Mini & Junior Ranger Course
If you are aged 6 years or older, and if you have dreams of becoming a game ranger just like our very ‘smart’ Mziki game rangers, why not ask mom and dad to enrol you in Mziki’s Mini-Ranger programme.
From vehicle preparation and inspections, to identifying different animal calls and sounds, recognising different trees and their uses to tracking and navigating you will soon know all there is to know to become a top-class game ranger. At the end of the programme you will even receive a certificate to say that you have completed the mini-ranger programme and have your photo taken which will then be added to the Mziki Wall of Fame.
The Mziki Mini-Ranger programme is tailor-made according to age and the duration of your stay and even better news is that it is free of charge.
You can also look forward to the following:
Camp treasure hunt:
A fun experience where you will have to find and collect specific items around the lodge. There will be clues for you to solve and items that you will have to identify with the help of the rangers.
Cultural experience:
Our game rangers will also tell you more about the “Bushmen” (Khoisan) people of southern Africa and their origins. Make sure to ask lots of questions!
Quiz:
Listen carefully at everything that the rangers tell you. At the end of the programme there will be a fun quiz.
Birding
Birders will delight in Mziki Safari Lodge’s excellent bird-watching opportunities. Bordering the 2,000-hectare Vaalkop Dam, considered one of the top three birding areas in the country, Mziki Private Game Reserve is home to several hundred species of birds. The mighty Hex river runs through the reserve and into the dam on which Mziki guests can enjoy barge cruises to get up close and personal to the birdlife.
Archery
Take your aim and try your hand at archery, available within the safe confines of Mziki Safari Lodge. A target and bows and arrows are provided for willing archers seeking to perfect their targeting skills.
Fishing
Keen anglers will adore the myriad of fishing opportunities available at Mziki Safari Lodge, with the 8km of the mighty Hex river flowing through the reserve and providing the perfect environment for fly and bait fishermen. Fish species that can be caught here include Yellow fish, Blue and Red curper, carp and barbel. For the sake of our rather vocal, hungry Fish eagles, Mziki Safari Lodge exercises a catch and release policy.
Barge Cruises
The mighty Hex river flows through Mziki Safari Reserve providing over 8km of river frontage through the reserve. A particular highlight among guests is the convivial Mama Hippo barge cruises that Mziki Safari Lodge offers along Hex river into the Vaalkop dam. Depending on the water levels, guests can enjoy a different encounter with the African bushveld, this time from the water’s side, watching the crocodile and water birds go about the daily business while enjoying are refreshing drink.
(Barge cruise is water level dependent. Please inquire about water levels)
Bush walks
Get up close and personal to the bush as you accompany one of our knowledgeable rangers on a bush walk to observe unobstructed wildlife behaviour. Visit areas that cannot be explored by vehicle and gain first-hand knowledge of some of Africa’s hidden secrets on foot, surrounded by the cheerful chattering of birds.
Game viewing
Home to three of the Big Five – Elephant, Buffalo and Rhino – Mziki Safari Lodge offers a malaria-free environment in which families can enjoy safari viewing in a safe, comfortable and relaxed environment. Mziki Safari Lodge does not have an age restriction for game viewing with families catered for on their own game vehicles so as to ensure their comfort and that of other lodge guests. Explore the wonders of the African bush by day, or night, with your expert game ranger, from the area’s prolific birdlife, to mammals, trees and even insects.