Day 6 (Monday) - Clear Again..ho hum
6am wakeup time: bad. 10am safari: good. I've always wanted to go on a safari. Hours watching lions eat wildebeests on Discovery stirred an interest in seeing the African savannas. Well, the Western Cape isn't known for its safaris. Animals like cheetahs, lions, and elephants are not indigenous to the area due to the arid climate. Kruger National Park near Johannesburg is the place to find REAL safaris, but there are a number of game preserves in the Cape Town area that feature 'The Big 5.' (Elephants, Lions, Cheetahs, Rhinos, Water Buffalo).
Joe and Maggie went on safari the last time they were in Cape Town. They went to Aquila game park and really liked it so we were planning on heading there. The concierge in our hotel talked us out of Aquila, calling it a 'glorified zoo.' He steered us toward Inverdoorn game preserve. Inverdoorn, he promised us, is as good as safaris get in the Western Cape.
The 3.5 hour drive was, like everything in South Africa, beautiful. We went through vineyards, small mountain towns, scenic mountain passes, and lush valleys. And then all the green stopped. We were officially in the desert. With no one around. We didn't pass another car for 25 minutes during one stretch of the drive. As navigator I became a little worried when the road under us went from pavement to gravel to dirt. Where was this place?
Finally, a dust cloud in the distance revealed a small bus carrying tourists to the game preserve. Upon entering the preserve's gates we spotted a number of springbok and zebra. I was pumped.
A nice drink of freshly squeezed fruit juice and a small breakfast greeted us upon arrival. After a short wait, our guide directed us to the 4x4s. The 4x4 was an open-air land cruiser that sat around 12-15 people. It was comfortable enough.
The guide explained that the game preserve was over 8,000 acres and home to over 100 species of animals. The indigenous animals - rhino, giraffe, zebra, antelope - were simply living life as it has always been. The others - lions, cheetahs, water buffalo, etc. - were acquired by the land owners and transported to the preserve.
Our first stop was at the lion/cheetah pens. These are really big enclosures that had to be put up until the cheetahs became comfortable with their surroundings. (I'll get to the lions in a second). The cheetahs were brought in three years ago and for some reason haven't produced offspring. The park rangers want one of them to get pregnant before releasing the family into to actual preserve. Plus, the game population in the reserve isn't high enough yet to satisfy the needs of the cheetah. So, if the cheetahs were released into the park now they would completely decimate the game.
The plan is for the cheetahs to be released within the next two years. Cheetahs are very cool animals. Pretty small and lean, they reminded me of a cute hairy greyhound. Onto the lions. This is a sad story. Some lions are raised in captivity without ever learning survival skills so that rich white men can shoot them in their cages to say they bagged a lion. Terrible. The lion family at this reserve were raised this way. The owner of the preserve saved them from their previous owner and put them in the park to give them a chance at life. Unfortunately, their upbringing assures that they will never roam wild. The survival skills they need were simply never learned. They don't know how to hunt, how to breed, and how to act as normal lions. The male lion (a really beautiful specimen, he's yawning here) has been neutered. They are not allowed to breed because they are unable to teach their young how to live in the wild. Clearly this part of the safari was a debbie downer.
Away from the lions and out into the game park. We first spotted a bunch of wildebeests and zebras. Did you know you can't ride zebras? Their backbones are weak and would break in two if a human was to mount them. Interesting. Onto some more springbok and random antelopes. Pretty cool, but the grazing animals are all pretty small and fairly far away. I was ready for some beasts.
Our guide told us to keep our eyes peeled for giraffes. Suddenly we saw about 7 giraffe heads above some small trees. Giraffes are way cool and super-weird. The guide stopped the vehicle and told us we could all get out and walk around with the giraffes. 'Just watch for poisonous snakes-they're everywhere.' Not comforting, but I didn't care. What an unexpected surprise! At one point I separated myself from the group and flanked the giraffes. One didn't really see me so I was able to creep up to 5 feet away as it was feeding on the tree tops.
Onto the search for the last two of the big five - water buffalo and rhino (the park doesn't have elephants). We passed a bunch of springbok, including a two-day old (look close, he's in the middle of the path - his mother is to his left) that could run as fast as its parents. Nature is great.
More antelopes, a baby giraffe, and a couple of wildebeests later we spotted the rhinos. What a sight to see. They were pretty docile so the guide felt pretty safe parking the 4x4 only yards away from them. So far only two rhinos live in the preserve. The female is only 3 years old and just became able to get pregnant so the preserve has high hopes for the pair to produce offspring. Rhino's have a 16 month gestation period and they don't show at all, so it's difficult to tell if she's pregnant or not. Another cool fact is that the rhino's skin is 7cm thick and their body fat is under 1%. Furthermore, the longest horn ever recorded was over 6 feet long!
Onto the water buffaloes. The preserve has three water holes but no buffaloes were around them. Our guide said that it may prove difficult to find them this time of day (noon). If they aren't around water they head for the dense pockets of trees that dot the preserve. Unfortunately, no buffaloes were spotted. Bummer.
So we drove back after a truly unique experience. We left shortly after a quick lunch and decided to stop in wine country on the way back. Joe mentioned that he wanted to find a place that makes wine called Goats-do-Roam. The wine is aptly named as there are a number of goats that live on the property and produce a number of wonderful cheeses. We found the place (called Fairview Winery) right after it closed so all we could get was a couple of pictures of the cool billy goats they have on the property. Next door to Fairview is Seidelberg. Their tastings were still open so we stopped by. Breathtaking. Best winery of the trip We got our tasting in and sat outside to enjoy the amazing view. This is a place I really want to go back to.
