The Manyeleti – A Hidden Gem
Our latest privately guided adventure was to be set at Nzumba Camp located in the North-Western part of Klaserie Private Nature Reserve which lies nestled between the Timbavati, Balule & Kruger National Park. The Klaserie had been my home the last year and the remoteness of a 7000ha traverse of pristine bushveld including the picturesque Klaserie River is appealing to those searching for low vehicle activity, which allows exclusive sightings.
With this in mind, me and my guests took the two hour drive up to Nzumba Camp from Hoedspruit Town. Even those it’s a long drive, we couldn’t complain as most of the drive was through the Klaserie Nature Reserve. On arrival, we found that we were the only guests in the camp, a massive score that the lodge offers if you are in a group of four or more. We were introduced to our tracker Clyde – a man who has been in the area for many years – he was to be my right-hand man and tracker for the next three nights. We were checked into our rooms, all beautifully kitted out and all with a beautiful view of the waterhole in front of the camp. Over the few days, it was extremely productive, with a constant flow of general game coming into drink.
We had a fantastic lunch, before heading out on our first safari. We were not disappointed as we saw large herds of elephants, buffalo bulls, birds, and antelope along the Klaserie river. A beautiful sunset was enjoyed from a beautiful vantage point, before we bumped into a massive male lion, one of the River Pride males. We spent some time with him as he was on a mission, before settling down to groom himself.
This was just getting the ball rolling as the next few days were full of amazing drives and breath-taking scenery. This area of the Klaserie is very hilly and the geology itself is amazing, with large quarts outcrops, areas where mica has made its way to the surface and even the gem, Tigers-eye. The northern boundary of the concession is the magnificent Olifants River, and we spent some time along it too as it was flowing strongly after the heavy rains the country has experienced on the Highveld.
One morning, as we were about to head home, we saw a few buffalo bulls down in the river and so we decided to go down and have a look as there were some impressive specimens. While watching them, one of the guests spotted the Timbila Pride of lions, watching the buffalo from the banks above. It took a while, but the buffalo also eventually noticed the lions, and all teamed up to chase the pride. There were two 4-month-old cubs with the pride and so the lionesses got them out of there as quickly as they could. We watched the pride all drink together, before settling down to rest for the day.
We found them again that afternoon, watching the cubs trying to get the lionesses to play, but they weren’t interested as it was still very hot. Every now and then, the adults would stare and listen in one direction and Clyde made the call to try our luck and go and explore an area to the East of where we were. After a drive, we decided to stop and listen…our timing couldn’t have been any better as we heard the booming of a large male lion not too far from us. We managed to find the River Pride male again and spent the rest of the evening with him as he called, advertising his dominance, and potentially looking for his brother and own pride.
There was nothing we didn’t see, as we covered all the animals my guests wanted to see and it really was a treat being able to drive and guide here, a big bonus to the lodge. The staff, food and accommodation were all fantastic and we can’t wait to return!.
Nzumba was really a great find, and we will being heading back there for some more trips in the future. If you’re interested in exploring this little piece of paradise you can Contact US or email Ryan.j@wanderingthru.com to start planning
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