The Tintswalo Lodge in the Manyeleti Private Game Reserve, that was the destination of our short safari trip!

Short Safari Trip!
An unfamiliar destination for us, recommended as an interlude for our trip to Cape Town by Lotte from Safari Design.Online, we had already noticed that Manyeleti Private Game Reserve was in a pretty good location, bordering the Sabie Game Reserve in Kruger Park, and it was quite large. The advantage of such a private game reserve is that you can get very close to the animals since you can go offroad. So, we were very curious about what we would see during the green season in this 27,000-hectare game reserve during the four days we were going to spend there. Upon arriving at Tintswalo Lodge, we were immediately welcomed by Alistair Leuner, the general manager, who told us that he would accompany us in the bush for the next few days along with tracker Wise. We were treated to a delicious lunch – restaurant-quality – and then were taken to our rooms. The rooms were truly impressive. In the 14 safari trips I’ve taken, I have never stayed in such a beautiful lodge as Tintswalo Lodge. Very authentic chalets, tastefully decorated with excellent views of the bush from everywhere, a bathtub and shower in the bathroom, and a terrace with a mini pool to cool off during the warm summer afternoons. At around 4 p.m., we set off on safari with Alistair and Wise. The bush looked fairly green, with grass about half a meter high, and there were plenty of waterholes everywhere, so we were curious if we would be able to spot any wildlife. After about half an hour of driving, we immediately came across a herd of impalas grazing alongside zebras and a few wildebeests. A bit later, we encountered a lion pride of about 20 lions (the Mbiri pride and the Avoca Giraffe male lions). Later on, we saw two white rhinoceroses, a couple of giraffes, an elephant family, and some steppe eagles. Our first safari couldn’t have started any better, and our concern about spotting wildlife in the overgrown bush vanished. The evening concluded with a delightful dinner at the boma, where we were treated to warthog. Delicious!

The next day, we set off at 5:30 a.m. The weather looked fairly cloudy, which didn’t bode well. After an hour of driving, we were caught in a heavy rain shower, upon which Alistair and Wise decided, after providing everyone with rain ponchos, to return to the lodge earlier than expected. After a lovely breakfast and a superb lunch, we set off on another game drive at around 4 p.m.! This time, the sky had cleared up, and the sun reappeared. It seemed like the animals were also glad that the sun was back because we witnessed one beautiful spectacle after another: hyena puppies playfully approaching our 4×4, a new lion pride (the Koppies pride and the Red Road male), a herd of 40 elephants with babies, and another white rhinoceros… The evening was once again capped with a superb dinner, this time on the viewing deck.

On day 3, we went with Alistair and Wise to the northern part of the reserve, hoping to find cheetahs or wild dogs. After an hour of driving, we arrived in an open grassland area, but neither the cheetahs nor wild dogs were to be found in the tall grass. So, we returned to the lodge’s surroundings, and after another hour of driving, we suddenly spotted a leopard (Nompheto). We stayed with the leopard for a while and decided to follow it as soon as it left the tree where it had been resting. After spending about half an hour with Nompheto, it was time to return to the lodge, where we enjoyed an extensive and delicious breakfast once again. After a DIY lunch (we could create our own burgers, which were then prepared to everyone’s taste), we set off for the bush once more around 4 p.m.! We decided to look for the Mbiri pride again because our guides were convinced that sooner or later, they would have to go hunting since they were seriously malnourished. After spending an hour with the lions, we went to check on the hyena puppies again, who were rather lazy today and had no interest in greeting us like they did the day before. After enjoying a cocktail by the edge of a waterhole, we decided to find the Mbiri pride again as night fell. We had just arrived when the pride set off. According to our guides, they were going hunting, so we decided to follow them. After a while, we saw a herd of impalas in the distance, and our lions showed more than usual interest. It was already around 7 p.m., but we decided to keep watching to see what would happen. What unfolded in the next few minutes was something I had never experienced before! Our lion pride managed to catch 1 (!) impala, and an intense struggle ensued between the 20 lionesses and the 2 lions (the Avoca Giraffe Male lions) to get a piece of the impala. The sounds accompanying this were bone-chilling. A spectacle to never forget. Tired but very satisfied, we returned to the lodge, where we enjoyed an exclusive dinner in the wine cellar! What a way to end a fantastic game drive!

On the last morning before our flight back, we went on one final game drive. This time, we decided to explore an area we hadn’t been to yet (the south of the game reserve). It was a fairly open area with many waterholes. In succession, we encountered a herd of buffaloes taking a bath, a large herd of elephants with baby elephants, a solitary hyena, a Verreaux eagle owl, … and enjoyed one last delicious breakfast before heading to Hoedspruit for our flight back.

Even though our stay at Tintswalo Safari Lodge was short, we will definitely return to this wonderful destination!