Djuma Private Game Reserve http://www.djuma.com Experience the Magic of Djuma Live! Tue, 08 May 2012 05:29:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Yoga at Vuyatela http://www.djuma.com/2012/yoga-at-vuyatela/ http://www.djuma.com/2012/yoga-at-vuyatela/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 05:28:49 +0000 Djuma http://www.djuma.com/?p=2173 It was an amazing experience being in this raw, expansive environment and combining it with the yoga. The richness of the land and all the amazing animals that we saw, together with the yoga made Djuma Private Game Reserve the perfect place for our retreat.
The facilites were exceptional, the service was great. We couldn’t have asked for anything better. Management was so easy to work with which made it all the more pleasurable. This was the second time that we held a retreat here and we will continue to hold yoga retreats at Djuma at least twice a year. We look forward to a long relationship.
To practice yoga in such an environment embodies the feeling of taking a journey. A journey deep into the African bush, and deep with ourselves.
Thank you to all…
Please contact jo@djuma.co.za or reservations@djuma.co.za if you are interested in joining the next group.
IMG_1236 IMG_1228 IMG_1221 IMG_1218 IMG_1216 IMG_1215 IMG_1210 IMG_1213 IMG_1207 IMG_1203 IMG_1199 IMG_1194
]]> http://www.djuma.com/2012/yoga-at-vuyatela/feed/ 0 What a royal welcome! http://www.djuma.com/2012/what-a-royal-welcome/ http://www.djuma.com/2012/what-a-royal-welcome/#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 10:39:08 +0000 Djuma http://www.djuma.com/?p=2133

 
Xivambalana giving a royal walk by!
Hi everyone!
Many of you might have heard I was visiting Djuma for a couple of days from the 24th until the 26th and I must admit I was so excited to see our favourite lady and her family, they must have sensed how much I needed to see them! As I was driving over to Vuyatela, her image popped into my head and I wondered if I would be lucky enough to touch base with her over the next couple of days. I was extremely hopeful as it had only been 3 days since she was last seen and the day was overcast which could encourage the spotted felines out from hiding! It has been just over 2 weeks or so since Xivindzi has been seen; but it sounds like she is doing well as we expected. Highly independent at only 17 months old it is such a huge contrast to her brother!
Xivambalana
 As soon as I announced on the radio I had departed for game drive, the call came in Xivambalana was on the western side of Inga’s house on the quarantine open area. Thrilled to hear this news, I immediately became like a child again, a huge grin spread across my face as I bounced down to the sighting!
He couldn’t have been in a better position, lounging on the branch of the old marula tree we have watched ground hornbill foraging for food around and seen the Gowrie gang sitting on countless times in the middle of the quarantine eyeing the impala at least 90m away. Instantly I could see how much he has grown, he is about the same size Mixo was at his age and just as handsome as his elder sibling!
 
Xivambalana lounging about before his hunt!
He was not in the slightest bit concerned at the vehicles being there either, which was so heart-warming to witness, it is clear he is maturing and it was wonderful to see how he was more sure of himself and his surroundings. I sat with him for a while, but he became restless as he kept looking over at the mobile buffet tantalising him.
 
Xivambalana focused on what lies ahead!


Eventually it got too much to handle and he made his descent back to suitable cover, it was at this moment to my amazement Karula suddenly appeared from underneath the fallen tree. She must have been taking a break while Xivambalana made use of the vantage point! Together mother and son crept in unison towards the antelope, focused on the shared goal.
 
Xivambalana left, his mother Karula right, focused on the impala
Maybe Xivambalana was a little too eager or the wind turned but they were not even within striking distant before the alarm was raised.
The royal lady herself – Karula
You could see on Karula’s face she was not impressed, but to her son, the call to tell them it was a waste of time fell on deaf ears as he tried in earnest to get closer.
 
