Three generations, one Reserve, memories for life

Paul is a co-owner at Limpopo-Lipadi and, back home in the UK, a gamekeeper on a country estate. He knows wild places and the people who love them. This year, he brought Aidan, his family and three generations full of curiosity to the Reserve for the very first time. Here is Paul’s story:

“Being a co-owner at Limpopo-Lipadi means being able to really connect with somewhere, but also to bring friends and let them experience it with me.

Aidan and I have worked together for two years, creating ponds and wetlands on the estate back home. He cares deeply about wildlife and the environment, and after listening to my stories and seeing enough photos, he was keen to see the real thing. So, we came, three generations of us, and Limpopo-Lipadi did the rest.

Our first game drive with our guide Okeditse set the tone. As we rounded a corner, two bull elephants crossed the road directly in front of the vehicle. Aidan gripped his seat with excitement. It is always a great pleasure showing friends these animals for the first time. It makes you connect with the bush and realise how small and insignificant we are. The breeding herd followed, with young calves going about their lives at close range. Questions began to flow.

Over the days that followed, the sightings kept coming: a large leopard that walked within three metres of the vehicle, the breeding herd again, and rhino. But one afternoon stood apart. We had been tracking two male lions and eventually made our way to a waterhole as the heat of the day settled. Minutes after arriving, two sets of eyes appeared slowly over the bank. The lions came through the bush and stood on the road ten metres away. One roared. The sheer power of these animals comes through all your senses when you are that close. There was silence in the vehicle. Then, slowly, the cameras came out.

Being part of Limpopo-Lipadi is not only about wildlife. We visited Tsetsebjwe Junior School and the clinic in the villages supported by Motse, the Reserve’s community initiative. I told the group: this is not a contrived tourism opportunity. This is real life. Supporting the villages is part of being involved with Limpopo-Lipadi.

We were also lucky enough to be present when veterinarian Erik Verreynne and management team darted and examined a wild dog that had been caught in a snare the previous year. Being part of Limpopo-Lipadi means being able to participate in these kinds of operations, and for my friends to be there on that day is something they will never forget.

On our second-to-last evening, Okeditse presented six-year-old Clementine with her junior ranger certificate. The look on both their faces was something special.

A bush dinner out at Harry’s Camp, a fire across the river, Ndi’s singing as we arrived. Three generations, one trip, and memories that will last a long time.”