Wildside TIMES #3- Pumba Adventure

AN ELEPHANT AT BREAKFAST - FIRST-TIME ADVENTURES AT THE PUMBA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

Wildlife and game parks were never a part of my life growing up. Instead, most of my misspent youth was played out on beaches, in the surf, and in pool bars. So when I got a taste of them and the adventure of it all, the joy of a game drive and the thrill of a wild animal sighting were terribly exciting.

The first time I drove into a game park, I obeyed the speed limit of about 20kms an hour when a colossal rhino quietly trotted onto the road. It stopped in front of our vehicle and assessed us for a second before trotting on quietly, and I quietly started breathing again.

Game parks offer more than you think. However, the best game parks are all far away to the north and always entail long treks to get there. Or so I thought. It’s about an hour to Pumba from the Beach Hotel.

My expectations were that it would be a lovely bush resort. It would be focused more on looking after the visitors with wonderful food and services and their various needs than an actual game

farm with animals. I expected to see elephants, all sorts of antelope, the odd hyena and maybe a wild dog if we were lucky.

On arriving at the Water Lodge, my initial expectations were met. It is 5 Star Luxury all the way and deserves all the awards and praises that it gets. Our room was towards the end of the row, overlooking the corner of Lake Cariega. A private plunge pool, outdoor shower and a private view deck. Should you feel so inclined, you could skinny dip at your plunge pool with only a solitary, disinterested hippo watching.

After settling in, we ate a quick lunch at the Water Lodge Restaurant. On the way there, a loud bellowing startled us, but it was just a mommy hippo calling a young one. The noise carried amazingly over the lake surface to give the impression of being right next to us. There were a good few hundred meters, to be honest. A baby hippo is known as a calf, and a group of hippopotami is known as a bloat.

The ambience of the restaurant at the Water Lodge is fantastic and chilled.

Overlooking Lake Cariega from a different angle, we enjoyed the view with a few drinks before a light meal. It was pretty late in the afternoon, and we focused more on our upcoming dinner. After lunch, it was a short retirement to our lodge and an impromptu dip in the pool before we watched the sun slowly set over the bush.

The place is literally teeming with wildlife everywhere you look.

That evening we headed across to the Bush Lodge for dinner. There was a bit of banter about which lodge is better, but it was splitting hairs at this stage. After a few whisky sodas to warm the cockles, I ordered a starter of Springbok Carpaccio and the Char Grilled Venison for my mains. Might as well be a carnivore at a game lodge, I justified to myself. It was to die for, and the only problem with the meal was that it went too fast. My wife chose the Rack Of Lamb and said it was juicy and delectable. She finished off her meal with the Vanilla Panaccota with mixed berry couli. She noted that it was delicious, while I opted for the decadence of the warm chocolate malva pudding served with toffee sauce. It was everything that I expected and more. Soft, warm and sweet, just how I like my women. There was an early morning game drive on the cards, so we needed an early night.

A clear sky greeted us in the morning, with a seriously cold nip in the air. It was too early for sherry, so we quickly had a few triangles of toasted sandwiches. Then, we trussed ourselves up in hoodies, beanies, glovies, extra sockies and the rest and headed out searching for the elusive White Lion.

Keeping careful comms with the other vehicles, there was an indication that the White Lion was around. Still, while heading in that direction, we came across Giraffe, Hyena, Warthogs, Waterbuck, Impala, Nyala, Eland, Zebra and more. The place is literally teeming with wildlife everywhere you look. There was no sign of the Cheetah, but we had heard of the sighting of the White Lion.

We drove for a while before roaring up this steep hillside and turning

It was time for coffee. A few of us might or might not have poured very healthy shots of Kahlua into their coffees, but this was not the time to be judgemental. As we peered down the mountainside, a solitary elephant started showing interest in us and began lumbering towards us. It came towards us at a decent clip but then disappeared behind some thick shrubbery directly behind us. In front of us, we had spotted the White Lion, making tracks up a distant hill. It was far away, but we saw it in the distance. Suddenly the elephant appeared behind us again. It showed some interest again as we all waited motionlessly. Finally, it came up really close, and we started considering a slow, controlled transition into the vehicle. However, it lost interest again. We could relax and sip on our coffee or climb into the vehicle, depending on how nervous we were.

On returning to the Water Lodge, we had all worked up a bit of an appetite, so it was time for breakfast. I chose the African Eggs Benedict (secret ingredient: biltong shavings), while my wife chose the Bush Omelette with Gouda, Mozzarella, spinach and mushrooms. They were both delicious, and we swapped over plates halfway, as happily married couples do, to share our meals and enjoy some fresh tastes. Still, the Benedict came out on top.

Pumba offered a classy weekend away, with the excitement of a game drive, exquisite dining experiences and world-class rooms. The only problem was that our trip was too short, so a longer return trip is a definite. https://www.pumbagamereserve. co.za/ +27 41 502 3050

We could relax and sip on our coffee or climb into the vehicle, depending on how nervous we were.