Impala ewes on alert
Eventually he realised the females were too alert so shifted his attention towards two males sparing who were not taking notice of the alarm calls. He literally leopard crawled into long grass, but the females became so instant about him approaching, the males took their dispute further away from the danger zone!
 
Impala ewes making sure everyone knows Xivambalana is still a threat
This still didn’t dissuade him from approaching; he merely stood up with his white flag in full view and strolled across the open ground to settle next to a bush, still watching for a potential mistake from his quarry.
 
Karula 
Once again Karula appeared to check on her son’s progress and assessing the situation, which became clear she was not in favour of his choice. She gave us a royal walk by in her usual fashion as she moved to get a better look!
 
Karula less than 2m from us!
He took a moment to regroup and noticed a lone ram south of where the rest of the herd were. He had lost interest in the commotion and was busy displaying; a perfect opportunity to take advantage of. Unfortunately there was a lot of ground to cover but Xivambalana was not fazed. He took to the cover and made his approach as Karula watched his attempt. The ram was not as clueless as he thought, yet again the alarm call sounded and the score became 3:0 to the impala.
 
Game well and truly over for Xivambalana …or is it?!
Light was fading rapidly as he retreated to more comfortable spot while the ram continued to sound the alarm. Even after all this I have to hand it to him he didn’t give up. From his view point he spied another potential meal and headed for the nearest cover. I actually think he could have been in with a chance as another ram came close to where he hid, but his scent gave his presence away. Already on high alert, the ram started to call, but it became clear he didn’t know where Xivambalana was hiding.
 
4th time lucky?
I held my breath as he came within a few meters of our young hunter, still looking towards where the last male had been calling from, almost confused at not seeing a cat there. He was within striking distance but Xivambalana hesitated and immediately the ram spun round to stare right at him. With only a few meters between them, Xivambalana still launched into half-hearted pounce and gave chase for all of 2 steps before finally conceding defeat! At 4:0 it looked like enough was enough for our young leopard, at least for the time being! Karula had headed further West, possibly waiting for night fall before she made any attempt at catching dinner, but it had been brilliant to see her and to witness such a change in Xivambalana. I always knew he had it in him!
 
Induna
If this wasn’t enough we bumped into Induna the following afternoon as he took a stroll and scent marked close to Gowrie gate on the Eastern side. The following morning we were lucky enough to catch up with him on Buffleshoek cutline where he was voicing his concern for something. He gave a small contact call mixed in with his growling. As we drove around we could hear another leopard who turned out to be Yambilu-Jordaan voicing his opinion that his son was not allowed to share his kill this time!
 
Induna
Induna took the hint and melted back into the bush with out so much as a goodbye. Could this be the turning point in their relationship? He is 3 and a half years old now, time to stand on his own 4 feet! But who knows, maybe his father was just in a bad mood!! All I know was it was great the royal family of Djuma graced us with a snap shot of how they are doing!
Written by Tara

 

]]> http://www.djuma.com/2012/what-a-royal-welcome/feed/ 20 Enquire as to our Introductory Special at the new Vuyatela! http://www.djuma.com/2012/enquire-as-to-our-introductory-special-at-the-new-vuyatela/ http://www.djuma.com/2012/enquire-as-to-our-introductory-special-at-the-new-vuyatela/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:37:25 +0000 Djuma http://www.djuma.com/?p=2097

 

Enquire as to our Introductory Special @ Vuyatela!

For the month of May and June Djuma Game Reserve is offering an Introductory Special at the new Vuyatela self-catering. Click the link above for a brochure.

Email reservations@djuma.co.za for more

]]> http://www.djuma.com/2012/enquire-as-to-our-introductory-special-at-the-new-vuyatela/feed/ 4 A guide to identifying some of the leopards of Djuma http://www.djuma.com/2012/a-guide-to-identifying-some-of-the-leopards-of-djuma/ http://www.djuma.com/2012/a-guide-to-identifying-some-of-the-leopards-of-djuma/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 06:26:56 +0000 Djuma http://www.djuma.com/?p=2037 Here is a gallery of some of the leopards of Djuma and how to identify them. This incredible guide was created by Lyn, long-time supporter of Djuma and its live cameras. Lyn very kindly agreed that I could post these here. Thank you Lyn!

