Sun Destinations Blog - Page 38 of 116 - Sun Destinations Safari

Oct 23, 2017
Africa on Foot, Africa on Foot Wilderness Trails, Blog, Chacma Bush Camp, Ezulwini, Maseke Game Reserve, nThambo Tree Camp, The Week in Pictures, Xobega Island Camp

Week in Pics : The Iconic Animals of the Safari World

When you’re traversing new reserves and scoping out a wealth of bird species, there’s bound to be a delay in the delivery of “Week in Pics”. We’ve made up for our 2 day delay by presenting you with recent images of the iconic animals of the safari world. We’ve got a portfolio of striking images of leopards, lions, hyena cubs and hefty buffalo that we’re dying to reveal.

Our three Klaserie camps, nThambo Tree Camp, Africa on Foot and Ivory Wilderness Riversong Camp; have enjoyed numerous leopard sightings over the past week. Africa on Foot and nThambo spotted Cleo, Bundu and an unknown leopard. It wasn’t only leopard that snuck its way into this week’s sightings, but also our lions. The main lion protagonists this week included the Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses. At Ivory Wilderness Warren spent time with a young female leopardess, observing her every move. Ivory Wilderness has also enjoyed a plethora of plains game sightings in recent weeks.

Interestingly enough, at all three Klaserie camps there were noteworthy sightings of hyena cubs frolicking just outside their den sites.

Chacma Bush Camp and Africa on Foot Wilderness Trails both operate within the Maseke Game Reserve, a reserve with a heavy presence of elephant herds. Chacma has, yet again, enjoyed plenty of elephant sightings in front of camp. It seems to be a theme at Chacma! The newly established Wilderness Trails have witness many unique wildlife sightings while traversing the undulating landscape on foot.

Ezulwini Game Lodges have been indulging in the spoils of their recent camera trap sightings, and sightings have included: leopard, honey badger, scrub hares and small nocturnal creatures. A young male lion was spotted resting under the Ezulwini River Lodge sign which provided the perfect photographic opportunity.

The Botswana camps continue to enjoy plenty of bird sightings, and the waterways of the Delta are always rich with wildlife.

After a brief catch up, we’d now like to share our latest slew of images courtesy of our rangers and photographers.

Africa on Foot Watches Wild Dogs Feasting on Pregnant Impala

The endangered African wild dog is a highly-skilled and successful carnivore that conducts precision based kills in packs. You’d be forgiven for thinking that these lithe mottled colour dogs are timid and adorable, given that they appear gregarious and ceremoniously playful in their demeanour . Looks, and sometimes social behaviour, can be deceiving. The rare African wild dog is a sleek predator, and rather brutal when they catch their quarry. The wild is the wild, and there’s no sugar-coating a kill!

Photographer Jochen and guests from Africa on Foot witnessed a wild dog feeding frenzy that was the direct result of a rather gruesome kill. Africa on Foot was one of the first to respond to a report of 6 wild dogs with a fresh kill. When they arrived, the dogs were heartily tucking into a pregnant impala, which was quite a macabre scene. Jochen said one of the dogs yanked out the oesophagus of the antelope with its powerful jaws, but the most horrific scene was when one of the youngsters casually yanked the foetus from the mother. A gruesome scene, but with such rapidly declining numbers of African wild dogs in the wild, it is vital that the dogs eat to ensure their survival.

While we didn’t witness the take down of the pregnant impala, we can only assume it must have been brutal. The dogs would have been engaging in playful behaviour and probably emitting a series of interesting vocalisations due to excitement overload. What ensued next was cruel mayhem, and a rather ruthless execution of an unsuspecting species. Did they know they would be getting two meals for the price of one?!

When the pack spots potential prey, they make no attempt to conceal themselves. The simply approach a entire herd and identify the weakest or slowest individual. In this case, it was a heavily pregnant impala – a vulnerable and an easy target. The dogs hunt using their eyesight, so will generally conduct kills during the light of day or if there’s plenty of moonlight at night.