We drove home and went to the waterfront to find a place that served ostrich. After some nice ostrich fillets at what was probably the most disappointing restaurant of the week, we decided to go back to the hotel to get some much deserved rest.
Joe and Maggie went on safari the last time they were in Cape Town. They went to Aquila game park and really liked it so we were planning on heading there. The concierge in our hotel talked us out of Aquila, calling it a 'glorified zoo.' He steered us toward Inverdoorn game preserve. Inverdoorn, he promised us, is as good as safaris get in the Western Cape.
The 3.5 hour drive was, like everything in South Africa, beautiful. We went through vineyards, small mountain towns, scenic mountain passes, and lush valleys. And then all the green stopped. We were officially in the desert. With no one around. We didn't pass another car for 25 minutes during one stretch of the drive. As navigator I became a little worried when the road under us went from pavement to gravel to dirt. Where was this place?
Finally, a dust cloud in the distance revealed a small bus carrying tourists to the game preserve. Upon entering the preserve's gates we spotted a number of springbok and zebra. I was pumped.
A nice drink of freshly squeezed fruit juice and a small breakfast greeted us upon arrival. After a short wait, our guide directed us to the 4x4s. The 4x4 was an open-air land cruiser that sat around 12-15 people. It was comfortable enough.
The guide explained that the game preserve was over 8,000 acres and home to over 100 species of animals. The indigenous animals - rhino, giraffe, zebra, antelope - were simply living life as it has always been. The others - lions, cheetahs, water buffalo, etc. - were acquired by the land owners and transported to the preserve.
Our first stop was at the lion/cheetah pens. These are really big enclosures that had to be put up until the cheetahs became comfortable with their surroundings. (I'll get to the lions in a second). The cheetahs were brought in three years ago and for some reason haven't produced offspring. The park rangers want one of them to get pregnant before releasing the family into to actual preserve. Plus, the game population in the reserve isn't high enough yet to satisfy the needs of the cheetah. So, if the cheetahs were released into the park now they would completely decimate the game.
The plan is for the cheetahs to be released within the next two years. Cheetahs are very cool animals. Pretty small and lean, they reminded me of a cute hairy greyhound. Onto the lions. This is a sad story. Some lions are raised in captivity without ever learning survival skills so that rich white men can shoot them in their cages to say they bagged a lion. Terrible. The lion family at this reserve were raised this way. The owner of the preserve saved them from their previous owner and put them in the park to give them a chance at life. Unfortunately, their upbringing assures that they will never roam wild. The survival skills they need were simply never learned. They don't know how to hunt, how to breed, and how to act as normal lions. The male lion (a really beautiful specimen, he's yawning here) has been neutered. They are not allowed to breed because they are unable to teach their young how to live in the wild. Clearly this part of the safari was a debbie downer.
Away from the lions and out into the game park. We first spotted a bunch of wildebeests and zebras. Did you know you can't ride zebras? Their backbones are weak and would break in two if a human was to mount them. Interesting. Onto some more springbok and random antelopes. Pretty cool, but the grazing animals are all pretty small and fairly far away. I was ready for some beasts.
Our guide told us to keep our eyes peeled for giraffes. Suddenly we saw about 7 giraffe heads above some small trees. Giraffes are way cool and super-weird. The guide stopped the vehicle and told us we could all get out and walk around with the giraffes. 'Just watch for poisonous snakes-they're everywhere.' Not comforting, but I didn't care. What an unexpected surprise! At one point I separated myself from the group and flanked the giraffes. One didn't really see me so I was able to creep up to 5 feet away as it was feeding on the tree tops.
Onto the search for the last two of the big five - water buffalo and rhino (the park doesn't have elephants). We passed a bunch of springbok, including a two-day old (look close, he's in the middle of the path - his mother is to his left) that could run as fast as its parents. Nature is great.
More antelopes, a baby giraffe, and a couple of wildebeests later we spotted the rhinos. What a sight to see. They were pretty docile so the guide felt pretty safe parking the 4x4 only yards away from them. So far only two rhinos live in the preserve. The female is only 3 years old and just became able to get pregnant so the preserve has high hopes for the pair to produce offspring. Rhino's have a 16 month gestation period and they don't show at all, so it's difficult to tell if she's pregnant or not. Another cool fact is that the rhino's skin is 7cm thick and their body fat is under 1%. Furthermore, the longest horn ever recorded was over 6 feet long!
Onto the water buffaloes. The preserve has three water holes but no buffaloes were around them. Our guide said that it may prove difficult to find them this time of day (noon). If they aren't around water they head for the dense pockets of trees that dot the preserve. Unfortunately, no buffaloes were spotted. Bummer.
So we drove back after a truly unique experience. We left shortly after a quick lunch and decided to stop in wine country on the way back. Joe mentioned that he wanted to find a place that makes wine called Goats-do-Roam. The wine is aptly named as there are a number of goats that live on the property and produce a number of wonderful cheeses. We found the place (called Fairview Winery) right after it closed so all we could get was a couple of pictures of the cool billy goats they have on the property. Next door to Fairview is Seidelberg. Their tastings were still open so we stopped by. Breathtaking. Best winery of the trip We got our tasting in and sat outside to enjoy the amazing view. This is a place I really want to go back to.
We drove home and went to the waterfront to find a place that served ostrich. After some nice ostrich fillets at what was probably the most disappointing restaurant of the week, we decided to go back to the hotel to get some much deserved rest.
posted by JP at 3:14 PM
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