Author: Focus Online Dev

Hi Guys,

Just thought I would share something different, although we did have a splendid afternoon spending some time with our 4 cheetah brothers, as they almost took down a full grown oryx, and some lazy lions among the hoards of general game in between.

This image was taken at the waterhole at Vleisfontein, which is the park administration buildings which also used to be the old mission building in the early 1900’s.

Bring on a new week, with lots of new guests, so book now if you too want to be apart of the “TUNINGI MAGIC “!!

The young male leopard that was stalking Cornelius the day before yesterday, seems to be staying in the area, as we located him again yesterday afternoon.

He is incredibly relaxed, and we are not sure of where he comes from, or who his mother is, as I don’t have any photographic evidence of him in our game drive areas. So, this is great news for us, and we will certainly be following him around in his day to day activities, and hopefully he joins up with his mother so that we can put to rest our inquisitiveness .

Hallo once again!

We finally had some rain to give everything new life!!

Although it was not nearly as much as we have hoped for, we could see a noticeable difference within a week after it rained with the trees especially starting to push new leaves.  Now we are just desperately waiting for more.

All the animals are enjoying the arrival of summer and new life coming with it.

 As always we were totally spoilt with the quality of sightings we had.  Here are just a few of the most memorable sightings for October. 

 It helps a lot to be in the right place at the right time.

Well, just that happened to me this month, twice!

Jip, I saw two Wild Dog kills. We saw the dogs briefly early the afternoon but with little action.  So I decided to go stop for drinks to let it cool down.  We stopped not too far from Tholo dam and waited for the dogs to get a bit more active.

 

As we finished our drinks the dogs were at the dam.  They were all over the place having fun in the last rays of the sun and then just disappeared.  We drove all over the place looking for them but with no luck.  And then, as the saying goes, the harder you try, the luckier you get! 

 

As we drove closer to the dam again we saw that they had chased a Blue Wildebeest into the water. There was no hope for the poor guy.  It took a while before the adults finally killed it, right in front of our eyes!

The other kill was on the fence in the south of Madikwe.  Early the one morning we found them running around without purpose.  The 6 pups were far from the adults playing with whatever they could find.We heard the sound of hooves on the rocks and all hell broke loose.  It was an Impala they targeted. 

They chased it to right behind my vehicle and this time the fence they use so often did its job.

 

I quickly turned around and within 10 seconds the Impala was dead and they all tucked in.  An absolute privilege it has been to witness nature in full force!!!To find the Cheetahs is also always a thrill.  These four boys move all over Madikwe and at times finding them is a big challenge. Lucky for us they did spend some quality time in the South this month, so we got to see them fairly often.

With it still being fairly dry and dusty out here,the late afternoons provide some amazing colorful skies.

To end the day with a Gin and Tonic in the bush and watching the sun go down…nothing can beat that.

Make that booking now to come and share in our wonderful daily adventures!

Until next month

Kindest regards

Cornelius and the T-team

 

Hi everybody,

Our new website is up and running, and is looking really good !!

Please feel free to browse it, and the most important thing to note will be that our daily face book updates will be run through this website in the “ABOUT US” drop down menu, and then you scroll to “BLOG”, but we will still put the link on the facebook and twitter feeds.

Tomorrow the Monthly wildlife report/newsletter will be going out, so be sure to go and have a look at what happened in October.

Regards,

Gavin

Hello again everyone !!

Well this month has been a month of rising temperatures, and the promise of rain in the air.
Yes, it is still incredibly dry at the moment, but the game sightings are still cooking, and as ever, Tuningi is churning out the incredible sights and sounds that mother Madikwe has to offer.

We will start off this month with an update on what this reserve is famous for…. The Painted Wolves, AKA African Wild Dogs.
The small pack which we get to see the most of because of their proximity to the camp are doing extremely well, and all the pups seem to be overcoming the day to perils, and have started following the adults on their daily hunting excursions as opposed to being den bound up in the mountains somewhere. One morning we were lucky enough to be involved in their successful hunting down of a steen buck, but it was all over in a matter of seconds as they ripped and pulled the steenbuck apart all wanting a piece of the small antelope.

The larger pack residing in the north of the reserve is also doing very well, and are also hunting up a storm and killing some of the larger herbivores such as kudu and wildebeest. The pups are also doing well, but alas 2 of them were killed by lions at the den site one morning. This is something which happens every year as the den site can emit some odours which attract the larger predators. 60 % of pups in the wild will not make it to their first birthday due to various factors including the predation from the larger predators.

The lions…
Well, with conditions being desperately dry at the moment, the herbivores are not in the best shape they can be, and are weaker than usual, thus the lions are having a field day out when it comes to their success rate. The Bulaya pride to the south west of the lodge are doing very well, and the 2 youngest cubs are now 4 months old, and the other 3 are now entering sub-adulthood, as the young male in the group is starting to show signs of his maturity in the hairs of his mane becoming visible. The Bulaya females are doing exceptionally well considering it is their first litter of cubs.

The other pride to the south east of the lodge are acting slightly strangely as they are pushing deeper and deeper into the Bulaya pride’s territory, and this could be due to the pressure being asserted from the new boys on the block… the Kwandwe males which are claiming the vacant territory east of the lodge. This behavior is causing the Jamala and Mica females to seek refuge in the heart of the current reigning males, the Naledi’s territory.

