For a moment, the small breeding herd of elephants - the matriarch, some aunties, teenagers and babies - were suspended in the luminous billows of dust they kicked up as they rushed from the waterhole in front of Serondella Lodge in Thornybush Game Reserve.
What had startled them?
Then I saw the buffalos crest the low ridge opposite the camp’s main deck. They charged to the water, heads down, horns gleaming in the sunlight. Soon, the area was a mass of lowing, grunting, splashing buffalos. There were about 300 hundred of them, and they were taking over the water hole. I understood why the elephants had left in a hurry. The previously still pool was soon a churning mass of black, bovine bodies. Almost every guest and several staff members had gathered on the deck to film this commanding spectacle.
My husband, kids Sanne (9) and Bram (7), and I had arrived at Serondella almost 48 hours before this large herd. Like them, we’d headed straight for the waterhole, albeit from the opposite side, and the safe vantage of the lodge’s beautiful deck. Several giraffes had gathered near the water’s edge, and a giant elephant bull was drinking. “This waterhole really is fantastic. We often get to see all of the big five,” said our host, Tanya Joubert, as she gently ushered us through a few minor arrival formalities. She is used to competing with the waterhole for guests’ attention. She knows it’s impossible to ignore the spectacle of half a dozen giraffes carefully collapsing their 5 to 6-metre frames into a wide-legged stoop suitable for drinking or a large elephant taking a shower with his dextrous trunk. Guide Benji Solm identified the bull as Magic, explaining he was collared by an NGO called Elephants Alive so conservationists can gather detailed information about his movements, which helps map out safe corridors that elephants can use to move between protected areas and surrounding reserves. “Elephants are highly dependent on water sources, and during the dry season, this waterhole’s a lifeline,” he explained.
A few minutes later, another herd of elephants joined Magic, and the giraffes gracefully moved off. We’d moved, too, from the lodge deck to Borotsetse, our family suite named after a famous big tusker. While we settled in, the elephants stained their grey hides black where they splashed themselves with trunkfuls of water as they slurped, siped and chugged down some of the 160-odd litres they require each day. They rubbed against trees, rumbled and reached for fresh leaves from the trees in front of our rooms. That night, we had a view of elephants from our heated private plunge pool. In the dark, the waterhole is subtly lit, but the sounds seem amplified; frogs, nightjars, owls and, just before bed, a whooping hyena. Animals drink throughout the night, and at 3 am, two large male lions woke us up, roaring just outside our room.
Between breakfast and our afternoon game drive the next day, we saw more elephants, giraffes and impalas, baboons, zebras, wildebeest, kudus, wildebeest and warthogs drinking in front of Serondella. We also watched a duiker nervously darting in, taking quick sips before retreating into the safety of the bush, while a massive grey heron stalked the shallows for frogs to eat. Then, as the inky sky was flecked with the first stars, a female leopard came to drink. She’s resident in the area and sometimes leaves her cub under the deck while she hunts…
Like the elephants, leopards are part of life at Serondella. The spotted cats are butler Anold Zodi’s favorite animal. He loves seeing them, whether drinking, hunting or hanging out in trees. “You know that a leopard once made its kill in the plunge pool in front of your rooms? It killed a nyala antelope!” he told us. The camp is fenced, and events like this are highly unusual, but seeing leopards during a stay at Serondella is more common. They are often spotted from camp and on the lodge’s twice-daily game drives. Much as my kids love these excursions into the reserve, we all voted to skip the drive on our second morning. “Why go looking for stuff when all these animals are coming to us,” said Sanne?
And sure enough, the animals came. First the elephants, then the buffalos. We watched and listened to their grunts, snorts, and low-pitched bellows while we ate a scrumptious breakfast, took outdoor showers and swam. The herd was in no rush, “they’re likely to stay here most of the day,” said General Manager Alison Renier, who also came to see them. Once their first thirst was quenched, they were content to hang out in the shade, with a few lying at the water’s edges in mud they had churned up. A lone warthog strutted amongst them with supreme, comical confidence. They were still wallowing when we left, leaving an enduring impression of the waterhole and the life it sustains within the bigger ecosystem of the reserve and the greater Kruger, an area larger than three US states – Delaware, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Within 48 hours of our stay, all of the Big Five—lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalo— had visited the water’s edge. While the Serondella waterhole is always busy – many common mammals and bird species need to drink once to twice a day – our visit coincided with the end of a long, dry winter, which makes the water even more of a focal point for thirsty wildlife. Frequent visitors to the camp know that as the seasons change and water becomes abundant throughout the landscape, the animals are more dispersed but still gather around water points to cool off, wallow and drink.
Nine tips for making the most of Serondella’s waterhole
- Don’t make any assumptions – you have no idea what’s just been to the waterhole or what is just about to arrive at any time of the day or night. Check often, as some animals move in quickly and silently.
- Keep your camera and binoculars handy at all times, as the scene in front of the lodge can change fast.
- Listen as well as look. Sometimes, animals’ alarm calling, oxpeckers hissing, or other noises in the bush will let you know that something’s on the way down to the water.
- Some shy species may prefer the darker end of the subtly lit waterhole at night – but your binos will likely surprise you with how well they work in the dark.
- Little or common species can be as entertaining as the more prominent ones, like elephants and rhinos. Think warthogs, baboons, vervet monkeys and mongooses. In summer, you can also expect spectacular birdlife.
- Wildlife is sensitive to noise and movement, and so are other guests. That said, the elephants and other animals were quite unphased by our kids playing in the pool and our mealtime conversations. If you’re travelling with kids, though, remind them to respect the animals and be quiet and calm when they are nearby.
- If you plan to spend some time watching the waterhole, you can combine it with a swim, but also with photography (there are several terrific vantage points, including a lower deck adjacent to the pool), sketching or a quiet game of chess. For kids in particular, waterhole watching is an excellent opportunity to use the guides from the Serondella kids’ packs, draw or colour. A couple of toy animals or modelling clay can also provide hours of imaginative play for younger kids. Our kids also liked waterhole bingo and ticked off many species and behaviours.
- Savour a meal, a coffee or a cocktail from the lodge’s bar while observing the wildlife coming down to drink. It’s like having front-row tickets to the best show in town.
- Ask the guides for insights about what you see. Lodge guides often know the patterns of animals visiting the waterhole. They can provide information and anecdotes about what you’re likely to see at different times of day and which animals are most common during the season.