Safari at Simbavati

Safari at Simbavati

In September of 2018 we spent three days going on safaris while using the Simbavati Hilltop Lodge as our base.  During those three days we went on six safaris/game drives and enjoyed incredible meals and service from the Simbavati staff.  This post walks you through our first 24 hours at the Simbavati Hilltop Lodge and should give you a good idea of what to expect.

Our visit began when we were met at the Eastgate Airport in Hoesdsprit, South Africa by our driver, Boogonee. His first task was to help us claim our luggage which had been brought from the plane in trucks that were parked outside of the terminal. We walked up to the truck, pointed to our two duffle bags and off we went!

In a short time we entered the Timbavati Game Preserve. This huge preserve (about 206 square miles) was created in 1956 by a group of landowners who wanted to preserve this piece of Africa for generations to come. Here, over 50 member landowners have been working together to restore the native flora and fauna and to bring this part of Africa back to its natural glory. 

In 1993, the success of the Timbavati Preserve was fully recognized by the removal of the fences between the preserve and Kruger National Park.  With no fences, the animals are now free to roam back and forth between the preserve and the 7,523 square miles of Kruger!

Our safari destination, Simbavati, is located within Timbavati Preserve and is thus part of the vast Greater Kruger National Park.

The drive to Simbavati Hilltop Lodge took over an hour and we drove primarily on gravel roads winding farther and farther into the bushveld. The area had clumps of trees scattered throughout along with stands of brown grass. The grass was brown because our visit was during the dry season and there was little green to be seen. We also saw zebras, giraffes and wildebeest along the way, giving us a feel of a mini-safari.

Finally, we made a turn and there was the main lodge of Simbavati, sitting on a koppie (little hill) and over-looking the Nhlaralumi River below. As we pulled up to the lodge several of the staff came out to greet us.  It was here that we first met Aubrey who was assigned to be our butler for our visit.  Aubrey whisked away with our luggage while Diane, the lodge manager, gave us a tour.

Next we took the 154 steps and platforms down to our lodge which was comprised of pavilion-style tents joined together with a deck between them.   On the deck was our shower providing us with an “exciting” opportunity to shower outside and with nature. The lodge was placed so we could see the river and wildlife, but no one in the rest of the compound could see us.

As I said, the lodge was comprised of two tents. The largest tent was our bedroom and the smaller tent was our bathroom. Both were finely appointed and immaculate. This is the kind of tent camping Mona loves! Wildlife was always nearby and we spotted elephants, hippos, crocs and baboons from our room. One of the baboons was on our veranda!

We had arrived just in time for the evening safari so we met up with our safari group to have afternoon tea and to meet our Ranger and our Tracker; Rey and Vincent. BTW: Our group included two people from Sydney, Australia. That maintains our streak of meeting Aussies virtually everywhere we travel.

After tea and introductions it was time to board our safari vehicle. In our case, it was a Land Rover Defender, modified specially for safaris. There were four rows of seats and the rows were stadium-style so everyone had a good view. There was a special jump seat mounted on the front of the vehicle which is where the tracker sat. There was no roof on the vehicle so all the views were totally unobstructed. Throughout our visit couples took turns sitting on the different levels of rows so everyone got to experience the pros and cons of each seating arrangement.

Evening Safari!

The safari started about an hour before sunset and almost as soon as we began we spotted elephants! These guys were huge and we were within about 30 feet of them! These were a lot closer than the elephants that we saw in Chobe. Our Land Rover had a CB-like radio and our Ranger, Rey, was in constant contact with other rangers in Timbavati. Just after we had spotted the elephants Rey fired up the vehicle and we were off!

After about ten minutes we found out what Rey had heard on the radio. It was a pack of African painted dogs. These wild dogs are an endangered species with only about 6000 left in the wild and about 270 of them left in the Greater Kruger National Park. Spotting this pack was a rare treat! Rey pulled our Land Rover as close as reasonably possible and turned off the engine. We sat there for at least 30 minutes watching the wild dogs play and relax with some of them coming within 15 or 20 feet of the vehicle.  Amazing!

It was now sunset and Rey chose a secluded place to park. Here we enjoyed an evening drink and snacks while watching the sunset. This also provided us an opportunity to use the restroom, i.e., we could find a bush to pee behind!

