Top 3 safari hide experiences in South Africa
There’s something entirely mesmerizing about sitting quietly hidden inside a hide at a waterhole, even if you’re not a professional photographer or twitcher. Today’s hide tends to be more luxurious with eminently more comfortable seating – and in Molori’s case, a gin tasting if you wish. What more could you want?
Game viewing from vehicles at waterholes is one thing, but sitting safely inside a hidden hide where animals drift by unawares is a completely different and thoroughly enriching experience. Positioned to take advantage of morning and evening light, Molori Safari’s new sunken hide in Madikwe has been so popular that it now offers gin and whiskey tastings. It’s a smart move, given that guests love to stay on and wet their own whistles when the game is
there to have a drink.
Molori’s hidden glass-lined dining and tasting area has beautiful views over the distant Dwarsberg mountain range and a muddy wallow nearby – often attracting animals who splash, play and roll, coating their skins in protective mud. It’s so popular that photographers or seasoned safari visitors to Africa will sometimes skip a drive in favour of some quiet time at the waterhole.
May to August and even early September, before the rains arrive in Madikwe, are the best months for regular viewings but many animals quench their thirst here frequently in the middle of the day, including at least three elephant herds. Once they leave, zebra, impala and warthogs tend to follow.
Kids of all ages are simply spellbound when they first discover the hide, and many opt to return several times a day to sit quietly and watch. It is not often that children can witness the intimate communication between animals in herds but with a guide at their side to share their knowledge, time spent here is bound to create lifelong memories and spark a deep respect for wildlife and conservation.
Mhondoro Safari Lodge in the Welgevonden Game Reserve is best known for its elephants who delight in sipping their swimming pool water, but adjacent to the main pool at the lodge is an underground hide connected via a 65m reinforced concrete tunnel. It runs under the lodge and out towards the hide, which set over the water. The tunnel is lined with photographs of game seen at the hide and there’s no doubt that this ‘eye-level’ viewing offers spectacular opportunities for aspiring photographers who benefit from being at a low vantage point where wildlife tends to linger as they can’t see guests.
The Mahlasela hide in the south-east of Tembe Elephant Park is a hidden gem made famous by its live webcam. Just an hour away from Kosi Bay in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, this coastal reserve is accessible only to 4x4s because of deep sand but day visits are allowed – a rare privilege. Set high above the ground, this thatched hide is also used as a base for vital research of the largest elephants in Africa, known as the ‘Tembe tuskers’. There are just 40 Tuskers left in the world. Tembe is also home to the Suni, the world’s smallest antelope. The 30 000-hectare reserve is in northern KwaZulu-Natal, on the border of Mozambique and is the ancestral home of the Tembi tribe who own and co-manage the Park and Tembe Elephant Lodge.
For more information on Molori, visit https://www.roraprivatecollection.com/molori-safari/. Call +27 (0) 82 613 5723 or email reservations@molorisafari.com.