So a huge territorial fight was always going to be eminent, and came a few weeks ago when the Naledi’s intercepted the new comers, giving them a hiding ten to one resulting in one of the Kwandwe males being badly injured on his hind leg. This sent them running further east to lick their wounds leaving us to have a new found respect for the old Naledi boys.

The waterhole at the lodge is an incredibly busy place at the moment with some incredible sightings of large herds of elephants joining the guests as they have lunch, as they have some fun in the mud to cool their hot bodies. Buffalos are also a regular feature at dinner time as they too come down almost every night to drink and mud bathe. Don’t forget our resident tame bokkies….. “Kollie” the bushbuck and “Klippie” the klipspringer that are always entertaining our guests on the pathways to the rooms.

The cheetah brothers 4, are loving life in Madikwe at the moment, and are looking impressive. They are killing on a twice weekly basis, and are wowing our guests with their majestic presence, however they are still travelling through the length and breadth of the reserve in search of a sign of a female, which the park is in the process of obtaining before the end of the year.

The other single male has been very scarce, and was not often seen this month, but when we do find him, he seems to be doing very well without his brother who was killed a few months ago by an unknown source.

Well, that is all for this month, and we look forward on reporting on some amazing sightings next month once again !!
Regards,
Gavin.

PS. Please remember to go and like our new business page on Facebook for the most recent bush news and photos.

For enquiries please contact :
reservations@tuningi.co.za

Greeting from a very windy Madikwe. Yes the August winds are howling and that can only mean one thing – Spring is right around the corner.

I have to admit that I am really ready for warmer days. Winter does have its perks and even though it has not been a very cold winter for us, I for one, am looking forward to summer.

One of the best perks of winter of course is great game viewing and August did not disappoint. We were spoiled to witness some truly amazing sightings this August.

One sighting that I can remember very vividly, is when we went looking for the small pack of Wild Dogs down in the South of the park.
We suspected that the dogs might be close to the Dwarsberg mountain range that forms the southern boundary of the park. We headed down to that area to see if we could pick up some tracks. After a bit of scratching around Gavin managed to pick-up on some fresh dog tracks and the chase was on.

I was on a road just north of Gavin checking whether the Wild Dog might have crossed over already. Lady luck was on our side. Not far from the road we spotted a Black Rhino, a great big bull and were we in for a treat, because this boy decided to come over and have a good look as to what is trespassing in his territory. My usual Black Rhino introduction to guests is, “It might charge but just sit still…” It was pretty amazing how quiet a group of people became as this black rhino is edged closer and closer. He eventually figured out we are of no great danger to him and turned tail and jogged of into the bushes accompanied by a nervous “Phew” from the seats behind me.

So by now Gavin had managed to relocate the wild dogs and I hurried up to meet up with him as he was following the dogs off-road. As we joined Gavin and it was evident that the dogs were out hunting and we knew we’re in for a treat. We followed the dogs for a while longer and then chaos erupted… THEY WERE OFF….GO GO GO called over the radio and we “put foot” as we say in South Africa trying to keep up with the dogs as they are chasing Impala all over the show.

But alas we are to slow and the dogs eluded us. Just then “IN FRONT OF ME THERE, HE’S ON, HE’S ON!!!!!” I shouted into the radio as an Impala with a Wild dog in hot pursuit raced past in front of me and we were off again, but to no avail, as no dog and no dead Impala were found. Then just as I am about to give up, a fellow ranger finds 4 wild dogs jogging down south and I decide to join him and see where the wild dogs will lead us. As I’m about to join him a call over the radio comes in – “Hurry up, they’re about to make a kill!”

I arrived on the scene to find the wild dogs busy killing a Gemsbok (Oryx) calf while the mom is still bravely trying to fend off the dogs with her long sharp horns. Not a scene reserved for everyone, but out here it is nature in its most brutal raw form and itis truly amazing to see. After a few short minutes the Gemsbok calf is dead and already partly devoured when 6 Spotted Hyenas arrived on the scene. They probably heard the kill being made or the smell of blood alerted them to the possibility of a free meal.

What a sighting to see the Hyenas chase the Wild dogs and then the dogs retaliated and sent a Hyena or two running as they bit at their hind quarters. We sat amazed at the scene playing of before us and only left when the sun had dipped below the horizon to go and have a sundowner and reflect on the scene we had just witnessed.

Apart from that great sighting we also managed to get a glimpses of the pups belonging to the small pack of dogs in the south. The confirmed number of pups is 6 and the confirmed number of pups in the big pack in the north is 8. It is truly heart-warming to know that this highly endangered predator is doing so well in Madikwe.

Our 4 Cheetah brothers are doing amazingly well, considering their prey of choice at the moment is Wildebeest and they are almost taking one down every second day. They of course consider themselves the wanderers of the park and constantly astonish us with the distances they move through the park. They can easily tranlocate from the east of the park to the west in a brisk 2 day march.
We caught up with them one morning after some serious tracking and spent a bit of time with them. They were marking some territory as well as sunning themselves on the chilly morning.

Our 2 new Kwandwe male lions also could not believe their luck as they stumbled onto a dead giraffe carcass, and spent almost a week feeding off it. Apart from the smell, it provided us with some great sightings. The jackals was especially exciting to watch, as they sometimes could just not control their hunger anymore and would then sneak up close to where a lion was feeding to try and steal a piece of meat.

