Nkomazi Private Game Reserve Experience
In most places you can piece together a vision of what the place looks like from the pictures used in their advertising, this is where a picture tells a thousand tales. The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places and such a place is Nkomazi Private Game Reserve. Nestled neatly on a bend of the Komati River is a place where neither the imagination nor the knowing mind can – put this together, a picture as perfect as this. It is quite interesting to see how the grass has changed driving on the N4, we drove on this road two weeks ago and it was green and now it is slowly turning golden as Autumn is setting in. Located in Mpumalanga Province, Nkomazi Private Game Reserve is about 3 hours away from Johannesburg, on the banks of the Komati river surrounded by towering mountains that create a dramatic backdrop to the Lodge.
Driving on the R38 towards Badplaas and for the first time, my husband says I have never driven on this road. He is one of those people that can navigate themselves in every City. A few days before our trip to Nkomazi we receive a message from the manager telling us what route to take, also letting us know that we can leave our car by the gate at the reserve and use the lodge transfer from the gate if we are in a low-profile vehicle but if you have a 4X4 you are welcomed to drive to the lodge. It is always refreshing to know that the people where you are going care about you arriving in one piece.
On arrival after the initial temperature checks at the gate, you are struck by the abundance of wildlife and views, the reserve has some spectacular rock formations and vast plains which are a wildlife playground. As we drove in, we were greeted by buffalos, zebras, and other antelopes, assuring you of the awaiting epic adventure. On arrival we were greeted by Ashleigh and Zinhle, they then introduced us to our Game ranger Thomas before we checked in. Thomas took our luggage to our room, while Zinhle showed us around the lodge. The jaw-dropping postcard views outside the restaurant of the mountain and river are startling.
With the Komati river constantly playing my favourite tune, sound, and sight of the river were out of this world, then Zinhle ushered us to our tent. Talk about luxury glamping. Our tent at first glance exudes luxury, outside there is a plunge pool on a deck and two lounger chairs, an outside shower, and a bathtub made for joy. Whoever decided on this bathtub was on to something, this bathtub I call it joy because once you see it you cannot help it but smile. A cosy and inviting bed with two gold side lamps, a chandelier cascading from the top that brings warmth to the tenth. There are two seating chairs in front of the bed. There is a lovely indoor shower for the non-adventurous people.
Every safari experience is different, and Nkomazi was one of the most memorable with Thomas our ranger. Thomas can tell you something about each animal that roams in the 15 000 hectares of Nkomazi Private Game Reserve. Nkomazi has a combination of vast planes and dramatic mountain backdrop and some big boulders scattered around the reserve. The reserve has animals roaming all over the zebras, lots of warthogs, giraffes, on our morning drive we spent some time with mother cheetah and her sub-adult cubs two male and one female, the cubs are almost fully grown, they are as tall as mom. The female cheetah cub is quite inquisitive, and she looks up to her mum she is always on the lookout for any threats while the two brothers are always playful. Watching them play and walk around it was a phenomenal sighting.
We also encountered a male lion just sitting and a wildebeest did not notice the lion and the wildebeest sat down not far from this lion. The lion charged at the wildebeest, yes, I’m always ready for action in the bush and I caught this on video, it was intriguing to watch the bush come alive, but the wildebeest quickly ran off and the lion was so disappointed and a female lion came to join the male lion. There was another male lion just walking with pride and just being a king walking in the bush.
We found a herd of elephants who were happily grazing and one of the elephant bulls was on that tree vs elephant mission. When you drive around the bush and you see a fallen tree that means the elephant won. There are lots of antelopes happily grazing in groups on the plains, while they collectively help each other look out for predators. We also saw quite a few jackals some just running off in the bush and some looking at us like we are intruders in their space. Sundowners are epic when the golden light paints the sky while we stop to stretch our legs and have a drink under the African skies. Listening to the sounds of the bush as the day wraps up. Thomas made stops in these most amazing rocky outcrops that are scattered all over the reserve, every day he was at a different one. It is like you are on stage and the bush is your audience. You do not know which direction to look because beauty surrounds you.
We picked one of the days for relaxing and capturing the essence of the place, we had also booked for a couple’s massage. We had a peculiar and astounding experience and we aptly named it the upside-down massage. Upside-down, because for the first time our massage started facing up and the therapist also started with the feet and worked her way up to the head. Normally massage starts with you facing down. Strange enough it worked well and has its benefits, we loved it, it was a good massage.
Mealtimes are also adventurous in a good way, in Nkomazi, breakfast always starts with a continental breakfast, muesli, yoghurt, croissant, preserves, and then you choose your hot breakfast. I even started being adventurous at breakfast and had French toast with cream cheese, bacon, banana, papaya, and kiwi fruit drizzled with honey. The flavours combine very well together. I did not think I would love it as much as I did.
Lunch they take you on a journey of the bush where you have some game meat in the form of a burger or steak, I enjoyed the Eland steak, it tasted like beef. The dramatic view of the mountain and the river creates a great and serene ambiance for dining. Occasionally you can see animals across the river. The sun shines so brightly, it reflects on the river creating a dazzling spectacle. During the day it is quite warm in Nkomazi and at night it does get chilly, so you need to pack for hot days and chilly evenings. Dinner is a three-course meal most days and sometimes they mix it up and have a boma dinner under the stars. Talking about stars this is one of the best places to go star gazing. At night, the stars light up like candles in the sky. They shine so brightly it is astonishing.
We also spent one of the afternoons chilling by the pool and for lunch we had pizza and we asked for our pizza to be brought to our room, best decision. We had a lovely lazy afternoon eating pizza and sipping bubbly. The Nkomazi stuff is just a cherry on top of this sanctuary. Everyone wants to make sure that you are well taken care of. Some of the individuals that stood out are the rock star Mr. B, Zinhle, Thandi. Everyone made us feel at home.
You know you have had a good trip when you start planning your return to the place before you leave the place. Here I was thinking my kids would love this place, this place would make a great couple’s trip. I think my sisters would love this place. That was me plotting my return while I was still in Nkomazi.
“Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on earth. Once you have been there, you will never be the same. But how do you begin to describe its magic to someone who has never felt it? How can you explain the fascination of this vast, dusty continent, whose oldest roads are elephant paths? Could it be because Africa is the place of all our beginnings, the cradle of mankind, where our species first stood upright on the savannahs of long ago?” Brian Jackman.
Ultimately Africa is a rich tapestry of its mountains, rivers and its open plains weaved together by its people, it is in the warm hands by which you are received and in the longing eyes that let you know we will meet again when you leave. Africa cares enough to be different, something may seem small, but they are special, when we arrived home, the manager checked on us, and asked how our travel to Johannesburg was. If you long to be dazzled by a chatter of the river that tells tales as old as the mountain that it enfolds and wants to leave refreshed and changed by the magic of Africa, come to Nkomazi Private Game Reserve.