 

 

Xivindzi Identity marks Mafunfunyane Xivindzi ID marks Xivambalana's ID marks ID Xivambalana side pattern comparison Xivambalana - face Mixo spot pattern both hips Identity marks Mixo Induna's hip spot patterns Identity marks Induna Identity marks Tingana Identity marks Saseka II Identity marks Karula Identity marks Mvula - more Identity marks Mvula ]]> http://www.djuma.com/2012/a-guide-to-identifying-some-of-the-leopards-of-djuma/feed/ 7 How to make a lodge in two months – the new Galago is open! http://www.djuma.com/2012/how-to-make-a-lodge-in-two-months-the-new-galago-is-open/ http://www.djuma.com/2012/how-to-make-a-lodge-in-two-months-the-new-galago-is-open/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:24:49 +0000 Djuma http://www.djuma.com/?p=1997 Today, 2nd of April 2012, Galago Camp has re-opened on our own land, right alongside Vuyatela! This has been no small accomplishment as the builders only moved onto site at the end of January, and have worked tirelessly with only one weekend off since then. Jurie and I imagined what our new lodge would look like, but were met with some skepticism from many that we tried to impart our vision towards. Even our staff thought we were losing it, but after all these years, and several lodges later, stood by us and supported what we had in mind. Over the past weeks we have brought future guests over to have a look – painting a visual picture for them over the construction site – their comments were guarded to say the least!
The crunch started last Wednesday when we had expected the builders to be finished, but no, this was not appearing to be the plan. By Friday, we still did not have a front door, a basin fell off the bathroom wall and a loo sprung a leak! I was already working on “Plan B” – ask Buffelshoek if we could stay on at the “old” Galago for a couple more days while we sorted our lives out. I put a rather emotional call through to site manager, Shaun Petzer, expressing my dismay. He assured me that all was going to plan and he promised that the lodge would open as expected on the Monday. Shaun, apologies for not believing you! Shaun was there right up to the end, hanging curtains, blinds and pictures, adjusting plumbing and correcting electrical problems.
That was all good and well, but we still had guests in the old Galago Camp yesterday. As soon as they had checked out, we arrived in three Land Cruisers, a Jeep, a Hilux Bakkie, and a VW bus, and moved all the stuff we had accumulated over the last 13 years. The pot plants took another two vehicles and six very strong men to move the plants into their new positions. The cherry on the top most certainly happened last night when Jurie and I went over to unpack a couple more boxes of kitchen equipment so that today would be easier to manage. I was walking out the front door to remove some containers, to be met by Karula, the female leopard, who must have been watching us through the glass door. When she realised she had been seen she lay down on the lawn (between us and the car) and carried on watching us. When we needed to leave, Jurie beat on two stainless steel metal bowls to get her to move off so that we could get to the Jeep. As we got into the car, there she was a again – not threatening in any way – just there! During the night she paid the lodge another visit, this time carrying off some of the soft furnishings into the bush. A leopard’s way of welcoming us? Who knows, but we will be taking extreme caution while moving around at night.
This morning was a hive of activity, with every spare hand, cleaning and putting the final touches in place. At 12h45 we were done, and ten minutes later our guests arrived. Several times over the last few days I have told Jurie that this is the last time I am “making” a lodge – but now that all is done, I think I could do it again…..
And finally, some thank you’s are in order. Firstly, thank you Buffelshoek for allowing us to use Galago for the last thirteen years. You have been the most patient and supportive landlords. Thank you as well for allowing us to keep the name “Galago”, the firm foundation for our self catered business. Thank you to Jurie for his never ending determination to change with the times and see the future in this highly competitive industry. Thank you to our staff for weathering the changes with us and sticking by our side through thick and thin…. again! Thank you to Zoe and Rebecca for being so grown up while mom and dad have been busy with the lodges, and helping when needed.
Show me a sign.... The lounge Dining area off the stoep Kids room G1 - also has a TV. The kitchen The lounge - big TV on the left The stoep Lounge towards the kitchen G1 Bathroom G1 Lounge Stoep seating area The view over the braai area Central dressing room - G1 Main bedroom - G1 Garden Chalet - G2
]]> http://www.djuma.com/2012/how-to-make-a-lodge-in-two-months-the-new-galago-is-open/feed/ 19 The dam wall has been fixed! http://www.djuma.com/2012/the-dam-wall-has-been-fixed/ http://www.djuma.com/2012/the-dam-wall-has-been-fixed/#comments Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:10:15 +0000 Djuma http://www.djuma.com/?p=1977 We were very saddened when we lost our dam wall during the floods and so are ecstatic to have had an opportunity to have it fixed. Thanks to Willem Botha and the guys at Mashova who in four days transformed the battered and damaged dam wall into a proper wall with spillways that should allow it to survive the next 60 years.