These two young males is the Chimbro brothers and we found them enjoying the view from Tlou dam wall, maybe thinking one day we will be the rulers of this piece of Africa.

Well that is it from Tuningi for the month of August, now we can start looking forward to the rain and the migratory birds to bring some colour back into Madikwe.

Hope you all have a great September.
Regards Christo and the T-Team

PS. Please remember to go and like our new business page on Facebook for the most recent bush news and photos.

For enquiries please contact :
reservations@tuningi.co.za

The cold chilly mornings have added a new dimension to the safaris, but we are well prepared for the onslaught by equipping our guests with hot water bottles and warm fluffy blankets.

Let’s get into the wildlife sightings straight away…

One particular sighting that stands out for this month was when we witnessed our 4 cheetah brothers killing a wildebeest, but what made it special was the fact that a spotted hyena pitched up and actually fed with them on the same carcass, and this is how the full story went…

A special sighting in this caliber only comes around once or twice a year if you are lucky…..
This was one of those sightings, and this is how it all went down…

The 4 cheetah brothers were located in the morning, and we expected them to be there when we got back in the afternoon, but on arrival found nothing… After a quick tracking session, I determined that the tracks were heading west away from the original location, and it was not long before we located them with some serious intent on hunting something down. Their mood was clear…. they were hungry and determined to catch something to eat. Well, after following them for about 30 mins with not an animal in sight for them to hunt, I left the sighting to go looking for a black rhino that lives in that area. We did not find the black rhino we were looking for, so I decided to go back to the hunting cheetahs. The sun was just setting, and then a call on the radio came… ” You can join us here “. It was not 30 seconds after the call came through on the radio, when all hell broke loose !! Zebra and wildebeest were running in every direction, kicking up a dust storm that blanketed the commotion of the crime scene. The cheetah had just pulled down a young wildebeest, and we unfortunately did not see the actual take down, but arrived there minutes after, to discover that the cheetahs were catching their breath and still strangling the last life out of the wildebeest.

After the dust had settled, they began to feed, and one of the cheetah opened up the carcass from the shoulder area, and it was not 2 minutes later that 1, 2, 3, 4, but 5 jackals appeared out of the woodwork all hoping for a scrap to eat when the cheetahs would be done feeding. But, that was not the only scavenger that heard all of this raucous, and as if he had been given the memo, a spotted hyena came in to join the melee of fresh smells of the kill. The hyena started approaching the 4 cheetah brothers and their kill. One of the cheetah confronted the hyena, which by the way is something that cheetahs also avoid, as they are low on the predator hierarchy.

The hyena paid no attention to the cheetah’s attempt at chasing him away, and just made his way straight into the kill, and started feeding, which for me was incredible, as 4 cheetah would be able to chase off the lone hyena, but they allowed him in to continue feeding with the odd hissing and spitting attempt to discourage the scavenger.

I have never seen this behaviour before, however I have seen a leopard feeding off of a carcass with a hyena before, but this astonished me, and I can only assume that the hyena must have been a very low ranking male within his clan dynamics, and was used to showing generous amounts of sharing, while the cheetah, being the lowest ranking in the predator hierarchy did not want to loose their hard earned meal, and they knew that fighting this hyena would have been for naught, so they opted for a communal feed instead.

It just goes to show, that everyday out here in the bush a new rule book is written, and you can always expect the unexpected !!

Another amazing and special moment was when a white rhino and her brand new calf came down to the waterhole for a drink. When I say brand new… maybe a couple of hours old. He was so tiny with oversized feet and was stumbling around his mothers’ feet trying to reach her teats for a sip of the life giving milk she had been preparing for him over the last 15 months while she was pregnant.
Something like this does not come every day, and it is great to see that mother nature is fighting the scourge of rhino poaching going on in our country at the moment !!

The lion prides are also doing extremely well, and the Mica and Jamala females are been kept very busy in their endeavours to catch food for them as they are growing very quickly.

The Bulaya females are also doing very well, and the new editions which are around 2 months old now, are bringing us some cute sightings as they get bullied by their older siblings.

The Naledi Males which are the fathers of the all these cubs are also moving around a lot, as they are doing some serious territory patrols going as far as the north west corner of the park to search for the Kgala male who may be a threat to their offspring, and have on various occasions this month returned to the territory with new battle scars.

The Wild dogs are still being very elusive, and we are struggling to get some good quality sightings from them, as they have still not shown their new puppies yet, but I can report that they are starting to travel with the adults on hunting expeditions, and I am sure they will be seen shortly, and we can not wait to get some good images of the new pups.

The large pack in the north of the park have had a confirmed 9 puppies added to their total and have been reported to be doing nicely, and killing on a daily basis to feed all of 26 dogs.

The other highlights for this month includes the greatest challenge for us as guides….. finding Tsala, our resident female leopard.
I am pleased to say our tracking efforts have not gone for naught, as we are finding her on a regular basis, and she has even spoilt us with some great sightings, and there is speculation that she is pregnant, so we will be monitoring her movements with great anticipation.

Well, that is all for the highlights of this month, and I wish you all a great August, and we look forward to the spring time coming soon…

Regards
Gavin and the fabulous T-team.

