Come get the dust of Africa on your feet -
walk a day in the shoes of this Mosetlha guest ...
(Thanks, Steve, for sending us this lovely little film.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iALiZv6uvSI
THE REVIEWS ON TRIP ADVISOR ARE JUST SO GOOD
WE NEED TO DIRECT YOU ACROSS TO THEIR SITE!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g471868-d472009-r115597928-Mosetlha_Bush_Camp_Eco_Lodge-Madikwe_Game_Reserve_North_West_South_Africa.html
THESE ARE 61 INDEPENDENT AND UNSOLICITED
REVIEWS FROM MOSETLHA GUESTS
We also have a Facebook Group page where you can
talk directly to other guests and see some of their photos:
Friends of Mosetlha Bush Camp - please join us ...
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/groups/95891397626/
And follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheBushCamp
Winter Bush Telegraph – July 2010
Obviously we couldn’t begin a July 2010 newsletter from South Africa without kicking off with our stories around the Football World Cup, so this I write whilst loudly singing Fly your Flag and Waka Waka Africa ...
The 4 weeks between the 11th of June and the 11th of July 2010 gave us record bookings with 261 international guests (mainly Americans and Aussies) coming to stay with us at the Bush Camp – squeezing in a 3 or 4 day safari between attending matches (a bit of game viewing in between viewing the games).
Whilst conversation was football, football, football (blow by blow replays of every single game and vociferous commentary and criticism of players/coaches/refs/Seth Blatter and ACSA), fans got to experience our unique Mosetlha wilderness adventure – eating braaivleis, pap, bobotie, potjiekos and our (world famous) Mosetlha Griddle; dunking rusks in hot coffee in the middle of nowhere; discovering a donkey boiler and a VIP unit. Sitting round the roaring fire (bush tv!), under the stars, sipping great Cape wine and just being ... sleeping out in the bush (warm and cozy with a hot water bottle) before waking at dawn for a game drive promising up close and personal sightings of lion and leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo, the one and only cheetah and wild dog, hyena, zebra, giraffe and kudu and impala ... What more could you want?
So, to those who stayed with us over this amazing World Cup period, we send the letter below to say a loud and hearty: ke a leboga, siyabonga, dankie, THANK YOU!!
* Thank you for taking a chance on South Africa and discovering our beautiful country - now you know our secret: SA truly rocks!
* Thank you for choosing to stay with us at Mosetlha (and making this our best month ever with over 100% occupancy!). We sincerely hope you enjoyed your wilderness experience with us as much as we loved having you to stay.
* Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be a part of your South Africa adventure and allowing us to contribute to the many awesome memories we're sure you've taken home with you.
Here's sending you our very best bush regards ... and a triumphant vuvuzela blast!
Happy birthday to us! We celebrate our 15th birthday this month. From our very humble beginnings in 1995 as Madikwe’s second lodge (weekend only, cheap and cheerful accommodation and Old Smokey the Land Rover!), we now definitely hold our own as the only genuine eco lodge and sole authentic bush camp amongst the 32 fabulous lodges the reserve has to offer.
Scarily, this could very well have been our last birthday – we nearly got taken out by a huge, fast and furious bush fire! On Thursday the 15th we noticed smoke to the south of the Camp. Further investigation revealed that the fire was actually about 5 kilometres from us (with no road between it and us) and, because of the wind, had now grown and was also coming at us from the west. Parks Board came and helped us to back burn a fire break as the fire was coming, and coming fast! (It was apparently deliberately started as a “controlled” burn – although why anyone would decide to do this during the windiest week of the year in the very driest month, long before the rains are due is completely baffling – not to mention irresponsible.)
By 7.30 when the guests got back from their drive for dinner, a decent fire break surrounded us and Parks Board had left, confirming that all was well. We went to bed secure in the knowledge that we were safe. I was woken at around 1.00 am when a buffalo thundered passed my window – I looked out and saw flames licking the edge of the Camp! I ran across to the Rangers houses where the fire was the closest, woke the guys up and we started wetting the veld on our side of the fire break in case that fire managed to jump the 5 metres of burned grass. The Parks Board guys were already on their way. The fire had jumped our access road and was now threatening from the northern side as well. There must’ve been about 20 people with fire beaters and water hoses fighting the fire until we were deemed out of danger at 3.30 am – with a couple of hours to get some shut eye before the morning game drive. We were incredibly lucky as there was absolutely no damage to the Lodge or any people. Animals of course are another story (although you will be pleased to know that the injured buffalo is still around!). We don’t know if the hyena in the den about a kilometre to the south of us survived – and the wild dog den on the mountain behind us was burned. Sadly, things like snakes, lizards and chameleons, tortoises, frogs - the things that hibernate - would not have escaped the fire. There were probably a lot of losses there.
