Week in Pictures: Winter is Coming

Gradually, quietly, the thick summer jungle is thinning out, bronzing, and revealing the timber beneath its leaves. Could it be true? Winter is coming. It seems a particularly difficult summer to let go of this year, after last year’s drought, which all but strangled the life out of Kruger. The summer months brought relief when the skies finally succumbed to the heat building up in the clouds, and the cracked earth was finally nourished and resuscitated. Months later, the Kruger had blossomed and flourished, and the days were thick with humidity as moisture clung to the earth and baked under the sun.

Now, we are looking around at a landscape of yellowing grass, and falling leaves. Change is once again upon us. The chill in the early morning air is full of winter’s promise of cooler days and nights, while the golden hues developing in our surroundings are warning us of the dry months to come… Just like we do every year, we watch in awe as nature carries on regardless of what we think, feel, or desire. We are here for the show, and this week, we’ve noticed winter is entering as the next Act.

nThambo Tree Camp, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger

The autumn colours of the Klaserie are beginning to match the bronzed pelts of the African wild dog

Juvenile bateleur takes flight into the dusky sunset, lifted by the light on its wings

Silently checking each other out; our guests face off with a herd of buffalo

With ears shaped like Africa, a bull elephant gently fanned himself as he took wide strides through the veld

Umkumbe Safari Lodge, Sabi Sand Wildtuin, Greater Kruger

The Matshapiri males: indomitable, black-maned beasts of the Sabi Sand

Tools of the trade, up close and in detail

A gentle evening haze falls over the bushveld as we admire a pair of endangered ground hornbills

A tawny eagle releases the heat of the day from beneath its wings, posing perfectly for the clicking cameras

Africa on Foot, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger

Elephant antics caught in the surreal, auburn-hued dust clouds at sunset

African beast, commanding the respect it deserves as one of the most dangerous members of the bush

Dusk chorus: a Swainson's spurfowl belts out into the evening sky, creating a perfect silhouette

A leap of faith

Ezulwini Game Lodges, Balule Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger

A lioness looks on into the distance, captured in black and white, effortlessly elegant

Full speed ahead! The colours of the bush veld are changing from greens to golds - a sure sign winter is coming.

Growing up wild, a pair of lion cubs toughen each other up in preparation for life in the bushveld

Layers of sky, thicket, and Africa's tallest mammals ambling through the wilderness