After our break it was time to go back on the prowl, watching for more animals. By now it was dark and most of the time Rey had the lights off with the only illumination provided by a hand lamp held by our Tracker, Vincent. He would use the lamp to scan ahead and up nearby trees. At times, he would point the lamp straight down in front the Land Rover to avoid shining the light into the eyes of diurnal animals (animals that sleep by night and are active in the day.) We got to see first hand what happens when you accidentally shine a light in the eyes of a sleeping diurnal, in this case a rhino. We turned a sharp corner and before Vincent could get his lamp turned down he had shined the lamp into a rhino’s eyes. The rhino was immediately enraged and started snorting and bucking. Yes, bucking!  Vincent hurriedly lowered the lamp and Rey drove us quickly away! Wow!

Soon after the rhino incident Rey got another call on the radio. Off we went, without telling us why. We found out this was typical Ranger behavior because they didn’t want to disappoint you in case the animal moved on before we arrived. Luckily for us, this particular animal hadn’t moved on!

We had driven about ten minutes in the dark on the gravel roads when all of sudden Rey slowed down and turned into a dry river bed. We could see tracks in the sand ahead of us showing where the previous group had driven. All during the drive on the river bed Vincent was shining trees.  Then, there is was! A leopard up in a tree eating his kill! On the ground below was a hyena who had chased the big cat up the tree trying to steal the cat’s food.

The leopard’s kill was an impala, a medium-sized antelope that grows to to about 170 pounds. Leopards, who grow to 200 pounds, are fairly common in South Africa but finding one with a fresh kill is a particularly thrilling experience! We watched the leopard for about 20 minutes, listening to it crunch on bones as it enjoyed its dinner. Then it was time to head back to our lodge.

By the time we got back it was dinner time. We headed to the boma (outside enclosure) for an African-style BBQ. There were all sorts of grilled meat, strange (but good) vegetables and a tasty desert to end the meal perfectly.  While we dined a local group of performers danced and sang African songs for us.

After dinner it was time to head to bed. We were escorted the long way down to our tents and we quickly fell asleep. Our wake up call came at 5:00; all too quickly, but morning safaris start at 5:30 and we needed to be at the lodge by 5:15 to get coffee and a light pre-breakfast.

At 5:30 we boarded our Land Rover and off we went! It was still pre-dawn, but the animals were already starting to move around. We had been driving only minutes when we came across a crash (herd) of rhinoceros. These are massive animals, weighing in at up to 5000 pounds, but seem to walk almost daintily!

Rey was driving with a purpose and soon we turned into the dry river bed where we had seen the leopard and hyena last night. Soon we spotted the leopard still up in the tree. He was lazily enjoying the breaking sunshine while laying balanced on a branch. His left-over impala was visible, stashed in another part of the tree. And, the hyena was still stationed below the tree, hoping to catch a snack if the leopard dropped anything. This was picture perfect!

After a few minutes we heard the yowl of another leopard in the area. Our leopard immediately jumped up and started toward her impala-stash in case he had to defend it. Another picture-perfect moment!

After visiting our leopard Rey drove us to a secluded spot for coffee and rusks. Rusks are is a hard, chunky sweetish rocks of bread which you dunk in your coffee or tea to soften, then bite off. As before, the restrooms were whichever tree you chose.

After our break we started driving through the bush spotting all kinds of animals: giraffe, hippos, kudu and so much more!

We arrived back at the lodge about 8:30 AM where our breakfast was waiting for us. This was the third time we had eaten today and it was still well before noon!

After breakfast was free time. We went back to our tents to clean up and relax. From our tent’s deck we could see elephants, hippos and crocodiles so in fact, our safari never ended! At noon we went back up to the lodge for lunch and for more free time afterwards.

At 3:00 was tea-time, getting a few refreshments in preparation for the evening safari. We certainly didn’t starve at Simbavati Hilltop Lodge. They fed us 7 different times throughout the day! I was amazed at the quality and wide variety of food at the lodge; especially when you consider the remoteness of the location.

After tea time it was time to get ready for the evening safari. This was when/where we started this story and so you have an idea of what 24 hours at Simbavati Hilltop Lodge is like. We spent two more days there with the same schedule each day, but spotting different animals every day. Each day seemed to bring its own excitement and wonder, making every day special and unique!

References.

Note: None of the companies referenced in this post are our sponsors, nor have we received any compensation for mentioning them. We simply think they’re great!

Simbavati was recommended to us by our friend/agent Diane at Africa Direct USA. She truly knew what she was doing when she recommended Simbavati! You can reach her at Africa Direct, USA: http://africadirect.us

Simbavati Hilltop Lodge: Simbavati