Growing up! A leopard in our midst The term ‘elephant back safari’ takes on a whole new meaning in the summer months. Plains game such as warthogs, giraffe and antelope are abundant at the moment, so guests are treated to a smorgasbord of viewing from the vantage point of their massive rides. But those lucky enough to be out with us on ...more»

Jabulani interacting with guests Jabu the pickpocket We always make a point of introducing the guests to their rides prior to going on walk. It’s only polite after all. Jabulani is our elephant of choice for these ‘getting to know you’ demonstrations, as he’s such a mild-mannered sort. The thing is, the fact that’s he’s so laidback also means he can ...more»

Friends by Dave Smith We're always open to trying new things here at Camp Jabulani, especially if it's in the best interests of our ellies. A while ago Tokwe sustained an injury to her leg. A wound developed as a result, and we've been struggling to get it to heal ever since. Initially we treated it with a broad spectrum antibiotic, ...more»

Shortcut Klaserie Klaserie, who turned four in February, is a real character. We've christened her 'Shortcut Klaserie', because whenever she joins us on safari she always looks for the quickest route home. This invariably involves veering off the beaten track, unless of course it doesn't suit her to do so. Which is precisely what happened last week. We noticed some giraffe ...more»

On Thursday the 28th of June we experienced an extremely tragic event when Joe - the elephant that left our herd in favour of a life in the wild - inexplicably turned on one of the four grooms that had accompanied the herd on their walk. Sadly, Aroti Kamupambe was critically injured in the process and died shortly afterwards. This ...more»

Noah climbing onto Setombe Sandi Savadier of Thandeka Africa found herself thoroughly enjoying a decadent slice of humble pie when she visited Camp Jabulani with her two children recently. As is sometimes the case with first time visitors to the lodge, Sandi had her own opinions about our operation, and wasn't all that open to the idea of going on an ...more»

We train the Camp Jabulani herd using the reward system, which means we give them treats every time they perform an exercise correctly. Research has shown that this form of training produces far better results than one where the animal's spirit is broken and all its actions are fear-based. The training area outside the elephant stables is always littered with warthogs ...more»

Camp Jabulani's elephant herd by Paul Nel We've had some interesting developments take place at the camp recently. Joe - the herd's leader who flew the coop in September last year - returned for a brief stay. It all began about three weeks ago, when Joe took to hanging around the stables, the lodge, and even the staff quarters. Needless to ...more»