Madikwe update: Come and visit us after the big rains!

These days we keep receiving messages from concerned travel agents and guests who are planning to travel or even have bookings in Madikwe Game Reserve, asking us whether Rhulani Safari Lodge is open given the heavy rainfall in recent weeks and whether the general safari experience might not be affected.

Rhulani Safari Lodge is located in the middle of nature and yes, like all other lodges and safari destinations, we are exposed to the whims of the weather gods. This is part of our business but it is something we know how to handle. After a very dry winter, we too have received plenty of rain which created some challenges but which ultimately made us happy as water is a precious resource for the wild animals and nature.

We know of some areas in Madikwe where the floods have caused damage and we are appalled by the devastating impact on some lodges, which have had to temporarily close down their operation.

At Rhulani Safari Lodge we are fortunate to be on the western side of the reserve where the challenges of rain have been less and we are located on a mountain ridge so we are naturally less affected by flooding. Throughout this period, Rhulani Safari Lodge has been open and serving guests every day and daily safari drives have been running as normal.

Currently, not all natural roads are passable again, the rangers stick to the main roads (although the situation is improving every day) and sometimes the vehicle gets stuck in the mud. Yesterday our “Captain Redbeard” Alasdair (who else :-)) had to be pulled out of the mud with a tow rope, and the guests had great entertainment while doing so.

The quality of the animal sightings is naturally subject to certain fluctuations, regardless of the weather. Sometimes it was a little more difficult for the ranger to find the animals, but even on rainy days there were unique sightings. Overall our guests are overwhelmed by the safari experience.

As we write this update, this evening a boma dinner is taking place at Rhulani under the African starry sky, and on today's drive a lion killed a zebra in front of one of our vehicles . The weather forecast for the next few days is sunny to cloudy with temperatures around 30° during the day.

We hope that this update is useful for you. If you are a travel agent or tour operator and currently have guests for whom you need a relocation place in Madikwe, please contact us. We are currently receiving a lot of enquiries.We would be happy to discuss the situation and also evaluate price-matching options:

• Office: +27 (0)14 553 3981
• Mobile and WhatsApp: +27 (0)82 907 9628
• Skype: rhulanilodge
• Email: reservations@rhulani.com

Your Rhulani Team