Herewith some images of the dam wall and the earthworks:

IMG_6820 IMG_6825 IMG_6837 IMG_6850 IMG_6862 ]]> http://www.djuma.com/2012/the-dam-wall-has-been-fixed/feed/ 13 Visit from a friend http://www.djuma.com/2012/visit-from-a-friend/ http://www.djuma.com/2012/visit-from-a-friend/#comments Sun, 04 Mar 2012 07:48:46 +0000 Djuma http://www.djuma.com/?p=1947 Hi Everybody

 Things are progressing very well hear at Djuma and everybody is excited, because we will officially open the lodge again at the end of March to share our piece of paradise with our visitor.  I had a friend(Eugene) come and visit the lodge and was great showing him all the changes and the renovations. Think he was well impressed with how amazing everything has turned out.

I took him on a ”bumble” one afternoon. Now a ”bumble” is basically when friends drive around the property and hopefully see something, because you are not accompanied by a professional ranger you hope for the best.

For the first 30 minutes we did enjoy the nature, but the closes we got to animals was a couple of warthogs. So we decided to drive up Buffelshoek cut-line and saw some wildebeest and impala.

Then something interesting, on the same road we found three Zebra’s. Now the interesting part is that 2 on the outside was facing in one direction while the one in the middle was facing the opposite direction. See photo to follow, very amusing.

After seeing some animals and really enjoying the drive we decided to head home. On the way back we saw a vehicle from another lodge and they were all looking in the direction of another herd of impala. The radio came on and the Ranger from the vehicle clearly seeing us on the other side invited us to the sighting, when we pulled up to my amazement it was a wild dog getting ready for a kill!!

You could have cut the tension with a knife as the wild dog was slowly stalking its pray. Everybody was very quiet as the wild dog is getting closer and closer to the herd of Impala that is not suspecting a thing.

Then like a bolt of lightning the wild dog starts running after the Impala, but no luck for the wild dog. The herd scattered and all got away from the infamous dogs. Just another day in Africa.

I hope everybody enjoyed the short blog and have a great day. Thanks to Eugene for providing the photos from the drive.

Kind Regards

Jaco Wentzel

]]> http://www.djuma.com/2012/visit-from-a-friend/feed/ 26 Work in Progress http://www.djuma.com/2012/work-in-progress/ http://www.djuma.com/2012/work-in-progress/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:58:33 +0000 Djuma http://www.djuma.com/?p=1923 Preparations for the re-opening of Vuyatela and a fresh new start to the new Galago Camp are well underway. We are so excited with the developments that we could not hold back and just had to show you some sneak preview pics. Now, you may have to use a little (actually, more like a lot of) imagination, but bear with us, the final reveal will be worth it.

The new pool at Vuyatela echoing the shape of the boma. Note the “gin seat” all the way round, so that our guests can sit and watch the animals passing by, in cool comfort.

