Latest South African Game Safari Update
Last update: Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tau Game Lodge announces the latest South African Game Safari News & Info:

Its hot, humid, thunder and rain, this is what we as rangers are experiencing now in the middle of summer. But this said it is worth it since the forenamed weather conditions make for spectacular sights around the Inselbergs and mountains. One topic I often discuss with my guest is global warming and unfortunately it is gradually becoming worse as we speak. As rangers that work everyday out in the bush we can feel and see it happening. But we are lucky that we are out in the African bush and as conservationists we will try and contribute to the ecosystem in a positive way. A great sighting in Madikwe area is the famous African wild dog on a kill and being able to see the Wild dog puppies growing up, after all that’s what Madikwe is well known for. The Wild dog population has been very successful over the last year in Madikwe, with all the packs either remaining constant in numbers and others increasing in numbers. Denzel Rogers Picture by: Bradley Leighton January has been a great month in Madikwe, there has been a lot of rain and plenty roads have been closed on account of the rain but there are still some days that are really just great. My guests and I had done the usual circuit of roads to Thlou Dam as it had been raining for the last few days and had not seen very much. We were sitting on Thlou dam wall and birding as there was not much else happening, Usually after the rain the animals don’t need to come down to the dams as there are little pans of water around everywhere. As we sat there I noticed a large group of guinea fowl that were making a huge noise a couple of hundred meters south of the dam. As we sat there for a few more minutes the alarm calling persisted and we decided that it would be a good idea to investigate. As we got closer I saw that in a dead tree opposite to where the guinea fowl were calling, there was a young female leopard. She is known as the “Phodile” female (meaning very relaxed in Tswana). She stood calmly in the fork of the tree and just looked at us for a few minutes and then went down the tree a little further and casually draped herself over a branch. We left the sighting with her still lying in the tree and allowed other vehicles in the area to come and view her. After a great sighting of the Phodile female we went back to Thlou dam and watched the sun set over the dam. That was a fantastic sighting for my guests and myself and a great way to end off an afternoon game drive Bradley Leighton On my first drive since I have gotten back from leave was unbelievable one! In the first hour and a half we got to see Lion, White Rhino, Elephant, Leopard, Giraffe and a whole lot of general game. Something that you don’t see on a regular basis is Caracal and Serval. As we were driving around this bend, there it was this large male Caracal! Nearly jumping out of my seat with excitement trying to show my guests before he ran off, he did something unexpected. Normally they would just run off, but this Caracal was very relaxed and just sat in the middle of the road. He sat there looking around and smelling and listening! It was truly lovely and unexpected to see him for such a long time. Morah-Leigh Cooper We had more sightings this month than any one can wish for; Hundreds of elephants around every corner with babies,. Leopards falling out of trees, Lions mating more than one can dream of. The one specific sighting that amazed me and my guest was of a elephant and a lilac breasted roller. We were driving in the south of the park and around the corner we found an elephant bull we approached him slowly and parked next to him. Without having any worry he kept on eating and moving towards a small acacia when a lilac breasted roller came to sit on top of the tree. The elephant lifted his trunk to the top of the tree to get a branch and the roller flew up, made a u-turn and landed on the elephant’s trunk. Something that I had never seen before and it put big smiles on the guest faces Edmund Fourie It was early evening, I would say about 20 minutes after sunset. I asked my guests to keep quiet for a couple of minutes. I heard some leopard audio coming from along one of the mountains close to Tau Gate called Majwemantsho. It kept on calling and unfortunately we could not see anything, so we went closer to investigate. As we drove on the road close to the northern fence line, I shone my spotlight along the road and I saw a pair of eyes reflecting. We drove a little closer and to our amazement it was a male leopard walking in the road. We followed him for some time and he was marking his territory and occasionally looking back at us. We stayed with him for about 45 minutes and suddenly he decided to move closer to the fence line. My guests asked me if he was going to get shocked against the electric fence. I explained to my guests that they should just watch him closely as he was about to jump the fence. In one smooth movement he had jumped