Just a little last minute thought…

The conservation of our natural heritage lies solely in the hands of us humans, and it is so sad that we are experiencing the drastic and unforgivable acts of people slaughtering our African wildlife for the misperceived ideas of animal body parts to be used to cure diseases or enhance human performance.

I am talking about the gross killing of our rhinos for their horns.

Their have been over 450 rhinos poached this year (at time of publishing this article) and it does not seem as if it will stop shortly, as the demand for rhino horn in the Asian communities is still strong. So what is being done about this atrocity? Well, us as nature conservationists are doing all we can to protect these magnificent animals from becoming extinct in the wild by supporting conservation efforts such as this one we were a part of a couple weeks ago.

Thanks to my frequent returning guests, the Agrizzi family, sponsorship for the capture and microchip implants as well as DNA sampling was carried out on 3 rhinos on this day, as well as the capture of lions with the goal of giving them identifying brands for future monitoring purposes, and this is just a few images showing what we did on this day.

If you are also interested in being a part of this, you can get involved by contacting me directly, or the lodge on +27 (0) 82 894 0960, and we can arrange this once in a lifetime opportunity for you before the rhino becomes extinct !

The following photos show how it all goes down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We promise you that this will be a life changing experience for every single human being involved!
Till next month!

Please remember that we are a ‘child friendly’ Lodge, with lots to do for the whole family!

Hope to see you soon!

P.S. Remember to befriend us on FACEBOOK for daily updates of sightings and special rates!

For enquiries please contact :
reservations@tuningi.co.za

Greetings from a chilly Madikwe!

Once again we had a fantastic month. Just as one begins to think that you have seen it all, Nature throws something amazing your way once again.

For instance; A while ago, the one Bulaya female lioness with her 2 brand new cubs were found close to Inkwe pan not far from the lodge. They were stashed under a very thick bush for a few weeks and then, one morning, one of the most memorable game drives of the month just happened without any effort at all.

This is how the morning unfolded…
We decided to go and look for these cubs and spend some time with them. On the way there I heard that someone else found them which resulted in all the other vehicles rushing in that direction, so I decided to let them be and to rather take it slow and easy making my way there.

We first watched the beautiful sunrise over Madikwe and then making our leisurely way to the lions, 2 Honey Badgers were spotted playing next to the road. I went crazy!

Not something we see often. They are the tanks of the bush, small but fearsome, they will force lions in another direction! After that excitement it was my turn to view the cubs.

When we arrived the other female with her 3 older cubs were there as well. The older cubs made the new mother a bit uncomfortable, as they wanted to play with the little balls of fur. The mother never rested. If it wasn`t the bigger ones playing too aggressively, the tiny cubs wanted to investigate our vehicles which made mommy very nervous.

Lucky for us the rush was over and we could really spend some quality time with then! What a morning!

This was also the month in which I saw my first chasing lion kill, EVER!!.
3 female lions were walking on the main road and soon after we got to them we noticed the one had disappeared, and then we heard it… She went to fetch some wildebeest and chased them towards us and the other females.

Everything just worked as planned. The young wildebeest ran into the ambush. A very clean, quick kill.

2 of the females disappeared while the other one had a feast. A few minutes later they came back with their 6 cubs, after which a feeding frenzy started. We were very lucky to see it all, from the start to the end.

Another surprise was a pangolin! We went far north east in search of a leopard one day.
The search was soon abandoned when we heard about the pangolin. Luckily we were close enough to go and view this amazing animal.

Up to a few months ago I was certain that they did not actually exist. And now I am lucky enough to say that this was my second sighting in one year.

Another bit of good news is that the female Brown Hyena in the Amphitheatre has 2 new very curious cubs. The Amphitheatre is one of the most amazing rock formations in the Enselsbergs I have ever seen.

We are very lucky to be able to spend time with them. With the youngster from last year also staying in the den, there is almost always some action.

The 4 cheetah males, who have now settled into Madikwe fully, are on the move all the time, making it very difficult to keep track of them. But if we`re lucky enough to get them it is always a highlight.

On one day they will be in the middle of the park and the next day they will be seen far down south, always keeping us on our toes. They do know how to strike the perfect pose every time!

Then last but CERTAINLY not the least!

Our favorite guests, the Agrizzi family, came to visit once again and was so kind to sponsor the helicopter as well as the vet for a full morning of conservation work in the park. We all got involved and had to work as the ground team, notching three rhinos, putting micro chips into their horns as well as branding some young lions and giving the lion girls some contraceptives.

No words can describe the feeling! To know that you have had a hand in saving these beautiful animals for our future!

P.S. Remember to befriend us on FACEBOOK for daily updates of sightings and special rates!

For enquiries please contact :
reservations@tuningi.co.za

Greetings as always!

May is generally a quiet month for us here at the lodge in terms of been flat out busy as we normally are, which gives us a good opportunity to catch up on some of the maintenance issues that need to be dealt with.

But as Christo experienced the other day, sightings of some amazing things will just find you no matter where you are, and in the next bit he will tell you all about this awesome sighting.

Sometimes the most amazing things happen right on your doorstep, literally. Yesterday morning a Yellow-bellied sand Snake caught a Yellow-throated plated Lizard in my garden. Had a chance to get some nice shots as the snake took about 20min to gulp down the lizard.