When they’ve identified their quarry, they will rely on their stamina to tire out their prey, and the pack will then help to bring the prey down. The hunt starts off with a slow trot and escalates to a faster pace if their target puts up a chase. If the prey struggles to fall, the leader of the pack will slash the prey while on the run, until the pack catches up. They may even disembowel the prey while it’s still running, and this causes death via shock and blood loss.

A cruel way to find the perfect meal !

While it is phenomenal to watch a predator conduct a kill, at the same it’s heartbreaking. A kill always evokes mixed emotions from its onlookers. The blood-soaked dogs were well fed, but we said farewell to the possibility of new life due to enter into the Klaserie!

#CameraTrapTales : Leopard Walks Around Ezulwini Lodge

Christian and the team at Ezulwini Game Lodges strategically placed camera traps in high “wildlife” traffic areas close to the lodge. The results are always astounding, if not amusing. Over the past few months we’ve revealed a few stills from the camera traps, with astounding footage emerging from a bustling waterhole on our traverse. We shared the information and images pertaining to that period of time, and now we have a new slew of images from a camera trap placed in a high human traffic area!

After the delights from the waterhole camera trap, we carefully placed a camera in the pathway leading towards the entrance of Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge. Once again, we enjoyed a motley collection of sightings, a favourite being that of the elusive leopard. But before we analyse that sighting, let’s look at the species that revealed themselves in our hidden camera show.

There’s a civet – a large black and white stripe creature with a black fur mantel. Then there’s the large spotted genet cat, that could be confused for a civet if visibility isn’t great and it’s a fleeting sighting. The spotted genet is a solitary species that thrives on a diet of insects, amphibians and rodents. The civet is largely nocturnal, and much like the genet, live a solitary lifestyle. Both civets and genets will scavenge for food and can be opportunistic omnivores. Perhaps a reason why they were heading into lodge territory.

Then there was the honey badger. An industrious, headstrong and relentless species that fears nothing. Honey badgers are renown for waltzing into lodges after dark and breaking open doors, and fridges to access a free meal. Luckily, our lodge is well locked and guarded ! We weren’t surprised to see the badger at play. The diurnal species included a small duiker, sounder of warthog and a surprised scrub hare.

With so much activity of the smaller species around the periphery of the lodge, we’re not surprised one of our resident leopards came sniffing around. An abundance of prey will attract the master stalkers and predators of the bushveld, and this is exactly what happened with this leopard. Leopards will use the cover of darkness to patrol their turf and conduct expertly crafted hunts. Our local legend is the aqua marine eyed Chavaluthu, and although it’s tricky to sex the leopard in this image, judging from the slender frame it could well be one our graceful leopardesses.

Needless to say, the camera trap has revealed yet another bunch of surprises ! Keep reading our blog to get more #CameraTrapTales.

Week in Pictures : Friday the 13th is Just Another Day in the ‘Veld

Friday the 13th bears no meaning to our wildlife. For them, it’s just another day in the bushveld where one day becomes interlaced with the next, and the only focus is to eat, survive and reproduce. The simple life can often be a brutal one! This week has displayed its fair share of barbarity, with plenty of predator kills happening on our doorstep. This is the circle of the safari life, where endearing moments are meshed together with heartbreaking moments. And, as bystanders, we get to observe the beauty of the bush life unfolding before our eyes.

Our Botswana camps are the ones in the spotlight today – and with good reason. Our photographer spent time traversing the game rich areas of the Chobe National Park, the Kwatale Conservancy and the world-heritage site of the Okavango Delta. While staying at Camp Savuti and Camp Linyanti, there was an abundance of sightings of predators.

The Marsh Pride of lions was spotted on the Savuti Marsh, feeding their newborn cubs while a lone male was in the vicinity. Then there were rare wild dog sightings, a fleeting glimpse of a leopard and plenty of lechwe and Tssebe cantering through the wilderness. The sundowners, the birdlife and the pristine night skies are testament to the fact that Botswana is a top safari destination.

