My kids were not cut out for the bush. During our weekend away at the Kololo Game Reserve in Limpopo, there were screams of: "There are spiders in my room", and "Don't go there, there are snakes" and mutters of "I'm so dirty already" and "we should have just gone to the beach" from my brood.
"Guys," I pleaded, "please just appreciate the beauty of nature and the animals around you. Give it a chance". Both hubby and I just sighed as we tried to coax them out of their citified ways.
Kololo is a kids-friendly game reserve, but in the 3,5 years of its operation, Elize Oosthuizen, who manages Kololo with her husband Richard, said they realised the need to keep children busy other than with the game drives, guided game walks and walking and biking trails that were on on offer.
Our mission here was to test their new kids' programme, which included outdoor activities in an area of the bush reserved for games such as climbing on ropes, playing soccer in the mud, sack races, water balloon fights, shooting at a target with bows and arrows, egg and spoon races, tug-of-war fights, and shooting at cans with a catapult.
"So many city kids don't have enough space to play, and it's a problem when they are not developing their motor skills," said Oosthuizen.
"Kids also don't want to play in the mud or get dirty. So if one activity can open the eyes of parents that their children need to experience all of this, then we have achieved our purpose."
There are plans to take bigger kids fishing at the river, which has been stocked with fish, she added. "But for us to test this programme, we do need families to bring their kids here. We also want parents to rest and relax while we take care of their children."
She admitted that the programme was still in the baby stages, and they needed to grow it and see whether it was working.
The games sounded great, but with my son Uthmaan (8) suffering PlayStation withdrawal and girls Nawaal (10) and Layla (3) at each others' throats with no television to distract them, I despaired of their reviewing capabilities.
However, they perked up at the sight of our own private pool near the terrace and the enclosed outdoor shower with its pebbled floor. We were booked in the Leopard's Den Chalet which overlooks the Kololo Mountains and neatly trimmed rolling green lawns. The thatched chalet sleeps eight, has four large African-design bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, and a comfortable living area with a fireplace. If the kids could put aside the imagined insects they thought lurked under their beds, the ample chalet was great for hide and seek.
Kololo has accommodation ranging from tented camp to bush and garden chalets, with full-board rates per person per night varying from R900 to R1 500. A self-catering option is also available.
After settling in on our first day, we headed out to the restaurant which seats up to 90 guests. The establishment's two lookout decks provide views of the grassy plains of Welgevonden. The dining room was simply but tastefully decorated and on the far end of the spacious room were comfortable couches in front of the fireplace, giving this space a cozy atmosphere. There was more lounging space in the bar area upstairs. In a little nook at the corner of the room was a shelf full of books and magazines, most of which were in Dutch.
Oosthuizen explained that the owners of the game reserve were from Holland. Kololo is advertised widely in Holland and it has a 90% European market.
Lunch was a simple but delicious meal of salads and halal chicken lasagna, which the staff went out of their way to make at our request, from their a la carte menu. Then it was back to the chalet for a dip in the pool and a short nap.
Not long after, game rangers Jasper Visser (19) and Jan-Hendrik Hanekom (21) rumbled up in a game drive vehicle to pick us up for our late afternoon game drive. Bundled in warmer clothes we headed out towards the reserve's 3 000ha spread of thick bushveld, savannah plains, mountains and valleys.
Earlier the kids had been given a safari workbook to help them identify the different animals in the reserve. It wasn't long before we caught sight of giraffes, blesbucks and warthogs.
Layla was fascinated at the way warthogs ran with their tails in the air. "Look at the babas, mummy," she squealed. "See how they're following their mother."
For the duration of the drive, the trio remained fascinated by their little adventure through the bush. Both Visser and Hanekom were patient at answering the questions that came their way from the kids.
It also helped that the vehicle came equipped with binoculars for them to have a closer look and blankets, for as the drive wore on the early evening air turned nippy. After the drive, it was gratifying to see how the fresh air and earlier activities had improved the kids' appetite. Dinner for them included pizzas, chips and fish fingers, while hubby and I tucked into seafood. His grilled prawns, chips and veggies were tasty and subtly spiced.
But the night wasn't over yet for the children as Visser and Hanekom dropped off a stereo and CD, packed with bush tales for them to listen while snug in their beds.
The following day began with an early morning game drive, with ranger Lomarie van Schalkwyk (21), joining Visser. We headed out to another part of the reserve. It was a stop-start drive as Visser stopped every time an animal was spotted. Not far from the dusty road, he pointed out a waterbuck in between the thick foliage of the bushes. Further on a herd of wildebeest munched on grass.
We stopped at a quiet spot on the dirt road, with a river sparkling in the distance, for a quick cup of cocoa and biscuits. Then we were off again.
A herd of male rhinos crossing the dirt road made Visser slow down. But it wasn't the sight of the herd that excited Layla. It was a bunch of mushrooms growing in rhino dung that caught her interest.
After another stop, a longer one, near the river for a full breakfast in the bush, we continued. This time Visser heard over the radio that a lion had been spotted. We weren't the only ones who rushed to see the magnificent animal. Just above the tall, golden grasses, a lion was lazing in the sun. The two eldest kids practically whispered to each other not to make a noise so as not to upset the "king of the jungle".
But the quiet in our vehicle was broken when Layla announced she needed the toilet. "If I don't go to the toilet now, I'm going to pee on that lion," she said crossly.
Fortunately we were heading back to the lodge. The staff had planned to take the children to the outdoor activity area but the dark rain clouds put paid to that. It was postponed for the next day.
Uthmaan was crestfallen at this news. But Van Schalkwyk reassured him they had indoor activities planned. The kids were ushered into Kololo's new conference and banqueting room, where a collection of arts and crafts activities had been set up. A DVD on getting "bush wise" had also been set up for them to watch.
The third day couldn't come quickly enough for our kids. They had had a complete change in attitude and were excited at the prospect of playing more outdoor games and being more adventurous.
At the site, my two eldest and another boy they had made friends with were shown how to shoot with a bow and arrow. Then they were instructed by the rangers on how to walk across the thick ropes which had been tied between two trees. Even Layla, who's finicky about dirt, got into the spirit of things by taking off her shoes and walking in the mud, where a water balloon fight had ensued. Hubby also joined in the fun and gave the catapult a go, trying to shoot at the cans that had been strung up. After exhausting all the games, a dirty troupe walked to the river where another water fight was started.
But it wasn't over. We drove to a nearby camp where the kids helped to cook homemade bread on a stick over a fire.
Soon though, it was time for us to head back to Joburg. Sunburnt, the kids piled into the car for the long drive home. Their wistful faces looked back at the lodge, the tranquil settings of the savannah and bushveld, and a few warthogs which watched us drive by.
"Now wasn't that better than Playstation games and watching TV?," I said. "Oh, it was the most fun, mummy," they chorused.