up onto a fence pole, casually looked back at us and then sprung onto the ground outside of the park. We watched him slowly walk across the road and disappear up Wildebeest koppie, which is outside the park, close to Tau Gate. This had been my best sighting ever compared to all the other leopard sightings that I had. My guests enjoyed it immensely, especially the way that he gracefully jumped the fence and disappeared into the night. Ernest Maetla This month has been a very good month. With all the rain we have had and it being summer the bird life has been phenomenal. One overcast and rainy afternoon my guests and I set out on the afternoon game drive. With it being overcast and rainy, the mammal sightings were down, because of there being enough water in the bush for the animals not having to move around too much. We decided that for that afternoon we are going to be focusing on bird life and trees. As we where driving along we saw one of the other rangers and his guests looking at a big old lead wood tree. As we got closer we found that they where looking at a big bird of prey sitting in the tree feeding on a scrub hare. At first we could not decide what type of species it was. After debating about it for some time we came to the conclusion that it was a juvenile Martial eagle. We sat and watched this beautiful big bird feeding veraciously on the scrub hare. After watching the bird for about half an hour we got to see not only this great sighting as the cherry on the top we also saw the sun setting behind the big lead wood tree. This beautiful sighting just made me realize one thing and that is even though it is hard sometimes to find the bigger mammals, there is always something awesome to look at and find the beauty in the smaller things that are often overlooked. Gerard Ramage For more pictures taken by our rangers you can go to the following links: http://photo-africa-stock.com/view_photog.php?photogid=11 for Bradley http://photo-africa-stock.com/view_photog.php?photogid=23 for Denzel http://photo-africa-stock.com/view_photog.php?photogid=15 for Edmund Picture: By Gerard Ramage

GUEST FEEDBACK " We recently had the pleasure of staying at Tau Game Lodge for several nights during a 3 week trip to South Africa. It was our first time in an African Lodge and needless to say it was a truly amazing experience. Even though we knew it would be great, the accommodation was far better than we had imagined and our safari stay was most definitely the highlight of our trip. The staff were incredibly friendly and we were always well looked after. We just loved having dinner under the stars and breakfast in the bush. Our room was beautiful and the outdoor shower was such a unique experience for us. We had an amazing time at Tau and enjoyed every minute of our stay. We were incredibly privileged to see such a variety of animals, plants and birds and came out with some stunning photos. Our ranger Brad was great company and extremely knowledgable. His wealth of experience meant that we were always informed and every day we left our drives having learnt more than the previous day. It was also great to chat with Brad at breakfast and dinner, hearing the many exciting stories he had to tell. His friendly attitude and courteous manner was part of what made every day one to look forward to. Our safari stay was one of the best experiences of our lives so far – We certainly felt like kings. Rest assured we will be spreading the word about Tau Lodge here in New Zealand for many many years to come. Thank you for a truly amazing experience" Rochelle Harris & Wade Johnson 10/08/09 "Tau Lodge was truly excellent – we all had an absolutely fantastic time. The accommodation was top, the staff were all wonderful and Gerard our guide really made the stay a memorable event. I can’t say enough to praise the whole operation – everything superb and I would definitely recommend Tau to anyone I know interested in a safari in RSA. We would certainly go back to Tau again. Cheers" Crowhurst / Grigffin 02/07/09 " First of all, I`d like to thank all the Tau staff for the most kindly attention dedicated to me and my wife during our stay. It was our first time in an African Lodge and all of our expectations were completely overcome. The experience to see animals in their own habitat, assisted by a professional like Ernest was priceless and we don`t have any doubts that his attitude and friendly smile were absolutely decisive for our wonderful experience. Besides the animals, the chance to watch Brazil and Bafanas with friends (lodge staff) was unique and very pleasant! Be sure that we`re already talking about the Tau to all of our friends! And please, send our best wishes to all the staff and specially to Ernest ("the" best tracker!)" Silvio 30/06/09 " Dear Malcolm, Many thanks to you and your team for looking after us so incredibly well this last weekend. Brad, Denzil and Dave were all excellent and ensured that everybody thoroughly enjoyed the game drives. The catering staff were also excellent and went out of their way to ensure that everybody was well looked