 

 

 

The news from the bush is brimming with expectation, as we are going crazy knowing that the small pack of wild dogs has denned up in the highest parts of the Dwarsberg mountains in the deep south of the reserve and is inaccessible to even our tough land cruisers!

So we are hoping that they will move soon, and show us their puppies. The reason why we are so excited is that there are 2 females which were pregnant which is extremely rare within the wild dog social system, as it is usually only the Alpha female which will fall pregnant.

So until they come down off of the Dwarsberg, we just have to wait for them to come hunting on the plains below, and then we have to make sure we are in the right place at the right time before they head off back to the den to feed the puppies.

Our resident pride of lions have been acting really strange this month with good reason. Cornelius located on 2 brand new cubs which are in the region of 2 weeks old, and unfortunately we don’t have any images of them, they are going to show them to us sooner or later. This means that the pride is now at a total of 2 adult females, and 5 cubs, and of coarse the 2 Naledi males which have been spending a lot of time with them to ensure the safety of the cubs.
Speaking of the territorial Naledi brothers, they are causing havoc with the Kgala male to the far north west of the park, and have been sighted fighting and chasing the Kgala male deep into the hills, and then stealing one of the females for a five day mating session, which gave us some splendid sightings.

Our cheetah brothers are doing extremely well, and have broadened their horizons in terms of expanding their home range. They have been travelling large distances and we think they are in search of a female, which alas we are not able of attaining at the moment, as there are no “lion aware” females” available for relocation to Madikwe at this time. There is hope for these boys however, and we will hopefully have a couple of females for them before the end of the year.

Other exciting news is that we have had a large clan of hyenas move into a culvert under the road close to the airstrip, and they have been giving us some extreme close ups, as the sub-adult cubs come sniffing under the wheel arches of our vehicles. Hopefully they will stay around that area for some time, as they are a real treat to witness and observe some of the most misunderstood animals in the animal kingdom.

We also had some special moments with a newly born elephant and its family. This little guy could not have been more than a few days old, and was still stumbling around at its mothers feet, before latching on to the nipple for some welcome nourishment.

Tshala the leopardess has been very scarce this month, but she did give us one phenomenal sighting, as we found her feeding on an impala kill she had made. She is moving across large distances at the moment, and we cannot help but think that she may be looking to mate with a male somewhere, as we have not seen her cub that we have been seeing with her a couple months ago. So we will be keeping a close eye on her movements over the next month or so.

The last of our serpentine friends are also making their final appearances, as they search for hibernating homes to spend the worst of the winter months that are on the way. This black mamba was sunning itself on the road one afternoon, and was very lethargic, and gave us a chance to grab our cameras to get an image of one of the most feared snakes in the world.

So that is it for this month, and we get ready for the cooler winter nights by having copious amounts of gluwein on standby for our guests coming back from the amazing Safaris we produce for all of you visiting us here at Tuningi Safari Lodge.

P.S. Remember to befriend us on FACEBOOK for daily updates of sightings and special rates!

For enquiries please contact :
reservations@tuningi.co.za

Carmen and Sean’s Bush Adventures

In this month’s newsletter two of our recent guests agreed to share their Tuningi experience with us. We hope you enjoy their bush adventure.

Tuningi Safari Lodge – Madikwe

Early last year I won a competition through Indiri and Rock-jumper safaris for a three night stay for two at the 5 star ‘Tuningi Safari Lodge’ located in the Madikwe Game Reserve. The following is a brief trip report of all we experienced. Now sit back, relax and let us take you on a journey of a lifetime.

Up at 4:30am on Monday morning, either of us not able to contain our excitement we packed the car with one clothes bag and three camera bags and off we went! Madikwe is approximately 380km from Pretoria and allowed ourselves 5 hours for the drive up, thinking a few stops and slow drive to check in at 10am. We arrived at Zeerust at 8am, with only 94km or so to go we decided to have a hearty breakfast at the local Wimpy and a coffee to rejuvenate ourselves for the last stretch. Arriving at Wonderboom gate at Madikwe Game Reserve was not at all what was expected, with only a small face brick and thatch roof and a boom gate to enter I think I was expecting an extravagant entrance. None the less we filled in our details on the entrance permit and the excitement began to build once more as the guard radioed in to Tuningi lodge announcing our arrival.

As we drove down the gravel road to the front of the lodge, we arrived and parked right in front of the reception entrance lobby. With its beautiful large wooden doors and thatch roof we were met by Lorraine who have us a very warm and enthusiastic welcome. After introducing herself and serving us our welcoming drinks (a divine sweet mix of litchi water and something I cannot pronounce) we were shown the lobby/entrance hall and filled in our details and indemnity forms whilst chatting about the drive up and what game we had seen (which was only a few zebra and elephant, but animals none the less!).

Once all the formalities were over, we were advised that lunch would be served at 2pm and until then we could walk around exploring the lodge and our room and relaxing. We drove up to our room, which was number 8, situated right at the other end, on the edge of the lodge next to an exclusive private pool area (which we were asked to make full use of). Our bags were taken to the room and we were allowed to settle in.

We spent the next hour or so looking around the room, amazed at not only the size but also of all the ‘little touches’ that turned out to make our stay so memorable.One of the many small touches, two mini Amarula and a welcome note with all the information you may need for your stay. Once relaxed and unpacked we proceeded to walk down to the main lodge to have a look around and a refreshing drink.

