Be a bush VIP at Umlani

By Maryann Shaw
June 18th, 2008

Expect surprise visitors when staying at Umlani Bushcamp in the Timbavati Private Game Reserve...

Within half an hour of my arrival at Umlani Bushcamp, part of the greater Kruger National Park, I had a visitor. A loud rustling had me nervously peering out at a large grey trunk pulling leaves from a marula tree overhanging the pool I had dipped in moments before. Elephants drinking from the rock pool built for human guests are not uncommon. The camp is not fenced.

A sight to feast upon

With only 16 in the camp at a time, Umlani offers personal VIP attention to the needs of guests.

On my first afternoon drive, our ranger Ginger and tracker Shadrack received a radio call that lions were nearby at an elephant carcass. We soon spotted vultures circling - and the surrounding trees were filled with them. Quite a sight, set against the pink sky and setting, red sun. This elephant had been dead for days, but Ginger told us lions had no qualms about eating carrion. Click here to view the wildlife.

Call of the drum

We stopped at a hyena den where month-old pups came out to greet us. We returned to camp for a drink in the boma with roaring fire, and were soon called to a delicious dinner by a beating drum.

The food was given rave reviews by guests from Australia, Holland, Canada and the United States. The Australian in our group continued to praise the Tiramisu the following night, saying it was better than that offered by Italian restaurants boasting the best Tiramisu in the world.

We had an Oxtail stew with fluffy mash potato one night, with the tomato based sauce just melting in the mouth. Lemon chicken and basmati rice, pork fillet with a cheese sauce, and always the crunchiest steamed or roast veg accompanying.

Keeping track the green way

The very comfortable accommodation at Umlani is in reed and thatch huts, blending in with the surroundings with the least possible impact to the environment. With no fencing around the camp and paths raked daily by staff, one can pick up tracks in the morning from buffalo, hyena and even lion that traipse through camp as guests sleep.

Bathroom facilities are en-suite, with an open air shower fuelled by wood fires.

The atmosphere in camp, the lantern-lit paths and rooms, showering by moonlight and excellent cuisine are an indulgence - but it is the real bush experience which is the attraction of Umlani, heightened by the au natural and electricity-free.

Bright and crispy start

I suggest laying out your clothes the night before - your wake-up call for the morning drive is early, and you need to dress quickly and get to the bar area for a coffee and rusk before leaving at 6.30 am.

This was the only time I felt the cold, the air of the crisp mornings can be biting, so wrap up in layers that can be peeled off as the sun thaws you out. There was no shortage of lions.

Close encounters of the wild kind

We saw them every day of my four days there. We had an exciting encounter on one evening drive with a male lion getting aggressive with us at a leopard’s impala kill which he had appropriated.

As Formen, our ranger, reversed to get away, the American family that was now only metres from this fearsome growling beast was getting very nervous. But they loved it.

At no point were we in any real danger. The rangers know the bush and have the utmost respect for the wildlife. They do not take risks.

When we came across a rhino with a baby, Ginger said he would not follow her into the bush, and he was also cautious when two male elephants we encountered were in must and challenging each other.

Get your feet dirty

You certainly should do a bush walk. Experiencing the bush on foot is very special. Walking single file with Formen carrying a loaded gun, we stopped regularly to learn about the flora and have things pointed out to us we would have otherwise missed.

A hole in the ground we were shown was an antlion’s hunting ground. Formen took a stick and gently touched the side of the hole and up popped a small beetle.

The antlion is one of the “little five”. The others are the buffalo weaver, the elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, and the rhino beetle.

Nature leaves its mark

I left Umlani after a few days with a new respect for our environment. The smells and sounds of the bush stay with you for a good few days before city life takes over again and you have to dream of when next you can indulge in a bush adventure.

Visit Umlani bushcamp this winter. Click here for a great bush deal.

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Re: Umlani

Submitted by StuartW on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 07:21.

Just two comments....Foreman would not have walked with a loaded rifle. That would have meant that there was a bullet in the chamber and that is dangerous...

And yes, Ex Umlani ranger is correct...its cubs, and musth....

But with these small things aside...Umlani is a wonderful place...for those who still remember one of the best chefs, Doc and Eliza...may they rest in pease...

Submitted by StuartW on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 07:13.

I can only agree with the auther of this article. Umlani is a very special place in the Timbavati, and every other person that worked their(like myself) and that have stayed their will agree with that.

Marco and his familiy started something wonderful, the best Bush experience you can have....

Ps!! Please keep Umlani the way it is....thanks..!!!!

If we are going to get

Submitted by Ex Umlani ranger on Thu, 07/01/2010 - 17:09.

If we are going to get really fussy its hyena cubs not pups. Foreman would have had a loaded rifle not a gun, and the antlion is in fact the larva stage of an insect called a lacewing and not a beetle at all.

As far as I am aware its 'Musth'

musth, must and musk

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 06/23/2008 - 22:09.

Musth and Must are both correct, between Chambers Dictionary, Wikipedia and answer.com…………
I wondered about Musk, and other than just mistaking it because it sounds like musth, I discovered this:

Musk is the name originally given to a substance with a penetrating odor obtained from a gland of the male musk deer, which is situated between its stomach and genitals. The substance has been used as a popular perfume fixative since ancient times and is one of the most expensive animal products in the world. The name, originated from Sanskrit muṣká meaning "testicle" (as in a 'single' testicle), has come to encompass a wide variety of substances with somewhat similar odors although many of them are quite different in their chemical structures.