Weekend escape: Airline Food

Watch endangered vultures chow down from the comfort of the Rolls-Royce of bird hides, writes Janine Stephen

'Vultures?" a fashionable friend says, head alert, eyes darting. "A vulture restaurant? Isn't that rather... niche?" In the Kempenfeldt vulture restaurant, watching as 250 immense birds scissored their way through a couple of unfortunate cows, I supposed she had a point.

While any safari nut is delighted to stumble upon a kill with attendant vultures, making a special trip to see them feeding might strike some as faintly macabre - the birding equivalent of massacre memorial sites. Carcasses are, well, dead. And smelly. But just then a fabulous Cape vulture - light eyes flashing - flew in with such grace and majesty it took my breath away.

Whether you're a birder or not, seeing these incredible birds up close is a privilege worth travelling for. And Kempenfeldt - near Dundee in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands - is a perfect place to do it. The feeding programme has been praised by conservationists such as André Botha, head of the Endangered Wildlife Trust's birds of prey programme, and Sonja Krüger, who initiated the Maluti-Drakensberg vulture project.

Vulture numbers have sadly been in freefall over the past 50 years, mainly due to poisons, toxic vet drugs and the muti trade. There are only some 8500 lappet-faced vultures left on the planet, and possibly even fewer Cape vultures.

"Kempenfeldt provides safe, regular food and really makes a difference," Krüger says.

The restaurant is the brainchild of Mynhardt Sadie, a farmer who'd like to see the decline in vultures halted. He took cattle off this pretty 140ha slice of the Wasbank Valley in favour of game like kudu, blesbok and bushpigs, and later added a chalet. Red and yellow aloes adorn the bushveld like flaming candelabras and anyone staying overnight can roam the bushveld surrounds.

About six years ago, Sadie noticed a few vultures in the area and began leaving out carcasses. This slowly grew into a formal feeding programme, and, these days, as many as 500 vultures fly in to feed, fight and socialise over a meal.

Kempenfeldt is designed for viewing comfort (Botha calls it the "Rolls-Royce of vulture hides"). Style-wise, the hide and chalet channel The Hobbit with their moulded "rock" walls; inside they are fully equipped. The hide has comfortable seating, slots for photographers to rest their lenses, a kitchenette and a loo.

At dawn, from the chalet balcony, I'd seen shadows cruising down the valley, and groups of vultures sat waiting solemnly in trees for breakfast. By the time I got to the hide, a mass of grunting, hissing birds was feeding on the bounty, doing little territorial dances between mouthfuls. The Cape vultures in particular had a lovely way of high-stepping in slow motion, showing off their talons.

On the outskirts, three bulky lappet-faced vultures simply pushed their way onto a choice pile of beef. One young white-backed - the most common vulture - had eaten its fill and nose-dived forward for a nap, flat out on a skin blanket.

A visitors' book gushed praise from photographers and families alike. Tagged birds were also recorded - some of the Kempenfeldt birds travel as far as Kruger, Hluhluwe and even Victoria Falls. Sadie was particularly pleased that a hooded vulture had recently returned with a partner. "If they breed, it will be something positive: to get a species back into the area," he says.

For personal reasons, Sadie has put Kempenfeldt up for sale. Krüger, for one, says it is important it stays open. "There are feeding sites in Zululand and in the Drakensberg, but this is the only one I know of inland, and a number of species rely on it," she says.

All the more reason to go and watch rib cages emerge from a sea of birds while you can.

If you go...

GETTING THERE: From Ladysmith, take the R602 to Dundee. Leave town on the R33 to Helpmekaar/Greytown. Drive for 21km and you'll see a board saying Vulture Country on your right.

WHAT IT HAS: Beautiful views, peace and quiet, over 160 bird species, a waterfall and game.

NEED TO KNOW: Book ahead to be sure there is meat out for when you plan to visit. If the carcasses are old, they will smell - such is life (and death). Charge cameras and electrical equipment before your stay.

ACCOMMODATION: The self-catering chalet is neat and fully equipped and sleeps four to six. Firewood (used to heat water), bedding and towels are provided, and there's a splash pool and braai. Solar batteries provide light. Note: Travellers who prefer all-out luxury can consider Isibindi Lodge (www.isibindiafrica.co.za).

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS: The battlefield site Rorke's Drift is an easy drive away.

RATES: It's R650 a night for the chalet, R50 per person for a two-hour hide visit, or R150 per person for a full day.

CONTACT: Mynhardt Sadie on 0798775396; e-mail vulturehide@gmail.com or visit www.vulturehide.co.za