It is quite ironic that the very water we depend on for survival can sometimes become such a destructive force that you can just watch in awe as tiny trickles of water becomes raging torrents and leave behind total devastation in it’s wake.
Last week we got to experience a cyclone in our area and basically got our whole seasons’ amount of rain in 48 hours. This off course caused massive floods in our area and unfortunately we were not completely spared the chaos and devastation that comes with that much water.
Roads were damaged, bridges and dam walls collapsed and we also lost one of our lodges which were build on the banks of the Klaserie river which is normally a serene little waterway that added to the ambience of the once awesome Karula lodge, who’s guests had to be airlifted out as none of the roads leading there was accessible.
For quite a couple of days game drives was just impossible and should we have attempted that, it would have been extremely dangerous as in some areas the ground was just too soaking wet and unstable, and tiny drainage lines on the reserve became torrents like these below and other images from in and around our Reserve.
Despite all the damage, the total loss of life according to authorities was only 6, which is a miracle if you take into consideration that 47 informal villages towards our South were completely destroyed. We are however over the worst and our operations are back to normal. We are also planning to repair Karula as soon as possible and we should manage to do that in just a little over three months.
Floods like these are not completely uncommon in the area, as we went through a similar event in February 2000. During these floods however the most damage where to our South –east and the well known Kruger National park had to bare the worst of those which luckily just caused a bit of heavy rain on our side, I guess you can’t be that lucky all the time and mother nature surely knows how to get your attention every once in a while…
Kapama Private Game Reserve occupies a vast area between the northern Drakensberg mountains and the Greater Kruger National Park. It is the largest single-owner game reserve in the region, and is perfectly situated to receive guests flying into Eastgate Airport (Hoedspruit).
We have bookings for Karula March 4. Will the camp be functioning normally?
Dear Joel
Hope that you are doing well.
The camp is currently close for renovations and we are busy with a huge cleaning program. If our reservation department havent contacted you by now, please send me a mail at andries.jamneck@kapama.com.
Kind Regards,
Andries Jamneck
Assistant Manager
Kapama Karula
Hi! I have bookings for Karula April 11 -13. Will the camp be open at that date? I feel very sorry with what happened.
I just can’t believe what I am reading here! We left Kapama Karula on january 12th – I just can’t believe what happened just a few days later. The pics look awful and I hope that everyone at Karula is fine and nobody was injured?
Hallo Imke
Yes, that’s mother nature for you… I can gladly report that no one was injured during all this and everyone is hard at work repairing and cleaning up after the floods.
Regards
Johan
We have a reservation for April 3rd/4th departing 5th – Drifters Game Lodge/Kapama River Lodge.
Will this be available and what conditions can we expect please?
Christine and Bill
Hi Christine
Your reservation at River Lodge will remain unchanged. Our reserve team has done a lot during the past couple of weeks and everything is pretty much back to normal. I am sure you will have a great stay.
Kind Regards
Johan
Andries and the gang – holy cow!!!!!
How is everyone? Jordan and Collin ok?
How are you doing? I know what you are going through having been through several hurricanes here in Cayman.
Tell Jordan and Collin we say hi and when you have the time, please send us an e-mail with updates and pics and the rebuild.
Take deep breaths and a renewed respect for the power of the nature we all love so much.
Max and Candice
Hey Johan,
You say that everything is already pretty much back to normal? I was told that the Karula camp was completely washed away? I was getting ready to make reservations for mid August. What do you suggest? Will I be safe booking a week in the Luxury Suites of Kapama Karula in mid August?
I’m glad to hear that no one got hurt! That is very fortunate…
Hallo Jonathan
Thanks for your enquiry. We are hard at work and striving to open Kapama Karula again as soon as June / July. I think it would be 100% up and running by mid-August and there shouldn’t be any problem. I would however suggest to contact our reservations team again a little bit closer to the date to follow up on the progress. They will be delighted to assist you with updated information. You can reach them at res@kapama.com
Looking forward to welcoming you at Kapama Game Reserve
Regards
Johan
dear we are going to southern camp after tomorow, is there ok for the safaris??
Hallo Natalia
Yes, our safari’s are 100% back to normal and I know you will have a wonderful stay at Kapama Southern Camp.
Till tommorow…
Johan
I know everyone else is concerned about their bookings, but as a past guest at Kapama, my concern is for the animals. How did they fare during the floods?
Hi Claire
Animals have an amazing ability to sense these kind of occurrences before they happen. Prior to the floods some of our Rangers even commented that they find it strange that most of the animals tend to move to higher ground for some reason. Whether this is pure speculation or not I am not sure, but we have found no dead animals afterwards. I am pretty sure there might be some of the smaller ones that must have got trapped, washed away or maybe drowned, but fortunately they handle these events much better than we humans do and seem delighted about the abundance of food now after the rains.
Regards
Johan
Hi, We wanted to make reservations at the Kapama River Lodge for March 10th to 13th. Is the River lodge open and functioning?
Are the game drives on as well?
Hallo Sneha
Yes, River Lodge is 100% up and running, also no problems with the drives.
Thanks so much for your enquiry
Kind regards
Johan
Hi Johan
We are sorry to hear of your troubles over there and were just about to make a booking for early november at Kapama Karula for our honeymoon! Is it best to hold off booking until you guys know for sure when the camp will be up and running again?
By the way your facilities look amazing and we are very excited to be visiting (all the way from Australia).
Cheers
Nicky
Hi Nicky
Thanks for your interest. Yes, unfortunately “mother nature” is very unpredictable, and there is not much we can do about that.We are aiming to re-open Karula around June / July and I am sure come November, Karula should be up and running as normal. Our reservations team will definitely inform you should this not be possible, but I do not think you have anything to be worried about.
Kind Regards
Johan
Hi,i have a reservation on river lodge for May 8th to May 9th…What kind of weather can i expect and What kind of sightings i can do tris season?…thanks for your reply…
Hi Cesare
Thank you for your enquiry. May is just about the beginning of our “autumn” or “fall” season and it start getting a bit cooler in the evening and early mornings. Although we have quite mild winters, bring something warm, driving around during the early hours of the morning and evenings may already be a bit chilly…However, it is a excellent time for good sightings and I am sure you would not be disappointed.
Kind Regards
Johan