirms the values that our humanity holds dear.
And almost inevitably, as your safari winds down, your mind lets itself wander into the fantasy of “If only I could live in the bush…”
Well Tulela, a magical 5-bedroom lodge in the Greater Kruger Park of South Africa, will make you feel like you are…
As close to a home in the bush as you can find, Tulela is an exclusive-use lodge that is so much more than just a base to see the Big 5 from. Bespoke safaris both in a vehicle and on foot, sleep-outs under the southern stars, conservation initiatives that guests can get hands on with… your stay at Tulela is far more of an immersion into the wilds of Africa than a simple stay in the bush.
The lodge was designed with that homely feel in mind. Situated on the banks of the N’tsiri river, the rooms and main area are nestled in the shade of magnificent riparian trees from which the gentle background ambience of the local birdlife emanates. A waterhole positioned in full view of the deck attracts a continuous procession of wildlife – particularly in the drier winter months – and the overwhelming feeling here is that you are part of nature.
With over 6000ha of the Klaserie Private Game Reserve to explore with your own ranger and tracker, you essentially are…
Tulela is child friendly, so is perfect for families looking to open their children’s minds to the wonders of nature.
Or, if it’s simply an exclusive getaway for ten friends that you are after, this is the perfect place to allow you to simply put your feet up and be free from worry, totally at peace in the tranquility of the African bush.
We can’t wait to share more about this amazing destination with you.
For more information about Tulela and all that it offers, feel free to get hold of us here…
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