Brothers Safaris offers various Immobilisation Safaris as part of our specialist African Vet Safaris portfolio. This particular safari co-operates with a private game reserve in the Limpopo Province of South Africa to facilitate ongoing management procedures within their rhino population, while giving guests a once-in-a-lifetime hands on experience!

This safari affords clients the opportunity to be involved in a white rhino immobilisation, carried out by Dr Peter Brothers (Wildlife Veterinarian and registered tourist guide, and your host throughout the safari), and the subsequent management procedures which form a part of ongoing rhino management in the reserve. The days preceding the immobilisation allow time for traditional game drives and learning more about the white rhino and its management/conservation, as well as preparing you for the immobilisation.

Guests are given the opportunity to participate in the procedure being carried out, once the animal is immobilised, and it is thus safe to move closer. Guests have the option of a hands-on approach, or, if they prefer, simply observing from up close and getting those pictures of a lifetime!

Come join us for the experience of a lifetime and do something for wildlife conservation! 

Arrive at Dronfield Nature Reserve, ,approximately 10kms out of Kimbereley, and check in and enjoy lunch/leisure time before a late afternoon game drive, in an open game viewing vehicle with local guide and Dr Peter Brothers, to explore the reserve and its willdife........

Return to the lodge after dark for dinner and a good night’s rest.

The 12 000 hectares Dronfield Nature Reserve has belonged to De Beers since 1888 and was originally bought as a deposition site for the nearby mine. It was instructed that the “portion of the estate not needed for mining floors purposes could be advantageously let for grazing”. This only changed in 2004 when Dronfield was proclaimed a nature reserve and stocked with herds of eland, gemsbok, blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, zebra and kudu – all translocated from the De Beers property Rooipoort Nature Reserve, 70km west of Kimberley. White rhino and sable antelope populations have been introduced, along with breeding populations of buffalo and roan antelope. There are also tsessebe on an adjoining farm, the objective being to breed suitable populations for release on Dronfield and other De Beers conservation properties.

To date about 140 bird species have been identified on Dronfield, complemented by herds of springbok, impala, duiker and steenbok. Dronfield is situated very close to Kamfer’s dam, home to up to 50 000 Lesser Flamingoes. An artificial island in Kamfer’s Dam is now used by this species for breeding and may become only the fourth regular breeding site for this species in the world.

Your accommodation is in 6 fully equipped luxury en suite chalets.  All units are serviced daily and there is a swimming pool on the reserve.  Massage therapies are available on site.

Your stay at Dronfield Nature Reserve is on a full board basis, including all game activities. Drinks are for your own account.

Day 2 - Friday 

Enjoy an early morning game drive, focusing on rhino, but taking in all sightings and animals along the way, before returning to the lodge for breakfast. This drive is intended to give you a more in depth understanding of the rhino and its habits.

After breakfast there will be some informative talks on Rhino conservation issues, as well as the relevant Veterinary and safety aspects for the immobilisation process. We’ll also enjoy a “dart gun session” where guests will fire darts loaded with water at a target, to demonstrate and experience the darting equipment!

Enjoy lunch before setting out on an afternoon of practical rhino tracking, which may include tracking on foot…..

Return to the lodge after sunset for dinner and to overnight.

Day 3 - Saturday 

After an early breakfast, the team heads out to locate the patient - the moment of truth arrives when we dart the rhino from a helicopter….. (executed by wildlife veterinarian, Dr Peter Brothers).

Once the rhino is safely immobilised, you will have the experience of your life while assisting with the various procedures – ear notching for positive identification and management reasons, and to help combat poaching, and also blood sampling for research purposes - all the while monitoring the status of the patient.

Once the procedures are done, guests retreat to the safety of the vehicle while the rhino recovers and walks off into the bush, sometimes a little disgruntled!

After the immobilisation and the rhino’s recovery, guests return to the lodge to rid themselves of some of the adrenalin that is sure to have flooded their bodies!

Enjoy lunch, and some leisure time at the lodge.

Head out late afternoon on a game drive to locate and check up on the patient, and then continue on our evening game drive.  Dronfield is also home to a breeding colony of White-backed Vultures.  A vulture restaurant has also been established on the reserve to enable researchers and visitors to watch these enormous birds from up close. 

