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Before I burst I have to just tell you that I got to hold a lion cub this past weekend and it was incredible. That’s right, a tiny baby lion sat on my lap and I held it like I would hold a bog-standard domesticated dog! And, the best part is I didn’t even have to pay an arm and a leg (both literally and figuratively) for the experience. So where did I get to the pleasure of doing this? Well, I spent a magical day at the Thaba Ya Batswana Eco Hotel And Spa and fell in love with their amazing lions and everything else they have to offer. There’s no question about it, you just have to mission through there with friends and family as soon as you can!
The rather impressive hotel in the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve is quite the destination for the whole family. From up-close-and-personal encounters with lion cubs to a delicious lunch overlooking the rolling hills of Mulbarton there’s something for everyone to enjoy. I dragged the boyfriend along to the spot for a lovely afternoon of lunching and lion hugging and we both loved it so much. (Maybe a little bit too much as we later started plotting about how we were going to claim one of the lion cubs as our own).
We started our afternoon off with a relaxed lunch at the Kraal Kombuis Restaurant – a fabulous spot for family lunches and decadent weekend breakfasts. The restaurant has a more relaxed coffee shop vibe on one side (complete with a jungle gym and jumping castle for the little ones) and a more formal restaurant vibe on the other if jungle gyms aren’t your thing. We sat on the restaurant side and were lucky enough to get a lovely table on the outside porch area overlooking the garden. Something I really loved about the restaurant is how quiet and serene it is. Sitting there you feel like you’re on a game farm in the middle of the bush rather than just 30 minutes from Sandton.
The restaurant’s menu is also quite impressive and offers everything from pizzas and pastas to salads and grills. And, for those who want a little kick with their lunch, they also have a full cocktail menu. For lunch I munched on a Cosi Salad (Garden greens, sliced pear, dried cranberries, pistachio nuts, blue cheese and a fruit reduction – R60) and the boyfriend on Ground Beef Ravioli in Napolitana sauce (R75). My salad was simply yummy and the boyfriend’s Ravioli looked just as good. For dessert I decided to keep it light and healthy and ordered a fresh fruit salad with a dollop of ice cream (R30) – which proved to be a great way to beat the heat!
Once we’d had our fill at the restaurant it was time to stroll down to the Thaba Lions Educational Centre to meet the lions. Thaba collaborated with Lombardi Lions to open the educational centre in December last year and it’s been a big hit. I love that the centre focuses on education and lion conservation, and the fact that they give cubs that might not have survived in the wild a fighting chance. We learned that only one quarter of lion cubs survive in the wild (especially white lions as they have very little camouflage) and through the centre’s intervention the rate of survival has increased to up to three quarters! The cubs are brought to the centre between four or five weeks of age and they stay at Thaba for about twelve weeks before they are placed in a private breeding farm in the North West province.
While they’re there you can visit them and play with them under the careful supervision of the centre’s staff. On the day we were there they had three lion cubs who were around eleven weeks old, and it was the most incredible thing being able to play with them, stroke their bellies and cuddle them while they sat on my lap. Visiting the lion cubs will cost you R70 per person (which gives you 15 minutes of visiting time with about 8 other people in the enclosure with you). If you’re keen to take photos with the cubs you’ll have to pay an additional R50 per person (trust me, it’s so worth it!) Visit .
When asked about the lions after they've become too big for the Cub Enclosure, I was told that they head back to the Lombardi Farm where they are then sold to surrounding Zoos and Lion Parks. In the event that lions are not sold, then they remain cared for on the Lombardi Farm. We were also told that their lions are not sold for canned hunting.
By Crystal Espin
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