Elephant Reintegration Trust
Video Credit: Dr William Fowlds
Building on a long-standing relationship with the Elephant Reintegration Trust (ERT), which focuses on the reintegration of elephants in reserves, two of Amakhala Game Reserve’s beloved and mature elephant bulls, Norman and Chulumacha, were moved to two other game reserves in South Africa in April.
Norman was introduced to Amakhala Game Reserve in 2005 from Addo National Park and was the dominant bull for over 10 years. After being badly injured by other bulls, Norman was moved off to a separate, smaller section of the reserve as a temporary solution, before recently moving to Mount Camdeboo. Already quite mature in age, Norman settled quickly, met up with the herd and even stood up to the resident younger bull that is only 25 years old. With the new hierarchy established, Norman is
fulfilling the role of dominant bull and mentor to the younger maturing bull.
Chulumacha was also recently introduced onto Khamab Kalahari Reserve, and soon joined another elephant bull, Seleka, also recently released there. Since then, they have been inseparable and settled in remarkably well, and will also contribute to a more complete bull hierarchy on the reserve. In the absence of older, experienced bulls and functional bull hierarchies, undesirable behavioural problems can often occur.
This incredible project would not have been possible without Amakhala Game Reserve, Khamab Kalahari Reserve, and Mount Camdeboo Game Reserve, as well as the generous funding from Marina Demierre, previously a volunteer at Amakhala, and the incredible efforts of a fantastic team at ERT. (Via Elephant Reintegration Trust)
A very successful inaugural Addo2Fish Marathon was hosted on Amakhala Game Reserve over the weekend of 21 May 2022.
Temperatures early in the week reached 30 degrees and 40 beautiful and much-needed millimetres of rain fell before the start of the event. As a result, several route changes had to be made to ensure safety vehicles could reach their points. In addition, two female lions, buffalo and elephant moved onto separate sections of the route, while a male lion was moving parallel to the route for the first 5km. The epitome of calm professionalism, the Amakhala Game Reserve team efficiently executed
all the last-minute route adjustments!
During the run, red hartebeest, zebra and giraffe ensured they were not overshadowed by their Big 5 friends, leaving spoor and dung along the route and adding excitement to the on-foot experience.
The lodges all manned aid stations, offering baked treats, steak tortillas and fresh roesterkoek dripping with butter. Quartermain’s set up their aid station in their 1920’s décor and Bush Lodge provided the runners with luxurious warm towels. The route went through Hlosi Lodge camp and all runners were treated with liquid nourishment at “The Oasis” at Woodbury Tented Camp.
Runners traversed under the N2, where the Bushman’s River Wildlife Underpass will be built to allow animals to move freely between the two sections of Amakhala, a step towards opening the area between Addo and The Great Fish for free movement of wildlife. Learn more about this and be part of it all at https://bemovedcollective.org/rhinos-and-restoration/.
Amakhala Grassland Rehabilitation Project
The Amakhala Game Reserve ecology team are driving an ongoing grassland rehabilitation project, aimed at restoring the veld to its prime state, through both manual clearing and
bushcutting.
During the long ongoing drought, bush encroachers have started to take over the grassland. They are a lot tougher than grass species, so they actually do quite well when the conditions are harsh. Big efforts are being made to clean up the grasslands before these encroachers take over.
Manual clearing is the removal by hand of unwanted bushes that encroach on the grassland. This is important to ensure the indigenous grass species thrive to provide food for the grazers.
Bushcutting uses a tractor to cut large areas of bush encroachment. Certain unwanted bushes, like blue bush (Pteronia incana), are also being eradicated. Once the areas have been cleared, the team brushpacks the barren areas with cut Acacia karoo, to protect it from wind, heavy rain and animals trampling and feeding off new shoots of grass, so the area can recover.
Restoring the veld to its natural state is the optimal goal especially since Amakhala Game Reserve is part of Indalo Protected Environment. Amakhala is one of eight Eastern Cape reserves that form part of the newly-enacted Indalo Game Reserves Protected Environment, which received “Protected Environment”
status under the Eastern Cape Biodiversity Stewardship Programme through the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA). This will help indigenous species to return and flourish, allowing for biodiversity.
