By Craig Lewis
Johannesburg - A hush of anticipation descends as the radio crackles to life, quickly giving way to a flurry of animated chatter as Elvis whispers the magic words: “I’ve located the leopard.”
Elvis’s voice doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as that of the King of Rock and Roll. Nevertheless, it’s music to the ears of those of us on a game drive in Ngala Private Game Reserve.
The voice belongs to intrepid tracker Elvis Kubai, who had ventured off into the bush on foot 15 minutes earlier, armed with nothing but a hand-held radio and his two decades of experience in tracking wildlife.
After making our way to his location, the sight of a young male leopard lurking in the undergrowth greets us upon arrival, before the regal predator strides out into the setting sun and surveys the landscape.
Such a rare sighting sets the tone for my unforgettable three-day stay at Ngala, which shares an unfenced boundary with the world-renowned Kruger National Park, and is adjacent to the Timbavati Game Reserve.
Activities at Ngala are centred on game-viewing drives in open vehicles, which traverse an area of 14 000 hectares, and this focus is understandable when you consider that this is one of the richest wildlife regions on the continent.
Before heading out on our first drive, we were warmly welcomed by affable field ranger Pieter van der Merwe, who provided us with a brief but thorough orientation of Ngala, before taking note of each guest’s animal viewing wish-list.
Leopard was at the top of mine, and with the help of Elvis, the ever-smiling ranger managed to fulfil that request on our first outing.
In conversation later, Van der Merwe explained the importance of this working relationship.
“We have to work as a team and have a good understanding. I’ve learnt so much from Elvis; he’s a legend and knows the reserve like the back of his hand.”
Once we were back at the Safari Lodge, which serves as the main camp at Ngala, we were soon lured to supper by the sight of twinkling candle lanterns and crackling wood fires, which provided an idyllic setting for our first boma dinner.
The staff at Ngala aim to keep you guessing by setting a new venue for supper each night – including a spine-tingling set-up in the bush, where you dine under a canopy of stars, with the sounds of nature providing the background music.
All three meals a day are extremely well prepared, ensuring there is no chance of you going hungry, although it was in particular the array of buffet options at dinner time that kept me going back for more.
Every second night the guests were joined at dinner by their respective field rangers, and Van der Merwe, who was never short of a story, kept us thoroughly entertained with tales of various African adventures, from being charged by elephants to nearly being washed down a flooded river. After an early morning wake-up call the next day, we were off on another game drive.
This time, it was the powerful grace of a herd of elephants that left me in awe, while animals such as zebra and wildebeest could be spotted cantering across the savanna that dominates the reserve’s flat terrain.
However, it quickly became apparent that there was far more to Ngala than just the game viewing or a big five experience.
Ngala is run by leading travel company &Beyond, which owns and operates more than 30 lodges throughout Africa, and has a keen focus on three core values: care of the land, care of the wildlife and care of the people.
Conservation is seen as a top priority and various steps are taken to minimise environmental impact and maximise sensitivity towards wildlife and habitat at the various lodges.
In partnership with social development partner Africa Foundation, the &Beyond Foundation also aims to empower the local communities through conservation and tourism.
As Safari Lodge manager Stephen Smith explained, Ngala enjoys regular interaction with the local Welverdiend community, where they have “worked with, not for” the community to foster health care, education, employment and skills development.
Ngala also engages in various eco-sensitive practices, such as recycling initiatives, reducing energy consumption, efficient water usage and the use of local produce and biodegradable products.
Clearly &Beyond has recognised that ensuring the satisfaction of their guests is paramount to sustaining the business and consequently the wilderness areas they protect.
The tented camp, which overlooks the seasonal Timbavati River and was recently rebuilt after being washed away during floods last year, accommodates 18 couples in nine luxurious airconditioned safari tents, providing the sort of seclusion that makes this the lodge of choice for many honeymooners.
At Ngala’s Safari Lodge, 20 quaint one-room cottages and the luxurious two-bedroom Safari Suite cater for no more than 45 guests, and with more than 100 staff employed at the camp I came to feel very much a part of the Ngala family.
Various activities are always on offer, and one that’s a must-do is the guided bush walk, which provided a wonderful way to appreciate the often overlooked aspects of the reserve, whether it be the butterflies, birds or trees.
Ngala was the first private game reserve to be incorporated into the greater Kruger National Park and, true to their stated intentions, a percentage of the profits from the Safari Lodge and Tented Camp flows into the National Parks Trust to underpin conservation projects.
Ngala is the Shangaan name for lion, yet as I entered the final day of my stay, that was the one “big five” animal that had managed to elude detection.
However, a majestic pair of young male lions basking in the early morning sunlight would provide the perfect start to our final game drive, although nothing could beat the send-off delivered a couple of hours later by a pride of insatiable lionesses feasting on a kill.
Perhaps Van der Merwe summed it all up best when he suggested: “Ngala really is a hidden gem.” - Saturday Star