By the time we had finished our drinks it was time for lunch and we went and sat at our ‘allocated personal’ table set up for the two of us. A few more cool drinks were in order as it was quite warm and sunny…

As soon as were seated, Franz, the bar man came to check if our drinks were still alright, already with what we had previously ordered in tray. First off we were introduced staff member by staff member as they each came to serve us their own item such as drinks, coffee, tea, place our napkins etc. We started lunch off with freshly baked bread with the usual accompaniments such as balsamic and olive oil.

This was followed by a vegetable sushi. As many people know, and vegetables are suspect to me and I usually try avoid them at the best of times but I thought after close inspection that I might as well try it. I do not know what the different sauces drizzled on the plate were but before I knew it I had finished all of it and wiped my plate clean!

As a mains for lunch we chose and were served fried calamari…and oh my how delicious it was. A light, thin, feathery batter covered the tender calamari strips with a tartar sauce drizzled over. I had my fill of greens for the day and decided to skip the side salad but was assured by Sean it was delicious. For dessert, which I skipped as well, was a fried plum in an almost caramelised sauce with mango sorbet. Sean had it down in almost one gulp!

With our tummies full and completely satisfied, we slowly made our way back to the room to go check out the private pool area, but before this, were told dinner would be served in the boma, and we needed to be back at the lodge at 4pm for the afternoon drive. Our sun-downer drinks were taken down and prepared for the stop later on. The private pool area was absolutely stunning, secluded and a picture perfect representation of luxury in the bush. We decided the water looked irresistible and decided to take a quick dip to cool down but WOW the water was cold!

Once cooled down and refreshed, we got ready for our afternoon drive. Being eager beavers we arrived at 3:30pm and were introduced to our ranger, Christo. We then introduced ourselves to the other guests joining us, a German couple, exceptionally friendly and funny with a young very well behaved toddler who had been at the lodge for a few days. We got our water and were off!

Game viewing was a little bit slow and the frustration was clear on Christo’s side but fantastic being in the bush and enjoying the serenity of it all.

Halfway through the drive and after a bit of serious bundu bashing, we stopped in a clearing just as the sun was setting. Here Christo laid out an amazing spread of snacks such as chilly bites (which Sean seemed to polish off every time hahaha), crackers with cream cheese topped with a sweet chilly dressing and a few other bits. After finishing our sundowners (Hunters Dry for me and Amstel for Sean) we were on our way again.

As we arrived back at the lodge, we were taken to the front area for our boma dinner. The boma deck is situated under a big tree, filled with lanterns, overlooking a watering hole.

Once settled, Franz, the barman from earlier, already had our drinks on ice and waiting. The staff always seem to know what you want 2 minutes before you even ask for it. We were welcomed back from our drive with some medium cream sherry to warm up a little bit and told about the food to be served. It was a boma buffet with the most amazing options to choose from.

Starters consisted of fresh bread, salads and the usuals and this incredibly mouth-watering, bowl licking butternut and coconut soup. For mains, the buffet consisted of true African dishes such as pap and sauce, mixed vegetables, gem squash with sweetcorn and cheese, basmati rice and oxtail potjie, chicken with a creamy wholegrain mustard sauce and lamb chops and mint sauce. We were so tired and ‘stuffed’ we forgot to take a photo of dessert….Malva pudding and vanilla custard!

As dessert was being brought out, some of the staff came down the walkway from the top of the lodge in sing and dance, adding to the African flair and ambiance of the bush. Before making our way back up to the room, we were bid good night and asked if we wanted the 5am wake up call for the morning drive and told tea and coffee would be served at 5:45am and the drive leaving at 6am.

As we got back, a personal message and some yummy chocolates were left on our bedside tables along with the lights turned down, curtains drawn, bed turned down and mozzie nets let loose. The bath was so ginormous I could sit sideways in it!

We got our 5:30am wakeup call and I got to snooze while I was given coffee in bed (which happened every morning! :)) We got all our cameras together, dressed warmly and made our way down for the drive.

Once again, halfway through the drive we stopped in a clearing where Christo offered us coffee, hot chocolate, muffins etc. We enjoyed a nice hot cup of mocha lattes whilst looking around and stretching our legs.

As we got back from our drive we were seated in our usual area and offered tea and coffee. The breakfast spread consisted of crackers and cheeses, fresh fruits, cereals and flapjacks. The hot menu had two options, either the breakfast special or a hot breakfast where you could choose fried/scrambled/poached eggs, bacon, pork sausage, beef sausage, mushrooms, fried tomato and toast.

We both could not resist the breakfast special which was French toast, crispy bacon, pork sausage mozzarella and wholegrain mustard 🙂 After filling up on breakfast we decided to relax at the pool again.

After waking up and a little sun burnt we made our way back to the lodge for lunch, where the menu was given to us after breakfast to decide what we wanted. For lunch starters it was avo with a caramelised onion and sundried tomatoes. Mains was venison pot pie, which was so tender it left our mouths watering and for dessert was fresh fruit pavlova and cream.

