“Life is getting up an hour early to live an hour more.” ~ Unknown

Shortly after heading out on safari we noticed some tracks of a female lion, so we decide to give it a try and track her. After walking through the bush and following her tracks, we lost where she had gone, until we heard some kudu alarm calling, we rushed back to the vehicle and headed to the direction the calls came from only to be surprised by the female lion making her way down the road, she then proceeded to find a shady spot for a little rest.

We came across the Othawa male and members of the Mhangeni Pride in an open area just north of Little Bush Camp. They were hard to spot at first with their fur coat blending in very well with the dry grass. We watched as a beautiful large male accompanied by several females and a youngster attempted to hunt a wildebeest in an open area.

Later in the week, we experienced an action-packed morning out on safari. It started off while we were sitting viewing a large herd of buffalo. The buffalo then caught sight of Maxabeni male leopard who they proceeded to chase for a good distance. We managed to keep up and then eventually stayed with the male who was able to escape but not yet out of the clear as he then came across 4 male lions. Maxabeni very quickly decided to get out of the area. It was then the lion’s turn to be chased by the buffalo and narrowly managed to escape. Once the lions were out of sight of the buffalo, they decided they had had enough action for the morning a had a little rest. What a morning!!

Heading back to the lodge, we managed to find the White Dam male patrolling and marking his territory.

The Kigelia female leopard was on a mission, marking her territory and scanning the area for any potential prey.

Xovonekela was a welcome sight this week and looked like he’d stolen a kill from a nearby female leopard. He stashed it up a tree for safe keeping and then rested at the base of the tree, guarding it.

It’s always a good morning when the Wild Dogs are spotted on our reserve. There was a member of the pack sighted this morning with a missing ear, possibly from an encounter with a hyena.

We had a super exciting surprise one morning when Steff’s tracker, Donald, spotted an elusive Honey Badger moving quickly through the grass. With the vehicle’s engine off, they rolled forward in "stealth mode" and were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this gorgeous Honey Badger as he or she paused in the road to check them out.

We were delighted to see two Klipspringers taking a rest on a big rocky outcrop.

An unexpected comic situation as a female Ostrich approached Kevin and his guests and began pecking their vehicle.

An iconic setting of zebra with some wildebeest in the background.

A Kudu bull reaches for some green leaves in the morning light.

One of two resident Roller species, the Lilac-breasted Roller, can be spotted at Sabi Sabi throughout the year.

A graceful Grey Heron, standing still waiting for a potential meal while a herd of buffalo quench their thirst.

Guests were lucky enough to see a hippo out of the water in daylight, a rather rare sight. We didn't however manage to snap a shot of it before it plummeted back into the water.

A sound of warthogs came to quench their thirst at one of our watering holes.

A group of Red-billed Oxpeckers were busy pecking this giraffe clean of its ticks.

A spectacular sight of a dazzle of zebra at one of our waterholes.

We found a large elephant bull with really big tusks – what an impressive sight.

A beautiful Pied Kingfisher attempting to catch some fish at one of our watering holes.

Elephants spend the majority of their day feeding, to sustain their bodies. Here we enjoyed a sighting of a herd feeding and playing.

There's been a lot of action at the hyena den lately with young cubs becoming more inquisitive about the safari vehicles as their confidence grows.

Three old Cape buffalo bulls grazed along, giving no real attention to us viewing them.

Until next time...