COVID-19 Response & Lodge Closures
Since the national state of disaster was declared, the South African government has put in place a range of regulations and directives including international travel restrictions. Over the past week, the global COVID-19 crisis has deepened and, as a consequence, the National Coronavirus Command Council has decided to enforce a nationwide lock-down for 21 days with effect from midnight on Thursday 26 March.
In compliance with this directive and to ensure that we take every precaution in maintaining the health and safety of our Amakhala family, the lodges listed below will be closing from the 24th and 25th of March 2020. The opening dates could possibly change, but we will communicate this with you in due course if they do.
We are committed to pulling together as a community in this time of crisis. With international travel bans hugely affecting our projected visitor numbers in the coming months, we have been working hard to provide as much alternative employment to our staff as possible, and will continue to do so beyond the 21 day shutdown. This includes training programs, maintenance and refurbishment projects, as well as the development of community gardens.
We look forward to welcoming all our visitors back when it is safe to do so again. If you have any queries regarding existing bookings at any of these lodges please email robyn@amakhala.co.za.
Our hearts go out to everyone across the globe who have already been impacted by COVID-19 and we encourage all to stay safe.
Thank you for your loyalty, patience and support.
The lodge closures are:
Woodbury Lodge : 25 March – 7 July
Woodbury Tented Camp: 25 March – 7 July
Bush Lodge : 25 March – 31 May
HillsNek Safari Camp : 25 March – 31 May
Safari Lodge : 24 March – 30 April
Quartermain’s Camp : 25 March – 30 April
Hlosi Lodge: 25 March – 31 May
Exciting leopard release on Amakhala
Guests visiting Amakhala have the opportunity to encounter some
of the most spectacular wildlife that the continent has to offer. Amakhala’s cheetahs, in particular, are regularly encountered on game drive and have provided guests with fantastic sightings over the years. Most recently, however, it is a different spotted cat stealing the headlines: the leopard.
Amakhala is proud to announce the release of a new male leopard onto the reserve. This species is widely regarded as the most difficult of the Big 5 to track down, and this new addition is cause for a lot of excitement! Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, leopards naturally occur in the Eastern Cape but are incredibly shy as a result of persecution in the early farming days of
the 19th and 20th centuries. As a result, Amakhala has been working since 2013 on a reintroduction program, which involves bringing in leopards from other Eastern Cape ecotourism facilities that are acclimatized to game viewers, and assisting the farming community and the Department of Environmental Affairs in the relocation of leopards to the safety of the reserve. Leopards
introduced to Amakhala are first housed in a boma until they become habituated to the area and their “homing instinct” is minimized. They are then released onto the reserve to become self-sustaining and establish a new territory.
In March 2020, the Amakhala Ecology Unit released a wild, young, male Cape Leopard onto the reserve. He already appears relaxed with vehicles and is ready to establish his own territory in the Protected Environment of Amakhala Game Reserve. The leopard is currently exploring the wide
open spaces of his new surroundings and has shown signs of being self-sustaining by hunting his own prey. He is extremely vigilant and has successfully avoided the apex predator on the reserve in the form of Amakhala's resident pride of lions.
Leopard reintroductions like this one not only contribute to the survival of this unique member of Africa’s iconic Big 5, but also ensure that Amakhala’s guests have the opportunity to enjoy amazing encounters with this majestic big cat. We are sure he is going to wow visitors to our reserve for many years to come.
Any questions or queries regarding Amakhala’s Leopard Management Plan can be directed to the Reserve Manager, Dwain Strydom, who is more than happy to provide additional information. His email is manager@amakhala.co.za. |
Leeuwenbosch Country House
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Following the much-needed rain, the gardens and the surrounding reserve at Leeuwenbosch are a sea of
lush green, captivating the hearts of people from all over the world who “arrive as guests and leave as friends”.
Our Day Safaris are extremely popular with visitors from cruise ships docking at Port Elizabeth and we have welcomed many guests from South American countries.
We were also honoured to host Gregg Wallace of the Master Chef UK, who kept us all in stitches of laughter, and enjoyed an amazing experience, with game drives and horse rides, and an unique opportunity to join Dr William Fowlds on a leopard procedure on
the Reserve. Photo courtesy of Leeuwenbosch Country House.
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We have the perfect post lockdown activity to make you appreciate the outdoors again!
Hlosi Game Lodge's popular day safari packages makes the experience of a Big 5 safari adventure a reality for everyone. The Day Safaris allow you to enjoy Amakhala’s diverse wildlife and magnificent landscapes. They also
now have the option to add a boat cruise: enabling the adventurous-at-heart to experience the reserve from a whole new perspective. Leisurely cruising down the Bushman’s River adds a whole new element to an African safari adventure, an experience one is sure to remember for years to come.
Bookings will be allowed from 17 April 2020 onwards, only.Photo courtesy of Hlosi Game Lodge
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A stay at Woodbury Lodge includes the opportunity to see a wonderful variety of wildlife when out on game drive, but sometimes you don’t have to go further than your doorstep! Visitors to Woodbury recently witnessed the incredibly cute sight of a baby
bushbuck suckling milk from her mum, a bushbuck ewe that has taken up residence inside the lodge’s fenced-in area. These bushbuck are not fed by humans and still fend for themselves, but have become very relaxed living alongside the staff and guests at the lodge, as you can see from the video. For our part, we are more than happy to welcome this “new addition” to the Woodbury family!
Video Courtesy of Katrin Barlow
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Our guests at Bukela were treated to a very unusual and thrilling sighting on game drive recently.
Whilst on a morning game drive, they came across two lionesses in the overcast morning conditions. As if seeing these magnificent cats wasn’t exciting enough, what was hiding in a nearby burrow, was about to stun guests, guides and the two lionesses…
Our ranger, Jono, shares what happened next here. Photo credit: Jonathan Pledger
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One of the key conservation priorities for Amakhala are cheetah, a threatened and iconic species that were re-introduced to Amakhala Game Reserve in 2003.
The two male cheetahs most recently released on the reserve have settled in well and are proving to be working well together as a hunting team. Our rangers have experienced some great sightings of these two males on the reserve – and recently, our guests were treated to an epic sighting of the two cheetahs on an impala kill in the riverbed, just 10 metres off the road close to our lodge.
Photo Credit: @roelof_wiesner_photography
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Camp guests were recently treated to an awesome sighting of two lionesses going for a stroll, less than a kilometre away from Woodbury Tented Camp itself! Lions often hunt at night and sleep during the day, but this isn’t always the case, especially
during cooler weather. These lionesses are actually mother (back) and daughter (front), and have provided thrilling sightings for many guests over the years. Amakhala Game Reserve observes a maximum-two-vehicle-per-sighting policy, meaning that the animals are never crowded or cornered and are allowed to carry on as they normally would. At the same time, guests can enjoy special encounters such as this one with a front row seat!
Video courtesy of: Nikki Ferry
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