Sable Sleepover Hide, situated approximately 10km from of Phalaborwa Gate, is a unique accommodation facility where guests can feel part of nature. It is a bird hide by day, it transforms into a primitive overnight dwelling by night, where a select few can experience the Kruger National Park nightlife first hand. The hide overlooks the Sable Dam where an abundance of animals gather to drink. Hear the lion roar and the hippo grunt meters away from where you are sleeping and know this is a true African experience.
Today we bring you a story told by Amy Sewyer Newham of the day she was at the sleepover hide when an elephant demolished the hide.
It was a wonderful peaceful evening on the 26th of January, you could hear hyaena and lions in the distance and overall it was a fantastic evening. We were staying at the hide for my 31st birthday – my husband, myself, our 15 month old son and 2 of our friends.
At midnight I awoke to the sound of wood breaking. My husband and myself went outside to find an elephant bull in must that had pulled a section of our fencing down and placed it on the other side of the enclosure.
The elephant then made his way through our camp using the concrete benches to scratch his butt. After a while he decided to amble to the front of the hide, we obviously were in the hide and we watched him make his way to us. My son chose this moment to murmur in his sleep – this interested the ellie greatly. He turned rapidly and tried to push his way into the hide itself. The windows were shut and this seemed to upset him greatly – he pushed even harder. The whole hide shook and cracked and it seemed inevitable that it would snap like the fence did.
My son then started crying, I hurried to shush him and the elephant made his way back to the fencing. He ripped apart the rest of the fencing for about another hour and he also fed himself some of the thatch roofing. We planned on hopping in our car if need be.
Anyways, at about 2am the elephant moved on and we all went back to bed. By far the most exciting overnight hide stay I ever could hope to have.
*Story and Images supplied by by Amy Sawyer Newham