Around the lodge

Here at Nedile we are very lucky, as you don’t have to go on a game drive to experience the wonderful and sometimes wacky things that nature has to offer.

Start off by having a look early morning for the Klipspringers. These little antelope usually stay in an area, and we have a family of 3, who has made the lodge their home. They can usually be spotted early mornings or late afternoon, and as the name suggests – keep an eye on the rocks for them or even the nocks of the roofs!

While at breakfast you can enjoy the rock hyraxes (also commonly known as ‘Dassies’) basking on the rocks in the full sunlight. There’s also the squirrels scurrying around for their food, playing around in the trees and sometimes nesting in the thatch. As the day starts to get warmer, why not enjoy the it with a glass of wine, whilst sitting under the big fig tree by the main lodge?

The birdlife here varies from weavers and orioles to bush-shrikes and boubous. Here they built nests, eat the figs and just play and sing around between the branches. And then around the lodge, you’ll find the plated rock lizards. They lie in the sun and is quite a sight to behold, they do scamper away quickly, so move quietly. They can grow up to half a meter in length, so is quite an impressive sight. Don’t get a fright when you hear them moving away and just see the tail disappear or see the tail marks in the sand, and think it’s a snake.

All these animals are fantastic to watch, but for the real comedy, just keep an eye on the baboons when they come to the watering hole. Family disputes often erupt and they chase each other around noisily, until the big boss of the troop arrives. He sorts the whole mess out with one bark and everything is peaceful once again.