after. Altogether, your team could not have done a better job!" Peter Hibbit -Imperial Bank 04/06/09 " To the management and staff at Tau, we would like to thank you for a fantastic time we had with you in early March,especially David our ranger (the bird man of Tau!!) Keep up the good work and we hope to see you next year." Haydn & Eve Jones 07/04/09 "We had an amazing time at Tau and enjoyed every minute. We were privileged to see so many wonderful animals, birds and scenery and learnt so much from our fantastic ranger, Edmund, who really made the holiday for us. He was great company, really knowledgable and we never minded getting up at 5.30 in the morning! We also found that everyone at Tau made a real effort to make our stay very special. All the staff were so thoughtful and friendly from the waiters and chefs to the receptionists, cleaners and gardeners, and I found the atmosphere very relaxed and welcoming. Everything was well thought out and organised, such as the welcome back from each game drive. The food was great and I particularly liked the way we got to eat in different parts of the lodge for each meal. One night we were even treated to dinner in our own room with the whole balcony lit up with candles and decorated with flowers - we felt like royalty! On another night, it was my birthday and I was treated to the traditional song and dance and made a big fuss of - the staff were great! All in all, lovely memories and a one of the best experiences of our lives." Anne Caine 14/03/09 "It is a week since I spent a night at Tau and I have been meaning to congratulate you and your staff on a great stay. Being a tourist guide I and looking from the outside I was really taken in by your staffs sincerity in helping the tourist/guest. Malcom was a star accommodating everyone, nothing was too much trouble for him. Thank you Mark for organising the walk – Ondrej says that was his high light just the adventure and the smells of the bush at such close hand. Poppy you are awesome, you have your fingers on all the right button with such professionalism. You are a jack of all trades and so helpful. Jaco I think that’s his name the Chef – You food is out of this world. So tasty and well presented and the pride you take in your creations thank you The dining room staff as well as the porter thank you you were all so pleasant and helpful Lastly Thank you Tau for making the tourist fell so much at home" Milca 09/03/09 " my wife and I, and her daughter and boyfriend, spent this past weekend at Tau Game Lodge. I was hugely impressed with the way we were received and treated. Our ranger was Edmund Fourie and he was excellent – informative and entertaining, and yet constantly respectful of the bush and its true owners. I’ve met a number of rangers and he was as good as the very best. And then on Saturday, your hospitality staff responded to our mentioning that it was my wife’s birthday by baking an extraordinary cake – at record speed – and celebrating the event with song and dance. We were really moved. Plase accept my appreciation and congratulations." John Perlman 04/03/09 "Have now spoken to everyone from this group and the feedback was just fantastic! They where so happy with the stay at TAU – they saw all the big 5 , had fantastic professional rangers and all over good service. The food was excellent and so was the cottages! I can say – THANKS to everyone involved for making their trip a success! " Anita Gustafson - Upmarket travel Sweden 15/02/09 "RANGERS AT TAU Just a note to say a BIG thank u. The hospitality and service that we received from all of u is greatly appreciated. The way in which the game drives were conducted and the information that was shared with the guests was great. I am not one who needs to “ blow bubbles up peoples asses” but one ranger in particular needs a special mention. THE VANDERBIJLPARK GIT Yes u know who u are. Guys I will contact u in the near future to forward a google article address. THE TAU PRIDE CAN BE PROUD" Martin & Linda Dixon 08/12/08 "We are back at home and we thank you very much for the fantastic stay we had by you. It was a very amazing travel and we thank all the staff for the welcome. Valentin has a special mind for Gerard the ranger. THANK YOU." Thierry Bottarel France 08/12/08 "Dear Markus, I hope you have recovered from our stay and that the rest of the gang did not cause too much trouble. From Johnny and my side, we would just like to thank you for a wonderful wonderful day! Thank you soo much for making it such a special day for Stella and Derek and for all your hard work! I really appreciate it. And thank you also to all your staff - everyone loved the food, the service was fantastic and I can only speak for Brad and John as they were the only 2 guys we went on game drives with, but they were fantastic too. We all had an amazing stay and will definately recommend Tau Lodge to everyone. Once again, THANKS!" Kirsten 08/12/08 Sassen Wedding " would like to take this opportunity to really thank the lodge for the outstanding hospitality they gave us. I had been around in different game reserves and