November update: lightning on the distant horizon

In a just normal November month with, presumambly, no highlights, there was always something going on at Rhulani: heat, sun, rain, lightning, two prestigious award winnings, and the most important thing: many satisfied guests. Here are the latest statistics about our bush game drives from last month.

Madikwe is hardly recognized any more. A small quantity of rain has fallen, and all the plants begin to bloom again. The savannah has just changed from dry yellow-brown to lush green, which is appreciated by our guests, who like to take photos with beautiful contrasts.

The fear that the wild animals are no longer found at the water dams, and that they can no longer be seen through dense leaves of the trees, was unfounded. In the month of November all Rhulani guests completely enjoyed plenty of wild animals, plants and wonderful sceneries.

The most popular big mammals, the "Big 5", were found very often on every single game drive (duration: 3.5 hours): elephant (91%), lion (81%), buffalo (74%) and white rhino (72%). Even the last and most difficult representative, the leopard, shows a good value with 24%. It was even more likely to see a leopard than a brown hyena (19%), spotted hyena (17%), a cheetah (22%) or the wild dogs (13%), a typical animal of Madikwe. If you do not want to miss these interesting predators, you should plan for three or even four nights.

If you have a bit of time, you will always have the opportunity to make unforgettable experiences in the bush. Riaan's November report mentions that one could see a lioness as she captured a zebra. Unforgettable also a very tiny baby of a black-backed jackal, together with its mother. We also found predators that, after a successful hunt, were eating their prey, so seen a cheetah, lions and a leopard. Sometimes, rare animals are crossing in front of our vehicle. This time we recorded an African Civet and a Serval.

Despite unstable weather, all our game drives have taken place. There was sometimes a storm (often without rain) and lightning on the distant horizon. During the day, it is now very hot, so we recommend our guests to bring light summer clothes and swimming suit.

And then, for the third time, we won two prestigious hotel awards, which make us very proud: “Best Luxury Bush Lodge - Global Winner” from the World Luxury Hotel Awards, and “Africa’s Best Relaxation Retreat” from the World Boutique Hotel Awards.