Africa on Foot’s newly launched sister product, the Africa on Foot Wilderness trails set out on Thursday for yet another exciting 3 day walking adventure through the Maseke Game Reserve. A highlight from nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot this week has been yet another sighting of the Ross Pride females – but not the Breakaways. These two lionesses are normally in the company of the Mbiri male coalition.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge enjoyed a rare sighting of White Dam’s male cub, scent marking and enjoying a quick sniff of the game viewer! Ezulwini Game Lodges set-up a camera trap in a high wildlife traffic area on a path that links to the lodge, and seems an elusive leopard emerged. The latest addition, Chacma opened its doors a few weeks ago, and the first guests enjoyed lion, buffalo and elephant sightings. The Maseke male lion coalition appears to be the pride to watch!

In the meantime, here are our images showcasing the beauty of Botswana and our latest camp, Chacma Bush Camp.

Photographs of Birds Spotted at Chacma Bush Camp

The Kruger habitat accommodates a complete smorgasbord of birder’s delights, and there are over 477 species of bird thriving in the diverse habitats of the Greater Kruger. There are commonly spotted birds seen in abundance, some of which include the lilac-breasted roller, the southern yellow-billed hornbill and the grey go-away bird – our very own warning signal for plains game.

Then there are the lifers and rare to spot birds such as the Pel’s fishing-owl and ground hornbill. Of course Africa’s largest flying bird, the kori bustard always dwells in these thickets. With the Olifants River meandering through sections of the Chacma Bush Camp traverse combined with the many waterholes dotted throughout, it provides the perfect habitat for water birds such as herons, storks, plovers, spoonbills, and sandpipers.

In front of camp there is a natural waterhole where you see massive flocks of hundreds of red-billed queleas that love nothing more than swarming the banks of the waterhole. There’s a resident brown-hooded kingfisher that sits on his perch and watches the area below for potential prey.

Because of all the predator activity you’ll see plenty of vulture species soaring in their kettles, circulating the air above kill sites. Of course, these are not the only carnivorous birds about. Bateleur eagles, brown snake eagles, harrier hawks, martial eagles and plenty of other raptors exist for your photographic pleasure.

Other commonly spotted birds include orioles, robins, chats, larks, cisticolas, and coucals. There are also plenty of woodland birds fluttering about, and of course land dwellers like ostriches.

Whether you are a lifer or a birder, the Maseke will provide ample birding opportunities to satisfy your plumage obsession.

Week in Pics : Purrfect Time to Spot Big Cats

The big cats are emerging from the thickets and appear to be oblivious to their curious onlookers. They’re strutting their stuff on dusty rugged roads, traversing open plains and conducting kills close to camp. After all, this is their domain, and we’re merely visitors with a keen eye for big cat antics. The change of season is upon us, which means we’re enjoying a spate of new behaviour within all of our reserves. Interestingly enough, the Sabi Sand, the Klaserie and the Balule reserves have all witnessed a spate of big cat sightings. Isn’t this just the purrfect time to spot big cats?

Let’s delve into the feline delights from our camps.

Xobega Island Camp in the Okavango Delta

We stray away from the big cat sightings to highlight the phenomenal birding happening in the waterways of the Delta at the moment. The Okavango Delta certainly delivers in terms of bird sightings, making it a prime destination for birders from all corners of the globe.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge Highlights

Word on the (wilderness) streets is that ranger Zanelle spotted 3 young male lions tucking into the remnants of an elephant carcass. Lions don’t normally take down elephants due to their colossal size, but being opportunistic feeders, they will pounce at any occasion to feast on a fallen giant. We can assume that the elephant died of natural causes, which meant a free take-out meal for the boys. Zanelle suspects the trio were the Tsalala males, but we have yet to confirm.

Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp Highlights

This week we saw the return of an old, powerful legend – one of the Trilogy male lions. His recent recruit, the Mafikizolo male was at his side. This powerful duo sauntered into the traverse and have moved off into the thickets, giving the Mbiri males a window to enter the traverse. The Ross Pride lionesses always provide us with an almost guaranteed lion sighting, which always delights guests. Another item that deserves mention, is that two cheetah were spotted this morning while on drive with Africa on Foot.