lodges Tau and Madikwe game reserve have by far exceeded our expectations we really go deep into the African bush our game drives have been fantastic food has been great the chalets you know it’s a great value for money. Last but not least would like to thank our game ranger Dave he was so nice to us we really enjoyed our drives with you To the whole Tau team I say keep up the good work See you soon" Sabelo Nsibande 27/10/08 " We (myself, my wife and our three kids) spent three fantastic days at Tau Game lodge, from the 1st to the 3rd August past, and we would like to thank you not only for your kind attention but also for all the fantastic sights we saw on the game drives thanks to Brad – pls give him our best regards. We took many fantastic photos and videos to remember later on. Definitively if we decide to go back to Africa, we will be back to Tau Game Lodge again." António Martins 12/10/08 "We are in Perth on our way home from a wonderful time. The wedding went off beautifully and we loved our African experience together with a plethora of animals . Glyn saw the big 5 and he and Christopher took some stunning photos of the Leopard. We loved the lodge and everyone from Poppy and Marcus and the rangers were just terrific." Elizabeth Jamieson 14/10/08 "Hi All. I spent a glorious weekend at the Tau Lodge this weekend. I read that your motto is to make people feel like a King. Well you indeed live up to that motto I have never experienced service like I did this weekend and want to compliment all staff from the warm reception to the ranger John to the chefs, the bar lady and gentlemen, the SPA, the waiters and the cleaners. I have been to many 5 stars in Sandton and Cape Town but nothing that blew my mind the way your staff did. It takes hard work to get a team of people work in such excellence and it also takes a type of caliber of people to deliver. So to all at the TAU Lodge Thanks a million and you definitely have the right to call yourselves 5 STAR" Marco Hartogh 26/09/08 " Just got back to Australia and am writing to thank you and the staff at Tau (particularly Wynand) for making our visit such a success. On our arrival we were greeted by over 100 elephants coming down to Tau`s waterhole for a drink and bathe. I`ve spent much time in parks in Botswana and Kenya and that was as good as it gets. I was also really pleased to see part of the big wild dog pack, plus a confrontation between a lion and an elephant (the elephant won!) plus a big herd of buffalo. The birdlife was also marvellous not least in the lodge`s gardens. Once again, thanks for everything. We certainly hope to be back before too long. All the best" Mitch Reardon 19/09/08 " To the team at TAU, We would like to say a BIG thank you for a great weekend we had at the lodge this past weekend. Pete and I thoroughly enjoyed it – thanks to Dave, Gerard and all the team. Dave has so much knowledge and was more than happy to share this with us – keep up the enthusiasm Dave – you made our weekend the BEST Thanks once again and we will be back." Di and Pete Francis 08/09/08 " Just wanted to drop you a quick email to say a very very very big thank you for all that you did this past weekend to make our day so so special. Everything was perfect! I just wanted to share with you some of the comments that we have received so far about you guys: Tau is amazing – what a venue Markus was great – very helpful What a beautiful venue – when can we come back??? The best wedding we have ever been to – what a divine setting" Debi Franconi 23/08/08 " Kid-friendly Game Lodge for sure! We had a fantastic stay. The lodge staff were excellent with my kids and kept them well entertained and spoilt while my hubby and I could enjoy our wedding anniversary weekend with our kids, but without worrying about them. The Ranger was excellent with our son on the game drive and he got to see Elephant and lion amongst others. Our 2 1/2 year old didn`t miss out as he enjoyed viewing the elephant, wilderbeest and lion drinking and bathing in the watering hole right in front of our room. What a fabulous weekend" Gillian Meier 21/07/08 " Recent guest can`t stay off your site...something looks exciting..what`s up at Waterhole right now???? Looks like several lions between bush ..did they make a kill?? Gotta know...I`m still living on Tau Time...hahaha ....Wynand ruined us for city life and we won`t be long returning to Tau...it`s in our blood....never loved any place so much in our lives...tell Moss to keep the food warm... and turn the heat up in the chalet....Oh lmy, I want to come back right now...hats off to all of you for the most thrilling time ever....we definitely saw the Big 5 and thanks to the enthusiasm and bravado of Wynand, we must have seen the Big All!! What a thrill....we`ll never forget our time at Tau and are already looking at ways to get back. Hello and thanks to the whole Staff for a most memorable time...!" Kathi & Paul Neidlinger Atlanta, Georgia,USA 16/06/08 " Hi Malcolm, Just a word of thanks to you and your team for the outstanding job that was done with my Heineken group, the group