Located in the heart of Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, 30 kms south of Shangani, Jabulani Safaris is the ideal location for you – alone, as a couple, a family, or even as a school excursion, company leadership development outing, or team-building adventure.
We offer a wide range of unforgettable eco-adventure activities: Cultural tours to ancient ruins, their walls still standing; walks and hikes through the pristine bush; kopje climbing and abseiling; canoeing, swimming, boating or raft building in the nearby dams; game viewing and animal tracking; or mountain biking; fishing or bird watching. It’s your choice; you decide.
Jabulani Safaris are able to accommodate the most diverse of groups: with 8 en suite, elite and private chalets; 2 large and spacious dormitories; to our camping facilities; we have more than enough room for everyone.
We are all adventurers at heart, and out in the open air with the warm African sun overhead, a new feeling of vitality will enliven your soul.
Game drives at Jabulani are doubly exciting, with breathtaking scenery interspersed with wildlife viewing as you go. The sight of a dawn sun rising on the African Highveld is unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
During our morning game drives, we’ll spoil you with fresh coffee and homemade rusks while you sit comfortably and observe an awakening Africa.
In the afternoon, our experienced rangers will take you to our game hotspots and waterholes where you can take in the stunning views while enjoying a sundowner.
To end the day, a night drive under the stars is a thrill not to be missed. Our guides will navigate their way through the bush with a spotlight, illuminating our nocturnal wildlife, before heading back to the lodge for dinner.
Vultures are amazing! As you drive in to Jabulani, you may have been lucky enough to see vultures “thermaling” or “spiralling” in the sky quite near camp. You would be really lucky to see so many vultures together because here at Jabulani, we have a vulture restaurant. We get all the bad meat and offal’s from the Pezulu Butchery and put it out on the rock. Within an hour, vultures have flown in and have started jostling and fighting for the meat. Sometimes we have four hundred feeding on the rock at the same time!
Of the six species of vulture found in Zimbabwe, we have 5 that feed at our restaurant. You will notice that size is really important when vultures feed, because the biggest vultures always have the best bits of meat to eat at a carcass.
At our restaurant, in order of size, we have;
Lappet-faced vulture
Cape vulture
White – backed vulture
White – headed vulture
Hooded vultures
Lappet Faced Vulture
Hooded Vulture
White Backed Vulture
Cape Vulture
White Headed Vulture
Vultures are known as nature’s clean-up crew. They are called scavengers because they feed on dead animals and rotting meat. They take all the rotting and dead meat, and all the diseases that come with it out of the environment by eating it. This helps stop the spread of nasty diseases like anthrax and rabies. As you can now see, vultures have specialised digestive systems that can digest these diseases without getting sick. Vultures can eat an animal that has died from rabies or anthrax and not die! Without vultures, the world would be a very different place.
Why are Vultures endangered?
Mostly, poisoning is what is killing vultures in Zimbabwe. Poachers have now started using really poisonous chemicals such as cyanide to poison animals such as elephants to get their ivory. They have started using cyanide because cyanide is a silent killer, and there are no rifle shots to alert the game rangers to what they are doing.
Cyanide is deadly. When the vultures eat the poisoned elephants, the cyanide poisons any animal that eats the carcass. It’s not just vultures that are affected, any scavenger that eats the elephant carcass will die. A single poisoned elephant can kill hundreds of vultures.
People will also kill vultures to use in traditional medicine. There is a strong belief that if you eat the head of a vulture, they will be able to see into the future.
What special adaptions do vultures have?
Old world vultures (the vultures we have here in Africa) have remarkable eyesight. They are able to spot decaying carcasses from kilometres away, high up in the sky. They are able to travel really long distances to find food because they use thermals (rising pockets of HOT air) to get height. Vultures use thermals to gain height because they weigh too much to continually flap their wings. They would be utterly exhausted if they did. They then move from one thermal to another by spiralling (moving from one thermal to another). They have huge wingspans to able to soar high up in the sky and can fly over one hundred kilometers a day looking for carcasses.
Vultures have really strong feet, but cannot really grasp or hold onto anything like eagles can. When they are eating at a carcass, they stand on parts of the carcass, and using their body weight, they pull upwards and rip the pieces of flesh into smaller digestible pieces. Depending on the species of vulture, they have specialised bills to rip off skin, tendons, and gristle. Most vultures nest on top of tall trees and palm trees, but some species, like the Cape Griffon (vulture) nest on cliffs and rocky ledges. The Wabai mountain range is an old nesting site of the Cape Griffon.
The quietest and most unobtrusive way to view the diversity of birds, mammals, reptiles and insects at Jabulani is to accompany our hugely experienced bush guides, who will lead you safely through the woodlands, grasslands, up kopjes and granite dwalas, through vleis and beside wetlands, seeking vantage points for you to view whatever best peaks your interest!
Taking a mountain bike along a game trail is an adrenalin pumping experience! Climb the granite dwalas, ride through the wetlands and vleis, take on the sandy woodlands and race through the grasslands! You can do it more sedately too, if you wish, and take a break to catch your breath from atop a mountain, or to watch the zebra and wildebeest grazing, or the giraffe and kudu browsing close by. This is a splendid way to view the reserve.
What better way to view the beautiful surrounds than atop a granite kopje. For all adventure seekers looking for an activity that has the ultimate reward – the best view by far – climbing a kopje is something you cannot miss. Whether you are an experienced climber or a novice, we have a route to the top for you.
Zimbabwe is a country steeped in ancient history and mystery. At Jabulani we have the incredible Naletale Ruins, Zimbabwe’s third National Heritage Site, right on our doorstep. The precisely cut and shaped granite bricks carefully placed to form 2 meter thick walls and walkways with intriguing herring bone designs and V shapes creates an ambiance of mystique and mystery to the ancient site. It is truly worth the visit! Further away are the Dhlo Dhlo Ruins, Fort Rixon, and The Rain Goddesses Cave.
Assault courses, water courses, climbing and abseiling courses, horse riding, long distance running, walking, hiking courses, you name it, we’ll organize it. Tailor made to suit your needs!. We provide the ideal environment and facilities for you to get to know your colleagues or peers. Expertly assisted by our trained staff, your team-building will be an enjoyable time for everyone involved.
A game of volleyball is an excellent way to pass the time, before cooling off in the pool. A healthy dose of competition inspires even more exercize. You can even play in the evening under the lights!
Gather your courage and abseil down a kopje to somewhere down below. This activity is sure to get your adrenalin going, but with our experienced guides on hand there is nothing to fear and everything to conquer! An exciting activity that is sure to leave you with a smile of success and satisfaction.
Jabulani has a well designed and carefully maintained obstacle course that is sure to test you and your teams as you tackle each challenge head on. Fun, exciting and challenging, this is the ideal way to test your leadership and teamwork skills as you navigate your way through, over and under.
Another team effort is required here. With certain materials that the Jabulani provides, you have to use your imagination and create a raft that will keep you afloat on the dam. This is a challenge that will test your ingenuity and have you laughing all the way!.
