Zuma was in a randy mood. Young, filled with testosterone and eager to practise his mating skills, even having an audience didn’t stop his amorous moves.
A group of tourists giggled nervously, embarrassed as the lion mounted a young female, their cameras clicked away.
I wondered how they would explain the shots when showing family back home pictures of their African adventure...
The group of South African journalists who came to experience a small taste of what the Protea Hotel, The Ranch, had to offer was more amused by the lion’s famous name.
Apparently the two-year-old was named by President Jacob Zuma after he was born on the same day the president visited.
Someone chuckled: “He is living up to his name.” There was a slightly nervous echo to the laughter as we stared into the cage that housed 11 young lions.
We had watched a pride in their enclosure from the safety of a game vehicle. We had touched, picked up and pampered some lion cubs, their playful cuteness leaving an enduring impression. Now we were looking at the group of lions we would be walking with the next morning.
They were large. Impressively so. A squeak of fear beat in my chest.
It is this lion walk that sets the Protea Hotel, The Ranch apart from the numerous hotels and lodges in South Africa which offer far tamer interactions with the magnificent cats.
It’s one thing to see a wild creature from the safety of a car or behind a fence. It is a different experience to be up close, to touch and to feel an animal that can never fully be tamed.
At 7am the next day we were standing outside another cage. Closed shoes and long pants were mandatory. A fellow journalist only had two pairs of closed shoes: pumps. The one with a leopard print pattern, the other in zebra.
Frank, our guide, stared – amused by the fashionable footwear – “the lions are going to looove those”, he chuckled.
Two young lions were playing in the enclosure. The female, Jenny, was in an active mood.
At 22 months the lions were fully grown, but still in their teenagehood.
The young male was still growing what will be a magnificent mane. In a few months’ time the walking days of these lions will be over. After two years, instinct becomes too strong and they no longer take any notice of the wooden sticks we were all made to carry, and an untrained lion is not one you want to casually walk through the bush with.
We stepped into the cage, and I thought: “What are we doing walking into a lion cage with nothing but a stick in hand?”
I took the fear, consciously chucked it to one side, and began to follow the lions, which were eagerly bounding out of the enclosure and into the 1 000ha conservancy at The Ranch.
Aside from their size I was amazed at how quickly they moved and how I couldn’t anticipate what they’d do next. One minute the young male was loping along, the next he disappeared to the side and started stalking through the long grass beside the path. I worriedly asked what he was doing. Frank reassured me the lion did this all the time and was trying to surprise the female.
She, meanwhile, had caught the scent of an animal on the ground. The conservancy’s stock of game includes zebra, warthog, nyala, impala and kudu, and the area we were walking in was filled with animals. The lioness rolled around on the ground, picking up the scent, then sat up and started looking around. Frank told us all to stand still. The lioness had caught the whiff of prey and was looking around to see where her breakfast had wandered off to.
One of the guides had a bag filled with meat, put some on a stick and threw it forward to try to distract her. It took a bit of prompting, but she followed the easy snack and we were back on our stroll.
The male came bounding up to the lioness and they greeted each other by energetically rubbing against one another. Clearly these were two cats very much in love.
Some meat came out and it was time for the lioness to show us how high she could jump. The meat was attached to the end of a long stick, and she had to arc herself into the air to reach her snack. Without hesitation she launched herself. My camera was at the ready, but her long body was too much for my small screen and I only caught half of her. I stopped trying to shoot a picture and stood staring, mesmerised by the strength of her body and the height she could reach. This was a powerful animal and it made me realise how humans, with all their cities and technology, are insignificant compared to wild creatures such as these.
I had been hanging around at the back, but Frank called me forward and asked if I wanted to hold onto the lioness’s tail as we walked.
I grabbed and was awestruck. I couldn’t believe I was so close to a lion. I could smell her mildly musky scent and could see the muscles bulging beneath her shoulders. Her tail was no small, skinny thing either – it was sturdy and strong.
She allowed me to walk along with her for a while and I felt privileged.
The walk lasted no longer than an hour, but it was such an intense experience that I found myself feeling tired. But sleep was something far from my mind as I took in a tour of everything The Ranch had to offer.
Aside from the lion walk, the hotel has more to do than any other place I have seen. Apart from game drives, where you can see 30 species, you can also go on a horseback safari, meander with farm animals, play a round of golf, sit back and enjoy a meal at three different restaurants, lie spread-eagled next to one of four pools – two of which are heated – or relax all day in an outdoor jacuzzi.
Situated outside Polokwane, about three hours from Johannesburg, The Ranch is close enough to be an easy drive but far enough from home to feel as if you have gone on holiday.
For those looking for the perfect conference or wedding venue,almost every option is available here. An outside venue situated out in the bush is Bushwillow. With a retractable roof and a deck overlooking a lion enclosure, it is not a run-of-the-mill venue option and will offer an unforgettable experience under the starry skies.
The hotel offers 110 rooms all looking out onto beautiful gardens where the smell of fresh roses and lavender bushes wafts into open windows.
The presidential suites are particularly impressive, with a private garden with its own fountain and Jacuzzi to tempt you into spending all day in lazy contemplation. A new addition to the property is 32 five-star self-catering cottages which overlook the 12-hole golf course. With two rooms opening up onto a kitchen and lounge with a patio and braai area, the rooms are perfect for a family outing. I found the cottages to be functional, clean and comfortable. The decor was a little bland, however, and I wasn’t swept away by them.
But who needs decor when nature is there to fill your soul with warmth? In the game vehicle we heard a cacophony of sound filling the morning air as a light mist hung over the Waterberg mountains in the distance. A hyena began her laughing yelp. The lions, not wanting to be outdone, began their low guttural roars: a rich symphony of sound from two of nature’s ultimate predators. A giraffe stood nearby and listened, his silky eyelashes glistening in the rising sun.
lAngelique Serrao travelled courtesy of SA Tourism, Protea Hotel, The Ranch and Flight Centre.
Special offer
Priced from R810 per person sharing, enjoy a two-night self-drive to the popular Protea Hotel, The Ranch.
This package includes two nights’ accommodation and two kids under the age of 12 stay free (room only).
This package is valid for travel between May 1 and September 30.
The Protea Hotel, The Ranch is situated on 1 000ha of malaria-free grasslands and Limpopo bushveld. It is two hours’ drive from Pretoria and has activities galore to keep the children entertained. Guests can also do game drives, walk with lions and interact with hand-raised lion cubs.
To book a package to either of these venues, contact Flight Centre on 0860 400 747 or visit www.flightcentre.co.za or SMS your name and “quote” to 33645. - Saturday Star