Safari Journals: Mapesu Private Game Reserve
I have just finished another incredible 4-day stay in Mapungubwe but the journey doesn't end here I've been invited to stay just a few kilometers away at the neighboring Mapesu private game reserve where I'll be trading chilly nights in my small ground tent for something a little more comfortable I have absolutely no idea what to expect over the next 4 days and that's perfect because the story is never written, it's discovered. I've just arrived at Mopane Bush Lodge at Mapesu private game reserve time to check in and get settled in see what the rest of the day has in store for us I've been checked into zebra room this place has taken me by surprise let's have a look I'm not used to this kind of comfort in the bush but after four cold and dusty nights at Mazhou campsite this was a welcome site. Mopane Bush Lodge is a luxury four star Safari Lodge nestled in the heart of the vibrant Mopane Bush the words that come to mind are simple rustic but elegant I met with owners Quinten Lindy and their humorous little daughter at the bar area where I got filled in on some of the exciting things to come over the next 4 days a great welcome party to Mopani Bush Lodge starting with Sundowners at the Confluence Viewpoint which is just a short drive into the neighboring Mapungubwe National Park I have been here before around midday but to stand overlooking three countries as the Earth tilts away from the sun just hits different the theme of meeting extremely kind people in the Limpopo Valley continues from the arrival to the sunset to a meal by the fire the welcome has been warm in every way by the sounds of things the next 4 days will be filled with new experiences starting tomorrow morning with a glimpse into the past Here it's everything from grasshoppers to elands to mongose, that's why they decided we'll name it after the god of the animals because there's so many of them and and how do we pronounce that? that's up to you to be able to get a window into thousands of years ago into the San people the Khoi Khoi how they connected with the the spiritual realm what their beliefs were and what the what was important to them there was a few moments there where Quinton was talking and I just like got goosebumps and almost got tears in my eyes just because you really do connect with a very important piece of History here it's just a strange feeling I highly recommend you come here for yourself feel it for yourself We've all been here at some stage we had some time to see some of the local bird life on the way back to the lodge where I enjoyed breakfast and some downtime before the afternoon's activities all right so we have just left for a short afternoon game Drive we're just going to go at the flow and see what we see before a bush dinner and maybe even a night Drive later on which should be interesting lovely game Drive even better bush dinner star of the show for me was the slow braised melt in your mouth oxtail what a treat it's time to get dressed a little bit warmer it's going to be quite chilly out there we're about to go on a night drive but mainly you'll see like tortoises and small little mammals coming to chew on it and uh what's quite amazing is like a giraffe during the winter time like now this time of the year is called osteophagea what means that it's a it's a calcium uh intake what they need per winter time so it will eat the the bottom of it and then eventually the tree will get infected and obviously die off after many many many years but that's porcupine that is only porcupine what does that okay yeah you can nicely see how it's chewesd this ancient landscape seems to be filled with fascinating Windows into simpler times I resonate with the people becoming their animal counterparts in order to gain wisdom I too have had these experiences and I feel deeply connected to it in ways that I can't even begin to explain. Mapesu is allowing me to feel that connection so we're just finishing up our little bumble this morning it's been quite incredible with those lions and buffalo some good general game Quinten has just spotted something I've never actually seen before a feather from a Kori Bustard how massive is that quite impressive but it makes sense with it being the the heaviest flying bird around these parts wow I am seriously looking forward to this an enriching visit to the UNESCO mapungubwe world heritage site which holds important evidence of Southern Africa's very first Kingdom ruling between 9900 and 1300 AD the King was buried right here just amazing to be here these visits between Mapesu and Mapungubwe have been seamless allowing for a truly holistic experience Thanks Mopane bush Lodge for all the amazing memories but it's time to make some new ones this is Wilderness Camp I'll give you a little bit of a tour starting off with my tent if you've watched any of my videos you'll know that I love a safari tent but this is taking it to a new level not the worst view either let me show you the rest of the the camp I'm very excited to be here firstly because it's unfenced so that just brings a whole bunch of potential here I'm going to be fetched soon to go back to myani and not for any kind of bush activity but to watch a very important Springbok rugby game come on Bokke a last minute defeat was easy to forget with pizza Boma night to look forward to it was delicious so much has happened over the last few days it all feels like a blur but the little moments in between are what's standing out clearly and waking up to this pastel