Mashatu is probably my favorite place in the world.
Two days ago, we left Punda Maria early for the drive across northern South Africa to Pontdrift, a small border crossing from South Africa into what’s called the Tuli Block in southern Botswana. It was a drive filled with the usual misadventures of driving in rural South Africa, but we left early and made good time, arriving at the border early for the transfer to Mashatu Tent Camp.
We were met at the border by Itai and, because there was water in the Limpopo River, were ferried across by cable in a rusty iron cage. Part of the adventure for Aislin. We transferred from there to Tent Camp. I’d been to Mashatu twice previously but always stayed at the Main Camp, which is a permanent (and very nice) resort within high stone walls. Tent camp is not rough by any means, but it is a very different experience. Very comfortable (luckily it wasn’t stinking hot here) and you listen to the amazing sounds of the bush during the night.
It’s the usual Mashatu schedule – wake-up at 0500, breakfast – a light continental affair – at 0520 and on the road for the first game drive at 0530. There’s less variety of big wildlife here at Mashatu than at Kruger for example – no rhino, no buffalo, no hippo – but one feels much more isolated as we patrol very rough tracks in an vehicle open to the sky and to the bush. The vehicles are amazing actually – old Toyota Land Cruisers that are, for all intents and purposes, tanks, traversing the roughest terrain, plowing right through the brush when necessary. The first night’s drive was quiet and we didn’t see any of the major predators. The next morning we saw a glimpse of leopard. But the second evening’s drive resulted in really a stunning leopard show, put on by a mother and her two year-old son. It was fairly late afternoon, and they were under a dense canopy of trees so photographically, one might wish for more light. But it’s one of those things where you just crank up the ISO and go for it. Thanks to our guide Richard and his assistant Commando – it was just an amazing thing to see.
At two, the male’s world is about to change. He’s still a momma’s boy, but he’s about big enough to hunt for himself and mom’s begun cavorting with a big male apparently and that big male won’t tolerate the younger male’s presence for long. Meaning the little guy’s about to get pushed out into the world to make his own way. No more food provided by mom or reassurance. He’ll have to establish and protect his own territory out there.
On this drive we also got a glimpse of the lion cubs. There aren’t a lot of lions here at Mashatu but there are, I believe, two females with cubs and of course every guest wants to see them. Mom had parked them deep in some long grass though before leaving to, presumably, go hunt and when we arrived, they just moved deeper into the grass.
Next morning we had an excellent cheetah sighting – there are three brothers that hang out here and we got to watch them sleeping it off after eating a big meal somewhere. We saw a hyena hauling ass chasing, unsuccessfully, an impala. We saw a big rock python that had just eaten (consensus among the rangers was that it was a mongoose) and Aislin got to approach and touch it. Got to watch elephants eating up close.
Then the transfer to the Main Camp for the evening. Got to see Bobson and Bellamy and Caroline so far. Hope to see other friends here as the day progresses. We’ve signed up for a predator drive with Andrei, the predator researcher here. I have no idea what that will be like – it’ll be a new experience for all of us.
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