Hide & seek
NORTHERN KRUGER
| Best of Punda Maria: Russell Cottage |
Hide & seek
The large stoep is a cool space to unwind and enjoy the setting.
husband reads to our daughter. Our baby naps. The rain steadies and slows while the cicadas form a chorus as the evening fades to black. Later, children in bed, we are back on the stoep to eat, lingering over our meal, listening to the kroo-krooing of an African barred owlet and the drip-dripping of water from the trees. Dawn is a subdued affair with low, grey skies. The usual cacophony of bird song has been replaced by the chirping of frogs. Summer rains have already transformed the area around the camp into a paradise of wild flowers with fields of cleomes, foxgloves and strings of stars, but is the grass longer this morning? Are there new leaves on the tree? We breathe in that mix of earthiness and freshness.
Known as Kruger’s botanical garden, Punda Maria Rest Camp is a luxurious retreat. Check into Russell Guest Cottage for complete privacy. By Dianne Tipping-Woods
W
e are watching the world fade away as the rain falls over Punda Maria. Curled up in a comfortable couch on the stoep of Russell Cottage, the veld softens and dissolves around us in silvery streams. The elephants quietly grazing in the valley below blur with the trees as the cooling drops hit the earth. Gentle puffs of steam release the rich smells of the soil and the lush vegetation. Punda Maria is an old camp set in a biodiverse spot in northern Kruger and a feeling of nostalgia settles over us as the rain falls and falls. Arriving at the camp to an afternoon of darkening clouds, we decided to forgo a late drive and settle into our accommodation instead. Russell Cottage, set on the hillside above the camp, is private, with the view of the bush interrupted only by the camp access road. It has two bedrooms with en-suite facilities and a spacious, well-
54 WILD AUTUMN 2017
equipped, open-plan kitchen, lounge and dining room. Choose the bedroom with the slipper bath when you arrive. The high beds are not ideal for small children but they will love exploring the large, private yard. The cottage is carefully furnished and comfortable throughout, but it’s the stoep that draws us. Running along the front of the old building, it comes straight out of my childhood. Wide with red oxide steps and large, gauze-covered windows to keep the sun and the insects out and let all the light and fresh air in. The structure was originally an old police house so the stoep has no doubt been the scene of many interesting stories and discussions. I think about the man responsible for this building. His signature has been beautifully preserved as a feature of the cottage. For us, the historic cottage is a sheltering cocoon. I sip coffee, while my
It’s the smell of a world made new. Setting off to explore the Mahonie Loop, we’re soon back because the rain resumes and the road is closed. We settle onto the stoep once more and we birdwatch, ticking red-chested cuckoo, purple-crested turaco, woodland kingfisher and European bee-eater. A baby bushbuck shelters with its mother under a shrub. A bearded scrub-robin calls from the thicker bush close to the braai area. Some soggy dwarf mongooses make a cautious appearance and a leopard tortoise sips from a puddle in the yard. As we’re about to leave, the sun breaks through and the whitewashed walls glow. We’ve hardly left the cottage but we’re sad to go. All around us, green things grow and grow. /
Russell Cottage harks back to yesteryear.
NORTHERN KRUGER TRIP PLANNER Getting there From Gauteng, take the N1 to Makhado, then travel along the R524 for Punda Maria Gate to access the camp of the same name or the R525 for Pafuri Gate to reach Baobab Hill. Allow at least five or six hours for the journey. Accommodation Russell Guest Cottage sleeps four people in two bedrooms, R2 130 a night for the cottage. Baobab Hill Bush House sleeps
www.wildcard.co.za
eight in four bedrooms, R11 000 a night for the house, with chef, guide and game-drive vehicle. Conservation fee R76 an adult, R38 a child, Wild Card members free. Bookings For Russell Guest Cottage, contact SANParks Central Reservations on 012-4289111 or visit www.sanparks.org. For Baobab Hill, call 011-646-1391 or email reservations@ returnafrica.com.
