[Read Part 1 of our Chitwa Chitwa Safari]
It’s Raining Cats and Dogs
The morning started with a lion. Then another. And another. And another.
Of the Big 5, lions daunt me most.
So needless to say, I cowered in the lap of another passenger as four of the big cats, three females, one male, slinked right up to our game vehicle. Watching them stop right in front of us, pierce us with their gaze, yawn, stretch and then amble off down the dirt path again was all the more mesmerising because of the fear.
What a way to start our second day at Chitwa Chitwa Game Lodge…
We stopped for a morning coffee and muffins in a flat clearing, huddled around the warmth of the vehicle’s bonnet.
By the time we arrived back at the lodge for breakfast, because all you seem to do on safari is eat, we had spotted giraffe, impala, and a leopard female sleeping in a tree, her limbs splayed over either side of the thick branch in a cat nap. Her stomach pushed at the seams and the early sun shone onto her face, unperturbed by the game vehicles below.
We’d had eight leopard sightings in two days, with three in a tree… not too shabby.
Breakfast was served under the thatch roof of an open air dining area near the lodge, a short distance from the dam. Hornbills skirted the edges and hippos harrumphed loudly in the water. A herd of elephant – the greatest I’ve ever seen – waded up to the water’s edge too, for a morning sprinkle. It’s great to be able to do absolutely nothing in the bush for those few hours after breakfast. We lay on our decks, played Scrabble and swam in the private plunge pools, crocs’ eyes glinting at us from not too far away. You don’t have to go very far at Chitwa Chitwa to see wildlife.
In the afternoon, we journeyed back into the bush, where below a giant tree an ox bow of tables had been set up, covered in white linen for us to dine at. After our meal, we were back on the vehicle tracking wild dog, feeling a bit wild ourselves, what with several glasses of wine and G&Ts in our system.
Eight dogs approached us in the middle of the dirt path, panting and perky-eyed. They were on a mission. We followed them, branches whacking us in the face, into the thick bush as the dogs chased after a buck before disappearing wholly from view.
You know it’s a good safari when even your boss, a self-proclaimed safari snob who has been on just about every game drive possible in southern Africa, is still awake and snapping pictures of the sightings on his iPhone.
After cleaning up in our rooms, we met for pre-drinks at the bar. The bar area is lavish with a big fireplace and an even bigger drinks menu. Dinner was a civilised affair around a long table on the deck outside – we flew through the soup of the day, mussels in a creamy garlic sauce, fillet and pork chops, with mashed potatoes and veg, and berry pavlova. Post-dinner drinks was less civilised. Owner Charl started cleaning out his supply of Jägermeisters and plonked shot glass after shot glass in front of us.
The next morning included a lot of time spent horizontal on the couch. Luckily, the couches are quite luxurious. From whatever angle you experience it, though, Chitwa Chitwa has it all.