The Hindu Business Line : In bush territory

A knock on your door awakens you at dawn to a new bushveld day. After coffee and snacks on the safari patio, your personal ranger escorts you on a game drive in a four-wheel drive. Evening drives include sundowners in the bush at sunset. The safari now continues into the night, the tracker's spotlight scanning the bush.

We were deep inside the Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia's most versatile conservation area. Though not rich with game, this is spectacular country, an immense wilderness area.

I stood before a nondescript looking plant on the Welwitschia Trail. This was the rare, ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis, a botanical curiosity described as `one of the most intriguing plants on earth' with a lifespan of up to 2,000 years during which time it produces only two leaves.

The park also includes the reef-fringed Sandwich Harbour, located at the foot of towering, ivory-coloured dunes, and the Skeleton Coast Park.

The attraction of this remote desert wilderness is its extraordinary landscape, ranging from sweeping vistas of windswept dunes to rugged canyons with richly coloured volcanic rock walls.

Stroll barefoot on Africa's loneliest beaches, hunting for agate pebbles among the jackal prints and urchin shells. Stare at the rusted carcasses of dead ships. Breathe in the salty smell of kelp. Feel the sea mist on your face, and try to imagine that inland, a mere mile from the cold Bengula Current, the desert sky is a burning blue and the sand too hot to touch.

We moved on! And hit Etosha National Park in Northern Namibia, an outstanding wilderness cum conservation area, rich in density and diversity of game viewing, including the famous `Big Five' (lion, leopard, black rhino, elephant, and Cape buffalo). Etosha literally means `the great white place of dry water', an apt description considering its barrenness.

Here, light falls on shrubs and mopane grass, making animals visible even from a distance. Thanks to our guide, we had a windfall sighting elephants, black rhino and cheetah roaming through the acacia groves and savanna.

We were at the Makuti Lodge located just outside the park. Coffee by the pool, then breakfast on the patio and we were away with our ranger. Sunrise sees the sky ablaze with birds. There are crimson-breasted shrike that thread the park with song, weaver birds that build communal nests that make even big branches sag, and there are the great raptors that drop out of the blue like arrows.

An hour later we were at the Etosha Pan, a unique and beautiful eco-system with miles and miles of completely flat salt plain and a bone-dry water place.

From Namibia to South Africa wasn't exactly a culture shock, thanks to Kruger National Park, South Africa's largest and among the world's best game parks. It offers the finest game viewing.

Kruger is an international symbol of animal conservation. A drive along all the designated roads and tracks covers some 10,000 km, with a headcount of one lakh animals, making it amongst the densest populated wildlife sanctuaries in the world.

During our daylong drive, we must have seen thousands of animals, especially Impala grazing along the roads, and also kudu, wildebeest and springbok.

In the mopane grass lurk the lions and cheetahs, often a swishing tail being their only giveaway. We didn't get to see any, but our guide did take us within hand-shaking distance of a giant tusker.

`Big Five' viewing

For luxury in the bush, try Mala Mala and Sabi Sabi, the world's two most celebrated private game reserves, nestling off Kruger. The 18,000-hectare Mala Mala straddles the innocuous looking but perennial Sand River, and is South Africa's largest private reserve. Sabi Sabi lies within the renowned 60,000-hectare Sabi Sand Wildtuin.

The reserves offer clients a superior African Bush experience... game viewing of the `Big 5' and some 200 other species, luxury lodging and champagne welcomes, and the ultimate game lodge experience — with seven course meals, individual safaris in 4 by 4s with trained rangers, and sundowners in the bush. Accommodation is deluxe, with air-conditioning and `bush furniture'. The main lounge is where guests normally gather for refreshments, stories by the rangers (which include a few harmless lies), and general lounging about.

Set in scenic surroundings along the bank of the Sand River, Mala Mala's Main Camp comprises ochre-coloured structures built around giant trees and manicured lawns. You find all the trappings of regal Africa in the main lounge, appointed with rattan furniture, as well as trophies and photos of animals and famous hunts. The rooms are rondavels under thatch, with twin bathrooms, air-conditioning, insect-proof screens and large beds. Each room has superb views.

Sabi Sabi comprises the Bush Lodge, River Lodge that includes the Mandleve Treehouse Suite, and Selati Lodge. Accommodation in the Bush Lodge comprises air-conditioned, thatched chalets that feature ethnic décor, open courtyards and viewing decks. The main lounge features a rugged décor, and the proverbial swimming pool offers a cool splash.

The meals are a gourmet's delight. While breakfast and lunch are served in the dining room or patio overlooking the river, dinners are `boma-style' (a great African tradition where guests sit around a bonfire in circular bamboo enclosures). One sits around a log fire under starry skies, enjoying the delights of the African kitchen.

With a friendly ranger and alert Shangaan tracker, one goes on early morning and afternoon game drives in open range-rovers custom-made for such reserves, with split-level seating for clear views. In between game drives, you get to admire varied bird life from hides overlooking waterholes or built into tall Sycamore Fig trees. The more energetic can opt for a walking trail.

Fast facts

Kruger National Park, Mala Mala and Sabi Sabi Game Reserves are a five-hour drive from Johannesburg. South African Airlines operates direct flights from Mumbai to Johanessburg. The camps offer accommodation with approximate tariffs of $40-70, restaurants, bars, libraries and museums. The tariff at the private game reserves is $100-250, and includes all meals and game drives.

Visitors are picked up by game rangers and taken to the reserve. Fly-in safari packages are available, and private air charters and helicopter transfers are available on request.

Etosha and Namib-Naukluft Park are a few hours' drive from Winhoek, Namibia's capital.

Accommodation is available at the park's three rest camps — Namutoni, Halali, and Okaukuejo, and in private lodges outside the park.

Take along road maps of the park, binoculars, light-coloured clothing, sun-hats and drinking water.

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