Kariega

Green-spotted dove

This was first published in the Herald on February 25, 2000, under the headline, “Wildlife wonderland”.

IT’S not often you get to see the rare green-spotted dove, let alone hold one in your hand.

But this happened on a recent visit to Kariega Game Reserve, a people-friendly game park just inland from Kenton-on-Sea.

A pair of giraffes

Arriving via a short gravel road, we got our first sightings of many of the species of buck in the park, along with zebra and giraffes.

After a friendly welcome at reception, we set off through the bush – stopping briefly to let a herd of impala cross the road – before reaching the comfortable timber lodges a couple of kilometres down the track.

Built on stilts, these are dotted along the thickly forested ridge on the western flank of the Kariega River valley.

Our lodge had an undisturbed 270-degree view across virgin valley forest and down over grassy plains towards Kenton.

Kariega doesn’t try to compete with the major game parks, which boast several if not all of the “big five”. Instead, it deliberately has no dangerous predators – so you are free to roam its 660 hectares – along about a dozen marked trails – without having to watch your back. (NOTE: This has changed in recent years, with several major predators having been introduced in parts of the reserve.)

Crowned hornbill

From the wooden deck of our lodge we spotted our first exciting bird life – a large crowned hornbill, which flew from tree to tree about 50 metres away. We were to spot another (or was it the same one?) during a walk the next day.

A new addition to Kariega is a restaurant, built on several layered decks on the western side of the ridge overlooking another valley, and offering superb sunset views. It was here that we had our amazing meeting with that green-spotted dove. The restaurant, in true bush style, has several walls “missing”, with spaces left open to the elements. The dove had flown in and stunned itself after colliding with a window.

It was my brother-in-law, Dundee doctor Grant Rodney, who found the bird and cradled it gently as he took it out onto the wooden deck to release it. The iridescent green spots on the dove’s wings shone brilliantly as it flew off back into the thicket below.

The next day we took a trail down to the river and back up to the crest of the valley through dense riverine forest. The absolute silence, broken only by birdsong, was awe-inspiring. But, as often happens, we were unable to spot the birds themselves.

Against a backdrop of indigenous vallery forest, bathers enjoy the facilities at Kariega Park.

Then followed a dunk in the Kariega pool, set in tiers of wooden deck on the north-eastern side of the ridge.

Later, on another longer walk over flatter terrain, we had close sightings of a host of buck species, including impala, springbok, wildebeest and blesbok. It was here that we also again saw that crowned hornbill, perched on an aloe.

Also on offer are game drives. Apart from the excellent game-viewing, these take you to a look-out point, high up a cliff, offering a magnificent view of the river.

Those with vertigo don’t want to get too close to the edge!

While the park boasts some 200 species of bird, apart from the green-spotted dove, the highlight of our visit involved fauna, not birdlife, when we did a walk called the sunset trail.

A classic African summer sunset at Kariega.

As the sun sank in the west in true African game park tradition, we had close encounters with, among others, a huge eland about 10 metres away and a stately female impala which stood impassively in our path before graciously giving way.

An elegant kudu

Across a narrow valley we saw a female kudu on the move, its flanks flecked with white.

On the grassy plain above this more densely forested area, with the sun dropping fast, herds of various species of antelope tucked into their dinner.

It was time for ours.