Into the Pride Lands of the Klaserie

Everyone knows that part in The Lion King where Mufasa sits a young Simba down on Pride Rock and shows him his future kingdom. ‘Everything the light touches is yours,’ he says. Looking over the Klaserie River, in the Klaserie Game Reserve, felt exactly like that.

Overlooking the Klaserie River.

When I drove in a 1988 V8 Land Rover up onto a ridge overlooking the Klaserie River, I was overwhelmed by the image of wild Africa. Something I imagine Simba saw from his position next to the King. The afternoon sunlight warmed the earth, dipping in and out of valleys and glistening over the surface of the water. We switched off the engine and let the eruption of birdsong take over while we tried to capture the Klaserie Pride Lands on camera.

Bruce and Judy are the owners and hosts at nDzuti Safari Camp and their experience in this 60 000 hectare private reserve is the latest in a series of safari ventures. Both talk fondly and passionately of the last 30 years spent running businesses in the bush, and their knowledge of the area is astounding. One day we spent hours in one place at the dam and watched as animals flocked to the waters to drink. There was no hasty response to the radio (although their daughter, Sabre, does keep them updated with what she comes across on drive), and rather we patiently waited and enjoyed watching Noah’s Ark arrive at the dam.

My personal interest in birdlife meant that I honed in on a rather arrogant African spoonbill that was bill-deep in the shallows and moving quickly around the circumference of the dam. Once I tore my eyes from my binoculars and looked at the picture as a whole, it became evident that we had landed with our bums in the butter. A number of giraffes were warily walking to and from the water’s edge, indecisive about whether to stoop down and drink. On their backs were loudly rasping red-billed oxpeckers, and peering out of the trees were camera-shy kudu and a couple of impala. A buffalo weaver’s nest was perched high on the bare branches of a tree rooted to a small island, and the iridescent blue of glossy starlings was seen streaking through the air.

The giraffes appeared to be unsure of the spoonbill, leaving the edge of the dam and giving the small bird ample space to filter through the water.

The yellow-billed hornbill – affectionately known as Zazu in The Lion King – preparing for his flashy display of outstretched wings and noisy chorus.

A crested francolin kept still for a photo.

All the activity on the periphery of the dam meant that I had missed a pod of 4 or 5 hippos basking in bulk in the shallow water. The world’s third-largest land mammal, a hippo’s hide alone can weigh up to half a tonne. As intimidating as the tusked adults can be, their calves add an undeniable element of cute, beached on the backs of their mothers. These hippos vocalised their dominance of the dam (not that the fearless spoonbill paid much attention), and kept comfortably cool in the heat of the day.

Bruce had spotted a bachelor herd of elephants on the opposite side of the dam wall, helping themselves to a substantial amount of greenery from the surrounding trees. Just as we had hoped, these four elephants joined the menagerie at the waterhole and, in a hierarchical order, began to drink. The dominant bull had magnificent ivory, and his size was impeccable. Moments passed without daring to breathe, as we stood on the opposite bank and watched the interaction between this old bull and his askaris. At one point, the smallest bull was coaxed knee-deep into the water by the biggest tusker; a fascinating display of dominance that I have rarely seen before.

The water is too deep for a young hippo and in order to stay safe with its mother, it climbs onto her back and basks in the sun.

Oxpeckers have a field day on the backs of these docile bathers.

The older bull places his trunk on the back of the smallest elephant, encouraging him to move into the water. I couldn’t tell if this was bullying or endearment, but Bruce put it down to a show of dominance.

When we finally tore ourselves from the dam, we passed the herd of zebra that had been hanging back from the party. Their swollen bellies and contrasting stripes made for some good photos, and amid the clicking of cameras, Judy observed that one of the mares was pregnant. Speaking of babies, we happened upon a young giraffe and its mother just outside camp, and it couldn’t have been more than a month old!

nDzuti Safari Camp welcomed us home with a string of glowing lanterns lining a wooden footbridge that crossed the riverbed, dividing the wild night and the neat, green garden of the African-inspired manor house. We headed straight for the deck, which was also illuminated by lantern light, and sat in canvas safari chairs around the roaring fire. The spotted hyena, 2 side-striped jackals and a rather large civet were only the first visitors to nDzuti’s waterhole that night. Before a scrumptious dinner was served, we were treated to the very nearby rasping call of a leopard, like a saw through wood.

The nDzuti Safari Camp manor house and gardens, shady and sublime.

During after-dinner drinks (at which time we were still sitting around the warmth of the boma fire outside), we heard the deranged cackling of hyenas in the dark. The sound was clear and close, reaching a crescendo right outside our fence. Bruce turned off the light at the waterhole and we sat in complete darkness listening to this ‘clan battle’ build with every excited yelps being emitted from the night.

We spent two glorious nights with these warm and inviting hosts at nDzuti Safari Camp and I experienced a new side of the Klaserie, where a personal approach to a safari allows enough time to drink it all in. Of course there are kings of the Pride Lands, known at nDzuti as the River Pride, and I hope to see them next time I visit.

Meet Bruce and Judy in wildlife photographer Kevin MacLaughlin’s video of our experience

This post is brought to you by Sun Safaris, specialists in tailor-made tours in Southern and East Africa, based in the shade of Cape Town’s Table Mountain. Check out Sun Safaris on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

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