Once again I, together with my wife Carolyn, find ourselves on the road to iDube in the Sabie Sands. It is one of our favourite lodges and this will be our 4th trip to spend time there.
“Why is it your favourite”? I hear readers ask…well, I have no concrete evidence to prove that statement other than the fact that we are already planning our next visit for 2023. If the camp was not full when we left this time, we might well have stayed on for another couple of nights!
From the accommodation to the food to the staff both in camp and on our drives there was nothing worth complaining about.
We have met some wonderful people during our visits there, several of whom have become friends and with whom we have kept in touch.
This trip was no exception and we hope that the couple that we met will stay in touch. We shared several most interesting and exciting game drives which is what forms the basis for ‘game lodge friendships’.
This post is an overview of some of the experiences that my wife and I enjoyed and I hope will cause YOU, dear reader to want to visit iDube.
Arrival drinks…and why not indeed?
Even during the latter stages of the pandemic when we last visited iDube, drinks were served. Always a welcome moment when arriving at a lodge.
But what we did not miss on this trip was the fact that when we were last here we were met at the entrance by a staff member in a mask who checked our vaccination status and took our temperatures.
That being said, I did notice that the housekeeping staff were wearing masks on this trip, but that could work both ways to protect them from infection by guests. Unlikely but possible.
When the lodge was renovated in 2011, this gazebo was added and it has become a favourite spot of mine to sit, relax and watch the various animals that call the camp home wander past.
In my opinion, this space adds character to the lodge and has blended in well with the existing buildings rather than standing out as an addition.
Right outside reception, but safely high up in a tree. A female Boomslang has taken up residence in a hole and although one of South Africa’s most venomous snakes, they tend to shy away from human contact, preferring to remain aloft, rather than descend to ground level; and the possibility of interaction with either staff or guests.
A Blue-headed Agama.
I do like these reptiles that skitter across the rocks and up and down the trees within the safety of the camp.
And, in a tree at the entrance to the property, this male Boomslang was hiding in a hole.
To me, how he and the female might eventually get together is a mystery, as they live at opposite ends of the property.
That being said, he seemed to vanish for the final two days of our visit, so perhaps he did go a’courting?
When there is ‘nothing’ to photograph, there is always a lone ant that attracts attention.
This was taken at the hide near the dining area, given the fact that there was no large game to view, I decided to focus (pun intended) on the little critters right in front of me.
I very seldom go out on game drives when it rains, but I am glad that I did in this instance or I would have not seen a rather wet and bedraggled female leopard named Tisela ( meaning be patient)
We were lucky enough to see her the following day when the weather was in our favour.
I will have to reassess my rainy game drives going forward. Why? Because if you are prepared, as I was, then rain adds a different experience to the drive.
Before going out, I had already donned a waterproof poncho and protected my camera with its own rain jacket. (This had been given to me as a 60th birthday present and has languished in my camera bag, unused, for the past 9 years).
The other preparation was the vehicle had put its canopy on, which meant that we were partly protected from the downpour. Going out in an open-topped vehicle would not have been an option…for me anyway.
Dawn over the African bushveld. The view of the morning sky from the deck of our suite.
Although there was a lot of cloud about, there was no more major rain for the duration of our stay.
This is what you get if you mix a hyena and a wild dog.
It seemed as if this young hyena had aligned itself with a small pack of wild dogs, who tolerated its presence rather than expending energy trying to chase it away.
If it would be allowed to share in the spoils of a kill I do not know as we were not there to witness any of that interaction.
Could this be classed as the first impala lamb of the season?
What we DID get to witness was the pack chasing an impala female into Skotia Dam where she was promptly caught and dispatched by this enormous croc.
Turned out that she was pregnant, so the croc got a starter as well as a main course.
This sighting might not be for everyone, but it is just the way nature works.
The Impala was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The croc was in the right place at the right time. And in a manner of speaking, you could say that I and the other photographers in the vehicle were also exactly where we needed to be. Just bearing witness to this and although we were not physically involved, we were, and still are, emotionally invested in what we saw.
Impala rams doing play fighting now that the rutting season is over for 2022.
This fighting is not serious jousting for mating rights and the attention of the ewes, it is merely for the rams to keep up with their preparation for next season.
It seems to be triggered by the upcoming lambing season when the females have increased levels of estrogen.
KARMA. After watching a large croc devour an impala female and foetus, we came across Msava (meaning soil) snacking on a croc that he had caught.
This is probably one of the smallest male leopards I have photographed, yet he was able to turn a predator into prey
The Cheetah in the reserves have no names!
I found this strange as both the lions and the leopards are named. However, perhaps this is as a result of the migratory nature of the cheetah that wander across several properties and naming them might cause confusion?
This youngster is the offspring of the female known as Boulders. Cubs do not get named until they are at least 24 months old, and this gender-neutral youngster is only 6 months old.
I say gender neutral as our guide did not know what gender it was. There is a high mortality rate amongst cubs, hence the delay in naming them.
A first for me!
A Verreaux’s eagle-owl, also known as the Giant Eagle Owl, out in the open in the fading afternoon light.
Sunset over the Sabie Sands Reserve and beyond.
The end of another splendid day in the African bush, while enjoying the hospitality and the company of the guests at iDube.
My final image of the trip…sort of says it all.
4 nights at our favourite camp in the Sabi Sands. If you want to find out more about their current specials and offers, click on the logo above to visit their website
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