The fish tank is no more! The fish have all moved to the outdoor pond at the reception building and the glass has been covered with mirror, reflecting the bush beyond the dining room.

Jurie and Jaco walking the new Galago entrance road. Some extensive bush clearing has been going on to open up the dense bush to the north of Vuyatela.

The front stoep of the new Galago – yes, still a way to go, but we can “see” the finished lodge emerging. Since our last visit a “Galago” sign appeared on the wall, a good sign indeed!

Part of the new Galago peeking through the cleared brush. The bush clearing team are doing a marvellous job and making a difference every day.

]]> http://www.djuma.com/2012/work-in-progress/feed/ 13 New Beginnings http://www.djuma.com/2012/new-beginnings/ http://www.djuma.com/2012/new-beginnings/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:28:45 +0000 Djuma http://www.djuma.com/?p=1893 Dear Djuma Fans and new readers 

This will be my first official blog for Djuma. So hope it will be enjoyed by all the readers.

A lot has been happening at Djuma Private Game Reserve. To name a few, we have been upgrading buildings for Galago, building a pool overlooking the waterhole and putting up fences. So everybody that work at Djuma is very busy and looking forward to the reopening of Vuyatela as a Premium Self Catering Camp on 1 March 2012.

On a different note, I woke up this morning and though we had a small tornado that came through the camp, but soon realized we had a breading

herd of elephants that past through.

 

Sighting from Taxon this morning. All the Elephants seen in these pictures where relativly close by the lodge. According to Taxon there was almost 30 elephants! 

Other wonderful news is that we have been seeing a lot of the wild dogs over the past couple of weeks.  To follow is a few pictures.

Wild Dogs seen by the Gowrie Gate on Vuyatela Access. Three adult wild dogs were spotted by ranger Taxon

 So saving the best for last:) Our guests from Galago Camp had the opportunity to see three lionesses with a Zebra kill on Arathusa Airstrip. Think they are very pleased with how the morning turned out.

    

One of the lionesses from the Zebra kill this morning.

I hope you have enjoyed this short blog and that the picture quality is not to bad. Special thanks to Taxon for providing photos from his game drive this morning.

Kind Regards

Jaco Wentzel

]]> http://www.djuma.com/2012/new-beginnings/feed/ 36 The dogs have been visiting! http://www.djuma.com/2012/the-dogs-have-been-visiting/ http://www.djuma.com/2012/the-dogs-have-been-visiting/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:19:26 +0000 Djuma http://www.djuma.com/?p=1877

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to pass on the wonderful news about the wild dogs that were seen on the 4th! I ended up staying in the sands for one night at another lodge and was able to jump aboard the morning drive! One of the main animals everyone wanted to see was giraffe and after a few showers and searching, the Djuma herd graced us with their presence! The youngster from the previous blog was with it’s mum and other adults up by the bush braai site enjoying breakfast!We sat with them for a little while and as the sky began to clear we decided we needed to take a short coffee break! It was smiles all round as we sipped our hot beverages, warming us up on the inside, while the sun warmed us on the outside! We finished just in time to hear wild dog had been seen up by Sydney’s dam!

Just as we got there our visual was of a white tail and a pair of ears disappearing into the bush. If hearts sank it was for only a moment as the dogs came bounding back out towards the road where we were!

They stopped to test the ground for anything interesting, milling around the vehicles for a few minutes before trotting off towards sandy patch. Although they didn’t seem to be in a rush anywhere we had to leave, but grateful for the chance to see these rare beauties!

I have also heard Karula has been out and about on the quarantine open area. Xivindzi and Xivambalana were with her enjoying their evening meal of impala with the full moon as a back drop! Sadly I wasn’t there to share it but at least it is great to hear the royal family of Djuma are doing well and are still together!

Take care everyone until next time bye for now! I do have pictures of the dogs which I will upload when I can!

Written by Tara

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