In South Africa you will find .. . .

Photo courtesy of Richard Millar

In South Africa, you will find:

The Largest Bird - Ostrich

The heaviest flying bird -  Kori Bustard

Photo courtesy Grant Marcus

The largest land animal - African Elephant

The smallest animal - Least Dwarf Shrew

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The tallest creature - Giraffe

The largest reptile - Leatherback Turtle

The largest antelope - Eland

The largest fish - Whale Shark

Photo courtesy of Richard Millar

The fastest mammal - Cheetah

The fastest moving animal -  Peregrine Falcon

 And the largest rhino population

Read more about wildlife, game reserves and game lodges on The Game Lodge Index

Lodge of the Week - Shibula Lodge and Bush Spa

Relax and Unwind!

Shibula is a classic and elegant five star lodge in the famous Welgevonden reserve situated in an area of rolling hills and plains in the Waterberg mountain range. The lodge is well managed, has a friendly and homely atmosphere with a particular focus on the guest contentment. The rooms are spacious and tastefully decorated. Each of the rooms is different in terms of layout and décor. Rooms have their own private pool or jacuzzi. The food is excellent with unique and distinctive meals prepared daily. Shibula has an excellent health spa facility where guests can choose a variety of different beauty therapies on offer however this is at an additional cost.

Shibula is situated in the prestigious Welgevonden Private Game Reserve some 3 hours from Johannesburg. The reserve is well managed and the Waterberg is a malaria free area. Although one can view the big five and most other general game synonymous with the African bush, the emphasis at Shibula is on relaxation. Game drives are generally shorter (2.5 – 3 hours) than in other lodges so guests have longer periods of free time to do as they please in camp. The only issue with having shorter drives is that time only allows for excursions into the northern sector of the game reserve. That said the drives are led by enthusiastic guides who communicate well with the guests and spend time with the smaller creatures often ignored when searching for big game. The Welgevonden Game Reserve has an amazing variety of topographical features and healthy numbers of large game. There is a fairly high density of lodges (one lodge per 500 hectares) on the reserve and so you often will pass a few vehicles on game drives. However back in camp you will feel a million miles away from the human world.

This is a perfect lodge for a short stay safari where guests are looking to unwind, be contented and relaxed whilst enjoying a good African nature experience.

RATINGS BREAKDOWN
Core Ratings:	Sun Rays
Lodge and Camp	7.8
Safari Experience	6.5
Service	8.2
Facilities	6.9
Unique Rating	5.3
Conservation	5.3
Social involvement	3.2
OVERALL RATING:	7.9

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Spiders in the Mist - Golden Orb Spider Guest Post

This is a guest post by Grant Marcus. You can view the original post as well as photos by Grant Marcus on his website, www.grantmarcus.com 

SPIDERS IN THE MIST

We left this morning at 6:00am with a mist cloud hanging all around us. These conditions gives photography a whole new angle. With the mist you only realise then the amount of spiders around you. All the webs are draped with droplets of water. Sometimes it is nice to photograph the smaller things in life. These big spiders are called Golden orb spiders. They make use of a very big web to catch their prey.

The big black and yellow spider is the female and the smaller one at the top is the male. Quite impressive don’t you think ? The Golden Orb spiders are from the genusNephila and are widespread all over the world. The genus name Nephilas derived from the greek word meaning Fond of spinning.

The name of the spider comes from the colour of the web and not the spider. The golden colour serves as camouflage in shady areas to trap their prey more efficiently. In sunny areas the golden colour attracts bees to the web…..very clever !

The chain of debris from the remains of victims serve as a cue to birds not to fly into the web. It has been photographed where small birds have been eaten by these spiders. They have very mild neurotoxic venom and is injected with big fangs that is like hypodermic needles. The venom has the same effect as the black widow spider but not nearly as toxic. Due to the big chelicera the bite can leave scars on areas like the fingers.  There are quite a few uses for the web and one interesting one is where fishermen collects big amounts of webbing and roll it into a ball. They then throw the ball into the water where it unfolds and serves as a cast net to catch bait fish……. How did they figure that one out.?????

In Japanese folklore they believe that the genus Nephila can shape change into a seductive woman. Well that is just a bit of back ground information about these wonderful spiders. That is just another thing you can explore while on safari. It is not always necessary to only worry about seeing the big 5. Everything you see ads to the experience of being out in the wilds of Africa.

 Read more about wildlife and safaris on The Game Lodge Index

Leopard - by Richard Millar Photography

You can view more of Richard Millar's photography on his website - Richard Millar Photography or join his group on Facebook 

Read more about wildlife, game reserves and game lodges on The Game Lodge Index