Amakhala Game Reserve Lodge News
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Bukela Game Lodge just launched a new 5-star menu ideal for foodie fans and connoisseurs of fine dining! The list of culinary choices is extensive, with exciting new additions joining traditional favourites to satisfy any appetite and keep guests coming
back for more.
The menu options tempted us into trying all things delish, ranging from a tasty crisp Springbok carpaccio salad and freshly pan-seared Kingklip fillets to a decadent homemade Amarula ice-cream, dotted with delicious bits of honeycomb - a dining experience that will delight even the most adventurous and sophisticated palates.
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The last couple of months at Leeuwenbosch have been incredibly exciting, from hosting a fabulous group of guests from the USA, to being part of the exhilarating Addo2Fish Marathon through the reserve, and some amazing wildlife and nature sightings. The
winter-month mornings may be chilly, but the days are warm and the vivid colours of the sunsets are next level!
Leeuwenbosch was also the setting for an incredibly romantic surprise engagement party. It was all hush-hush, with only our team and the main man in the know. The party of 10 went out on a morning drive and stopped at the beautiful ‘God’s Window’ overlooking the stunning natural scenery. Here the groom-to-be got down on one knee and popped the question to his unsuspecting soon-to-be-bride. As she said yes, the couple were surrounded by delighted friends, tears of joy, and the popping of
champagne: an unforgettable memory to last a lifetime.
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We proudly (and a bit sadly) wished Norman the elephant, who often visited our guests, a fond farewell and all the best at his new home!
We also celebrated when one of our guides, Martin, found the beautiful fossil above, also called petrified wood. It is from a yellow wood tree from the time of the dinosaurs - around 100 million years ago - that became fossilised. Yellow woods are ancient, and because survivors still grow in South Africa today, it is our national tree. Come see the yellow woods around Safari Lodge!
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The Woodbury staff were proud to play a part in the successful hosting of the first ever Addo2Fish marathon. The Addo2Fish is an initiative aimed at restoring the free movement of wildlife across the Eastern Cape; essentially, it is a conservation at a
landscape scale.
Several Woodbury guides were involved in marshalling the runners along the route – at one point redirecting traffic around some elephants! Woodbury Tented Camp itself hosted a water point where runners could stop for a drink and a photo. Well done to all the organisers and participants for an amazing day in support of an epic conservation effort!
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It's not only our guests that get to spend some quality time at the family friendly, Hlosi Game Lodge, with a crash of rhino also visiting frequently! Guests and staff, young and old, have been in awe recently thanks to several amazing rhino sightings -
all from the comfort of the lodge.
The crash of rhino stayed close for a couple of days, with mom and the youngest baby making a special appearance on more than one occasion.
The camp is also frequented regularly by remarkable wildlife, including meandering buffalo at the waterhole and elephant herds drinking from the swimming pool.
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Quatermain's 1920's Safari Camp
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Our intimate 6 bed Quatermain's 1920's Safari Camp is modelled on the heyday of exploration, that golden era when adventure lay around every corner. Offering an opportunity to experience "Africa under canvas", this classic 1920's-style expedition camp
features three crisp white 1900's style safari tents each fitted out with military campaign style furnishings: the choice of pioneers, hunters and explorers of that time.
A recent tent revamp ahead of the high season included fitting beautiful new carpets that are also hard-wearing, brightening up the colonial style accommodation and receiving many compliments already for its unique rugged luxury.
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Overnight Cave Experience
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Guests to Amakhala Game Reserve now have the opportunity of experiencing the African bush in a totally new way!
Those who love being closer to nature can now enjoy 24 exhilarating hours of exploring our beautiful reserve, on foot and with an armed professional trail guide, spending the night in a cave overlooking the Bushman's River Valley.
The experience focuses on all aspects of life in the many biomes of the reserve, from tiny plants to enormous pachyderms. It is part of a 3-night package at Quatermain's 1920's Safari Camp, which includes 2 nights in camp and 1 night on the overnight trail.
