Camp Jabulani | Family Holiday and Leisure

Tusk tales

By Jo Kromberg

Photography by Willie Smit

But the most overpowering of all is the feeling of peace and spiritual confluence in this private sanctuary

?Move Jabu?? The handler?s words are spoken softly but the elephant immediately responds and he discards his newfound tree snack. And on this three ton pachyderm ambles with silent footfall, through the dusk-filled bush, on towards home.

We are at Camp Jabulani sitting astride elephants, riding in the file form. Throughout the forty minutes or so of the journey I?m amazed at how the eight elephants keep chatting to each other in their own language. They understand and respond to at least 60 commands and they are bi-lingual! ?They understand both Shona and English,? says Andrew, the assistant manager and chief elephant whisperer at Camp Jabulani. Their handlers are all from Zimbabwe hence their linguistic proclivities.
It is now almost completely dark and after the elephants deposit us, we slowly follow them into their elephant sanctuary and it feels like entering Jurassic Park. We feed them and spend time just absorbing the presence of these magnificent beasts.

We arrived the day before. Thick mist tenderly touched the emerald green fields as we drove through the Highlands Meander. Ashton Kruger Safaris & Shuttles picked us up in a freezing Johannesburg but the 6-hour journey was spectacular. Coming into Hoedspruit, white clouds were draped above the blue mountains like organza.
One of their expert rangers, Calvin, comes to pick us up at the Hoedspruit airport. Camp Jabulani a family-owned and managed private luxury safari lodge located within the private Kapama Game Reserve in close proximity to the Kruger National Park, and scenic Mpumalanga region. My first impression of the camp is that of being welcomed as a long-lost friend in a stately, beautiful home in the deep bush. Everywhere are photographs of the founders of Camp Jabulani, the Roode family. Carl and Elsie are our hosts and show us to our rooms. This luxurious camp has only six suites and never more than 12 guests. Each of the six luxury suites is remote and private. Pure cotton sheets, massive stone tubs with a view of the bush, an outdoor glass-enclosed shower, a fire-place with a separate lounge area, and a private plunge pool all make you feel like royalty. Suites are also equipped with a mini-bar, safe, hairdryer and electric blankets. 24-hour temperature control and overhead ceiling fan ensures you are never too hot or cold, never mind the weather.
But the most overpowering of all is the feeling of peace and spiritual confluence in this private sanctuary. If I had a writer submitting a clich?d phrase like this to me I would probably summarily fire him but of this place no other description will suffice. We wander to dinner and Chef Andre presents us with a milfuille of veggies and the most superb ostrich steak I have ever tasted. We head to bed early in anticipation of a full next day. Hippo, elephant, buck, and new born babies of all descriptions peer at us on the game drive in the crisp, early morning on route to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre. The Roode family has a long history in the South African wildlife community, with Lente Roode as founder of this renowned Centre. It was their commitment to the cause of rescuing and providing safe haven for orphaned, injured and vulnerable animal species that saw the conceptualisation and creation of Camp Jabulani. We play with the young cheetahs and watch the rescued vultures feast on their ?lunch? of carcasses ? an eerie and smelly experience ? before we set of to see the Jabulani ellies come to drink at the waterhole with their handlers. Camp Jabulani?s herd has matured over time to become a very close-knit family group.
Calvin, whose knowledge of the bush in general is phenomenal, tells us that the namesake of the Jabulani herd, 16-year old Jabulani was abandoned and left orphaned at the tender age of 4 months and hand-reared by Lente Roode with her team. The intra-herd dynamics have changed significantly since their arrival. While wild elephants group themselves in matriarchal herds, with male bull elephants joining the herds from time to time and having little to do with the younger members ? Camp Jabulani?s herd are all involved. The males have become as attached to the youngsters as the females.
After lunch we retire to our respective kingdoms for a well-earned rest and meet at 6 to go and greet the ellies up close. We have sundowners in a clearing and first to be introduced is Jabulani. We stroke him and feed him and then it?s off for said stroll. The elephant back walk takes about 40 minutes and it?s just you, the bush and these magnificent, gentle beasts. Andrew says that the experience is especially awe-inspiring for children. Then back for dinner of warthog, bless buck and malva pudding, apparently all prepared in heaven. We take our weary bodies to bed at about 9 and I curl up under the covers in my palatial chalet, listening to my bubbling pool and the cacophony of crickets and frogs. We take a stroll to the spa in the bush the next morning where you are treated to a luxurious full-body massage right in the open under a canopy and then we peruse the massive family unit. The Zindoga Villa is Camp Jabulani?s most recent addition for the smaller group, or for the family traveller with younger children.
The Villa is a mammoth 424m2, with an additional 225m2 of wooden decking overlooking the wild African bush.
Two individual suites are connected by a joint lounge and dining area. Each unit has a massive bedroom with bathroom en-suite, expansive wooden deck and a private heated plunge pool. One of the suites also has a charming twin room, with private bathroom, for two children sharing.
The Villa is serviced by its own dedicated team ? including ranger (and private vehicle), chef and butler.
A deep gloom descends on me as we say our good byes. Jabulani is not for the counting-penny types ? it is very expensive and every cent goes back into the conservation of the elephants ? but it is worth it. Camp Jabulani enhances your spirit and soul in a way you never would have thought possible?

Camp Jabulani contact details:
Tel: +27 (0) 15 793 1265
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 922 0120
Fax: +27 (0) 15 793 1261
E-mail: campjabulani@campjabulani.com
website: http://www.campjabulani.com/

Reservations and Sales:
Tel: +27 (0) 12 460 5605
Fax: +27 (0) 12 460 7573
E-mail: reservations@campjabulani.com

We were kindly transferred to Jabulani by Ashton Kruger Safaris & Shuttles. They offer scheduled Kruger Walking Safaris in prime Big 5 territory, departing every Monday and Friday. The unfenced camp is private and secluded and can sleep up to 8 people. The combination of walks and drives in the open 4?4 safari vehicle are dependent on weather and animal movements and are conducted from camp in the early mornings, late afternoons and at night. Ashtons also offers a daily return road shuttle service between Johannesburg (06h00) and Hoedspruit (12h00). Comfortable, quality 10-14 seater vehicles are used with air-con, transport permits, R100 Million passenger liability and qualified drivers.
Main Tel: +27 (0) 21 683 0234
Shuttle: +27 (0) 21 683 0345
Int Fax: +27 (0) 21 683 0335
South Africa Fax: 086 540 8987
www.ashtonstours.com
www.ashtonsgroup.com

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Source: http://familyholidayandleisure.com/2012/10/camp-jabulani-2/

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