Hi all -

Sorry for the lack of posting. We just spent four days at the magical Muweti Bush Lodge, and would love to tell you about it.

Overview

(Intro by Claire)

Muweti is a small lodge, consisting of three tented chalets and one cottage, that is run by a wonderful couple, Mike and Laura. I found it while I was researching safari lodges and had high expectations after seeing the hundreds of 5 star reviews. A wonderfully reviewed lodge well within our price range? It seemed too good to be true. However, Muweti exceeded all of our expectations and we had an absolutely wonderful time. It's a magical place, as you'll see below, and we plan to return.

The Drives and Animals

(by Claire)

We had two game drives a day - one at 5:30am and one at 4:30pm. The morning drive would often start out a bit slow, typically we'd only see impalas (a member of the antelope family - we literally saw thousands of these) and jackalls, but then we would stop for coffee and rusks (I'm now obsessed with these and eating one as I type this) by the river and spot hippos and crocodiles. By the time we finished our coffee and resumed our drive, more animals would be active and we'd often see giraffes, zebras, elephants, and perhaps a few kudus. We did catch a miraculous sunrise or two.

Our afternoon drives were a bit hotter but the animals were more active as the night fell on the bush. We nearly always saw giraffes, zebras, and elephants (and of course impalas). One day we came upon a newborn giraffe that still had its umbilical cord standing next to its mom. Herds of elephants were a common occurrence and one day we were treated to seeing a couple of baby elephants. They don't yet have control of their trunks and it's adorable to watch them flop around. We also came upon an incredibly pregnant zebra. For the sake of that poor zebra mama, I really hope she's given birth by now.

After the first couple game drives we were pretty used to seeing giraffes, hippos, zebras, and elephants and really wanted to see a lion. There are 18 lions in the reserve where we were staying and they are hard to find. However, during our third afternoon drive we got a call that there were a pair of lions lying in the road. We raced over there and found a large male and female lion basking in the sun on one of the dirt roads, apparently about to mate. A vehicle from another lodge was coming down the other side of the road and was agitating the male lion. We watched for a couple minutes as they each took turns getting up and pacing a bit, then lying down. After a couple minutes, they walked off in the bush.

We were very satisfied with that lion sighting, but then the next night we came across four lions (all teenagers - one male and three females - lucky guy!) lying in a patch of grass. This lion sighting had not gone out of the safari lodge radio, so it was just us and the lions. We sat and watched them for close to 20 minutes. Occasionally, they'd look up or roll over and they all spent quite a bit of time staring directly at us. We eventually left them to drive around the corner and watch a herd of elephants, including a baby, at a watering hole. It's hard to put into words the feelings that go through you when you are so close to big game but also watching them at peace in their natural environment. It's humbling, to say the least, and a feeling I will never forget.

Now that I've talked about how close we got to some big animals, I feel like I should say that we felt absolutely safe throughout our whole safari. Muweti has a fence and the only animals inside the lodge property are monkeys, baboons (watch out - they steal stuff), and Roma the golden shepherd/greyhound mix. Mike takes safety very seriously and went over all of the safety procedures. Both Mike and our other guides (Hardus and Lynette) are very experienced and never took their eyes off of the large animals while we were observing them. Because they were always paying close attention to their surroundings, I have full confidence that they'd be able to get us out of a situation if the animal turns on us.

Before we left, someone mentioned to Nate that they hope he sees something (literally any animal) while on his safari (apparently people don't always see stuff). We came into this not knowing what to expect, but we certainly saw a lot of animals. For some of our favorite animal photos, check our previous post here.

The People

Muweti has 3 chalets that are part of the lodge itself, so it was generally us and two other couples or individuals. These were the people with whom we went on game drives, ate meals and shared the space. Claire and I honestly expected to be the young couple amongst people in their 40s and 50s, but every other group was also either in their 20s or early 30s.

Our compatriots throughout our stay were from Switzerland, Canada, Denmark, Belgium and Brazil (though the Brazilian couple stayed out in the “cottage”, and didn’t join us for dinner). English was the language everyone spoke over dinner and on game drives, though the other couples would often slip into their native languages for quick asides and “oh crap how do I say this in English?” moments.

A game drive selfie with Fabian and Kristina from Switzerland.

The Food

The food was delicious - and some meals, especially dinners, were quite interesting. I ate infinitely more antelope that I'd ever eaten before - I'll tell you.

All guests would come together for every meal, talking and enjoying our food.

Breakfasts

We'd eat breakfast at 9am after our game drives. Breakfast fare was fairly standard - we'd pass around bowls of fruit salad, plain yogurt and granola while Laura took orders for hot food. Laura and staff would make the standard eggs - however you'd like them - and bacon. I enjoyed omelettes or scrambled eggs, depending on the day. There was also toast and croissants available with butter and jam.

Lunch

Lunch is where things got more interesting. We'd eat daily at 2pm, and the meal was always different. Our first day, the main dish was a cheese platter and biltong, which is basically a South African cousin of Jerky. One day we ate ostrich pies. The other two days were more standard - a delicious steak salad and sausage quiches. The steak itself was spectacular - more about that at dinner. In addition, there was always salad and bread, which was often what Claire had.

Dinner

After game drives, we'd freshen up and meet around the fire for conversation and drinks before dinner. Mike and Laura would be drinking scotch whisky, and Lynnette or Hardus would pour us drinks on request.

As magical as the game drives were, dinners were also magical. Our dinners were (in chronological order) Antelope Gulash, a traditional South African brai - the best we'd had, chicken curry and lasagna.

While each meal was spectacular - Claire says the curry was the best she’s ever had - the meal that stood out the most for me is brai. We ate steak and antelope sausage, as well as a tomato eggplant dish and other delicious sides. The steak and sausages were cooked over the fire that we sat around before dinner, with Mike explaining the superiority of the beef, as the cows were free range and chemical free. I swear, you could cut this steak with a fork.

What really made these dinner special, though, was the people. Guests from all different counties around a long table, with our hosts Mike and Laura at each head. We discussed country customs, national and international politics, animals and conservation and travel. We learned about each others lives, and sat around the dinner table for hours drinking wine. Before we knew it, it was time to turn in. We had a 530 game drive to wake up for the next morning.

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