In the African night, the beat of a drum means news...

June 2009

Read about events at Djuma Game Reserve

Bush Lodge

“A big female hippo has been spotted....”…. Click here to read more.

Vuyatela

“We saw the ‘big five’ and learned even more on the walks....”... Click here to read more.

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This newsletter is archived in the Drumbeat section of our web site

Our very successful Drumbeat newsletter as we know it will be ending with this issue. Our website is undergoing a huge revamp and we will be bringing in a “blog” which will replace the newsletter and ranger’s diary. This final newsletter shows photos taken from the Djuma photo archive.

The trees are dropping their leaves in large quantities, helped along with light winds, and the bush has turned a beautiful golden colour. Most mornings see the valleys covered in mist, lifting later in the day to reveal clear skies. This is helped by the warm sunny days. A big female hippo has been spotted on several occasions in our lodge dam, mainly during dinner time. She is so relaxed and may be showing some kind of interest to come and occupy the dam on a more permanent basis. She may need to hurry up and decide before the dam dries up though. Elephants have also been swimming in the dam.
Highlights out in the bush have mostly included the Styx pride of lions, which are still on the property. The complete pride, including nine cubs, was seen almost every week, but the Nkahuma lion pride has not been seen for almost a month. We are hoping to see them back soon. A breeding herd of buffalo was seen north of Bush Lodge during a morning drive, running towards the watering hole. Later on an unknown pride of lions was behind the herd all heading in a southerly direction. Karula female leopard was seen with her cubs for the first three weeks of May. However at the end of the month she was seen for four days without her cubs, calling out to them. We are concerned of their whereabouts and our guides suspect that Jordaan, male leopard, might have found the cubs hidden somewhere and killed them. Nothing is confirmed yet and we`ll keep you posted. Our guests have been appreciative of the hard work put in by our safari staff to track and find game to make their safaris wonderful and memorable.
Many happy honeymoon blessing for Arnold and Sherri Howe, who spent some time with the Bush Lodge team. We wish them all the bests in the next coming years.
We would like to wish Nestah Machavi a happy birthday and a year to come full of joy and happiness.
Fond regards from Mandla and the Bush Lodge staff.

Whether has been superb, chilly in the morning and evenings and very warm during the day, a bit like summer! Around the camp there has been lots of general game, the likes of giraffe, zebra, kudu, wildebeest and waterbuck. We were fortunate to watch two pairs of hippos mating in the water at the dam. Breeding herds of elephants with lots of babies were coming everyday to have a mud bath and swim. Apart from the two dagga boys (male buffalo) that always come and wallow inside the water, a breeding herd of buffalo also joined them on occasion. With the grass short and trees losing their leaves, there are lots of rhinos close to the camp, very relaxed.
The general game has been so good this month, made even better by the presence of different pride of lions, seen mostly alongside the boundaries. The other factor attracting these prides of lions is the presence of breeding herds of buffaloes. Two male lions, new to Djuma property were spotted feeding on a buffalo kill.
The Mapogo pride of lions was back again, but this time it was only two of them, their faces covered in blood. By the looks of it, they had been fighting. The Styx pride seem to be trying to settle on Djuma even though they keep being pushed out by the Kuhuma pride, that always come and go. After a long time the lone Manyeleti boy, male lion, has been seen patrolling out Northern boundary, perhaps looking for some company as he has been on his own for a long time. Sandy Patch, lone lioness, is still hanging in there with her three cubs that are growing each and every day. She has been successful in killing. The Windmill pride of lions is also pushing deeper to our reserve from Mala Mala. The highlight of the month, although sad, goes to the male leopard that was found at Kudu corner feeding on an ant eater. The guests were so amazed to see the ant eater even though it was dead. Kurhula female leopard is still looking good and her two cubs are growing and looking healthy. She is a very successful hunter and is most often seen on kills with hers cubs. Four cheetahs have been dominating the eastern side of the reserve this month.
We welcome back the Lupiens, Schaubecks and Vyvers. To our honeymooners we say congratulations to the McEligots, Roos, Seskins and Carolles for enjoying their honeymoon at our lodge. Happy birthday to the Toit and our staff birthday wishes are for Luzile and Isaak.
Best wishes from Jimmy and the Vuyatela team.

Winter is well and truly in the air with crisp, cooler, sunny days and great game sightings. The time has come for Galago to have a makeover, seeing as the other lodges have had their turn. This will be happening over the course of the next two months. As we all know, Galago is a very popular lodge and due to this we won’t be able to close down to do the re-furb, but will rather be slotting in the work in between bookings. The bathrooms, lighting and soft furnishings will all be getting some attention in the weeks to come. In the mean time, let’s hear what our May guests had to say about their safaris.
Return guests, Gerald and Ana and friends wrote: “Once again a great week. Thanks to the ladies, thanks to William and Aubrey. Great sightings and great times.”
The Cloete group had the following to say; “Our annual visit to Galago with Lex as guide is the highlight of our year. Before we leave we plan the next one to make sure that the experience of star-filled nights, amazing sunrise and sunsets, sharpness of fascinating animals and bird lives will be available to us again.
Each visit brings something new and this visit has been no exception. Today on our game drive we saw Kurula (female leopard) seeing off an intruder on her territory – poetry in motion, lovely and exciting. We have had such fun, much laughter and lots of learning about the wild. The Hardy animals.”
“Staff, William & Aubrey were fantastic. Very professional, knowledgeable and very kind. First time to Djuma and definitely coming back. Of course great sightings and photos. We saw the ‘big five’ and learned even more on the walks, even when you think there’s nothing more to learn! Very relaxing and great food – Nellys needs no help in the kitchen, she’s capable! Looking forward to our next trip to Djuma,
Thank you for the brilliant weekend.” From Rob & Lisa, Andrew & Nadine, Sam & Rob, Roy & Jann, Bonny & Cindy
The Handley party commented: “A wonderful experience! Aubrey and William were wonderful and the kitchen staff made the time even more relaxing. Quality of sightings was remarkable!

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Djuma Game Reserve
P. O. Box 338, Hluvukani, 1363, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Tel: (+ 27 13) 735 5118
Fax: (+ 27 13) 735 5070
 

 
Webmaster: Jurie Moolman