| | Weather and Landscape
The Pafuri area is looking absolutely beautiful. Now that we've had some consistent spells of rain, an emerald-green blanket of grass is beginning to cover most of what was previously a relatively barren landscape. All in all we had 50mm of rain this month, and the vegetation is slowly assuming the lush, abundant look that happens at this time of year. Along with the rain it's been a hot, humid December, with temperatures fluctuating between 30 and 45° C, rendering both our swimming pools hives of activity.
Wildlife
The myth that Pafuri is not necessarily a big game viewing area has long been dispelled, and it's such a pleasure to be able to do it again. The abundance of general game here is remarkable. Guests have been treated to grassy areas covered with large herds of impala, nyala, kudu, sounders of warthogs, and troops of baboons, as well as impressive breeding herds of buffalo.
Of course this time of year means that all things small abound. It's a delight to watch the sometimes enormous nurseries of impala lambs as they stand together in serene little herds, often interspersed with busily burrowing baby warthogs trying to keep up with their mothers.
One of the things that make this particular concession so unique is the number of uncommon species that guests are lucky enough to encounter here. To see the usually elusive nyala in the numbers that we are at the moment is truly something special. They dominate much of the landscape, and also seem to have no problem with human habitation, content to walk underneath our boardwalk only metres away from guests and staff. Sharpe's grysbok is also a species that so many of us hardly ever see, but here sightings of these uncommon antelope have been numerous. On several occasions the klipspringer has been sighted as well.
Walks to and from tents at night have become lucrative game viewing opportunities in themselves, with genets and thick-tailed bush-babies gracing the boardwalks, and porcupines shuffling in the undergrowth. The centimetre-long baby chameleons clutching the leaves of a patch of feverberry trees close to our boma have been the source of much fascination and sighs of endearment - they're easy to spot in the dark with a good torch and keen eye.
Although elephants traditionally disperse once the rains begin and tend to move further south, breeding herds were still a regular entry into the sightings book this month. Lion and leopard have featured consistently as well. For an area that had been devoid of much game for so long, it is inspiring to find new prides of lion moving into the concession. This, along with the separate sightings of different leopard and the number of white rhino that our guides have been successfully tracking, has also been a reassuring sign that Pafuri continues to be a game viewing hotspot in the Kruger.
Birds and Birding
Pafuri is surely one of the most exciting birding destinations in South Africa. Birders arrive here with impressive camera lenses hoping to capture images of species that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else, and more often than not their expectations are met.
Pel's Fishing-Owl is perhaps the most sought-after species here. Our guides are familiar with the areas that they tend to frequent, and walks into these spots have produced close, special encounters with the rare, large birds.
Other notable species that inhabit the area and get regularly seen by guests include Racket-tailed Rollers, Three-banded Coursers, Lemon-breasted Canaries, White-crowned Lapwings and Pennant-winged Nightjars, among numerous others. Our guides have managed to locate the nest of a Grey Penduline-Tit, right next to the road, which has also caused much excitement.
We're all delighted that the Southern Carmine Bee-eaters have finally come back, settling on trees in pink profusion. They were late to get here, and their return was eagerly anticipated. European Bee-eaters are also here in full force, as well as the Black Cuckoo, Woodland Kingfisher, and White Stork that have been back for a while. Of course there are other returning visitors and residents that are too numerous to mention.
Camp Activities
This month has been jam-packed with exciting events. Most important and gratifying of all was the hosting of Children in the Wilderness (CITW) - something we always look forward to and cherish. 38 underprivileged children from the Makuleke Community took up all of our guest tents, and were treated to five days of educational fun and entertainment. Between game drives and lessons and painting and swimming and dancing and role-playing, there was just enough time to get a little bit of sleep. All of our staff and the CITW coordinators got wholeheartedly involved in making sure that the children left here enriched with knowledge and appreciation of the wilderness, and the importance of conserving it. It was a privilege to be part of it.
We had just enough time to clean up the camp after the kids left before a group of 40 guests arrived for a wedding the next day. The whole camp was booked for the sole use of the bridal party and their friends, and we managed to pull off what has to be one of the most beautiful weddings we've ever been privy to.
We kept Christmas a relatively low-key affair, but made sure that people felt the merry spirit by decorating our deck and tables with crackers and hand-crafted decorations, and by calling in our camp choir to sing and dance for the guests.
On New Year we managed to keep most of the guests up until after 12pm, and it was a festive and merry event!
With the large amount of game that has been in the area, as well as all the guests we've been privileged enough to host, all in all December has been a fantastic month for Pafuri Camp. If December is anything to go by, it looks like 2012 is going to be a good year!
All the best!
Julie | |
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