Madi a Thava Mountain Lodge

This morning we took our last game drive at Sekala. We didn’t see many large animals, but we got a few good bird photos.

After the drive, we had breakfast and packed up to leave. Of course we said our goodbyes to the great staff at Sekala Lodge: Evah, Francinah, Patrick, and Simon.



On the forty-five-minute drive to the reserve’s main gate, we had a finale sighting: a bull elephant casually eating at the side of the road.



After exiting the reserve, we began the four-hour drive to our next stop, Madi a Thavha Mountain Lodge. This isn’t a safari stay. I didn’t know what to expect, since I hadn’t done much research. Again, I put a lot of faith in my friends and I’m just following along based on their research. So far, so good.

One interesting note: while driving north we crossed over the Tropic of Capricorn.


As we got close, it felt like driving up into the foothills toward Kings Canyon. After a short climb into the hills, we reached the gate. We’re not very high in the mountains — it’s a more rustic lodge set in the area’s highlands.

The accommodations are nice, though I wouldn’t call them luxury. It’s going to be comfortable. After unloading our luggage, we were shown our rooms and we ordered dinner, then had a beer while we waited for it to be prepared.

Dinner did impress us. I had oxtails and pap (a corn staple similar to cornmeal mush or polenta). It was excellent.



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