After lunch we heard the elephants drinking at the waterhole and decided to pay them a visit before heading back up to the room to relax before the afternoon drive.Once relaxed we made our way back to the lodge for the afternoon drive once again. We could not imagine what was waiting for us later…

Quite a slow drive in the beginning, then the radio went crazy and Christo was on it as fast as you can imagine. As we rounded the corner, a large pack of wild dogs was waiting at the dam wall. The alpha male had recently died due to a broken leg from a hunting accident and a new alpha had taken his place. The Parks Board had just collared the new alpha and we caught them just before they moved off.

At first the pack was lazy and just enjoying the break from hunting…

Then the one female that was coming into season started trotting around and the whole pack followed with tackling and flipping and biting and chasing, putting on a real show. After a good run around they went for a drink at the dam. Before making their way back into the bush for hunting they made one last appearance on the dam wall for a truly African photograph. A white rhino later joined on its way to the dam for a drink and a giraffe allowed for some interesting silhouettes.

I had arranged a private dinner to celebrate Sean and my two year anniversary. The entire staff was in on it and kept it a secret from Sean, and no need to say he was very very surprised. They had set up a table beautifully at the private pool with all the drinks we needed and a roaring fire going in the fire pit. A phone was placed there where we could call when we were done with starters and wanted mains or more drinks and so on.

Once Wilma left she was to be back in about 15 minutes with the starters. As Sean and I got our drinks, all hell broke loose. About 15 meters on the pitch black of the night growls and screams and squeals rocked our ears. I had no idea what it was and thought a lion or leopard had caught an antelope. By the sounds of it, it was one hell of a struggle, all the while Sean is leaning over the deck poles shining a torch to see what is going on, I am on the phone calling reception to tell them something is being killed near us. Lorraine answers calmly and asks how it is going, I answer in a frantic voice that there is something a few meters from us, we can’t see anything and it sounds like it’s being killed. She answers with…”you will be fine…is there anything I can bring you?” I ran back to Sean as we heard whatever it was that was squealing get away and thunder past just meters away….we know there is something very big and very scary lurking in the bushes right by us and I am using Sean as a shield hahaha. Just after Wilma arrives with our starters and I run to her to tell her what happened. She laughs and says it was Brown hyenas fighting! OMW how could sounds like that come out of an animal???? After a good chuckle we settled down for our starters. I cannot for the life of me remember what it was called but was salmon with a cream cheese type stuffing.

For mains I had the beef fillet with wedges and crispy vegetables and a peppercorn sauce and Sean has the Pork slithers with crispy vegetables. Unfortunately the camera battery died before we could get photos of the dessert which was a vanilla panacotta or something to that effect. After mains the elephant also paid us a visit to have a nice drink at the flow pool.

After a very eventful and memorable night we went to bed to be ready for our early morning drive. The next morning was quite chilly and we prepared ourselves for a great day out in the bush.

A good drive with various sightings of antelope, birds and elephants and once again a mid-drive stop in a clearing in the bush. While enjoying a good cup of hot chocolate and coffee an elephant decided to stop by and amber past us.

Once again there was a surprise waiting for us at another dam…two lionesses lying in the shade of some trees. The one had three cubs and they had not had a successful hunt for four days and so looked up with every sound, but in true lion fashion, slept.

When we got back to the lodge we were once again in for a feast. The normal spread of fresh fruits, cold meats, crackers, cheeses, cereals and pancakes. We again opted for the special breakfast which was an English muffin with scrambled egg, bacon and wholegrain sauce.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing and unwinding getting our tummies ready for lunch which was a starter of a type of tuna pate, mains was chicken burgers (WOW) and dessert was a lemon tart which was similar to a lemon cheese cake.

Once lunch was done we placed our orders for dinner and relaxed in the room looking over our deck until the afternoon drive. Here we were surprised by some Little Bee-eaters, a white rhino having a good drink that was joined by an elephant. Our evening finished off with a spectacular sunset and a Giant Eagle Owl.

Every night after an evening drive we were welcomed back with a hot scented towel and medium cream sherry. For our last night meal we feasted on vegetable spring rolls for starters, lamb shank with a mint sauces and sundried tomato rice for mains and crème brulee for dessert.

With the beautiful skies at Madikwe we thought it only appropriate to try taking some star trails or some pics of the stars at least…Once finished with the star trails we got back to the room to an amazing surprise that the staff had organised for us…just another touch that made the trip so incredible.

On our last morning it was again an early wakeup call but it proved to be all well worth it. We arrived for coffee at 6am and went out right after we were finished. As we drove around we were greeted by the usual Madikwe animals…then after the last few days, all the hard work paid off and we located the four cheetah brothers.

After our last and final game drive where we were absolutely spoilt for choice it was time to say our farewells to our new found Tuningi family and only promise to come visit again soon…what a dream to be able to experience such beauty only found in the African bush.

Until next time…

You can see more pictures by visiting Carmen and Sean’s blog here >>>

We look forward to welcoming you on your own bush adventure soon.

Kind regards,
The T-Team

P.S. Remember to befriend us on FACEBOOK for daily updates of sightings and special rates!

For enquiries please contact :
reservations@tuningi.co.za

Bush Greetings from Tuningi to you all once again.

Slowly but surely the season is turning and the nip in the early morning air is telling us winter is creeping closer yet again. The grass has already turned golden yellow and dried out and even the trees are starting to lose their leaves. But we are not in the least complaining, because traditionally winter is the best time for game viewing. With the grass short, no leaves on the trees and water only in the bigger dams, Madikwe becomes a game drive paradise.

