FROGGING SAFARIS? LEAPING AMPHIBIANS!

Mpumalanga, SOUTH AFRICA (03/2010) For veteran bush trekkers who’ve been there done that,. Mantis’ Jock Safari Lodge in Kruger National Park is offering something new under the sun – a Frogging Safari. Here’s what gives:

With an estimated 34 different species of Amphibians in Kruger, Jock Safari Lodge ranks as one of the best places for Frogging Safaris. Froggers are issued head lights, nets and gum boots and set out after dark. Frogs are caught and identified, and then released back into their habitat. Guests get to marvel at the kaleidoscope of colors and the choir of sounds emitted from these tiny creatures, some no bigger than your thumb.

Every different species of frog has his or her own look – color, pattern and size. Mark Twain’s celebrated frog of Calaveras County has nothing on the amazing frogs of Kruger. Some recent “catches” include Banded Rubber Frogs, Bubbling Kassinas, Sand Frogs and Painted Reed Frogs.

Frogging Safari-goers will discover the wee wet ones get a bad rap for such characteristics as sliminess and bulging eyes. Truth is they have very good eyesight because they bulge out the sides of their heads in order to see in nearly all directions. And their skin must remain moist to help them breathe.

Best time to go wet and wild? The rainy months of November through March are the top months for frogging.

Jock Safari Lodge is a luxurious, five-star safari lodge set on 15,000 acres in South Africa’s vaunted Kruger National Park. It was the first private concession in the Park and was developed along the original camping sites used by trekkers on the route to Delagoa Bay. The Lodge is themed around one of the country’s most popular children’s classics, Jock of the Bushveld, true tales of a nineteenth century adventurer’s travel through South Africa with his faithful and plucky dog, Jock. The story was written at the time of the country’s first gold rush and the lodge brings this era alive by incorporating elements of the colonial past along with facets of the indigenous Zulu and Shangaan cultures. Jock Safari Lodge is part of the Mantis Group, a portfolio of boutique hotels, resorts and game reserves across Africa, Europe and South America.

For reservations, Toll Free: 1-877 354 2213
reservatrions@mantiscollection.com or visit www.jocksafarilodge.com