What a week it has been!!!! We have seen it all and have lots to recap on... Enjoy!

As dawn broke, so did the excitement when a pack of wild dogs managed to catch and kill an impala while 3 hyenas were hot on their trails. They soon finished their kill and lay to rest on the side of the road, with the hyenas once again close by.

There's a leopard on my stoep (patio)!! As Ally climbed into her safari vehicle, coffee in hand, ready for the morning safari, she found this beautiful female leopard in her driveway!! What a way to start the day! They followed Msuthlu as she headed out on a territorial patrol.

We found Scotia and her cub making their way down the road to a nearby mud wallow that held some good water from the recent rains. We manage to find her again but this time without her cub.

Following some leopard tracks along the road, we knew we couldn’t be too far. We came across a herd of giraffe that were staring in one direction and then ran off so we knew they had seen something and we were right as White Dam male leopard came out back onto the road, he seemed to be marking his territory after the recent rains.

Such a treat to see a newborn giraffe with the umbilical cord still attached! A great way to see the change in size a few months to a few years as you look at all the different giraffe in this group.

After a refreshing swim in a nearby dam, this hyena clan were all resting and interacting in the open area alongside the water. A few were taking turns chewing a piece of skin, possibly from an old carcass, but soon lost interest in it and moved off into the thickets.

A stunning Grey-headed Kingfisher catches a small meal for the morning.

Despite officially being in autumn, and our rainy season coming to an end, we received a welcome downpour at our lodges after experiencing 43°C heat!

An impala male standing alert.

In gloomy skies, a spectacular Fish Eagle stands out.

A stunning Walhberg’s Eagle sits perched on a dead tree in the cool morning temperature.

A close-up with a giraffe.

A dangerous snake to look out for in the bush, the Puff Adder lurks in the grass.

A Leopard Tortoise on the move is a perfect time to get on your belly and practice some low angle photography.

There has been a lot of lion activity this week...

The two Southern Avoca males, who are not often seen on our reserve, paid us a surprise visit, seeing out most of the hot day in the shade of a Tamboti thicket.

A pride of lions, who we believe to be the Kambula Pride, was seen looking a bit wet from the recent rains but taking advantage of the water puddles around.

After lazing around all day and temperatures had cooled down, the Mhangeni Pride of lions decided sleeping all night was not going to get them food. Shortly after rising, they spotted a lone Blue Wildebeest. We waited in the darkness in anticipation wondering if they will succeed... After a little wait we heard some impala alarm calling as all of a sudden the wildebeest ran straight past us. We switched on the lights of our safari vehicle to see what had happened. She missed. Unfortunately for the lions, the impala gave her away and the wildebeest was on high alert and managed to get away.

Two days later, our morning started with the powerful vocalizing of lions and we didn’t hesitate and headed to the Western section of the reserve to see if we could find the source and so we did but even better with a wildebeest kill! After gorging themselves, one by one they made their way towards a watering hole to quench their thirst.

Ending off with the Southern Pride...

It was an early morning start and as we left the door, we heard some lions calling not too far away so we dashed to the vehicle and headed that route... Sure enough they had been here as we saw some fresh tracks which led us straight to two female lions who had just managed to make what looked like a young blue wildebeest kill.

After finishing their young wildebeest kill, the two lionesses headed in search of some water and landed up resting in a dried-up pan. The following morning we once again found them by water but this time with a younger male companion.

We were reminded again just how brutal life in the wild can be. The Southern Pride and Mhangeni Pride have clashed! Both prides having had a troublesome past; with the once dominant Southern Pride a mere shadow of what they once were. The Mhangeni Pride coming from a tough beginning to what would seem to be a stable pride in recent times. How the tables have turned and how one can never predict life in the wild. Read all about it in Tyron’s blog, “The inevitable clash”.

The following day, as the sun had set and the darkness rolled in a we heard some alarm calls from some baboons and headed over and found this female lion on the move. We followed up again the next morning and found her lying on the road. She got up and just around the corner a herd of zebra passed by. She immediately went into hunting mode. It took about 20 minutes before chaos broke loose. Success!!! She managed to catch a young zebra - a good meal for her.

We finish this week on some uncertainty around the older Southern Pride female and the injuries sustained in the clash with the Mhangeni Pride and will give more updates as and when we see her again.

Until next time...