Balule Private Game Reserve / Imagine Africa Tented Camp, Thursday 20 – Monday 24 July 2023

After a reasonable night at a hotel near OR Tambo it was back to the airport Thursday morning for the short-ish flight (55 minutes) to Hoedspruit in South Africa’s Limpopo Province. Gary from Imagine Africa Luxury Tented Camp picked us up at the Airport and we set off for the 45 minute drive to the Balule Private Game Reserve.

Balule is bounded on the north by the Olifants River, with the Kruger National Park ( there is no fence between the two) forming the eastern boundary. The northern part of the Drakensberg Mountains form a spectacular backdrop just a few kilometres to the west.

Part of the Drakensberg mountains in the distance

The Imagine Africa Luxury Camp was, as accurately (and somewhat immodestly) described in the title, luxurious. But simply so. It was quite probably the nicest place we stayed during the entire trip. The routine was simple – up at 0530 for a game drive, back for breakfast around 0900. The day at leisure reading, sleeping or swimming ( the pool was , again, very cold). At 1600 it’s time for another game drive ( with sundowners on a hill somewhere), returning around 1900 ish. After a shower it’s dinner time, then rinse and repeat. A simple but good way to spend the days out in the African bush.

Camp swimming pool overlooking the waterhole

Panoramic view of the camp waterhole with the Drakensberg in the distance

Outside dining and lounge area overlooking the pool and waterhole… now with added Ness!

Our tent had a direct view from our bed of the waterhole immediately in front of the lodge. We saw elephants, kudu, hyena, wild dogs and stacks of various types of birds. The ‘tent’ itself had a covered deck, king sized bed, aircon, fan , en-suite , dressing room, desk, inside shower, and an outside shower and bath. Not too shabby!

The game viewing was good. Highlights included a small pack of African Wild Dogs, Black Rhinos ( one crotchety and charging, one mega-chilled), a massive White Rhino, a 3 week old Giraffe foal, a Leopard on an Impala kill, another smaller Leopard just trying to mind her own business , a small pack of Hyenas on a kill ( stolen from Wild Dogs) and … a chameleon trying to blend in on a high tension power line! Plus the ‘usual’ Impala, Waterbuck, Kudu, Bush Buck, Grey Duiker, Zebra, Giraffe and Elephants, along with plentifuli bird life.

Ness checking something out on the Sunday morning game drive after the sun came up… being rugged up was vital before dawn

The ‘chill’ black rhino – the guides have christened him ‘Zulu’

A very relaxed and friendly white rhino male – the photo doesn’t necessarily convey it, but he was nearly half as big again as the two black rhino in the images on this post (all the rhino in the Balule Game Reserve have been de-horned as an anti-poaching measure)

Video of the non-chilled black rhino male. Our guide, Hendrick, said this fella had form for grumpiness; he lived up to it when we encountered him!

A three week old giraffe having a rest, zebra apparently helping

African White-backed Vulture hanging out by the Olifants river

Remains of an Impala, stolen from the African Wild Dogs which had caught and killed it

A Tawny Eagle watches over the Hyenas as they devour their stolen Impala

On Monday morning we were up early (again) for our final game drive of this trip. Highlights were the young female leopard stalking Impala and a pride of lions with six cubs.