Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve
If, like us, you're on a tight time-schedule and don't have time to go to the Kruger National Park, then the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve, just outside Johannesburg, is the perfect place to spend a day.
The 'The Nearest Faraway Place' is a privately owned game reserve covering approximately 1200 hectares. After humble beginnings - two White Rhino and a few assorted small buck - visitors can now view a wide variety of game (more than six hundred and fifty at present) including rare and endangered species.
The falls within the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, a spectacular world-class exhibition that focuses on the development of humans and our ancestors over the past few million years. An intriguing historical site where one gets the opportunity to learn how humans were born and view stone tools that are nearly one million years old. We visited the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site with 2500m2 of exhibitions on a previous occasion and because of our time-constraints had to miss out this time.
My main reason for wanting to visit The is the Animal Creche (or Kindy) as we know it in Australia. The have specifically built a nursery/creche for all young, endangered and orphaned animals giving visitors the opportunity to have photos taken with the cubs or pups. Unfortunately, on the day that we visited it was raining, and this is the only time one cannot interact with the 'babies' in the Creche, but we were permitted to roam around the enclosures to enjoy what was on offer.
The variety of baby animals all happily playing, was absolutely amazing:-
Black Leopard; Spotted Leopard; Eurasian Lynx; White Tigers and White Lion cubs (a true rarity for us to see).
Whilst roaming between the enclosures, one has the opportunity to admire Marabou Storks (they look like funeral undertakers) plus an assortment of birds that roam freely between visitors. One stork seemed to take a fancy to me and 'stalked' (excuse the pun) me until he could take a peck at me from behind - I almost jumped out of my skin.
There are numerous activities included in the entry price of R130 (approximately $13) per person:-Lion, cheetah and wild dog feeding;Live snake display; Cheetah talk; Animal Creche; Hippo pools;
We were exploring on our own and our next stop, self-driving, was the Predator Camp, which included the adult White Lions, Wild Dogs and Cheetah. Being a cool, overcast day with intermittent rain, the animals were out and about and not hiding out to escape the harsh African sun.
We were fortunate to see the White Lions and get up really close and personal with a very large male - one has to keep in mind that these animals are totally wild and dangerous, so windows have to be kept closed at all times and visitors are warned not to linger within twenty-five metres of the lions. Before entering the predator area, visitors are also warned to remove spare wheel covers on the rear of 4 x 4 vehicles, as these are likely to be destroyed, should a lion decide they might want to 'play'.
I say 'fortunate' with much trepidation as the day we visited, one particular lioness must have thought we were a food source and decided to give chase, to ensure he got the best 'feed' of the day. Well, this was an experience I wouldn't like to repeat - the roads are all rough 4 x 4 trails, interspersed with dongas (an eroded ravine or a dry watercourse) every here and there and to make our escape we were forced to reverse at great speed to avoid becoming lion fodder for the day! All I can say is……I was shaking like a leaf when we emerged victorious....unscathed!
We have subsequently learnt that all these wild animals are fed off the back of 4 x 4 vehicles and it is quite common for them to perceive 'any' vehicle as a possible food source. How scary is that??
The Wild Dogs were quite complacent - perhaps they had already been fed? The Cheetah decided that today was not our day to see them and ensured they stayed in hiding for the duration of our drive.
Accommodation is available at the , with three private, fully equipped chalets in the rest camp. Each chalet sleeps four people with the option of having an additional two people. These chalets are equipped with gas appliances, no electricity or telephones. Visitors need to supply their own food and refreshments. The rest camp has its own private swimming pool, lapa* area and a jungle gym for children.
In addition to the chalets, there are five, private, fully-equipped log cabins overlooking the Lion Camp. Each log cabin sleeps four people with en-suite bedrooms and a sleeper couch in the lounge area. The facilities at the log cabins include:-
& #9989 ; Open Plan Kitchen;
& #9989 ; Lounge/Dining room area;
& #9989 ; Two Bedrooms;
& #9989 ; Two Bathrooms;
& #9989 ; Sleeper Couch in living area;
& #9989 ; Electricity;
& #9989 ; DSTV;
& #9989 ; Six seater jacuzzi (spa) on the veranda/patio;
& #9989 ; Built-in braai (barbecue);
& #9989 ; Self-catering
Imagine waking up in the morning to the roar of lions! An experience one would remember for the rest of your life!
The whole Reserve is set in scenic surrounds and one has to look out for the wildebeest, zebras, springbok and bles-bok that are roaming in the hills.
The next stop on our outing was the Neck & Deck - a cafe providing light refreshments and food - but the main reason for our visit was to participate in hand-feeding the giraffe - imagine that!
For R30 ($3) per person, visitors can enjoy the unique thrill of feeding these gentle giants of the wild. With their long necks and envious eyelashes to match, this was truly an exhilarating one-off memory-making adventure for me.
If you're visiting South Africa, have limited time and don't want to take malaria medication (in the Kruger National Park this is a pre-requisite) then why not do a day trip to the .
PS We didn't actually see any Rhino - we were told that they keep moving them to new secret locations for the Rhinos' protection to prevent further Rhino poaching.
#travel
#tourist_sites
#picnic_spots
#near_johannesburg
#game_reserves
#animals_wildlife
#accommodation
%wnjohannesburg
93544 - 2023-06-12 00:54:42
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