Thanda Private Game Reserve

Trip Start Aug 10, 2012

Trip End Aug 25, 2012

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Where I stayed

Thanda Private Game Reserve Hluhluwe

What I did

Game Drives

Flag of South Africa Thanda Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Saturday, August 18, 2012

Today was a great day for viewing. Maybe tops occurred late in the afternoon.....we happened on a lioness, bleeding from 2 legs, limping off to lick her wounds. Blood was under her chin, too. Not far away, in the bush, was the carcass of a warthog with its hind quarter missing! Wow, to happen on a kill is rare and a real treat for us.

We were surprised...squirmy in our seats surprised at first!...how close our Land Rover would get to the animals. I am a bit sensitive to this, not wanting to interfere with wildlife when I see local killer whale tours get too close to a pod, but here it was all calm. We seemed to be treated like another animal albeit a bigger one like a rhino. All animals from lions to cheetahs would let us get about 10-15 meters close. Shy breeds like gazelles, zebras, giraffes or warthogs would scurry away sooner. We always gave elephants a wide berth!

The pictures tell the story. After the morning game drive, we caught a drive to the main Thanda Lodge where Susan had a 2-hour head-to-toe spa. Mmmmm. The Lodge is home to several deluxe suites (full of Asians during our stay) although there is an even more plush accommodation on the Reserve: booking the Royal Private Villa, accommodating 10 guests in 5 villas, entitles guests to a private vehicle with a ranger and tracker, a private chef and a personal masseuse. It goes for just over $6,400 CAD. Breakfast included...

Slideshow

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Etienne & Xolani check morning tracks	Morning slurp	Morning at the waterhole	Etienne talks about a warthog skull (check tusks)
Xolani gets front-seat view of the Cape Buffalo	Oxpecker bird on horns of a buffalo	Up close with the herd	Oxpecker birds picking the ticks off buffalo
Fever tree: a splash of yellow on the savannah	Why did the cheetah roam across the road?...	Frisky zebras	Returning home for breakfast at Thanda camp
Susan and our Tent 3	Back at our tented camp -- the boma community area	Poolside at Thanda	The main lodge spa has its own therapeudic views
Oxpecker birds like giraffes, too	Amazing how close we get to all the wildlife	Afternoon delight	Wuzup?
Wounded lioness with warthog kill behind in bushes	Sunset on the savannah	"Sundowner" refreshment stop,..Milky Way to come.	Zulu dancers at the bush dinner