All in a Morning Spent on Safari in Klaserie!

The Klaserie is desperate for rain, as is the rest of South Africa. During this time of unusual drought, the creatures of Kruger gravitate towards reliable sources of water, so it’s no surprise that Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp found this lone bull elephant drinking from Jason’s Dam. He was accompanied by a hippo, a family of Egyptian geese, and a marabou stork. Guests watched as this giant mammal loped down the dam wall and headed, excitedly, for the water. He moved around the dam, took a few long gulps and continued on his journey through the Mopane block and into the distance. No matter, there was more safari magic awaiting the guests not too far away…

Watching vultures

Elephant drinking at Jason's Dam

Blowing off some steam...

The famous Ross Breakaway lionesses were found lazing about just above a drainage line, and we couldn’t have been happier to see them! The two ex-Ross Pride sisters have kept a low profile this week, allowing us the privilege of having African wild dogs and leopards around. The wild dogs spent a good amount of time in the area, but have now moved off, and the Ross Breakaway lionesses arrived, conveniently, to replace them! One of the lionesses (the one who lost her 2 cubs not long ago) raised her head briefly and watched a couple of vultures circling above, but other than that the two ladies slept quite uneventfully.

Breakaway lioness looking relaxed

Ross Breakaway lioness posing briefly

Breakaway lioness looking up

Vulture silhouette in the morning

On the way out of the sighting, a rarely-seen-during-the-day nightjar was spotted by Kevin MacLaughlin’s sharp photographer’s eye. These birds are extremely well camouflaged, and are usually seen at night nestled on an open path or road, and during the day the settle down to sleep, which is exactly what this one was doing. What a lucky find to finish off a Friday morning game drive in the Klaserie.

Nightjar taking a nap