'There he is. See? He's lying to the right of that big bush". I am in the Klein Karoo, squinting against the harsh glare of the afternoon summer sunlight in an effort to spot the cheetah amongst the rocky patches of the coffee-coloured Sanbona bushveld, but see nothing. I scour the arid landscape again, but still fail to make out the shape of a big cat.
"Okay. Let me try and show you." Bazil Roth, our game ranger at Sanbona, turns in the driver's seat and points towards a small line of bushes in the far distance. "See the larger of those three shrubs just below that bare patch of vegetation? There's a pale yellow patch next to that shrub to the right of the smaller bush. Can you see it now? He's right there."
Cursing the absence of binoculars (Roth's are broken and have not yet been replaced), I finally make out a vague patch in the far off distance that, with a bit of imagination, could be the cheetah. I am surprised how well concealed a predator can be against such open terrain and a surge of adrenaline rushes through me. We have finally come across Africa's fastest and most graceful big cat.
"Come. Let's go."
Grabbing his rifle from the passenger seat, Roth opens the door of the game drive vehicle and invites us from there on to proceed on foot across the mosaic of Karoo vegetation. It is an adventure.
Walking single file, we follow him closely and I feel the excitement amongst our small party. Six people and a silence, the closer we get, is titillating. Because we are steadily advancing in a curved movement from the east, the cheetah does not see our proximity as invasive and tolerates our approach.
After having combed the entire eastern part of the reserve for six hours that morning, I can't believe I am getting so close. We had driven across bone-coloured pans in the scorching heat, checked for spoor along dry river courses, had negotiated a death-defying track down a mountain and had even resorted to using radio telemetry in a last desperate attempt to locate the cheetah's whereabouts. But to no avail. Hot, sunburnt and somewhat disappointed, we had been forced to admit defeat and return back to the lodge.
I knew that chances of coming across cheetah at Sanbona were very slim. With only seven individuals in a 54 000-hectare wildlife reserve, our odds were about as good as finding a needle in a haystack.
Slowly, quietly, we drew even closer until, at less than about 10 meters away, we followed Roth's silent command and sank to our haunches.
There is something exceptionally primal about being in close proximity to a wild animal on foot. The cheetah, habituated to people, shot us a casual, somewhat uninterested glance and resumed his unflinching gaze over the open plains.
Nestled at the foot of the Warmwaterberg on the picturesque Route 62, Sanbona is the largest privately-owned nature reserve in the Western Cape. Situated between the quaint towns of Montague and Barrydale in the Klein Karoo, the reserve is young and continuously works towards the re-introduction of historically existing game.
The name Sanbona means "vision of the San" and pays homage to the San tribe who originally inhabited the land up to 100 years ago. One of the most impressive features of the reserve are the formidable Sandstone and quartzite gorges, formed during the Upper Devonian Age some 360 million years ago, and part of the Cape Fold Mountains.
The mountains harbour many secrets. Pre-historic fossils, such as the fan worm (Zoophicus), have been discovered among the rocks, while a stunning collection of San paintings, dating back as far as 3 000 years, grace the rugged fissures of the ancient gorges.
Home to 6 500 semi-desert plant species, the vision of Sanbona was realised through the acquisition of 19 sheep farms, and since April 2001, a large contingent of game was systematically re-introduced into the area. Springbok, kudu, gemsbok, Burchell's zebra, bontebok, eland, buffalo and black rhino were relocated from different parts of the country, followed by free-roaming predators such as cheetah and lion two years later.
Five elephants, including a bull, two cows and two youngsters were brought in from Shamwari Game Reserve in 2003; making Sanbona the first privately owned reserve in the Western Cape to boast a free-roaming population of the Big Five after an absence of 200 years. Unbeknownst to Sanbona's wildlife team, both cows were pregnant at the time and subsequently had calves in November 2004 and March 2005, which today brings the small herd up to seven individuals.
We found the elephants feeding on the thick reeds close to the dam just before sunset, and after observing the small herd for a while retreated several hundred meters to enjoy sundowners and snacks under the shade of an acacia tree. We almost thought of abandoning the fine wines and cheeses when the adult bull ventured out of the reeds, heading straight towards us.
"Shhhh. Keep quiet and don't move," Roth whispered. "Let's just wait and see what he does."
Was I deluding myself or did I detect an almost wicked glance in the elephant's expression? Intentionally or not, his presence still evoked a lot of well-deserved respect.
The afternoon had turned surprisingly cold, and crawling into ponchos and huddling up underneath thick grey blankets, we prepared to drive back through the mantle of shade that carpeted the valley of the gorge. The small family of klipspringers that we had seen earlier had ventured down the western slope and dashed across the sandy road on to the boulders of the eastern side.
Twenty minutes later, thoroughly chilled to the bone, we pulled up at the oasis that is Tilney Manor, where we were met by staff bearing genuine smiles, warm hand towels and steaming mugs of Amaretto-laced Milo.
The Cape Georgian original farmhouse was built in 1898, and has been renovated to offer guests an unashamedly luxurious yet informal experience.
No one batted an eye when one lady turned up for lunch in her bathrobe after having had a deeply relaxing treatment at the Wellness Centre.
Dinner at Tilney Manor was a slightly more formal affair, but with only six suites, the company was small and intimate.
Sanbona is an ecological paradox of austere and rugged beauty. A kaleidoscope of different biomes, animals and vistas. Although there are many wildlife refuges in South Africa that boast a higher density of game, the unique encounters we shared with lion, cheetah and elephants proved to be food for the soul.
- Sanbona Wildlife Reserve: Tel: 028-572-1365; Fax: 028-572-1361; email: [email protected] www.sanbona.com