After four days of finding numerous tracks of cheetah in the soil crossing over our vehicles tyre tracks from the morning safari, we had yet to catch a glimpse of one.

On the second last morning of safari with my guests, we got news that the rangers in training had just seen a male cheetah close to Little Bush Camp. Fired up, we headed out on pursuit and determined to make every bit of light worth our time, we left a little bit earlier.

We came past an open area, and something I thoroughly enjoy reminding my guests of; is the new day and all to be grateful for, so with the icy wind on our cheeks we decided to turn our face to the sun and appreciate the rising ball of warmth behind us.

This beautiful sunrise was met with small groups of giraffe silhouetted in the beautiful orange light as they fed among the tall trees. We all grabbed our phones in the hope of quickly capturing the moment before heading off to continue our search.

The next moment, I found myself softly screaming, “Cheetah hunting, cheetah hunting!!” I could not believe my eyes. A cheetah, different to the one we had been informed of, came sprinting out from behind a termite mound on the horizon chasing a young male impala. My eyes locked onto the pursuit, and I moved us into the open area. Adrenaline pumping, everyone was cheerful, and then we saw impact! A big cloud of orange dust rose from the ground leaving the cheetah and her kill covered in it.

We moved ahead of the female cheetah and her kill as she continued to apply all her weight onto the impala. Bound by the neck at the jaws of this agile predator, the impala eventually gave up and took its last breath. We were in awe of nature, in its raw form, playing out in front of us.

The giraffe that we were watching just moments ago, had moved a little closer to investigate the morning’s happenings. The female cheetah became more aware of their presence the closer they edged, and again grabbed onto her impala securing it, as to not lose it.

Glancing back at the giraffe and believing they were no threat, she slowly loosened her grip, but continuously scanned the horizon, checking for a potential threat. Two White-backed Vultures soon swooped past us to perch in a tree nearby, and the shudder of their wings made her again retrieve her impala and drag it away slightly. She was determined to keep her prize close.

Once she settled, we watched as she began to feed. This timid behaviour is due to cheetahs sitting relatively low on the apex predator scale and therefore worry about other predators swooping in and stealing their bounty.

We continued to watch as she nervously ate her meal, continuously taking a break to check the area around her. After a good two hours, we decided we all needed a strong cup of coffee now that the adrenaline had worn off. We left this beautiful sighting, feeling over the moon by our morning luck. We had been given a once in a lifetime sighting - witnessing a cheetah hunt, kill and consume its meal in full. What a blessing this morning was. A sunrise we will never forget!