And now some good news! We are so excited to be one of only thirty six eco lodge world wide (let me just repeat that: world wide!!) to be featured in a beautiful book (coming out in the next month or so) written by Hitesh Mehta who is THE eco lodge guru!
He’s one of the world’s leading authorities, practitioners and researchers on ecotourism physical planning and both the landscape architectural and architectural aspects of ecolodges. Hitesh is the Director of HM Design and a former Vice-President at EDSA, the largest ecotourism planning and ecolodge design office in the world. His portfolio of eco-projects span the globe and include work in Egypt, China, Bali, Dominica, Saudi Arabia, India, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Brazil, DR Congo, Mexico, Turks and Caicos, Madagascar, Galapagos, Gabon, Fiji, Bahamas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, USA and Puerto Rico.
Hitesh is the main editor of the highest selling book in ecotourism; International Ecolodge Guidelines which we got hold of when he first visited us at Mosetlha about 8 years ago and is where we got the Ecolodge Critria we quote on the first page of our website.
The books website (http://www.authenticecolodges.com) says: “This coffee-table book brings together a rich compendium of the worlds best ‘Authentic Ecolodges’. Thoroughly researched case-studies highlight exemplary practice in Ecolodge design, development and operations with a dynamic blend of stunning visual images, sketches and informative text. This essential information is presented in an accessible yet educational style which appeals to a wide cross section of industry stakeholders. This book promotes the high standards required for the planning, design and operation of ecolodges as well as providing fascinating insights for travellers to raise awareness and ensure that ecotourism continues to make an increasingly positive impact on poverty alleviation, environmental conservation and revitalized local economies.”
We are so very proud.
Justin Fox, whose name you’ll know from his articles in the Getaway magazine, has also included a little story about his visit to us in his book called The Marginal Safari. We’re really getting around!
As you will know if you’ve ever looked at our Newsletter before, I’m not brilliant at writing long newsletters often – I do, though, manage a quick update on our Facebook Group page pretty regularly ... here’s the link if you’d like to join – and post some pics and write some stories! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/group.php?gid=95891397626&ref=ts
So with the World Cup done and dusted, we're all at a bit of a loss as to what to do and what to look forward to now!
It's simple really: come get the dust of Africa on your feet ...
Best bush regards - look forward to seeing you soon
The Mosetlha Team
Bush Telegraph - May 2010
Ten wild dogs whirled through the Camp on Tuesday night and killed an adult kudu inside the Lapa!! (This is the fifth time this has happened over about 7 years, different packs of dogs each time, so not learned behaviour ...)
Guests were out on drive engrossed by a large male leopard trying to tree his wildebeest kill. They moved out to allow other guests a chance at the sighting and went off for a sundowner - came back to see that, after the three attempts they'd witnessed - he had his dinner up the tree and was enjoying a bit of young and tender wildebeest carcass. They were called back to Camp and arrived to find the lapa covered in blood and a pack of dogs feasting on a kudu which had now been dragged out to just next to one of the cabins. The guests had drinks in the lapa (the sight and smell of fresh blood is apparently preferential to sitting at the camp fire where the ten dogs were feeding!) and then sat down to dinner with the sounds of crunching bones, bickering dogs, jealous hyena and far off jackal.
A once in a lifetime experience ...
SPRING BUSH TELEGRAPH - SEPTEMBER 2011
This is really less of a Newsletter and more of a 'who's been through the Camp recently!
And that would be: Leopard, wild dog, civets and hyena ...
A small pack of wild dogs with a lactating mom has been coming to Mosetlha for a drink at our
bird bath (this could mean we'll be seeing the babies soon!). Six of them killed and ate an impala
on our access road (which very fortunate guests, checking in late, were able to watch for half
an hour - so they weren't too bothered about missing the game drive!).
Jonny spotted a leopard near his house at 8.45 in the morning and we've had two civets
around the camp in the evenings, and the usual brown and spotted hyena sightings at night.
As one of our guests suggested: seems a good idea to skip the game drives and just
hang out in the lodge!
This is such a great time of year to be in the bush - really hot days (hitting about 33 degrees)
and no rain yet ... we head out earlier in the mornings and get back for breakfast by 10am.
Bit of time for showers, reading, watching the birds - then a proper lunch (loads of salads
with chicken drumsticks, tuna pasta, cold meats or hamburgers) before some (more!) well
deserved afternoon rest and relaxation time and setting out a little later for the afternoon/
evening sunset game drive. (You may still need a jacket for drives - and remember your hat
and sunblock.)
Our rate of R1695 is per person per night (all in) which covers your comfy accomodation,
all meals and twice daily game drives with Jonny and Kgomotso ...
(we offer South Africans discounted rates - call us).