Kruger Park Tours: Bongani Mountain Lodge – Greater Kruger National Park

Day 1: Our journey begins in Pretoria, with a drive-by city tour of the administrative capital of South Africa , we pass the Voortrekker monument , the C-Max prison, we take a picture stop at Paul Kruger’s house and his church across the road, we follow in his footsteps his route to the old ZAR Parliament on church square, this timeless series of buildings that date back to the old Republic, up Paul Kruger’s street we stop at the Transvaal Museum and photograph the skeletal-frame of the Southern Right Whale and across the road in front of the City Hall, the statues of Andries Pretorius and his son Marthinus Wessels Pretorius. We continue up the Paul Kruger take in Victoria Station at the top of the road, pass Melrose House, an original Victorian establishment used as Head Quarters of the British High Command during the South African War and the signing of the Peace of Vereeniging, which signalled the end of this war and the beginning of the process which led to the Union of South Africa (1910), our final stop is at the Union Buildings, overlooking Pretoria. This is the commemoration to that event and the official offices of our President and Vice-President of South Africa.

We leave Pretoria; our next stop was to be Botshebelo which means ‘a place of refuge.’ An entire reserve dedicated to the Ndebele people a splinter Zulu group that fled the wrath of Chaka Zulu and found themselves caught between the warring factions of local tribes like the Matabele and the Pedi and the Voortrekkers that from 1836 started moving into this area. The Ndebele with the help of two Lutheran Priests started to build a fortress for their protection and safety and eventually constructed homes for themselves out of the stone that was in abundance in the area, and then after they learnt to use sun-baked clay bricks which they made themselves, homes were constructed with square finishes and walls which they painted with natural colours. There is a whole village development which is a dedication showing how they started with their grass constructions and how this led to more permanent structures. A progression from a nomadic way of life to a more permanent style of living. What they are well known for is the multiple colour clothes that they wore, and their beautiful beadwork, the reserve has antelope, gnu and zebra.
We are soon back with our itinerary and on our way to Milly’s for a light lunch and then onto our destination.

Nelspruit
As you come down the Drakensberg {Dragons Mountain} and as you reach the Lowveld, I have always been amazed by such enormous granite outcrops that jut out high above the surrounding lowveld, some of the peaks are as high as 333 metres( 1,000 feet), nothing appears to grow on them and they appear very sombre and austere. The surrounding hills are very lush and on descending the mountains you realise that the area is the centre of a very large forestry industry. Once in the Lowveld the agriculture switches to citrus, sugar, tobacco, mango’s, avocado and papino’s.
It on the road to Malelane (N4) having passed Nelspruit, about 38 kilometers onwards, you get the turnoff to Matsulu and the park. The entrance is a spectacular sight, with Dravidian rocks of worship arching overhead. Ancient tribes once held sacred ceremonies here, you will park your vehicle under cover at the entrance and it will remain there under full time security for the duration of your stay. It is perfectly safe here, and in any case with a normal car you will not reach the lodge, you really need a 4 X 4 for the climbs.
You have just entered the Mthethomusha Game Reserve, an 8,000 hectare reserve bordering on the Kruger National Park. The reserve is situated on the wagon tracks of the original Jock of the Bushveld route, the adventures on the wagon trail of a Staffordshire bull terrier and its owner Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, in the days of the alluvial gold mining rush in the remote areas of Sabie and Pilgrims Rest.
In the challenges that they faced in those early days whilst traversing this wilderness which could only be done during the winter months mainly to avoid the summer rainfall, the swollen rivers and the ravages of the mosquito and tsetse fly.
The reserve is home to the Big 5, including Wild Dog and Cheetah.

Rock Art
The reserve is a rich source of San-rock art – with over 250 sights estimated to be more than 1,500 years old. This represents one of the greatest concentrations of rock art per square kilometre found anywhere in South Africa. This is one of the activities on offer during your stay at the lodge.

Bongani
The lodge features a breathtaking mountain top location, with a never ending view of the Lebombo and Malelane Mountain Ranges, giant Dravidian rocks of worship. As described in his book ‘Jock of the Bushveld ‘, in which Percy Fitzpatrick wrote:
“Get up on some vantage point……….and look down there one
day in the winter of the tropics as the heat and the bush of noon approach,
and it will seem indeed a scene of peace and beauty-a place to rest and dream,
where there is neither stir nor sound”.
This distinctly charming mountain lodge spreads out across an impressive mountain ridge and boasts twenty elevated chalets and nine spacious family suites, all designed with a subtle blend of timber and thatch. Chalets and suites are all complete and have private viewing decks with magnificent wraparound views of the surrounding valleys below.
The guest area features a game viewing and bird watching deck, there is a ‘Boma’ for starlight dining weather permitting and a secluded swimming pool for guests to cool off in the midday summer’s heat.

Activities
Apart from the morning and evening 4x4 game drives, your programme could include tracking the Big 5 on foot, which offers a completely different prospect when it comes to game viewing, your concentration swings more to the little things that make up our eco-system. There is also a visit to the local communities, Bongani is very involved with communal upliftment programmes and the reception at the local village Luphisa is overwhelming, one gets to meet and talk with the locals and begin to understand their cultural background you also get to meet the local medicine man (sangoma).
In conclusion, the 4 days spent at Bongani give one the impression that you are part of a different world. The experienced rangers and trackers with their intimate knowledge and the interpretive expression of the bush, turn your game drives into adventures, its hard work finding game in this mountainous terrain, but it is well worth the experience, and I look forward to my next visit to Bongani.