AUTUMN 2017 WILD 55
| Best of Punda Maria: Russell Cottage |
Hide & seek
The large stoep is a cool space to unwind and enjoy the setting.
husband reads to our daughter. Our baby naps. The rain steadies and slows while the cicadas form a chorus as the evening fades to black. Later, children in bed, we are back on the stoep to eat, lingering over our meal, listening to the kroo-krooing of an African barred owlet and the drip-dripping of water from the trees. Dawn is a subdued affair with low, grey skies. The usual cacophony of bird song has been replaced by the chirping of frogs. Summer rains have already transformed the area around the camp into a paradise of wild flowers with fields of cleomes, foxgloves and strings of stars, but is the grass longer this morning? Are there new leaves on the tree? We breathe in that mix of earthiness and freshness.
Known as Kruger’s botanical garden, Punda Maria Rest Camp is a luxurious retreat. Check into Russell Guest Cottage for complete privacy. By Dianne Tipping-Woods
W
e are watching the world fade away as the rain falls over Punda Maria. Curled up in a comfortable couch on the stoep of Russell Cottage, the veld softens and dissolves around us in silvery streams. The elephants quietly grazing in the valley below blur with the trees as the cooling drops hit the earth. Gentle puffs of steam release the rich smells of the soil and the lush vegetation. Punda Maria is an old camp set in a biodiverse spot in northern Kruger and a feeling of nostalgia settles over us as the rain falls and falls. Arriving at the camp to an afternoon of darkening clouds, we decided to forgo a late drive and settle into our accommodation instead. Russell Cottage, set on the hillside above the camp, is private, with the view of the bush interrupted only by the camp access road. It has two bedrooms with en-suite facilities and a spacious, well-
54 WILD AUTUMN 2017
equipped, open-plan kitchen, lounge and dining room. Choose the bedroom with the slipper bath when you arrive. The high beds are not ideal for small children but they will love exploring the large, private yard. The cottage is carefully furnished and comfortable throughout, but it’s the stoep that draws us. Running along the front of the old building, it comes straight out of my childhood. Wide with red oxide steps and large, gauze-covered windows to keep the sun and the insects out and let all the light and fresh air in. The structure was originally an old police house so the stoep has no doubt been the scene of many interesting stories and discussions. I think about the man responsible for this building. His signature has been beautifully preserved as a feature of the cottage. For us, the historic cottage is a sheltering cocoon. I sip coffee, while my
It’s the smell of a world made new. Setting off to explore the Mahonie Loop, we’re soon back because the rain resumes and the road is closed. We settle onto the stoep once more and we birdwatch, ticking red-chested cuckoo, purple-crested turaco, woodland kingfisher and European bee-eater. A baby bushbuck shelters with its mother under a shrub. A bearded scrub-robin calls from the thicker bush close to the braai area. Some soggy dwarf mongooses make a cautious appearance and a leopard tortoise sips from a puddle in the yard. As we’re about to leave, the sun breaks through and the whitewashed walls glow. We’ve hardly left the cottage but we’re sad to go. All around us, green things grow and grow. /
Russell Cottage harks back to yesteryear.
NORTHERN KRUGER TRIP PLANNER Getting there From Gauteng, take the N1 to Makhado, then travel along the R524 for Punda Maria Gate to access the camp of the same name or the R525 for Pafuri Gate to reach Baobab Hill. Allow at least five or six hours for the journey. Accommodation Russell Guest Cottage sleeps four people in two bedrooms, R2 130 a night for the cottage. Baobab Hill Bush House sleeps
www.wildcard.co.za
eight in four bedrooms, R11 000 a night for the house, with chef, guide and game-drive vehicle. Conservation fee R76 an adult, R38 a child, Wild Card members free. Bookings For Russell Guest Cottage, contact SANParks Central Reservations on 012-4289111 or visit www.sanparks.org. For Baobab Hill, call 011-646-1391 or email reservations@ returnafrica.com.
AUTUMN 2017 WILD 55
