We had set off on our afternoon safari with some stunning sightings of a wallowing white rhino, who seemed so content with the world, a few giraffe and a dazzle of zebra. The afternoon was passing by and a storm was brewing overhead.

The clouds had rolled in thick and heavy, darkening the sky quicker than usual. We left a breeding herd of elephants as the light was fading fast and that was just when we heard over the radio that a pair of mating leopards had been spotted.

Leopards are always a treat to see, but a mating pair is like hitting the jackpot! They were on the move and with the storm rolling in fast, this wouldn’t be easy, regardless we made our way closer into the area to help relocate on this duo.

With the wind picking up quite strong and as quoted from my guest ‘that looks like the end of the world’ referring to the enormous big black cloud hovering over our heads, it was not long before the heavens opened up on us.

All soggy and a little cold, we started to give up hope as the leopards were moving in and out of nearly impossible areas for us, but we as a group decided to not give up just yet.

We entered into the bush on a chance to find these leopards one last time, lights down as we say since the area was full of impala and we didn’t want to hurt their eyes. They seemed to be a bit on edge and we assumed they would be as the storm was at its worst, affecting their senses, making it harder to hear, smell and even see. Perfect weather for a hunt to take place as the advantage is high in the predators favour as the wind and rain will muffle a predator’s smell and sound when walking, giving them the ultimate stealth.

Lights back up as the impala scattered past the vehicle and there right in front of us, not one but two leopards – a male and a female - had taken down a female impala.... Each!!!!

Lost for words, I couldn’t even manage to gather the words to tell my guests what was happening, I just yelled “Look! Look! Both of them!!” And at that moment we had all forgotten about the rain belting down on us and gale force winds, everything seemed to be at a standstill, we couldn’t believe our eyes.

Both female and male leopards had their jaws wrapped around the impalas necks suffocating them, this was a little bit of a sensitive moment for some guests as this sight is never really easy to see, but were all fully aware and understanding that this is nature.

The male dragged his prize off into the thickets making it impossible to see him. This left us with the female, ensuring her prey was dead she held on a little longer. When the fate was sealed, she let go and started to feast on her prize, we all sat in silence and took in this incredible sighting.

As we got back to Earth Lodge, we took some time to process what we had just experienced, the rain, wind, darkness and the kills. I say this was the ultimate expertise because it came at as from all angles, from the cold wet rain to the roaring winds, the sight of the leopards and the kill and of course, all the emotions that flowed, we walked away knowing that we would never forget this moment.