Game not over

Cinematographer Sanjay F Gupta (the director of Karam), an avid wildlife buff, narrates his experience at South Africa's Phinda Private Game Reserve

ZEBRA, nyala and wildebeest grazing together make a great picture. The picture gets better if they are less than 20 meters away. And the picture becomes picture-perfect when seen under a bright moon without any fence between them and you.u00a0

This was my second evening at '& Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve', a big five-game reserve in South Africa, where conservation, game-viewing and the lovely landscape makes for a perfect safari. As I soaked in this lovely atmosphere and sipped on a glass of chardonnay, (bottled at a vineyard not so far away) my mind went back to the previous night when I had checked in at the Vlei Lodge.u00a0

A three-hour drive from Durban had brought me to the entrance of the reserve. A small gate in the middle of the wilderness just added to the excitement of what lay ahead. The guard knew of my arrival and off I went into a dirt road. Within few minutes of crossing the gate, my headlights caught the shinning eyes of a small herd of buffalo. For a brief moment, they kept staring at me; and then, loosing interest in my vehicle and me, the herd vanished into the darkness. I drove for about 15 more minutes and suddenly in the middle of the road, I was delighted to find three people waiting for me with hot towels and a cool martini. Firm handshakes, a warm welcome and I was escorted through a thin footpath to the reception. Then I realized the layout: no roads were visible from the reception or any of the lodges, which results in a feeling of ultra comfort, privacy, and the feeling of being all alone right in the middle of the bush. Nice!u00a0

All the guests had retired for the day but the chef was waiting for me and served me a fantastic Pan-African meal as the enthusiastic manager filled me in. Rules first: A) The area is not fenced so no walking alone after sunset even if it is from the reception to the lodge. A guard must accompany all guests. B) No walking around the lodge on foot even in daytime. Just a few days ago, lions were seen chasing game on the footpath I had just crossed and a leopard had killed an impala in the thicket between the reception and my lodge. Then, the manager gave me interesting info about the area: Described as "Seven Worlds of Wonder", Phinda Private game reserve encompasses an impressive 56,800 acre of prime wilderness. This reserve comprises seven distinct habitats u00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0093 from dry sand forest to wetland systems and mountain ranges comprising of palm savanna, montane woodland, riverine forest, acacia thornveld, sand forest, open grassland natural pans. Many plant species are confined to this forest, which is also typified by the absence or mosses and ferns. The diversity of habitats makes Phinda a hotspot for birders with narina trogon, trumpeter hornbill and innumerable water birds making up a tally of about 400 species. Yep, this is the kind of place I wanted to be at!u00a0

The guard said goodnight to me outside my lodge and said I would get a wake up call at 5 am. I walked into an amazingly beautiful and comfortable lodge. The du00c3u0083u00c2u00a9cor was a blend of North and West African styles with hints of Balinese influences. Although totally tired, the cool waters of the private plunge pool in my lodge looked very tempting. Cooling off in the pool in almost total darkness under the stars listening to the sounds of the forest is an experience I will never forget.

I was up and ready much before the wake-up call. A quick coffee with freshly baked cookies at the rustic dinning room and off we went into the bush in a game drive vehicle. The ranger, an expert at the wheel and totally in love with his job, said that he loved this reserve because of its abundant bird life and its great location between the Indian Ocean and the lush waterways of the Greater Saint Lucia Wetland park which helps create Phinda's seven unique ecosystems.u00a0

We drove through some very scenic areas of Phinda and crossed large herds of zebra, buffalo and wildebeest in the grasslands with several newborn warthog babies running aimlessly behind their parents with their tails up like antennae. We reached a pond and at first I saw nothing; but shortly I heard a hippopotamus snort and, looking toward the sound, I saw the hot vapor of its breath shoot out. My binocular showed it was part of a pod of about 20. Large nostrils, tiny eyes and Winnie-the-Pooh ears were all that showed above the water. I always wanted to see a hippo and here I was face to face with several! I turned around to thank the ranger but he was already out setting up a table next to the pond with coffee and eats. This was the best coffee shop I had ever been to.u00a0

Back at the lodge, a sumptuous breakfast waited for me. The long safari with its excitement had my appetite going. I made myself comfortable in the terrace, which was a superb vantage point for bird watching. The lounge has a fireplace, books and a well-stocked drinks cabinet. An excellent place to spend the afternoon but I was in the midst of African bush and my heart longed to walk into it and the savanna all around me.u00a0 I saw the manager walking by and took my chances. The tall man froze in his track on hearing my request. Then he broke into a smile, winked and whispered "This will be our secret.u00a0 Meet me at the Land Rover in fifteen minutes. Carry your binoculars."

