Safari Consultant and itinerary designer for BHS, Rosemary Marx, recently visited a host of safari lodges in the Timbavati Nature Reserve to get familiar with the camp grounds, staff, safari experiences, facilities, and all the other notable factors she considers when choosing properties for safari itineraries. Rosey spent her nights at Bateleur Safari Camp, which is where many of our walking trail safaris are based, and she had the following to say about her experience at this popular Timbavati camp.

“One of the aspects I always notice at a camp, beyond the accommodation and game drive, is the warmth and genuine hospitality of the staff, and Bateleur has this perfected. The other aspect is that the game drive is not hell-bent on finding the Big 5. Stopping to share interesting facts about impala and other smaller aspects of the environment, which so many guides tend to neglect. For those who have travelled on safari before might appreciate this take on the safari experience. This is the place to be.”

The warmth of the welcome and hospitality at Bateleur extends throughout one’s stay in this exclusive tented camp which blends discreetly into the bushveld along the dry riverbed. The owners have ensured that vegetation is not cut back to make way for construction, and trees are not removed during the building process, making every effort to retain the pristine wilderness.

Bateleur Safari Camp offers an exceptional safari experience in the heart of the Timbavati with a traverse area over 10, 000 hectares. A highlight of the afternoon safari – beyond seeing two white rhino – was the hyaena den which has produced six litters during the past eight months, an unusual situation and a very special sighting. Sophia, our professional guide, and Lucky our professional tracker brought the smaller aspects of the environment to life during the safari, including the incredible bushcraft skill of starting a fire from a piece of wood and a stone before our eyes!

After sunset, as we made our way back towards camp, Sophia turned the vehicle off and we sat in the darkness listening to the repetitive single note call of the African Scops Owl and learning about the stars in the vast night sky above us.

Back in camp, a warm fire greeted us in the boma, meat was cooked in front of us, and a delicious dinner and dessert enjoyed by all. As we made our way to our spacious comfortable tents, elephant were very vocal close by – something exciting was going on further up the dry riverbed. Thinking about this as I got into bed, I hoped to hear the elephant come down past my tent in the night – and before I knew it the sun was rising, and the comfortable bed had taken me to dreamland.

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