Expectations. We all have them. We need them. Without them how would we measure ourselves either professionally or leisurely? When planning a vacation we set out our expectations. Expectations based on what we’ve read online, word-of-mouth or from your travel agent. There is no difference when planning a safari. What food am I expecting to eat? What weather are we expecting to have? What animals are we expecting to see? Expectations can be good and, in some cases, bad. They exist to provide a benchmark for our experiences. The problem, however, is that sometimes these expectations leave us in a position where we are constantly evaluating and not being present in the moment.
As a ranger, it is our responsibility to gauge the expectations of our guests and to be able to do our utmost to not only meet them but to exceed them. This can get tricky when we mix different sets of guests with slightly different interests and reasons for spending time in the African bush. We have guests that have never been on safari before as well as seasoned veterans of the safari experience. Personally, the different permutations of guests, as well as the fauna and flora we have at Londolozi, is one of the reasons why I love my job. The trick is to find the key to each set of guests to allow them to set their expectations to the side and live in the moment.
Recently, I had a particular set of guests that were interested in precisely that…being present in the moment. I will recount a specific afternoon drive below.”
“Good afternoon, it’s just you two, Tshepo and myself on game drive later this afternoon. Is there anything specific that you would like to try and see?”
“Actually yes, we’d like to leave an hour later than normal and we just want to see some beautiful scenery.”
“Perfect. I know just the place.”
It was the final day of a three-day cold front and we had not seen more than a grey blanket of clouds spread out across the sky. As we set off and turned west we were met with spectacular crepuscular rays beaming through the late afternoon sky. Tracker, Tshepo Dzemba, turned and, with a glint in his eye, remarked,
“It’s going to be a good afternoon!”
We continued along the southern bank of the river, darting in and out of any accessible look-out or beautiful cove that lay before us. The ravishing riparian trees reeled us in one at a time as the rays of sun snuck through their canopies. A particularly large Sausage tree stood in all its glory right on the bank of the river. Below it, an equally impressive crash of rhino fed on some of the last remaining winter grass. Their interaction was, however, different to the norm. The makeup was a mother and calf together with a sub-adult bull. The feisty calf decided the young bull was too close for his liking and before we knew it the two were locked horn to bump (the calf’s horn was no more than this). We sat engulfed as we watched the sighting play out before they disappeared at a trot into the river.
A young rhino calf doesn’t spend too much time away from its mother’s side
On we carried while marvelling at the Matumi trees lining the river only to be rivalled by the river gracefully making its way through the granite rocks. We decided to cross the river and explore the north as we meandered our way through wild date palms sprinkled with flashes of white plumbagoes. We set our sights on a koppie for a sundowner but on our way, we’d pass through the open crest. Swiftly walking atop the crest was a journey of giraffe moving from blossoming Knob-thorn to Knob-thorn. Their golden coats looking as impressive as ever in the late afternoon light.
We stopped with a view of the magnificent Manyelethi riverbed with the sun setting behind the Drakensberg mountain. Gin and tonics were the order of the day and as we reached for the snacks we spotted her. Right atop the koppie was a young female leopard. She stood staring below at us and then slowly ambled her way down the rocks and right past us before joining her mother, the Piccadilly 3:3 female, a few metres away. We all looked at each other in absolute awe of the experience we had just had while we sipped away and watched the sun set on another incredible day at Londolozi.
Young inquisitive beautiful female, bordering on independence as of November 2021
Now, I’m not saying that setting out every drive without expectations is the key to having a leopard join you for drinks. What I’m saying is that enjoying all the elements of the bush sometimes leads you to be in precisely the right place at the right time. The video below captures our perfect moment.
Hi Barry, I’m sure it is not easy to have guests on the vehicle and they want to see different scenes and animals. It is a challenging aspect of events then and you two as Ranger and Tracker have to keep everything balanced. The video of the Piccadilly female leopard was fabulous and at least that was a highlight for your guests and for us. Scenery at Londolozi is fabulous.
Hi Valmai, personally I think the dynamic of different guests on a vehicle is always interesting and 99% of the time works out well. Glad you enjoyed the video.
Took me a few safaris to understand it wasn’t about tracking the animals but experiencing their environment.
Hi Vin, simply being in the environment of the animals is a huge part of it and it’s always a bonus to track and find the animals.
