Thanks to some recent rain the Waterberg is lush, green, the rivers full and the dams overflowing. Last week the Marataba section of the Marakele National Park received over 160mm of rain in three days. The day after the big rains I made my way along the Matlabas River in the late morning. It was nine o’clock and already over thirty degrees. On the road ahead I saw a large elephant cow cross the road towards the river. I approached slowly and parked where the road was close t

Baboons are often over looked by the experienced safari goer. Their antics and stealing ways around human habitation have given them a bad reputation and many people regard them as pests. However, if you take the time to observe baboons in their natural environment you might just see another side to them. I enjoy watching baboons; their social interactions are interesting, their hierarchy complex and watching the youngsters play is nothing short of adorable. The social struct

As we near the end of the dry season in the Waterberg many of the watering holes have dried up. Consequently animals are forced along the river system and major watering holes which can make for fantastic sightings. During the night an unaware impala coming to the water for a drink fell victim to a lion and lioness at KD watering hole. After the lions had had a good feed they lay up in the shade on the other side of the main road into Marataba Safari Lodge. Visitors to Marata

It has now been six months since we started working to familiarise a female leopard and her 3 cubs with game drive vehicles. All three cubs are still alive and doing well; two males and a female. Their mother has done a fantastic job in rearing, feeding and protecting them. I have been fortunate to have spent a great deal of time with the four of them and have watched the cubs grow and develop unique personalities. At first the female seemed to use a handful of den sites (we

The Zambezi River is the very essence of ‘true Africa’. It’s banks are abundant with wildlife and it’s water full of hippos, crocodiles and tiger fish. Mana Pools, Zimbabwe, is one of the few places in Southern Africa where visitors are permitted to explore on foot without a qualified guide. September is the end of the dry season and many of the smaller watering holes have dried to mud; forcing animals to congregate around the larger pools and the river. Mana Pools had long b

Much to the rangers’ dismay the lion sightings had been very quiet for several days. Some nights we would hear them calling close to the lodge but come the morning they had disappeared into the thick bush. In the mornings we were taunted by tracks all over the roads but no lions. It was my guests’ first time in Africa and understandably they wanted to see lions. We were on the sixth game drive out of eight and I was silently starting to panic that we may not find any. Between

The Waterberg, South Africa, is not famous for leopard sightings. Sightings are generally few and even then are generally just a blur of yellow and spots. Before working in the Marekele National Park I worked for two and a half years on another reserve in the Waterberg. During that time I saw two leopards dashing across the road. We are very lucky in the Marakele to have a handful of leopards that are relaxed around the vehicles. About three months ago a tiny leopard cub was