As the sun set on a great week, a new sunrise was a promise of a new day and excitement for what the coming days would hold...

The week started with a sighting of a pack of wild dogs. They were at a watering hole, and we watched as the pups nervously tried to edge closer for a drink while the rest of the pack enjoyed the shade underneath a large tree.

This was not to be our last sighting of wild dogs for the week, and we were in for plenty more, including a wonderful sighting of the pack making a kill right in front of the Luxury Suites at Earth Lodge.

Shortly after leaving Little Bush Camp, we found tracks of a pack of wild dogs. We followed them and they led us straight to where they were resting. They had just recently made a Grey Duiker kill and all that remained was the head which the pups used as a source of entertainment.

After seeing this pack of Wild dogs earlier in the morning, we found them again a bit later on. After just a short while of being with them, they all darted into the bush and managed to catch a small meal which the pups very quickly devoured.

The Styx lionesses and their cubs were on the move one afternoon, but the cubs seemed nervous. Not too far away were some wild dogs, growling in the distance, causing the cubs to turn around and head back to the safety of their mothers. Video by Ashleigh Heasman.

After tracking them for a while, we managed to find the Styx lionesses and their cubs, and the effort was well worth it! We enjoyed a breathtaking sighting of the three Styx lionesses and all their cubs walking through the thickets and onto the road, making their way towards a watering hole. We were all in awe of the many small cubs trailing behind one another, what a sight to see!

We found the Kigelia female leopard during one of our morning safaris, and she seemed to be hunting. We returned in the afternoon to see if she had made any progress and found her alongside a riverbed with a female nyala kill. The next morning, she was seen along with her cubs and her kill was safely hoisted in a tree.

After finding the tracks of a male leopard early in the morning, we managed to find N’weti. He was beautifully positioned on top of a termite mound, and soon descended to continue his territorial patrol.

Over the weekend we enjoyed multiple sightings of the N’weti male leopard along with the female leopard, Ntsumi. They were seen with a warthog kill and were also seen mating on multiple occasions, giving our guests some spectacular sightings!

After unsuccessfully tracking the White Dam male, we move out of the area in the hope that later during safari, he would once again become active. Soon enough, we heard the alarm calls of a kudu and made our way to investigate. We were rewarded as we spotted him appearing from the thicket. He made his way towards a large herd of buffalo, seemingly looking for any sign of weakness within the herd.

After hearing the sound of mating leopard in the distance, we were able to follow the regular call to eventually find White Dam male and Ngumi female in an aggressive mating interaction.

After following the tracks of male lions for quite some time, we eventually found them walking steadily on their territorial patrol. The following morning, we heard them vocalising close to Bush Lodge and found them resting in an open area, but soon moved in the direction of a sound that had been picked up by their finely tuned ears.

More often heard than seen, this Grey-headed Bushshrike stood out from the surrounding vegetation.

We waited patiently as a giraffe carefully scanned its surroundings before lowering down to drink.

This elephant seemed to be taken aback by the audacity of these two nyalas that were trying to drink from the same waterhole and attempted to move them away, all the while ignoring the many other places available to drink from.

During the heat of the day, this warthog did not feel the need to take cover from the sun like the other animals in the area did.

This zebra kept a watchful eye on its foal not too far in front.

And in the heat of the afternoon, what appeared to be hundreds of buffalo, descended on the smallest of waterholes, all pushing in for a prime drinking spot.

This Bateleur was perched in the perfect tree for us to admire its beauty.

Until next time...