We have had quite an exciting week on safari this week! Another week of incredible “magnificent 7” sightings. Herewith a recap from the past 7 days on safari...

Rewind back to a year ago – our first clear sighting of Ntsumi’s cub!!

And now today... an independent leopard – the Golonyi female. Golonyi, meaning “vehicle” in Shangaan, was the chosen name for her after being seen in an old car on a neighbouring reserve which Ntsumi had chosen as a den site.

Kigelia and her cubs have been seen a lot this week and whether she is lying up in a tree or a moving through long grass it will always be a highlight.

Growing more and more comfortable, one of Kigelia’s cubs peeked its head out from a very thick bush to investigate what was happening in its surroundings.

Our last sighting of them for the week was of them walking along a road. We followed them for short distance before leading us to their impala ram kill. They stayed with their kill for the whole day, but hyenas got wind of it and soon they came in numbers and chased the leopardess and her cubs, claiming and devouring the kill in minutes.

After one of our rangers discovered a dead wildebeest that had died of natural causes the previous evening, we set out at the crack of dawn to investigate. Vultures loomed in the trees and hyenas cackled as they fed. In the midst of watching the scavengers pick the carcass clean, the N’weti male leopard appeared like a ghost from behind us.

Lions at sunset are a pleasure to photograph, the soft golden light makes them shine softly through your viewfinder and the result is a memory that will last a lifetime.

One afternoon, while having high tea at Selati Camp, we heard impala alarm calling in the open area in front of the lodge and we rushed to the area. This lone lioness was making her way towards a watering hole to enjoy a drink. We then followed her to where she had a young zebra kill. The following morning, the rest of the pride, along with one of the N’waswishaka male lions were resting their full bellies under a shady spot to escape the heat of the morning.

The Styx Pride cubs have become incredibly comfortable with the presence of the vehicles, we even had the privilege of being stalked by one of the younger cubs.

One of the N’waswishaka male lions was keeping an eye on the rest of the pride as they moved away into a shadier spot to spend the afternoon.

The alpha male of a pack of Wild Dogs kept a close eye on a small group of hyenas approaching his pack. The closer they got, the more alert this male became.

We had a wonderful sighting of this cheetah cub enjoying the reward of his mother’s hard work.

A few days later, they were seen again. They had been moving at first but when we arrived at the scene it took us quite a while to spot the two given the long grass. It was only when we moved much closer that we could see them, showing how well camouflaged these animals are and that the probability of us driving past many animals while on drive because of this is always high. We continued to stay with them for a while, and they ever so often lifted their heads giving us a quick view!

This bull elephant took advantage of the water puddles along the road to cool himself on a hot day in the bush!

Holding on for dear life, this little Flap-necked Chameleon was clinging to a grass stalk swaying in the evening breeze.

The water is always a nerve-wracking place, threats from within and threats from around the waterhole, so these Wildebeest need to remain ever vigilant.

We watched a large herd of buffalo moving across an open area. The sun was starting to set in the background while this buffalo watched us carefully before moving off with the rest of the herd.

This Brown Snake Eagle perched beautifully just long enough for us to be able to take a quick photo before flying off.

We had no choice but to stop and admire this small group of Red-billed Oxpeckers dust bathing in the ahead of us.

Sabi Sabi Little Bush Camp Manager rescued this little terrapin from the swimming pool over the weekend. Wildlife Rescue can come in all forms...

Until next time