Lions are the real stars in Mabula while giraffes provide added entertainment; a baby rhino with its mother Photographs by the author

Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell

Prayer has never been my forte. Frankly, neither has been poetry, but I found myself recalling Auden’s long-forgotten lines as I looked upwards at the unfamiliar southern sky for some comfort. The indifferent stars that I couldn’t recognise above me brought no hopes of a divine intervention.

We were in the heart of Mabula Game Reserve and we were badly in need of celestial assistance or something like that.

A hush had descended over our already quiet group of jungle safari junkies as soon as Peter, the amiable ranger driving us, announced that our jeep was caught between a bull elephant and its herd.

We were out for a twilight safari, hoping to get up, close and personal with the elephant herd during that mellow hour of the evening. Somehow, getting this personal had not been on our agenda. I couldn’t quite look to my co-travellers for any succour because I was still smarting from their reaction to my query a few minutes earlier — which I thought was very reasonable — “do giraffes ever bite?”

Let me backtrack a little bit and start at the beginning. Our ragtag group of safari enthusiasts had arrived at Mabula — owned by industrialist Vijay Mallya — a couple of days earlier after a chaotic journey. But one look at the inviting façade and the blazing fire lit outside and the tiredness simply vanished. Mallya’s men may have left us deeply disappointed during the IPL series, but Mabula Game Reserve more than made up for it.

Covering an area of about 12,000 hectares, Mabula Game Reserve is a rare sight for sore eyes. It’s a private game reserve that’s also home to what is called in the safari lingo the ‘Big five’ — leopard, lion, elephant, rhinoceros and the buffalo.

The savannah is a veritable visual extravaganza and the resort where guests are put up is no less splendid. There are about 47 rooms — including chalet-style thatched air-conditioned cottages, suites and luxury tents.

A word of caution — the tents aren’t for the faint of heart. Located in the jungle, away from the main area of the resort, your communication with the human world is via a whistle, to be used for emergencies. We were assured that there haven’t been emergencies as such, though you surely shouldn’t object to some animals brushing against your tent and getting a bit curious about you in the night. But such adventure was not for the likes of us and we were to stay in the cottages.

Our arrival was heralded by the wild beats of the resident drummers who also double up as dancers and dabble in churning out haunting tunes with a kudu horn too. We stood transfixed, taking the scene in — a huge fire, tribal teens drumming a strange beat, the thatched façade of the reception area ahead and a quiet, hospitable hand slipping us a warm towel and a piping hot cup of chocolate each to take off the edge of weariness. We settled in and then trooped back for dinner, warned that we needed to head out at six the next morning for our first taste of game safari. As it happened we didn’t heed the warnings and stayed by the bonfire till almost midnight.

It was still dark outside and bitterly cold when we assembled outside the next morning. We were led to the waiting Land Rovers and were issued a set of instructions by the rangers. We were told to keep the volume of conversations to a minimal, to make no sudden movements and never, ever to stand up on the vehicles. Thus prepared, we set off, hastily pulling over us the thermal ponchos that left only our faces exposed. Needless to say, the cameras were already in position.

Silence fell on the group as we headed out into the bush, the liquid darkness giving way to tentative shafts of sunlight. It was eerie, making our way through the savannah. The absolute silence has its own presence, almost palpable and then, when you begin to get used to it, the jungle comes alive. You begin to see things or rather beings that just moments ago were perfectly camouflaged. It’s like watching an action movie, but one that’s silent. Everything happens fast, movements are lightning quick, but all without a noise.

We moved through acres of bush land, stopping to get the innumerable perfect shots of everything from ibex to wildebeests. The buffalo sighting was less celebrated than it should have been, but we were saving up all our excitement for the pride of lions. We were told of course that it’s no fashion ramp and we may not have the parade that we’d envisioned.

But luck was on our side. Our vehicle navigated itself through an area where the grassy undergrowth was thicker than usual. And soon enough, we heard a gruff coughing and the ranger whispered to us to look to the left.

I’ll never forget the sight. Amidst the grass, golden with the sunlight dancing on it, languidly rose the majestic king of the jungle. It felt as if time had come to a standstill. The lionesses were sunning themselves not so far from him and a second lion mirrored his movements. With almost a studied nonchalance he crossed over to stride the path in front of the vehicle, letting out a low roar. To our credit, we still had our fingers on the shutter.

The spell the moment cast on us was lost as the other vehicle made its way to the other side and the pride, without any visible hurry, slowly dissolved into the grass. The first word was spoken when the ranger having driven us to another end of the reserve suggested that we stop for coffee. The welcome break over, we compared notes on the pictures we’d taken and then went on in pursuit of more.

Mabula is an oasis of luxury in the middle of the jungle. Pix courtesy: Mabula Game Reserve

And more certainly came our way on that venture and over the next couple of safaris we took during our stay. Busy zebras, distracted giraffes, sunbathing alligators seemingly oblivious to the world and unknown birds swooping down to perch on the Marula trees standing sentinel over the grassland, uttering harsh cries to remind us that we were unwelcome intruders. But the cutest one was the little rhino, darting this side and that, peering anxiously from its mother’s side and then letting his greed get the better of him, drawing closer and closer to the vehicle until the mother signalled a warning.

But it was our last venture out into the bush that actually drove home the point that game watching is not really a game at the end of the day. We were supposed to go for the elephants. The ranger had planned for us to catch the herd at twilight, near the watering hole.

We were warned to turn off the camera flashes and told that a mistake could cost more than one life. We could hear the elephants trumpet from some distance away and soon we were upon the herd. It was getting dark and the African elephants blended in and out with the grey backdrop. We were making our way through the woods when we realised that we were actually caught in the middle.

The herd had gone ahead, but the bull elephant was somewhere in the bushes behind us with our vehicle in its way. It seemed like an interminable time had elapsed before the vehicle manoeuvred itself out into the clearing and hit the dirt track back to the known world. The adrenaline was still rushing to our brains, sending myriad signals, refusing to let that edgy feeling ebb away even as we looked at the distant lights of the resort coming to life out of the pitch dark night outside. We felt strangely alive in a way never felt before.

Ready reckoner

How to get there: You can fly in to Johannesburg and then drive two hours northward to reach Mabula Game Reserve. There are direct South African Airways’ flights from Mumbai, flying four days a week. Mabula is about 200km from Johannesburg International Airport

Pocket pinch: The tariff at Mabula varies according to season and on an average, expect to pay about 3,250 rands for single occupancy per night with three meals, two game activities and VAT included with stay.

Exchange rate: 1 ZAR = 5.56 INR approximately