Even before the staff arrived to greet me, I noticed this young Klipspringer behind the room that I had stayed at on a previous visit.
It the offspring of a resident pair that call Chacma Bush Camp ‘home’.
This is the view that the staff have while waiting for arriving guests to park their cars and make their way towards the main buildings.
And speaking of parking, it is only a few meters from the accommodation, so if you forget something, you do not have to don hiking boots and a backpack to fetch whatever you left behind.
And seeing that the camp can only accommodate 6 adults,(there is accommodation for 4 children, should families wish to visit) said car park is never overfull.
Chacma Bush Camp is set within the Maseke Balule Game Reserve, an 8000-hectare private game that shares open borders with the Kruger National Park. It can be accessed via the R40 in the direction of Phalaborwa, about 45km from Hoedspruit. With flights from both Johannesburg and Cape Town flying into Eastgate airport just outside Hoedspruit, guests are able to fly in and utilize a shuttle service to get them to and from the camp.
Grysbok Chalet, where I would be staying in on my first night. Only a few meters from the pool and dining area, it offers family accommodation as it is the only chalet that offers separate room for children…but more of that in a moment.
It is also where I stayed on a previous visit, and the owners believe in the adage ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. It is as I remember it and opening the door was like returning home.
The main bedroom. It overlooks the koppie behind the camp and guests might even be lucky to see a leopard walk past after dark.
At night the room transforms into an intimate space with the addition of the mosquito net.
For me there is something special about sleeping under a net that harkens back to days of yore, when these nets were essential to stop the possibility of contracting malaria. With the advent of a variety of sprays and medication to ward of that dreadful sickness, the nets, certainly in the major reserves, could possibly be eradicated. But lodge owners want to make certain that the annoying and sometimes deadly mozzies are kept at bay.
For the youngsters…or the young at heart?
This chalet is the only one that has this type of accommodation for families. The other two (currently as there are plans for another room to be added) offer pull out sleeper couches in the main room.
Lunch is served. Chacma offers guests breakfast, lunch and dinner as part of the package.
All the meals that I had were well presented and delicious. Can guests want any more? I don’t think so.
If you have special dietary needs and you inform the camp when you book, they will bend over backwards to accommodate your requirements.
The view from the veranda of the chalet that I spent my first night in.
The building in the picture houses the room that I would move to, Steenbok Chalet, the office as well as the kitchen.
My room for Day 2 of my stay. Please excuse the suitcase and the discarded vellies.
This room was airy and bright, with a seating area that faces a deck that guests can sit on in order to have a private view of the waterhole and the animals that frequent it.
There was only one problem with this chalet, it was so close to the dining area that I was unable to use my usual excuse of ‘I will walk off dessert on the way back to my accommodation’ This as a result of the front door being less than 20 steps from the dining table!
But that aside, it was a spacious room with all the amenities I required and then some.
The epitome of post game drive…a shower before heading off to breakfast.
Note the shirt and bush hat…
‘How close were you to the waterhole’ was a question that was asked on my return.
THIS CLOSE…
And if the weather is not playing along, or guests do not want to be too close to the wildlife wandering past, then sitting inside is an option
Breakfast of a different kind. It had been a while since I had enjoyed mince on toast together with a fried egg, or two, for a post game drive breakfast.
And it was delicious.
Perhaps bacon was not on offer in deference to this warthog that made the waterhole is domain while we sat and watched?
The evening sky from an area in front of one of the old Mica mines that are dotted around the property.
The reflection in the middle ground is one of the many dams.
Chacma baboons settling in for the night. They use these rather intrusive power pylons to sleep in as they offer both protection from predators as well as a great vantage point should the baboons feel threatened.
Dinner was about to be served…
When THIS sighting occurred, not 20m from where we were preparing to enjoy our dinner.
This young, somewhat skittish leopard was wandering round the outskirts of the camp, no doubt trying to figure out if there was food on offer. Luckily the family of Klipspringers were on high alert and survived the night unscathed.
It was interesting that we had spent and entire game drive searching for this shy, iconic predator only to find it waiting for us when we returned.
It is said that the best sighting are always either the day before you arrive or the day after you leave.
In this instance, an English guest had left the morning of this sighting NOT having seen a leopard during his stay. It was left up to me to send him the picture and let him know what he had missed by just a few hours,
But that is the nature of a safari-type holiday, you win some, you loose some. Having seen his bird images on his Instagram feed, I know that Andy has taken wonderful memories back home with him. And seeing the leopard remained unseen, it will be a reason for him to return in the not too distant future?
To find out more about the camp and what it offers, click on the logo above to visit their website.
Chacma Bush Camp belongs to this group. Find out more about other Sun Destination Lodges by clicking on their logo.
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