The Kingdom of the White Lions Julia and Horst Drosten‘s Travel to South Africa, Part I
The Kingdom of the White Lions
Julia and Horst Drosten‘s Travel to South Africa, Part I
All night we went by plane from the North to the South of the African continent. Around the Aequator we had pretty much turbulences, which joggled the A 340 but we landed safely on the airport of Port Elizabeth and were warmly greeted by our guide Gertraud Maringer.
We are in the Eastern Cape. The locals named it „Zuurveld“, infertile land, because no field crops grow in this region. The expression was created by the Boers, the farmers from the Netherlands, who travelled at the end of the 18th. century with their cattle through this area.
However our destination, Pumba Private Game Reserve, is situated in an idyllic green valley offside the federal road N2. First we are aquainted to our ranger Stam, than we visit our lodge.
All houses of the Pumba Bush Lodge are built in african colonial style, with low thatched roofs and creeking timber floors. Through the windows you either look over the savanna or into the bush. Meals are served on an open terrace where you can watch zebras, giraffes, gnus and warthogs moving slowly over the plain.
The reserve covers 7000 acres und is home to all of the big 5: Elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards and buffalos and to a multitude of animals like baboons, cheetahs, turtles, blue cranes or kingfishers. In Pumba they are especially proud about their pride of white lions.
If you want to watch wild animals you have to get up early. Every morning we start at 6 and once more in the afternoon to our safari tours. In walking pace Stam drives us along very shaky and dusty roads through hills, valleys and waterholes. Sometimes we have to duck deep down to avoid being hurt by thorny scrubs. Immediately we notice the wonderful smell of aromatic spices or eukalyptus trees. Gertraud tells us, that english settlers introduced the tree to South Africa but it needs way too much water in this arid country.
Stam has been ranger in Pumba for more than ten years and knows the lifes of many of the animals, their names and their characteristics. Buffalos are the most dangerous of all because they attack suddenly without a warning. If it happens you can only run or climb a tree. But maybe the stubborn animal waits under the tree for hours hoping to get you when you climb down. The little impalas are the „hamburgers“ of the lions. Stam shows us the leading female of the elephants and tells us that an eland antilope can jump more than two meters high. One time we see a group of giraffes looking all transfixed in the same direction. „They watch the lions“, says Stam. „They had their last meal three days ago and are hungry.“ The giraffes know that and their statuesque posture is a warning to the other grass eaters that the lions are hunting again.
We go on and see a massive elephant bull next to the road plucking on a tree. Suddenly he turns and walks directly to our vehicle. Several seconds we are eye to eye with the majestic bull than he disappears into the bush. Later we drive past the bull‘s rest-tree and learn that adult elephants only sleep standing, leaned against a trunk.
Sadly Stam also knows horrible stories: Ruthless poachers breaking into the parks at night hunting rhinos with helicopters and infrared cameras, killing them only because some stupid criminals think the hornes enhance their virility. Pumba has lost three rhinos this way.
On our first trip we have a flat tire. What shall we do? Get out of the car in the middle of lions and leopards? And it is just that. Stam stops on a grassy hill and changes the tire – supported by Horst while the sun sets behind the hills. Quickly it is getting cool and windy but after the repair of the car is finished we all (but Stam who has a coke) reward us with a glass of delicious white wine and Biltong which is dried beef or venison. Stam discovers two small white spots in the valley. We all look through our field glasses and see two of the very rare white lions – this moment really feels like „Out of Africa“.
On our way back to the lodge we meet the two lions. Beautiful animals, father and son, only they lie only three meters from our car. The wild animals of Pumba are used to those vehicles. „They see the open jeeps with the humans inside as creatures neither dangerous nor a prey animal“, says Stam. If the animals are not in the mood to meet those creatures they just turn and disappear in the bush.
In the camp dinner is waiting. Our choice is antilope venison and is delicious – tender and very tasty. But if it ever happens that you have to walk on your own through the bush watch out for vervet monkeys and eat what they eat. „Because their digestive system is like ours“, tells Stam.
When we return to our lodge it is pitch-black and we are able to admire the beautiful southern starry sky but unfortunately we don’t know any of the constellations. The total darkness is both exciting and frightening for people like us who are used to electric light everywhere. We can’t rely on our eyes, just on our ears and touch. We listen to the sounds of cicadas and owls but we also think of predators and snakes. So we hurry to our lodge. When we go to bed we are filled with wonderful experiences and can’t wait to see more of this beautiful country.
https://www.instagram.com/juliadrosten/
https://de-de.facebook.com/pages/cate...
https://www.pinterest.de/juliadrosten/
http://www.pumbagamereserve.co.za/
Julia and Horst Drosten‘s Travel to South Africa, Part I
All night we went by plane from the North to the South of the African continent. Around the Aequator we had pretty much turbulences, which joggled the A 340 but we landed safely on the airport of Port Elizabeth and were warmly greeted by our guide Gertraud Maringer.
