Elvis

Mashatu would be a wondrous experience under any circumstances, but without a doubt, it is the people that make it so very, very special. While I am sure that all the rangers and trackers are excellent, because everything about Mashatu was, we considered ourselves very lucky to have Elvis as our ranger and Aaron, our tracker.

And not just because they knew their stuff, cold, which they did. Each drive exceeded the last, to the point where my brother joked to Elvis that he fully expected to see the (rarely seen)  Honey Badger on the next drive.

It worked so well because not only did they get the jokes, they jumped right in themselves.

And there were more than a few jokes. Doug, Mum and I tend to “situational” humor, and so, it turned out, did our safari companions Michael and Gary. The jokes (mostly made by us at our own expense) flew pretty fast and furious.

I will never forget when we saw the aardwolf, Aaron commented that it was too bad there was a branch in front of its face, but if someone would hold the spotlight, he’d hop down and move it. Gary, bless his heart, immediately  piped up that he would… then realized it was a joke and laughed as heartily (but quietly) as the rest of us.

Which brings me to the tigers.

There are no tigers in Africa. Except in zoos. But we figured that since Elvis and Aaron had exceeded expectations at every turn, they’d be able to do the impossible and find us one.  I started it, after chatting with Mark Hardon on the Ivory Drive about tiger conservation efforts in South Africa, but it soon became a running joke. As we started each drive,  we felt confident we’d finally spot the Tiger of Mashatu.

Next time, I guess…

Aaron

Thursday September 17, 2009

Our day started very very early. We caught a 6:30 flight to Polokwane, South Africa and then transferred by road, about 2 hours, to the Botswana border. Mum’s friend Afke, who runs the webcam at Pete’s Pond, met us there. After clearing customs and immigration, we continued on to Mashatu Main Camp, now in the capable hands of Elvis and Aaron, the ranger and tracker who would be our hosts and guides for the next three days.

We arrived at Mashatu around noon.  Our first game drive would start later that afternoon, but there was no shortage of interesting wildlife right around the camp, including this bushbuck, who seemed to be a permanent resident, and all sorts of birds and lizards.

photographed from our room

just outside our door

Around 3pm. we reconvened on the terrace for a light snack, and met the fellow guests who would be joining us on the game drives, Michael and Gary, Aussie expats living in Hong Kong. As Mum relates in her Mashatutiger.com post, we all hit it off tremendously, which really added to the experience for everyone.

Selected Photos from the Drive (Full photo set from the day)

Elvis and Aaron really set the bar high on our first drive. Everything was amazing, from the first impala to the setting sun. A real highlight, though, was the rare aardwolf.

Return to camp, dinner in the boma (highlight, the  choral performance by the kitchen and wait staff) and then off to bed.  One important note: your ranger accompanies you back to your cabin, and once “tucked in” for the night, you are requested to remain in your room. The information packet for guests clearly states:

Please do not leave the confines of your room after you have been walked back after dinner.  The wall around the camp is not totally impermeable to some of the larger predators, which may enter once everybody has retired and all is quiet.  There is a fog horn in your room which may be used during a night time emergency to summon the night watchman.  Please be advised that an animal on your terrace, or roof, does not constitute an emergency.  An animal inside your room does.

One of the things that sets Mashatu apart is its integration of active research programs into the tourism program on the Ivory and Predator Drives. The next morning, we were set to learn a bit more about the elephant research on the Ivory Drive.