Johannesburg - Normally, we Joburgers use electric fences to keep the criminal animals out so it was interesting to be in the bush, just an hour from the metropolis, with an electric fence around us to keep out real wild animals.
The small cottage at Luvivi Lodge in the Dinokeng Game Reserve felt as though it was in the middle of nowhere. We had already noted that earlier, as we waited for the alarmed electric gate to Luvivi to be remotely opened: the silence around us was so complete that, to our urban ears at least, it was almost painful. And, as if to emphasise the wild nature of the place, we chuckled at the “Yield to the Hippo” sign next to the road.
Mind you, we weren’t completely free of the hassles of the city: just after we had settled in, boom! No lights. Thanks, Eskom.
Dinokeng is the first free-roaming Big Five reserve in Gauteng adjoining an urbanised area, a public/private initiative opened in 2011.
Our little room had all we required, a double bed with another single on the other side plus a fridge, cutlery, plates, cups, glasses, cooking pots and a kitchen sink, with an automatic washing machine underneath it.
Good linen was on the beds with ample pillows, and lovely fluffy bath sheets made us feel really comfortable.
After breakfast the next day, we headed to the main Dinokeng entrance gate. But – no pensioner’s discount, and no discount for being a resident in any of the surrounding lodges. You just have to pay the R200 entrance fee per car and R30 per person wildlife conservation fee.
Armed with maps provided at the gate, we trundled along the self-drive route at a steady 10km/h, which suited us well for sightings.
It is tight bush and viewing was difficult on the first section… we often got as big a shock as the animals did, on running across each other.
There is the posh Functions restaurant inside the reserve for those who didn’t bring a picnic basket and there are two spots to enjoy picnics.
We rounded a corner near a lodge on the top of a ridge and came across the biggest elephant I have seen who was raiding the locals’ garden with two partners in crime.
Just one picture can make a day trip all worthwhile – and ours happened as the big fellow turned and started towards us at a pace.
Talk about drop clutch and go, with Jackie shouting at me: “Go, go, go.” She didn’t even try getting a shot off as we sped away and we didn’t stop until some distance away. Looking back, we saw he had returned to the garden but was still keeping a watchful eye on us. Chatting to the ranger later, we learned that the elephants were in musth and are always temperamental at these times.
We took our planned one-hour game drive later that afternoon. Our driver said he couldn’t promise us any of the Big Five, but he would do his best. Unfortunately, we were out of luck and didn’t get to see any of them, but we did get up close to three male nyalas, which normally hide and are a rare sighting.
Would we go back? Of course. Next time we hope for an encounter with the Big Five.
Saturday Star