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Many incredible sightings have been celebrated from Hlosi Game Lodge itself, but the most recent one left their guests in awe. Two hippos made themselves at home in the Hlosi waterhole, right in front of the lodge! The hippos were seen swimming and
floating around before disappearing to explore the deeper depths of the water. Recent rainfall on Amakhala boosted the water levels making it the perfect environment for these amphibious animals - they can fully submerge themselves as well as peacefully graze nearby. Hippos are an impressive sight on any safari, and even more so directly from the comfort of the lodge. The waterhole is a welcome oasis to an array of wildlife species with rhino and elephants visiting almost daily. Recently male
lion tracks were once again spotted at the waterhole - much to the delight of the guests at Hlosi.
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Amakhala Foundation
World Water Day
The Amakhala Foundation’s annual World Water Day celebrations took place at the Conservation Centre on 24 March, with 45 local Grade 1 – 3 learners enjoying an opportunity to learn
about the water cycle, the animals whose habitat depends on water, where fresh water on Earth is found and stored and much, much more. The learners that attended represent Sidbury Primary School and Alexandria Christian Academy.
Concepts such as evaporation, condensation and precipitation were introduced by means of science experiments, arts and crafts, word puzzles, stories and games. Freshwater storage, with emphasis on ice caps and glaciers, as well as arctic animals were also featured in the programme.
One of the highlights of the day was the ‘Melt the Ice Cube’ competition, a fun ice cube relay that was a big hit with the learners. Other activities that the children enjoyed most were making their own binoculars and using them to find funny/ interesting shapes in the clouds as part of their lesson about condensation as well as learning about polar bears.
You can join in the fun by watching the kids enjoy the day in this Water Day video: (1) Watch | Facebook. And as always, a big thank you to the Amakhala Volunteers for all their assistance. Amakhala Foundation recently hosted three exciting Bush Outings, which include activities such as game drives, plant hikes, visits to our museum and conservation lessons and
games.
The first was with a group of Grade 4’s from The Diocesan School for Girls (DSG) in February; followed by a second Grade 4 group, from Kingswood College, hosted in March.
Thirdly, in April, a group of children from the Lebone Centre in Grahamstown could visit us again for a bush outing. These 20 children (Grade 1 – Grade 3) have been identified as vulnerable/disadvantaged by Child Welfare and attend the Aftercare and Enrichment programme. For most of them, it was their first time experiencing a game drive.
This is what they said:
“Thank you for the game drive. It was so much fun. I remember when we saw a garden orb spider and an elephant. We also talked about plants and how they protect themselves. I just wanted to say thank you – it was amazing!” – Siyanda (DSG Junior)
“Thank you for teaching us interesting facts about animals and plants. I was really excited about talking about nature and wild animals. Thank you for taking us on a game drive and taking care of us. I really enjoyed seeing zebras, impala, mongoose and an elephant with a long trunk…” – Omphile (DSG Junior)
Adre De Jongh, Project Assistant at Lebone Centre, summed it up: “We really enjoyed our trip and the kids could not stop talking about it. It was really an unforgettable experience for both the kids as well as the educators…”
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Sidbury Annual Sports Day
This year, Alexandria Christian Academy joined Sidbury Primary School for their annual Sports Day, which was held on Monday the 9th of May.
The programme included short and long distance races and long jump, as well as sack races and water bucket races, and 60 children between Grade R – Grade 3 participated in the day’s events.
Thank you to Amakhala Volunteers for organising and running this brilliant event – the leaners thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Thank you also to Richard Gush, the teachers and all those who came to out to support the day.
Amakhala has been acknowledged as a Safe Travels accommodation provider by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA). Amakhala’s lodges are open following the lifting of the lockdown restrictions, and we are ready to welcome both local and international visitors to our magnificent Reserve, while encouraging all to stay safe.
It is our priority to ensure our Amakhala family and guests are protected given the current concerns surrounding COVID-19. Guided by several leading tourism bodies, health organisations and other resources, we are following the strictest health and safety guidelines to ensure we meet all required preventative measures. We have strict COVID-19 protocols in place and take every precaution available to us for the safety of all our staff and guests.
Around 70% of our staff have already received their Covid-19 vaccinations and by the end of the year, all our staff should be vaccinated. We can also arrange PCR tests for our guests to be done at the Reserve, before they fly out.
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