By Marchelle Ahrahams
Cape Town - It was a tragic, yet awe-inspiring sight. Just a few metres away was why I had come here in the first place. If I could just hold out my hand, I could have almost touched it. I was filled with a sense of melancholy and excitement - with a feeling that this might be the first and last time I ever see this. Looking back it was an experience I will always treasure, be it with a certain sadness, because finally I got to see one of Africa’s greatest animals - the elusive and very much endangered black rhino.
Rewind to a few days before, my family and I had received the warmest welcome from Gondwana Private Game Reserve staff in Mossel Bay as we pulled up infront of the indigenous-inspired Kwene Lodge for the Junior Rangers Experience.
Our home for the weekend was one of the self-catering bush villas, complete with glorious mountain views and Sepia-tinted sunsets. Spacious and secluded, Gondwana bills these villas as the ultimate alternative to a five-star hotel. The decor is a mish-mash of Out Of Africa meets contemporary chic without the fussiness of rigid designs - this is after all made exclusively with families in mind.
And when it comes to families, the reserve has certainly done its homework. The down-to-earth owners, Wendy and Mark Rutherfoord, parents to two springy kids, have taken a idea and built on it. And I suppose that’s how the Junior Rangers Experience was born. In an age of videogames and TVs, the programme is a way of reconnecting with nature and getting back to basics. It could even be seen as a way of men finding their inner caveman.
Bush-whacking
Children are a fickle bunch and it takes a lot to get them interested in things, so it was with awe that I got to see nature and all its bounty through the eyes of my four-year-old son. We were on an early evening game drive, our first introduction to the reserve, and our very patient game ranger Colin drove us to Thandora’s enclosure (a lone rescued elephant, now a celebrity) when we spotted two lion cubs. I was waiting for a full-on wailing session from my lil’ man but instead he stood up just staring with his mouth gaping open. The other kids in the vehicle also had excitement plastered on their faces, eyes shining with wonder and amazement.
The next day there was no rest for the wicked and we were up at the crack of dawn exploring our little corner of Middle Earth. Colin once again displayed his caring and patient nature by taking on a rowdy bunch of younger children for a morning of bush whacking and flower picking.
The crisp morning air did much to relieve the fuziness of the evening before, strictly for the adults who enjoyed a gourmet three-course meal prepared by head chef JC Nortier at the main Kwene Lodge.
Anyone who has kids knows taking a bunch of them to any place is no walk in the park, or walk in the bush in this case, but our rangers handled them with such finesse and ease that I commend them for taking the time to explain things carefully, never leaving anyone out of the activities and always being on hand to answer questions that only a five-year-old can think up.
And the wonder of it all is that you really learn about your surroundings and the environment - little boys and grown men acting like boys walked out of the bush very chaffed with themselves after making their very own walking sticks from wood chopped down in the veld.
At the end of the programme, each child gets a Junior Ranger certificate and badge which I’m sure many will wear with honour and earn some bragging rights amongst their friends.
Close encounters
One of the downsides of viewing game in a private reserve is that you’re never guaranteed to see the Big Five on an entire trip. We didn’t have much luck on our first evening.
The second day was a game viewer’s paradise - we encounted the mighty king of the beasts. A male lion lazing in the sun without a care in the world. He looked docile enough but I wouldn’t want to meet him on an encounter in the bush. I tried hard to keep my calm composure but it crumbled a bit after the show-off gave a huge yawn just to let us know who was boss.
Then we crossed paths with the same lion cub pair guarding their kill (a sight that depicts how gruesome nature can be) while mama lion was out hunting again.
And now I’ve come full circle. With the wind in my tangled hair and the early morning sun warming my face, I am dumbstruck by the sheer sight of it all. The hilly valley below me expands into an infinite stretch of wildlife, most I’ve only just seen on TV. It feels like I’m in a NatGeo WIld documentary as startled giraffes peek from behind the dense foliage and heards of zebra zig-zag across our path. The soundtrack to Born Free is playing in my head and I realise how small I am in the bigger scheme of things. This is Africa without the concrete jungles and traffic jams. Now I know why it’s called Gondwana - once when the Earth was whole and before the continents split into parts - the perfect place for everything to fit into the jigsaw puzzle of life.
Thandora’s story
Now a celeb in these parts, thanks to an insert on Carte Blanche and various media reports, Thandora’s story is testament to the spirit of perseverance. She had been in captivity for 23 years until Gondwana, Bloemfontein Zoo and Conservation Global came to her rescue.
Thandora had been physically and mentally prepared for a number of months, while living in a boma in the bush - getting used to her surroundings and learning to feed herself. Luckily I had the chance to see her just a few days before her release into the reserve.
According to John Vogel, Gondwana’s wildlife manager, “She was initially reluctant to come out of the boma, which we had expected, since the boma has been her home for nearly two months. She is progressing nicely with growing confidence and she has now travelled two kilometres, and is already browsing and grazing and drinking.”
* Follow Gondwana on Twitter @Gondwana Reserve for updates on Thandora's release and progress.
If You Go...
Gondwana Private Game Reserve is 14km outside of Mossel Bay, set on 11 000 hectares of fynbos
The reserve currently has a winter safari package special for R2 400 per person sharing, including three daily meals, two game activities and Junior Ranger programme.
Children under four stay for free
Bush villa package for R800 per person sharing, Check out www.gondwanagr.co.za/accommodation/specials-packages for more specials
For more info and bookings go to www.gondwanagr.co.za - IOL