August 13th, 2016

Day 135: Itaga Luxury Private Game Lodge – Day 1

After another delicious breakfast, we took our leave of the Leshiba Wilderness Lodge, and headed for our final stop in South Africa: the Itaga Luxury Private Game Lodge in the Mabalingwe Nature Reserve. Like Leshiba, it is an artificial game park, where all the animals have been “imported” as a tourist attraction.

There was a stark contrast between the two, however. While Leshiba purchased and fed their rhinos, the reserve didn’t *feel* fabricated – probably because they weren’t trying to do too much. Leshiba had one shtick – a bunch of rhinos, and that was enough. Mabalingwe, on the other hand, touted itself as a “Big 5” reserve. It was a huge, corporate-owned property with multiple lodges in addition to private residences. And while they had to have lions on the reserve in order to call themselves “Big 5”, we discovered that the lions were kept in a fenced off enclosure, as the residents want to make sure it is safe for their kiddies to play in their backyard pools. Bizarre. Against our better judgement, we booked the tour to see the lions the next morning.

In the meantime, we had an evening drive scheduled for our first day at Itaga, led by Robert, our first (and only!) Caucasian safari guide. Why am I pointing this out, you may ask? Well, it didn’t really register with us that Robert and all of his colleagues were white, while all of our other guides up until now have been black. But when we were chatting with him about his career as a guide, he mentioned that he grew up in his grandfather’s private lodge in Kruger National Park, and that was where he learned everything he knows about tracking. When we asked why he didn’t want to work as a guide in Kruger, he said he used to until he was fired. “Why?” we asked. “Because of the color of my skin – they only want black guides.”

Now, I’m not going to say, “Poor Robert, that’s reverse racism!” This guy grew up with incredible privilege and probably has many more opportunities for (better paying) jobs than the guys that are now “stealing” his job at the national parks. But we did notice that *every single guide* at Mabalingwe was white. Not saying it’s better or worse, just noticing the difference between a private game reserve vs. the national parks.

Armed with the gate code, we say farewell to Leshiba and brave the trecherous 4×4 road down the mountain

 

The waterhole just outside the Itaga restaurant attracts many antelope, including these beautiful Nyala

 

There’s just something about Coca-Cola – whenever Igor tried to enjoy a can of happiness, some cute little animal tried to sneak a sip! Itaga has a tame squirrel that was hand-reared on the premises, and he quickly made friends with Igor

 

While Igor was playing with the wildlife, Lindsay discovered the hotel had A PUPPY! Do we really have to go on a safari? I can totally just stay here and play with the puppy.

 

The elusive Tsessebe, Africa’s fastest antelope, and a herd of wildebeest

 

This silly giraffe was eating too fast and got a branch stuck on his face! So cute.

 

A private house within the Mabalingue Reserve – a view of White Rhinos as you and your guests enjoy sundowner drinks on your patio. How the other half lives in South Africa

 

Our sundowner drinks, next to an empty waterhole. We be poor.

 

Sitting by the fire for an hour and a half waiting for dinner to be announced. Finally, the waitress comes over and says, “You know you can eat anytime you like, right? You’re not waiting for anyone, are you?” Thanks for the tip – we would have been sitting there all night! Gimme food!

 

Our last hotel room in South Africa – a luxurious end to a fantastic stay!