We are in the Eastern Cape. The locals named it „Zuurveld“, infertile land, because no field crops grow in this region. The expression was created by the Boers, the farmers from the Netherlands, who travelled at the end of the 18th. century with their cattle through this area.
However our destination, Pumba Private Game Reserve, is situated in an idyllic green valley offside the federal road N2. First we are aquainted to our ranger Stam, than we visit our lodge.
All houses of the Pumba Bush Lodge are built in african colonial style, with low thatched roofs and creeking timber floors. Through the windows you either look over the savanna or into the bush. Meals are served on an open terrace where you can watch zebras, giraffes, gnus and warthogs moving slowly over the plain.
The reserve covers 7000 acres und is home to all of the big 5: Elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards and buffalos and to a multitude of animals like baboons, cheetahs, turtles, blue cranes or kingfishers. In Pumba they are especially proud about their pride of white lions.
If you want to watch wild animals you have to get up early. Every morning we start at 6 and once more in the afternoon to our safari tours. In walking pace Stam drives us along very shaky and dusty roads through hills, valleys and waterholes. Sometimes we have to duck deep down to avoid being hurt by thorny scrubs. Immediately we notice the wonderful smell of aromatic spices or eukalyptus trees. Gertraud tells us, that english settlers introduced the tree to South Africa but it needs way too much water in this arid country.
Stam has been ranger in Pumba for more than ten years and knows the lifes of many of the animals, their names and their characteristics. Buffalos are the most dangerous of all because they attack suddenly without a warning. If it happens you can only run or climb a tree. But maybe the stubborn animal waits under the tree for hours hoping to get you when you climb down. The little impalas are the „hamburgers“ of the lions. Stam shows us the leading female of the elephants and tells us that an eland antilope can jump more than two meters high. One time we see a group of giraffes looking all transfixed in the same direction. „They watch the lions“, says Stam. „They had their last meal three days ago and are hungry.“ The giraffes know that and their statuesque posture is a warning to the other grass eaters that the lions are hunting again.
We go on and see a massive elephant bull next to the road plucking on a tree. Suddenly he turns and walks directly to our vehicle. Several seconds we are eye to eye with the majestic bull than he disappears into the bush. Later we drive past the bull‘s rest-tree and learn that adult elephants only sleep standing, leaned against a trunk.
Sadly Stam also knows horrible stories: Ruthless poachers breaking into the parks at night hunting rhinos with helicopters and infrared cameras, killing them only because some stupid criminals think the hornes enhance their virility. Pumba has lost three rhinos this way.
On our first trip we have a flat tire. What shall we do? Get out of the car in the middle of lions and leopards? And it is just that. Stam stops on a grassy hill and changes the tire – supported by Horst while the sun sets behind the hills. Quickly it is getting cool and windy but after the repair of the car is finished we all (but Stam who has a coke) reward us with a glass of delicious white wine and Biltong which is dried beef or venison. Stam discovers two small white spots in the valley. We all look through our field glasses and see two of the very rare white lions – this moment really feels like „Out of Africa“.
On our way back to the lodge we meet the two lions. Beautiful animals, father and son, only they lie only three meters from our car. The wild animals of Pumba are used to those vehicles. „They see the open jeeps with the humans inside as creatures neither dangerous nor a prey animal“, says Stam. If the animals are not in the mood to meet those creatures they just turn and disappear in the bush.
In the camp dinner is waiting. Our choice is antilope venison and is delicious – tender and very tasty. But if it ever happens that you have to walk on your own through the bush watch out for vervet monkeys and eat what they eat. „Because their digestive system is like ours“, tells Stam.
When we return to our lodge it is pitch-black and we are able to admire the beautiful southern starry sky but unfortunately we don’t know any of the constellations. The total darkness is both exciting and frightening for people like us who are used to electric light everywhere. We can’t rely on our eyes, just on our ears and touch. We listen to the sounds of cicadas and owls but we also think of predators and snakes. So we hurry to our lodge. When we go to bed we are filled with wonderful experiences and can’t wait to see more of this beautiful country.
https://www.instagram.com/juliadrosten/
https://de-de.facebook.com/pages/cate...
https://www.pinterest.de/juliadrosten/
http://www.pumbagamereserve.co.za/
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