Our vehicle rolled into the base of a mountain at a dry riverbed and with much anticipation I got off. The plains of Phinda are the roaming grounds of buffalo, white rhino, elephant, giraffe, impala, zebra and wildebeest.
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Predators such as lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena wait their turn in the shadows. In pools and lakes, hippo lounge the day away, while along the Mzinene River, African Elephant and impala wander past. The forest and vlei zones of Phinda are home to red duiker, nyala, suni antelope, bushpig, chacma baboon, red squirrel. Phinda has the largest privately owned population of nyala in the world. With such game around, I was hoping to see at least a few exciting birds, antelopes and whatever else luck would provide me. I knew being on foot in such areas tracking game was a privilege very few lucky tourists have had.u00a0

With rifle in his hand, Rick was bent, looking at tracks on the ground. He pointed towards a cluster of trees on the other side of riverbed and mouthed the word 'lion'. Slowly, we started our walk to the opposite side of the tracks, forgetting the possibility of a lion watching us from not so far off. We entered a thicket and Rick pointed out several birds to me. I should have made notes but these I remember for sure: African Fish Eagle, White bellied sunbird, Bluemantled Flycatcher and an eagle we could not identify. A purple-crested Lourie flew from one branch to another and I as I tried to follow it through my binoculars, Rick whispered something into my ear, which made a shiver run down my spine: "Stay very still. Elephant." As I lowered my binoculars, I saw, what seemed like a mountain with large ears and tiny but piercing eyes standing just fifteen meters away. How these huge creatures could walk and approach us without any noise was astonishing. "Keep backing up very very slowly. Continue looking at him and do not trip and fall." With that, Rick held me by my belt and firmly helped me back up with his other hand keeping a solid grip on his rifle. My world went silent at this moment, except for the sound of our feet on the grass and the elephant breathing. The tusker kept looking at us but slowly turned around and disappeared into the trees as silently as it had appeared. Breathing a sigh of relief, we headed back to the lodge anticipating more excitement in the evening drive.

By 4 pm, the shadows had already becoming longer when we set off for our safari. We drove around for almost an hour as sunlight lit the countryside. However, it seemed like all the animals had vanished into the thickets.

Except for some giraffes in the thickets and Nyala crossing the road, there was hardly any sighting. It was getting dark and my heart was sinking as I had come here to see a lion. No matter how much anyone enjoys watching birds, antelopes and other beautiful things in nature, watching lions in the wild always holds a special place. I really wanted to see one.u00a0

We stopped the jeep for the evening drink next to a lake. There was not much conversation as everyone was disappointed. In the very last light of the gathering dusk, we sipped on a cold beer while Pygmy Geese and Great White Egrets ascended in large number. Fast silhouettes gradually vanished into the horizon. The heat-driven wind of the day was rapidly loosing its intensity as the last few birds departed into the dark, and left the area completely still.u00a0

Two giraffes drank off the far side of the lake. I could hear the soft contact of their hooves against the limestone rocks. They jumped slightly to bring their legs together and turn to look around. Both of them had heard something and I saw them running a short way through the stones. I watched the darker shadows of their bodies and the lighter shade of the ground until they stopped and, standing almost together, turned to watch something I could not discern. The sound of lapping, surprisingly clear, reached my ears and, picking up the binoculars, I scanned the water's edge. It is only on my second pass, when I controlled my anticipation and went more slowly, that I saw a lion lying flat on its belly amongst the stones.u00a0

It was a big lion, it's belly round as it pressed against the earth and, although I could not clearly see its face, I could decipher that it was a mature male, the dark shadow of its mane reaching to behind its shoulders. In the manner of lions, it drank for a long time.u00a0

That sight and the sound will last with me for a long, long time.