were extremely happy with the levels of service and the general manner of all of your staff, from the house keeping ladies right up to the managers on duty and rangers. From my point of view, it was an absolute pleasure to work with a bunch of professional people who understand what it takes to work with 5 star clients. !" Gerard van Meygaarden 09/05/08 " Thank you we had a great time – pity about the weather and the animals hiding! Our children had a ball – one of the most CHILD FRIENDLY game reserves we have ever been to! Please send our thanks to MARCUS for entertaining them so well!" Audrey Gray 05/05/08 "Dear Brad, We just wanted to say how much we enjoyed our trip to Tau and let you and the rest of the team know that we will be back. The game viewings and birds were fantastic. It was our first view to Madikwe and we enjoyed learning more about Madikwe with its interesting geology, reflecting on the history and also seeing the most amasing cloud formations. We have come back home with the most amasing photos and wonderful memories of our trip." Annette Wilson 21/04/08 "We are barely back in Switzerland after our wonderful 8 days stay in Tau game lodge and our hearts are still full of the most wonderful experience. We enjoyed the warm atmosphere, smiling faces and great service throughout the lodge. Every day we were looking forward to the extensive breakfast buffet, the wonderfully prepared lunch packets on our game drives and the delicious dinners. Big thanks to the chef Johan and his staff in the kitchen! Our special thanks go to our ranger Hein who impressed us so much with his knowledge about wildlive and nature in Africa. Especially our daughter Aurelia (8) loved his vivid stories and insights. Not only we had awesome moments and encounters with the big fives but also he showed us the world of the smaller animals like ants, termites, crickets, thousand feet and (yes) snakes! We hugely enjoyed his company and had a lot of fun and laughter together even, or especially when we got stuck in the mud! Our stay at Tau was an unforgettable one and we cant’ wait to get back!" Angelika Franklin and Aurelia 30/03/08 "Lodge staff and service was excellent. Staff all went out of their way to assist at all times. Very friendly and made the effort to remember guests names. Local staff always smiling and willing to assist. Senior staff were always there when needed. Game drives and rangers Excellent! Very friendly and knowledgable. Saw wonderful game and rangers were great with the delegates. A very successful conference and happy delegates! Thank you !." Leora Berger 18/02/08 "I sent a holiday message to everyone under the sun, summarizing our safari and some other friends are now saying they would love to learn more. We had such a wonderful time. I would recommend Tau to anyone. The food was fantastic, the lodging was lovely, animals came to the water hole frequently and the safari drives and ranger were better than we could have hoped for." J. Cadenhead 04/01/08 Join the Tau Pride Tau Game lodge has now got its own Tau Infinity VIP card , making use of this card the moment you get into the country will earn you instant cash back rewards, not only on the accommodation at Tau, but also when booking rental cars , mobile phone rentals, accommodation at certain hotel chains and meals taken at the mugg and bean country wide, which can be used again to purchase anything from any Infinity merchant. When joining the Tau Pride you will also receive monthly news letters, the Tau calendar, benefit of reduced prices on the daily scheduled flights into the reserve and Golf day trips into Botswana and many additional special touches while staying at the lodge. Please contact us for more details in connection with the Tau VIP the card

Fly to the lodge from Johannesburg International Airport In a joint venture between Federal Air and Madikwe charter Scheduled daily flights are now departing from O.R. Thambo (Jhb) International Airport and return. Picture By Morah-Leigh Cooper Flights will depart Jhb Int. at 10h00 (check-in 09h00) or at 13h00 (Check-in 12h00)and arrive at Madikwe airstrip only 1 hour later. The return flights depart Madikwe at either 11h30 or 14h30 to arrive in JHb at 12h30 or 15h30 respectively.) Return fare is R 4007.- per person. (inclusive of R 47.- ACSA passenger service charge) An Airstrip fee of R 50.- per person on landing currently applies. The guest will be met off their flight by a guest relations team and taken to the Executive lounge where bar service, teas & coffees, shower and Internet facilities are offered f.o.c. Flights are either by twin engine aircraft or Cessna Grand Caravans (12 seats) 20kg soft luggage is permitted per person on the flights and free storage facilites are available. Tau Game Lodge has a direct online booking system so flights can be booked and confirmed immediately through our reservation office. Road transfers from door-to door can be arranged and the average rate at the moment is R 6000.- for a return trip. Picture below by Morah-Leigh Cooper

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