Colored Sky is definitely one of them it feels like I've hardly just met this place and just starting to get to know it but this morning we are going looking for cheatahs from there we will be heading to Lucca Lodge and finishing off this amazing journey in style this region once impacted by cattle farming and overgrazing has undergone a transformative conservation effort with a goal to restore the area's natural beauty Mapesu's collaboration with the EWT's cheetah meta population project means that cheetahs have been reintroduced we climb a rocky outcrop which offers a good height to scan from as well as another window into the past here's a couple of the items we found here so these are pottery shards this is a an arrow tip wow you can still see the the little flange on there and these are broken bits of blue beads I think there's even an intact little bead here that would have been traded uh initially with the with the Chinese and the Indians and the Persians in uh exchange for Ivory and whatever they would have found in these parts and this big stone that it's all lying on top of is a big grinding stone that's obviously split with time yeah around the time of Mzilikazi his name means the Great River of blood he was born the son of Mashobane near Mkuze Zulu land many consider him to be the greatest Southern African military leader after the Zulu King Shaka yeah so around that time you know this whole place was a Battleground between the Zulus and the Vendas and when this place was settled by the Europeans in 1886 they would have just been crossing the Limpopo hiding from further expansion and all of this stuff would just pick up on the floor it's just lying around, yeah we don't want to take it with us some of the cheetah are fitted with tracking collars to monitor their movements a cheetah tracking and walking experience is just one of the many activities offered here we picked up the signal for them when we left Wilderness Camp this morning but obviously we're a little bit higher there we got a bit more reach but I've got a good feeling that they're still in this direction but they could be in in a little drain or culvert we'll see it's early days still nice and cool out they might be walking around it's it's definitely no guarantee right even though we have these tools to to help us there's no guarantee okay we we're going to try our best though all right great we've just moved to a new location to scan for these cheatahs again there we go Can you hear that? The cheetah males are in that direction that sounds promising just um slowly approaching them on foot they are quite well habituated to people being on foot with them just as long as we are very respectful of their space and and uh don't interfere with their behavior at all then they are totally fine with us so these these cheetahs are very much wild right yes they're completely wild they were never hand raised they were never fed we don't touch them we don't feed them they've never been captive they've always just been wild cheetah they've just become used to our presence you know we we're so used to approaching them on foot that they know that we're not a threat and we always respect their boundaries we left the cheatahs to enjoy the morning sunshine and stopped off to appreciate the biggest Baobab tree I have ever had the privilege of seeing I think this video is definitely never going to do the size of this baobab any justice at all there's some perspective for you and Quinten is not the smallest guy either never in my wildest dreams would I thought that I'd find myself up in a baobab tree overlooking the Savannah This tree is at least a thousand years old can you just imagine the things that this tree has seen I was so overwhelmed I forgot my camera here at the base of it that's an experience I'll never forget last week in mapungubwe I spoke about feeling small in this universe this was one of those moments on route to Lucca Lodge we stopped by Lucca villa which is a beautiful option for groups who want their own space and privacy while still enjoying everything mapesu has to offer but I'll be spending my final night at Lucca Lodge which is nestled deep in the limpopo valley on a ridge overlooking a seasonal flood plane I was able to watch a variety of wildlife visiting the water hole below from the comfort of my own room so I've made it to Lucca Lodge I thought that wilderness Camp would be by far my favorite but there's something about this place maybe it's that view I'll show you a little bit more later first we're going for a short drive with my journey here coming to an end I'm able to reflect on what it's really been about yes the food and wine has been delicious The Lodges and camps tranquil and the sightings memorable but while these are important foundations for a beautiful Safari when I look back on my time here I'll remember that mapesu has created and allowed space for a truly holistic experience to take place one where the little moments become landmarks in my memory of this journey where stories from hundreds of years ago are just as important as locking eyes with a lion today where conservation is a topic understood through tangible experiences where ancient baobabs welcome you into their branches just as the people here do it's one where the full extent of Africa's soul is felt deeply everyone here just gets it in the bigger picture the warm African sun has only just risen here at mapesu private game reserve and from what I can tell it promises to be an unforgettable day
2024-09-15 23:01
