Fellow writer Jade Archer and I recently received a writing brief that instantly made us the envy of our fellow Flowstars.
The destination: Jaci’s Lodges in the Madikwe Game Reserve. The brief: Experience and research Jaci’s Lodges. The work: Develop content for the client’s new website (recently created by Flow designers and programmers).
Since Madikwe is tucked neatly into the northwest corner of the North West province, we headed for Sun City and took a sho’t left to a strange and arid landscape, where thorny scrub and deep red sands stretched to the horizon.
From the outset, our hosts at Jaci’s Safari Lodge were friendly and welcoming, making us feel right at home in our luxurious tented room, complete with al fresco shower!
It wasn’t long before we found ourselves adjusting to the timeless routine of the bushveld, as we tucked into a delicious three-course meal cooked on an open fire and served under the stars by attentive hosts.
Out early with a blanket and hot water bottle for comfort, we were thrilled that our first wildlife encounter was with a group of highly endangered wild dogs, the flagship species at Madikwe.
It’s one thing to look at photographs of wildlife, but quite another to see the animals in their natural environment just metres away from where you’re sitting!
We were fortunate to see a variety of game species, including lion, giraffe, hyena, jackal, black and white rhino, kudu, zebra, impala, genet and a host of interesting bird species.
In fact, we didn’t even have to venture out of the camp to see a leguaan sunning itself on a riverbank and a family of banded mongooses foraging in the long grass!
Jaci’s cuisine was top-notch throughout our stay, particularly the traditional brunch, a veritable feast of fresh fruit, a cooked English breakfast, continental cheeses and meats, and freshly baked bread with preserves, all washed down with steaming coffee.
Being able to learn firsthand about Jaci’s Lodges made our writing job so much easier. Meeting the friendly staff face to face and experiencing the comfort of the lodges enabled us to provide personal accounts of all that Jaci’s has to offer.
The good news for everyone else at Flow is that they too will get a peek into the unique surrounds of Madikwe and the comfort of Jaci’s when the company descends on this wilderness oasis for our end-of-year function.