Three Tree Lodge
8km drive down a dirt road brought us to Three Trees Lodge. Very hot! Beautiful place. We have our own accommodation which has a separate bedroom for Imogen, kitchen area, living room and balcony with amazing views of the Spioncop hill and parts of the Spioncop game reserve. Downstairs we even have our own private plunge pool – very nice in the hot weather!
About 20 guests staying here in total. Meals are taken on a communal table, which gives a friendly house party feel.
An important battle took place on Spioncop hill in January 1900 during the war between England and the Boers. Winston Churchill was here as a newspaper reporter and twice climbed the hill during the battle to find out what was happening and relay messages. Our room is called Churchill.
The lodge has at least three cats and four dogs. There are two white and ginger cats called Gin and Tonic. The cats visited us frequently in our room. On the day we arrived Tonic had followed ranger Simon and the guests on the walk to the game reserve. Something had happened involving some animals and Tonic had got separated from the group, who returned without her. She ended up spending the whole night in the game reserve and returned about 24 hours later, much to everyone’s relief.
Gin – paying us a visit
Imogen also very much likes the dogs. There’s Leila, who is Brent and Sasha’s dog. Also a large dog which is has his kennel outside the office, and a sausage dog.
They’re nervous about storms here. On the day we arrived Tim was going to go for an early evening walk when things were slightly cooler, but Melanie advised him not to go too far. They’re worried about guests getting caught in electric storms which brew up quickly in the afternoons. When a storm is coming they switch off the wifi.
24th December
Morning walk: Tim got up early and joined ranger / lodge owner Simon, Brent and a family from Germany. Lovely and cool at 6.30, but soon warmed up. Hot by 8.30.
Below the lodge, through a fence gate into the reserve. We soon spotted a family of white rhino, close by. We skirted round them, and had them in view for most of the walk, keeping a safe distance, especially when we were upwind. Simon explained that rhinos don’t see well but have a strong sense of smell and good hearing.
Thanks to Thomas from Germany for the photos!
We also saw zebra, eland, kudu and other antelope. Also a couple of butterflies, the pirate with blue spots, (not frightened of us – because it’s poisonous?) and the yellow pansy, black and yellow with blue spots.
Pirate butterfly
Near some water Simon spotted footprints of the nile monitor lizard. Then we saw him. He went and hid in a pool. We saw a red bishop bird with his harem of ladies, a long tailed whydaw bird, small bee eaters. We had a good view of a brown snake eagle, with a yellow eye, looking around from a high branch of a dead tree.
Snake Eagle
After breakfast Imogen returned to our room. She found her way blocked by a procession of large green grasshoppers which were crossing the path.
Sundowner for all the guests with views of the Spionkop dam and the Drakensberg mountains in the distance. Our hosts for the evening were Roy and Sandy. T and D did the blue walk and imogen made her way from the lodge with the dogs. Our host for the evening was the local battlefield expert Ron and his wife Sandy who took us on the Zulu village tour the next day. Tim and Denise did the blue walk and saw a big African hare. Also great views of the reservoir. Imogen toasted bread on the fire.
Christmas Day
Tim and Denise went for an early morning walk. We went by the fence of the game reserve but no large animals were to be seen today. We saw a few birds including a pair of noisy Hadeba Ibis. And later two blue waxbills. We met some horses.
Very hot day, but mid-afternoon the wind got up and the weather turned cooler.
After breakfast Sandy took us and one other family to visit the local Zulu village. Sandy explained the importance to the Zulus of the ancestors. Some families have a special round house with a straw roof down to the ground where they go to be in contact with the ancestors. Umbeli is a young man from the village who works at the lodge – he came with us on the tour. Umbeli explained that some families are just Christian, some families believe in their ancestors but the majority of families believe in both. We visited the traditional doctor the sangoma. We went into a round hut, took our shoes off, sat on the mat on the floor, men on one side and women on the other side. A young woman dressed in blue and white came in and invited us to ask her questions. She helps people to deal with physical problems and emotional problems by helping them to be in contact with their ancestors so they know what it is the ancestors want them to do. There were medicines in the hut but we got the impression she normally prescribes coloured water rather than traditional medicines for most problems. A recurring dream told her that she should become a traditional doctor. She didn’t want to do this and ignored the dream for sometime, but in the end she understood that it was what she should do.
Zulu Medicine & Healers
Very nice snack lunch and lazy afternoon. More locusts by the swimming pool.
Christmas dinner with other guests.
Brent and Melánie looked after us very well. Brent and Sasha are starting a new job at the lion lodge at Nambiti in a month’s time.
26th December boxing day – Tim went on a walk guided by Brent. We got close to some rhino – in fact at one point we got between two groups of rhino, which Brent was not happy about. Later in the walk we saw lots of weaver nests on the ground under a tree. Some had eggs in them, still intact. What caused this? The wind? At the end of the walk we found a chameleon.
Also that morning Imogen went horse riding with Brent and Umveli. The horses were not particularly cooperative!
Brent and Umveli suffered a nasty skin irritation from a caterpillar which they both managed to get under their shirts. Brent thinks it must have got onto his rucksack somehow. After the walk Brent covered himself with Camomile!
We set off mid-morning, rather sad to leave this lovely place. We have a short drive today to Nambiti.
