Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
you can feast on barbecued bushbuck meat while
enjoying spectacular views over the reserve's
northern plains.
216 TAkE THE kIDS TO mADIkWE,
SOuTH AfrICA
Need to know At Thakadu, there's also an eight-
bed camp (Little Thakadu) which caters for small
groups and large families. For details of each
lodge, rates and how to get there see W www.
madikwecollection.co.za; T +22 (0) 11 805 9995.
Rainbow Tours ( W www.rainbowtours.co.uk)
organizes package trips to both camps.
The sprawling bushveld at Madikwe Game
Reserve on the border with Botswana is home to
some of Africa's most elusive animals - black and
white rhino, leopard and cheetah - as well as over
three hundred bird species and popular game
like elephant, zebra and giraffe. As one of the few
reserves in South Africa that's malaria-free, it's
also a great place to go on a family safari.
There are over thirty lodges here, but choose
either Thakadu River Camp or Buffalo Ridge
Safari Lodge and your stay will directly benefit
some of the people who live around the reserve.
Both are run as a collaboration between North-
West Parks, a South African tour operator, and
the local Molatedi and Balete Ba Lekgophung
communities. Camp staff and rangers are from
nearby villages, including Patience Bogatsu (at
Thakadu), one of the first black women in South
Africa to become a certified safari guide.
And just because there's a local connection,
don't expect mud huts and cross-legged dining.
Thakadu is luxury camping - there are double
beds with cotton sheets, an en-suite bath and
sliding doors onto a private outdoor deck, plus
a swimming pool overlooking the Marico River.
Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge is another notch
up, with king-sized beds and en-suite walk-in
showers. Meals are taken in the main building
- across a wooden bridge over a ravine - where
217 GO bIrDING IN ANCIENT
fOrEST, SOuTH AfrICA
As he passes through the forest, David Setsaolo
hardly makes a sound. “Over there,” he whispers,
“A Knysna touraco.” As you stare forlornly into
the thick forest he picks up another call. “And
there, on the low branch - a black-fronted bush
shrike.” Two of the rarest birds in South Africa,
and you've only been in the forest five minutes.
David is an award-winning bird guide, and
when he's not showing guests around the forest
surrounding the ecolodges that together make
up Kurisa Moya (meaning “tranquil spirit”) he's
training other aspiring guides. His knowledge
isn't confined to birds either: following animal
tracks through thick grass, he smells dung
for freshness to know when the tracks were
made. He identifies toadstools and tiny orchids
breaking through the ground cover.
To really appreciate Kurisa Moya you need to
stay for a few days, cut off from the rest of the
world. There are four separate self-contained
houses, each unique in their design - from the
quirky wooden furnishings of family houses to
the romantic forest lodges with their balconied
beds; each secluded in their own clearings or
perched upon the Schnelkop hill looking over
the valley. Built with sustainable materials,
they're filled with crafts by local artists. There's
no electricity, but solar power provides your light
and log-burning fires keep you warm.
As the sun sets each night there's nothing but
Patience Bogatsu, one of the
first black women in South
Africa to become a certified
guide
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