Dinner and the day’s tales are relished back at the lodge after sunset.

Day 4 - Sunday 

Early morning tea and coffee are followed by the final game drive, or simply sleep in and wake to the sounds of the bush.

In the unlikely event that the previous day’s immobilisation attempt was not successful, there will be another attempt this morning.

Breakfast is enjoyed at the lodge, before checking out late morning, and transferring back to Kimberley airport for your return flight to Johannesburg. 

Optional extra Day

An additional day can be added to the itinerary for guests to spend a day in the historic town of Kimberley, primarily visiting the site of the world famous Big Hole.  Diamonds were first discovered in the area in 150 years ago, and at that time the site of their discovery was a featureless flat topped hill.  Soon thousands of prospectors, armed with nothing more than picks, shovels and hope, descended on Kimberley and created the largest hand-dug excavation in the world.

The big hole is surrounded by The Old Town, a living museum where you'll discover period buildings that have been preserved or restored to their original glory including a church built in Europe and shipped to Kimberley, Barney Barnato's Boxing Academy, the diggers' tavern, an authentic diggers' sleeping quarters and the De Beers railway coach used by Cecil John Rhodes to commute between Cape Town and Kimberley. 

Other activities such as scenic helicopter flights are also available on request.

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Costing:

ZAR 14 300-00 per person sharing

Single supplements apply.

This cost is based on a minimum of 6 persons participating in total, and allows for a maximum of 8 participants.

This is inclusive of:
Accommodation at on a full board basis at the lodge at Dronfield Nature Reserve, all activities as laid out in the itinerary, the services of Dr Peter Brothers throughout, the services of management, local guides and staff and Government VAT.

Cost excludes:
Flights, transfers, drinks, additional optional activities, items of a personal nature, gratuities, and medical insurance (compulsory).

Departure Dates:

20 - 23 May 2010

7 - 10 October 2010

Please note:

• This program is a guide and all these activities will be done, but not necessarily in this order, as Rhino don’t read that well!!
• Every effort will be made to ensure that the client participates in the darting procedure, as laid out in the itinerary, but the animal's welfare will not be compromised at any stage, and a procedure may have to be aborted and the animal revived in certain circumstances. The animal is the primary reason for this safari, and we need to bare that in mind and respect the patient.

Please note the following regarding the darting/immobilisation procedures:
While every endeavour is made to locate and dart the animal in question, factors such as severe weather conditions or illness involving the animal, unable to locate or approach the animal close enough due to bush conditions, failure of the animal to come to a bait, etc. which are all unpredictable, may prevent the darting from going ahead. Every effort will be made to ensure that the client participates in the darting procedure, or similar, as laid out in the itinerary, but the animal's welfare will not be compromised at any stage, and a procedure may have to be aborted and the animal revived in certain circumstances. This may shorten the procedure/down time and hence the close up experience for the client. Brothers Safaris, its staff, and appointed agents will not be held liable for any losses incurred by a client as a result of such situations, and accept no responsibility whatsoever. Every endeavour is made to ensure the health and safety of all our clients, but any procedure with a potentially dangerous wild animal and veterinary drug is of such a nature that certain circumstances may be beyond our control. Should any such situation arise which leads to death or injury due to any reason whatsoever, Brothers Safaris, its staff, and appointed agents, will not be held liable for any losses incurred as a direct, or indirect, result of such a situation, or our actions in such a situation.

Terms and conditions for booking

• A 30% non-refundable deposit is payable at confirmation of booking
• Balance of 70% payable 56 days before commencement
• 60% Refund for cancellation 42 - 56 days prior to commencement
• 50% Refund for cancellation 28 - 42 days prior to commencement
• Cancellation within 28 days subject to full forfeiture
• Payment of deposit implies acceptance of terms and conditions
• Cancellation must be made in writing to Brothers Safaris
• An administration fee of ZAR 500-00 per person will be charged for amendments made after confirmation
• Brothers Safaris reserves the right to use a similar lodge/hotel if the intended lodge/hotel is not available, this may affect pricing
• The itinerary costing is subject to availability and currency fluctuations
• Terms and Conditions are subject to change without notice