There is a pest of a porcupine called Houdini – so named because of his uncanny ability to make great escapes, like the master magician of yesteryear – that is causing headaches for Natie and Magda le Roux.
They’re the earthy, charming husband-and-wife team of manager-hosts at the four-star Esiweni Lodge, newest getaway spot in the Nambiti Game Reserve – an exclusive, five-chalet jewel in the crown of 10 lodges in the 10 000 ha reserve, offering the Big Five.
Esiweni is a Zulu word for “on the cliff” and it is appropriate as the two-year-old lodge, the entrance to which is mere metres from the Elandslaagte war memorial site, some 25km or so from Ladysmith, is strikingly perched on and over a sheer, multi-hued rockface.
It offers superb views of the snaking Sundays River, a wide, game-flecked valley and a distant waterfall.
With the great views (each chalet has its own large deck) and elegant design (the architect was from the firm that created Durban’s Moses Mabhida stadium) there’s little doubt Esiweni is the most impressive of all lodges in the area.
But back to porcupine Houdini… that little menace has proved a prickly problem since the lodge, co-owned by Durbanites Mark Holtes and Robert Fowlds, first opened.
With his appetite for aloes, cycads, wild garlic and strelitizias, the creature’s foragings in the gardens have cost the lodge some R20 000, according to the Le Rouxs, who thought they’d caught the blighter recently. It turned out to be a smaller accomplice instead, so the hunt continues…
The Le Rouxs are among eight staff members at Esiweni, which holds dear its proven motto that “people arrive as guests and leave as family”.
An easy three-hour drive from Durban, the lodge offers accommodation for only 10 people, allowing a warmer, more dedicated service, a very peaceful stay. We were so rested after two days we felt we’d been there for a week.
There are no children under 10 allowed, no television sets or radios, no background music anywhere, and another little blessing (for some) is there is no cellphone signal. One can pick up a signal during game drives.
Included in the price of a stay at the lodge, which offers a small rim-flow pool on the river-facing balcony and an impressive, well-stocked wine cellar, are all meals and two daily game drives.
The drives are from 6am to 9pm, then 3pm to 6pm, the latter following a scrumptious daily tea served with a delectable array of savoury and sweet snacks by resident chef Robyn Flint, of Pietermaritzburg.
Natie le Roux (short for Ignatius) is a friendly and knowledgeable guide and while pointing out game during our drives with him – highlights included two relaxed cheetahs, a family of lions, a hunting servil and a frolicking flock of buffalo – delighted my father and I with tales of Nambiti’s flora and fauna.
He also regaled us with anecdotes which, involving guests from other lodges at which he has worked, included a German tourist who woke in the wee hours to ask staff to remove “a beast” from his room. It turned out “the beast” was a toad.
Natie also drew chuckles with his tale of a group of European tourists at another resort who were told that geckos in rooms were common and harmless. One of the group rang reception later to report that a gecko needed to be removed quickly, as it was eating a broom. Alarmed staff rushed there to find the “gecko” was a large monitor lizard.
Meals at Esiweni are a big treat, three-course affairs. The nights we were there they included a butternut and pepper soup to die for, a great beef fillet and a gold-flaked brulee. The next night we enjoyed a smoked salmon starter, then braai meat and venison stew, and a strawberry cheesecake – all served around a crackling fire in the boma a few steps from the lodge entrance.
Breakfasts are yum, containing all the usuals, along with daily specials that, for us, included savoury mince pancakes and a caramel-and-banana variation accompanied by a small jug of choc sauce, and heart-shaped muffins.
The thatched-roof chalets – including a honeymoon suite with a king-size bed and a bath on deck – are spacious, luxurious and modern in design, with an indoor and outdoor shower, a large bath in the bedroom (a screen is available) and fully retracting patio doors that open on to large private decks. Each chalet offers under-floor heating, fans, safe, phone and coffee station.
Nice touches include a choc with an animal shape left on your pillow each night, and white bath towels arranged to resemble animals (we had elephant shapes one night, ducks the next).
The decor of the airy main lodge, with its small diningroom and large lounge including a pub, is elegant, depicting a colonial safari theme. Large, stone hearths warm the lounge and dining areas on chilly nights.
Current rates (per person, per night, sharing) are R1 800 midweek and R2 150 weekends.
For further inormation call 036 636 9003. - Independent on Saturday