This month on #WorldRhinoDay, we celebrate the existence of our majestic rhinos; pay tribute to our rhinos Chippy, Isipho and Geza lost to poachers, along with 7,000 other rhinos across South Africa since 2010; and renew our commitment to protect and ensure the survival of this iconic species and all other wildlife on Amakhala Game Reserve.
20 Years of Memories
with Top Tour Operators
Amakhala Game Reserve was delighted to host our top tour operators at the 20 Years of Memories cocktail parties held in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. It was a great opportunity to thank our top tour operators for their support and share insights about the other key focus areas of sustainable tourism: conservation and community.
Celebrating 20 years of conservation and community at Amakhala, the cocktail functions were informal and fun, with several Amakhala owners present. As our operators already know our hospitality business, the focus was on creating awareness of Amakhala’s conservation and community projects.
Amakhala has been awarded Protected Area status by the Provincial Government in recognition of its contribution to the conservation of the area, which encompasses five of South Africa's seven biomes and abundant wildlife such as lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and cheetah.
In addition, the Amakhala
Foundation supports the local community through numerous initiatives, such as the Amakhala Conservation Centre and the Amakhala Craft Centre and Art Gallery, as well as bursaries, skills training and educational programmes.
Following a remarkable 20-year transformation, Amakhala continues to thrive as an exceptional example of how agricultural land can be converted into a collaborative ecotourism venture that protects wildlife and uplifts the surrounding community.
We thank the tour operators for their ongoing support, which has played a significant role in the success we have achieved in developing a highly sought-after Big 5 safari destination. Today, Amakhala is renowned for memorable guest experiences, conservation and community upliftment.
Thicket & Terrific Trees!
Arbor Day 2019
Amakhala Foundation
celebrated Arbor Day at the Amakhala Conservation Centre (ACC) with 60 learners from Lucebiso Primary, Sidbury Primary and Alexandria Christian Academy.
This year’s theme was Thicket & Terrific Trees and the children were assisted by Tammy, Ebin and the Amakhala Volunteers. The celebrations commenced with a photo slideshow of funny, interesting and beautiful trees, followed by a warm-up game of “Tree Tag” – our own version of the classic “Tag”. Most learners were “trees” (marked with green) and had to run away from the “chainsaws” (marked red). If a tree got tagged (caught) by a chainsaw, they had to freeze on
the spot and wait for a “water” (marked blue) to free them.
The kids were then divided into three groups and rotated through three fun lessons during the day. Lesson 1 covered thicket creatures – dung beetles and elephants – and kicked off with dung beetle fun facts and a story. The kids then learnt more about dung balls and dung beetle specimens and had a chance to roll their own dung balls and to make an elephant mask. Lesson 2 was about the indigenous Albany thicket biome, and included learning fun facts with posters and
colouring in thicket animals and plants, with a short walk to spot thicket plants and their learn about their adaptations. In Lesson 3, the children were taught about the different parts of a tree and their functions, and painted a tree using leaf prints.
The day was a great success, allowing the kids to connect with nature and to learn about the value of trees.
Amakhala Foundation Wildlife Calendar 2020
One of the year’s most exciting projects is the annual release of the Amakhala Foundation Wildlife Calendar. Featuring stunning photos of the natural beauty and magnificent wildlife at Amakhala Game Reserve, this is a must-have for wildlife fans, a great gift for the upcoming holidays and a wonderful keepsake for visitors.
The photos are donated by the Reserve’s passionate field guides and game rangers. These are bordered by patterns drawn by local school kids, who win a calendar if their pattern is selected.
The proceeds from the calendar sales contribute to the funding of the Amakhala Foundation and the projects it manages through the Amakhala Social
Development Programme and Amakhala Conservation Centre.
Get your 2020 Amakhala Foundation Wildlife Calendar at the lodge shops or by contacting the Amakhala Foundation directly, from where it can be posted worldwide.
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Leeuwenbosch has proudly hosted several amazing groups of visitors, many from
universities in the UK and US, who came to enjoy our beautiful reserve and discover all we have to share and show. They were incredibly fortunate to witness the arrival of our baby elephant and our baby giraffe – amazing and unforgettable experiences! They also enjoyed the wonderful game drives, adventurous bush walks and sunny mid-mornings by the pool side, overlooking the unspoilt African wild.
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Exciting changes at Hlosi include a more spacious dining room, a much larger play
area, and a brand new boma for fireside get-togethers with newly made friends. Our curio shop has also doubled in size.
The larger children's area, now with a jungle gym, swings and a sand pit, gives little safari travellers more space to play and explore, and educational games and activities were added to the children's programme.
The new boma maximises the sunset views and allows guests to enjoy the African bush under a canopy of stars. |
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Safari Lodge was proud to again host Ikhala veterinary students from different countries, who visit every
winter season to learn more about the wild animals and their care from their veterinary lecturer, Dr William Fowlds, a renowned South African wildlife vet and rhino conservationist, who is also the owner of Leeuwenbosch Country House at Amakhala. The
students not only learnt a great deal about our wildlife, but also gained a new appreciation for the African wild and the importance of conserving it for future generations.
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At our recent re-opening celebration, the Uberman PE group helped christen the opening of the new pool at Bush Lodge. After eight weeks of renovations, our guests can now enjoy a brand-new pool and deck area, overlooking the watering hole in front of the lodge where the animals come to drink.
The deck area stretches the full length of the main building into two massive deck areas in front of the lodge - a lovely sitting nook with its own cocktail bar overlooking the next deck area with a beautiful sparkling new communal pool, perfect for socialising. |
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Guests checking in at Bukela recently were treated to an unexpected visit, as one of
our elephants popped by at check-in time. Encounters like this are bound to happen in our Big 5 reserve! As with all our guests, the gentle giant was met with a warm Bukela welcome. He thoroughly enjoyed a scented hot towel and a short meet and greet before going on his way. Guests were asked to stay within their lodgings and in the communal areas
during the visit, but had ample opportunities to snap some great pics from a safe distance. |
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Hlosi
Meet Monique – Hlosi's new Lodge Manager! After growing up in the city and working in the Health & Safety industry for many years, Monique joined Hlosi first as Front of House Manager for six months and then as Assistant Lodge Manager for two years. When the opportunity presented itself for a more senior role at Hlosi
Game Lodge, she did not hesitate. Monique is a firm believer that strong admin and exceptional people skills are key to success in life and that one should try everything at least once - as you never know what you are capable of.
HillsNek
Guiding Excellence: Trained, experienced, knowledgeable and passionate guides enable our visitors and guests to experience the natural beauty, wildlife, ecology, history and culture of our environment closely and safely. HillsNek is very proud of our excellent guiding team and would like to introduce two of our rangers, Byron
Sullivan and Roelof Wiesner. Both Byron and Roelof were trained and accredited through Ulovane Environmental Training on Amakhala.
Byron, as the head guide of HillsNek and a senior guide on Amakhala, has spent the last five years guiding guests through Amakhala Game Reserve. An advanced field guide passionate about conservation, Byron is exceptional at providing holistic and unforgettable guided experiences. He is also one of very few Birding Specialist Guides in the area and, as a regional bird guide specialist for thicket and forest biomes, Byron’s qualifications allow him to mentor junior
guides.
Roelof has been part of the HillsNek team for two years and was recently recognised as “Amakhala Guide of the Year 2019” at the annual Amakhala rangers’ function, in acknowledgement of the pride and devotion he exemplifies as a safari guide and wildlife enthusiast. Roelof’s ability to read wildlife behaviour is often captured in his photography, which HillsNek proudly shares on social media. Congratulations Roelof – we are very proud of you!
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