During March we had some incredible game drives and we will share some of the highlights with you. Our four new superstars have yet again produced some of the best sightings this month. Yes you guessed it, I am talking about our coalition of 4 male cheetahs and the highlight was when we found them on a young redhartbeest kill. The kill was still fresh as they had only started on the succulent rear of the redhartbeest. It was rather amazing to see just how quick they stuff their faces to get as much meat in as possible, before they are disturbed by other predators. Lucky for them no other predators showed up and when we went back the afternoon to check on them, we found only bones and 4 very uncomfortable cheetahs.

The Bulaya females and the 3 cubs are also providing us with endless pleasure, especially since they hang around close to the lodge and are the first thing we look for early in the mornings. The cubs are becoming rather big and mom has her handful looking after the 3 youngsters as they start exploring more and more.

Our 2 lion males from the south, the Naledi brothers are as busy as ever and have brand new cubs to show for their effort. The Jamala females have both had new cubs, but are still hiding them in the thickets so we are super excited to get a first glimpse of them. This will make the southern pride a bit of a super pride as they already consist of 15 lions. So I am sure some great sighting is to come of them.

The Wild dogs have as always produced super sightings and one morning we found them running down the road. We must have spent almost an hour with them as we watched them trying to secure breakfast, unfortunately unsuccessfully. Until after a few kilometres they decided to rather head to a watering hole and spent the day lounging around.

The kids program at Tuningi keeps on entertaining lots of children! This month Solomon, Sami & Tobi Mhar who returned to Tuningi, also won one of the clay building competitions.

A new game has arrived at Tuningi and we are calling all children to come and join in the fun!!

Remember to book your spot at Tuningi for the winter months. Come and enjoy some wine around a cosy fire, relax with a book / camera at the lodge watering hole were animals will entertain you from breakfast to dinner and enjoy the adventure that Tuningi game drive has to offer.

Well that is all from us for this month!
For more daily updates follow us on facebook:
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Till next time!

Bush Regards
Christo & The Tuningi Team

For enquiries please contact :
reservations@tuningi.co.za

Hello again to all our extended family !!

Its time again for the monthly newsletter, and February will not disappoint you….. as if it has before !
It has been an extremely dry month, with hardly any signs of the heavenly fluid needed by all to survive here in the Madikwe savannas. The grasses are starting to lose their vibrancy, showing signs of an early winter.
One positive facet of the drier times is that we are able to track animals for our guests a lot easier, as the sand is softer and allows us to read the signs clearly.

An animal that needs a lot of tracking skill is that elusive spotted creature we call the Leopard! We are extremely lucky at the moment with our resident leopardess and her new cub, as she has finally allowed us to come close to her 4 month old female cub. One fabulous afternoon, after a long and patient tracking session to the south of the lodge we found her snoozing up in a marula tree. Happy with our efforts it was a brisk walk back to the vehicle to give the guests the good news. On approach to the sleeping beauty, something moved above her in the branches, and out poked the cutest thing you had ever seen. It was her cub ! Unbelievably she allowed us to view her without being a slight bit frightened of the new sights and sounds of people so close to her, and I definitely think it has all to do with her mother who is super chilled. Needless to say, we had a great time with the two of them resting in the tree, before mom decided it was time to go “shopping” for an impala for dinner.

Another memorable sighting this month, was at Tlou Dam in the north one morning when we came across a herd of about 200 buffalo all quenching their thirsts in the golden light of sunrise.

Then all of a sudden their was a loud crack, and dust erupting from behind a bush when two large males popped out with their horns locked in battle ! It is not a very regular sighting to see two males having a serious fight, and the display of power was immense, as they wrestled for dominance. This must have gone on for about 30 minutes before they vanished into some thickets.

The Bulaya females and their 3 cubs are also doing extremely well, and the highlight of the month with them was one crisp morning after a bit of rain when we located them finishing off a wildebeest carcass. They were in a very happy mood as they were bouncing around all over the place, obviously chuffed with their mothers who had brought dinner to the table that night. The cute factor tipped the end of the scale as they stared at our guests with those mesmerizing eyes.

As far as the wild dogs go, they are still causing carnage all over the park, killing on a daily basis. We as guides get all very excited when we follow these super efficient predators on a hunt, as we know we have a pretty good chance of witnessing a kill. Wild Dogs kill about 80% of what they chase, and if you can keep up with their pace as they chase impala and kudu you will be in for a once in a lifetime experience.

The heat is also bringing huge amounts of elephants to the dams, especially in the afternoons where they come to drink and cool off. And when they cool off it is somewhat of a spectacle, as they splash mud all over the place, and then even climb into the water for a leisurely swim.

Finally, the cheetah introduction is also doing very well, as the 2 different coalitions are hunting and killing successfully, and wowing us with their astonishing speed as they set off after their preferred prey items such as impala and kudu.

They have been setting up territory close to the lodge, and we are very happy that they have chosen this area to settle down in. This means we are seeing them on a very regular basis and adds value to the already great sightings to be had here at Tuningi Lodge.

P.S. Remember to befriend us on FACEBOOK for daily updates of sightings and special rates!

For enquiries please contact :
reservations@tuningi.co.za