Bushveld camping at its best

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May 2017





I’ve decided to add another job title to my CV. What do you do when friends ask you to look after their place for them for two weeks while they travel to a remote part of Botswana? Of course you oblige. After all, what’s the problem with looking after a few animals, their property and their house? That’s not so difficult, is it? Besides, it’s an enchanting place.



A while back we camped at a peaceful place called Matamba Bush Camp. It is an exclusive bush camp in the Waterberg, just a short drive outside Vaalwater. A delightful couple, Alan and Sue, have made this place unique and very special. Once you’ve camped there you’d be hard pressed to find a better place to stay. There are only 2 camps, Tau and Mara. Tau camp has four campsites, set well apart from each other. Mara’s camp, further away from Tau on the middle of the farm is a private camp for one group only. If you enjoy loud music and roaring up and down the roads in your vehicle looking for animals, Matamba is most definitely not the place for you. In fact, you’ll be chased away. Once at Matamba, you park your vehicle and walk around to enjoy the animals and nature. You can get quite close to the animals and it is a delight to meander through the bush, getting so near to them. It is also an ideal place for children to walk or ride their bicycles. It’s wild enough without being in danger from the animals and tame enough with comfortable camping.



If you are modest and you are fortunate, you may even object to a peeping giraffe sticking his head over the latte fence, while you shower in the shade of a tree. If you’d like to be a little more discreet, you can leave your ablutions till night time when you can shower under the stars. Of course, if you really want, you can use the more private bathroom that does have a roof. All bathrooms have been beautifully designed with great attention given right down to the smallest detail.



Apart from giraffe there is a variety of small game on the farm, such as eland, kudu, zebra and sable. It’s an ideal place for a few nights stay or a one night stop over if you’re heading north for a longer 4 x 4 trip. If you get seduced by its charm, you may never want to leave. We loved our stay there and have been back many times and have become firm friends with Alan and Sue.



About that job… At the end of last year I joked with Alan and Sue and said that I was looking for work and that was when they asked me to look after their farm. They were touring the Kalahari for two weeks and their usual farm sitting friend was going with them. Dead keen, with no hesitation this city slicker said she would, until she realised it just might be quite a bit of responsibility to look after a game farm. I had three dogs and four cats to look after, which wasn’t a problem. I also had five sable that had to be fed every afternoon. Ok, I could manage that. But what about the rest of the animals? Furthermore, hubby would only be able to join me for weekends as he had to work. We solved that issue by inviting mum-in-law (Alison) to keep me company. We also invited friends of ours, Leonie and Athol to spend a few nights midway through my stay because we knew they would love Matamba. As for the rest of the animals, fortunately they would be looked after by the staff.



We trekked up to the farm, which is about three and a half hours away from our own home. We were told about the last few things that I needed to know and then Alan and Sue waved us goodbye. I’m not quite sure if I saw a bit of hesitation as they left. It probably only dawned on them then that they were leaving their precious gem in the hands of someone who didn’t have a clue about looking after farms. The only real farm life I had was for a year or so, soon after I had just outgrown my nappies and the odd visit here and there to friend’s farms.

In reality, the staff looked after the farm and they did it very well and I actually did very little. Mom and I spent most of our time staring at the animals or birds like ladies of the manor. When campers arrived for their stay, I directed them to their sites and told them what they needed to know. I was fortunate that there were no major disasters. Once hubby arrived to spend the weekends with us, he gently but firmly nudged me aside so he could ‘take over’ and enjoy the farm like I had done throughout the week.

I also shared my bed with a few of the cats and one of the dogs. One of the cats looks like a domestic cat, but he is actually an African wild cat. He was abandoned at birth and was raised by Sue. His instincts are definitely wild, yet once he knows you he rubs up against you and purrs and meows like an ordinary cat, but all on his terms. I grew quite attached to his cuddles. In fact, I enjoyed the attention I was given by all the cats and dogs as well as the rest of the menagerie. In the afternoons we fed the sable, five of them that are grouped together. They get fed during winter, because it keeps them healthy and the grass is not so nutritious anymore. I felt a bit like the Pied Piper when they followed me to their feeding bowls and my sister-in-law even called me Dr Doolittle.

In fact, all the animals at Matamba get looked after very well. As a result, they all thrive and are in good physical shape. I had such fun and it was an unforgettable experience, so thank you, Alan and Sue for giving me this opportunity.



I’m not sure if I can justify my new job title of farm sitter, but I think I might just sneak it in my curriculum vitae. What do you think? Shhh! don’t tell Alan and Sue; they might not give me a glowing testimonial.



Make sure to look at the rest of the photos on the second page.

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Photos

Red velvet mite
3-5mm in length. So tiny, yet so perfect

Mongoos hotel
...and yes we saw them - in the next pile of neat wood

Feeding sable, we had visitor
Sable behind us, giraffe in front

Comments

[silvernomads]

CV
A great read - definitely add 'Farm Sitter' to your cv ... ...

[roamingfox]

Never know when I'll need it...
Ha ha, thanks, I think I should too. Glad you enjoyed reading my blog.