Ulusaba - The Big Five - Fabulous!

After spending our few days in Capetown we rose at 4am to set off on our trip to Ulusaba. Early morning flight out of Capetown to Johannesburg and a transfer to a small plane to take us out to the game reserves that sit next to the Kruger National Park. The reserves used to be fenced from the Kruger but now it is one large open area that allows the animals to pass freely and wander all around the reserves and the Kruger National Park. Ulusaba is owned by Richard Branson. Now we all know that name is linked with adventure and fun – so we were really looking forward to an interesting and adventurous 3 days. We were not disappointed – Ulusaba could not possibly disappoint even the most discerning traveler – it is heaven with staff!

On arrival we were met by some guys from Ulusaba who greeted us with a bottle of champagne and asked us to sit and take it easy while they prepared our transport to the Rock Lodge. The lodge is where we are staying and it is perched high on a kopje above the plains with spectacular views across waterholes and bush, over looking the other part of the resort – the Safari Lodge, which is located on the edge of a small waterway leading to a dam with hippopotamus and crocodile in residence!

The views were gobsmacking! We spent some time on a tour of the lodge – beautifully fitted out in true safari style, just like you see in the movies! The staff all came up and introduced themselves personally to us, with a handshake and a welcoming smile from everyone. They remembered our names the whole time we were there and addressed us by them at all times – of course we had difficulty remembering all of theirs! The service was nothing short of spectacular and every little thing was no trouble at all.

We had booked 3 days of ‘full board’ which we expected would cover our room and meals and tours etc. We were pleasantly surprised to find this also covered all our alcoholic drinks, laundry (though we didn’t need to use it), internet, sunscreen, insect repellent, and generally all facilities other than the health and beauty spa. The food was gourmet, the wine excellent. We even had our own private wine tasting from Sir Rick's cellar. We locked our wallets in a safe and never had to put a hand in our pockets for a thing. Here are some pics from around Rock Lodge. If you go to our album website at www.picasaweb.google.com/cherylandron you will see more photos of this fabulous place and a couple of short movies.

Of course you go ‘on safari’ to see wild animals – and mostly particularly the Big Five – elephant, lion, water buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros. We were not disappointed and were stunned and amazed that the animals can be seen at such close quarters. We had lions and leopards within a few metres of us. The elephants actually came right up to the transport. Here are our best photos of the Big Five.

We also saw some other fabulous animals and many of them had their young with them. A zebra that was only a couple of days old, a newborn wildebeest, monkeys, hyena, giraffe……and the list goes on.

One of the highlights was visiting the local village of Justicea. We were greeted by young people and taken around to see various sights and activities in the village. There was traditional dancing, gumboot dancing, some women making maize porridge, a boys choir and a mixed choir. We had a lovely time, though a bit rushed – I would have liked the opportunity to talk to people. It was clear that this is a regular tour occurrence in the village and they had a program to present. All in all, a very special 3 and a half days.