Very nice blog Baz!
Thanks Karin!
Great post Barry. It got me thinking about the difference between intention and expectation… Thanks!
Thanks Marcia!
May rhino, giraffe and leopards- the Piccadilly female in particular- be a good wish for the new year to come for everyone! Lovely photos and video
Thanks, Francesca! Happy New Year to you too!
Well written piece Barry! It is so true that expectations on a safari can range from very high to very chill. I commend you and other guide/tracker teams that not only deliver two interesting, informative and sometimes exciting drives each day but also can act as psychologists to learn each guest’s “check-off list”. It’s so true that if birders are paired with landscape/mammal interested guests, the drives can be tricky, but manageable.
It’s terrific your guests were rewarded with beautiful landscapes as well as the rhino and leopard sightings-the bonus for sure! Happy New Year!
Hi Denise, it’s always special when different sets of guests can learn from each other’s enthusiasm for different aspects of the bush. That’s where the true magic of different personalities on a vehicle can be experienced.
A nice blog Barry. Good you got to see the rhino calf, girafes and leopard cub. You are right – sometimes you are in the right place at the right time. Thanks for sharing. I am sure your guests were quite satisfied with what they got to see.
Thanks, Leonie!
Barry, That experience highlights one of the greatest reasons that interactions like that happen at Londolozi. The mutual respect between humans and the wildlife – especially Leopards – is evident in almost every turn! Thanks for the great video!
Hi Michael and Terri, the special relationship we have with leopards here at Londolozi is always at the top of the list for sharing with guests as it is always an incredible experience when encountering them.
Dear Barry
What an interesting blog of yours. And you were so lucky to have spent such an afternoon with your guests who had obviously had no great expectations and got a lot of reward for it.
You have written that it „can get tricky when you mix different set of guests…“
If I may be very honest, I must say that this is exactly something I find a bit troubling or „tricky“ when on safari. If one is a very experienced guest who has already been on lots of safaris and there are guests who are on one for the first time, it is so difficult, I would even say impossible, to meet everyone‘s expectations. Or you have someone On the car who doesn‘t mind seeing a kill mixed with someone who doesn‘t want to, a.s.o. In my long experience I have watched lots of those situations, some when I was in the same car, some from other cars. Some really extremely difficult.
That‘s why, in my experience it is nearly never a good idea to have different sets of guests in one car. And that‘s why I have always booked a private vehicle for many years now. Which also has lots of disadvantages. Because sometimes you guys or other guests think that a single person in a private car blocks the viewing opportunities of a car full of people.
There are some camps, however, that include private vehicles in the price of their rooms for all their sets of guests. Which I think is perfect. There are guests who want to go out only for an hour or very late, there are guests whose main aim or one of their main aims is a very long sundowner break whereas others want to watch animals as long as possible – whatever animals there are out there. There are birders who are mainly interested in birds and others who are not interested in birds at all a.s.o. All of your guests spend an incredible amount of money on these safaris and want to have their expectations met, if possible. Why not give them all the possibility to do it in the way they like best? Why not have a few smaller cars suitable for single guests or a couple and reserve the big cars for large family or other groups of guests who want to share?
This would make the safari experience perfect for everyone and all the different needs of different sets of guests.
Hi Christa, thank you for your feedback. I can agree with you that not everyone wants to have other guests on the same vehicle but there are also a lot of guests that truly cherish the relationships they make with the different travellers they meet while on safari. That’s where the ranger and tracker teams come in. We strive to help make the most of each and every single drive and do everything we can to find the right balance between guest expectations. Very often the different interests of different sets of guests can lead to piquing an unknown interest for some guests.
Personally, regardless of what the specific interests of a guest are Tshepo and I try to show as many aspects of the bush as possible so that a guest leaves having felt as if they got more than what they expected. That being said I totally understand why you, as well as some other guests, would like a private safari experience which is why we offer the choice of either.
Happy New Year to you Christa. We look forward to welcoming you back to Londolozi soon.
Wow, the video and your blog says it all Barry. Certainly the case of expect the unexpected when not expecting anything at all. What a fab way to end their holiday 👌🏻🙏🏻💗
Thanks, Cally!
I am so ready to see anything and everything that Londolozi has to offer! One day soon…
Hi Barbara, we look forward to welcoming you to Londolozi one day soon!