Of flames of a fire and the flow of the river

The two things that a person never tires of watching are the flames of a fire and flowing water. Neither repeat their pattern, according to co-owner Woody, who reminisces his recent stay at the Reserve. Here is his story:

“Two of my favorite activities at Limpopo-Lipadi are not done from the seat of a Land Cruiser, but from the comfort of a camp chair. And interestingly enough, most commercial lodges do not offer either, at least not “at your own pace.”

The first is sitting by the fire at night and watching the flames from the burning mopane logs, nursing a glass of Pinotage after a long evening game drive. Then when dinner is called, I carefully add a few more logs before moving to the table to ensure that the fire is still there when I get back.  After dinner, I return to the fire for a glass of port, and maybe even a Cuban cigar brought from Johannesburg.

Watching the fire at night at Limpopo-Lipadi in front of the lodge, with the water of the Limpopo flowing just a few feet away, is truly special. When my cigar is finished, I realize that I may have had too many glasses of Pinotage and port. I always regret that it is time to call it a day, but our guide Actor will be coming tomorrow morning before dawn, so best get some sleep.

After a morning game drive, while I await breakfast to be prepared, I am back in that same camp chair, but this time by the light of day, I can enjoy my second favorite activity – watching the water flow. Depending upon the time of year, this can be a torrent rushing downstream or a mere trickle moving gently between the exposed rocks from one small pool into another. But whichever the case, there is always something fascinating to see.

One April, when the water was still flowing steadily, I watched a hamerkop perched on a rock over which a flow of water was passing. Periodically he would jab his beak into the flow, aiming to spear tiny fish that were part of the stream. His hit rate was amazingly high. In July, as the rainy season waters begin to recede, a sand bar appears in the center of the river, and I watch as three Egyptian geese chase two saddle-billed storks away. Another time in October when the water was still lower, a small crocodile lay sunning itself on a rock just in front of the lodge. And one January, after the rains came and when the water was really high, we measured its advance each day up towards the lodge, stopping only inches away before it began to recede.

The American author and fly fisherman, Norman McLean wrote in his book, A River Runs Through It, “I am haunted by rivers.” And so too am I, by the flow of the Limpopo River and the dancing flames of the mopane fire in the boma by the river’s bank.” Want to be a part of Limpopo-Lipadi’s adventures? For discreet information on share sales, contact generalmanager@limpopo-lipadi.org.

To book a safari, request our rates via reservations@limpopo-lipadi.org or via WhatsApp: (+267) 76770191.