Chacma Bush Camp

Chacma Bush Camp is our new kid on the block, and this intimate camp lies on 8000ha of pristine, undulating wilderness in the Maseke Balule Nature Reserve. Not much is known about this area, because very few commercial lodges operate here. Chacma sees an abundance of elephants that visit the camp on a daily basis to drink from the waterhole in front of the swimming pool. We have just discovered the presence of 6 burgeoning young male lions that rule the land with vigour. They’ve been spotted on two kills and at one stage were patrolling their turf with intent. There appears to be a heavy presence of lions, which is always a good sign.

Meet The Maseke Male Lion Coalition

6 burgeoning young male lions were spotted cruising down the rocky gravel road in the Maseke Game Reserve. Their swag displayed a sense of youthful confidence and powerhouse of formidable strength. This appears to be their kingdom, and they rule it with a dominant attitude. Our Maseke lion sightings have only been of this male coalition, which begs the question – where are the females? Male lions normally seek our territory with a ready availability of food, water and females! Young males want to continue their bloodline and will seek females to conquer and prides to take over. Lionesses tend to stay in their natal prides for life, and may split-off into sub-groups.

In time, we are sure the lionesses in the area will emerge and seek out the coalition. We are enjoying the various Maseke male lion sightings, and in time we will establish their history. Our first sighting of the Maseke crew happened a few weeks when we noticed 6 of them strutting their stuff down the gravel road, scent marking their territory and contact calling. That was our first sighting, so we needed to establish if they were visiting, or if this was their kingdom. Then they were spotted again, just doing what lions do best – sleeping for up to 20 hours during the heat of the day, with not a care in the world. We can confirm that these lions belong in these thickets!

Shortly after the this sighting, 4 of the males were spotted tucking into a buffalo kill. We managed to spend over an hour with the coalition, watching the boys gorge themselves on their meaty meal. The following day, a large lone male was seen enjoying a bit of solitude with the kill. He seems to be older than his counterparts, and has a more prominent mane. A few days later in the early hours of morning, this same male was spotted replenishing his thirst on the banks of the waterhole.

The complex dynamics within lion prides continuously astounds and baffles biologists and rangers alike. Their behaviour is often textbook, but there are moments that contradict all that we know and understand about lions. Nothing is forever within lion prides, and pride behaviour is always shifting when male cubs come of age.

For now, we are enjoying regular sightings of these dominant kings, and seeing them on a kill was most certainly a highlight!

These Maseke male lions own the night. And the day. And the land!

The Landscape, Geology and Biome of the Maseke Reserve

Deep within the heart of the lesser-known and relatively unexplored Maseke Balule Game Reserve, lies the humble and intimate Chacma Bush Camp. This reserve is also home to the 3 day trail adventure courtesy of Africa on Foot Wilderness Trails. The landscape alone is fascinating and would most certainly leave David Livingstone wishing he’d conquered this sector of the Greater Kruger.

The reserve offers the perfect big five safari experience in 8000 hectares of undulating landscapes dotted with rocky outcrops, ancient Mica mines and caves, koppies, granite boulders, waterholes and a mighty river. The soil type gives rise to an interesting mix of flora, and as a result of the vegetation and contrasting geography of the immediate area, there dwells an interesting mix of animal species. The Maseke Game Reserve is a unique biome, and game drives provide every opportunity to explore these intrepid surrounds.

In terms of game viewing, the presence of wildlife is largely affect by access to water, vegetation and climate of the area. Below we’ve outlined the general landscape, geology and biome.

Vegetation

Soil types, rainfall and various other geographical factors influence the type of vegetation on a reserve. Maseke Reserve has low lying shrubbery, short dense grassland and highveld grasses. There’s an amphitheatre of low lying mopane trees, acacia trees and plenty of knobthorn scattered throughout. The neighbouring reserves tend to be flatter and sandier, but Maseke is rocky due to the river and geology of the area. Rock fig trees grow elegantly from the granite rocks, while Marula trees cascade over the river below.

Wildlife

Some of the world’s largest mammals are in their natural habitat here in the Maseke Game Reserve. There’s an abundance of elephant, and recently we’ve discovered a coalition of five male lions dominating the reserve. Other wildlife includes giraffe, hippo, buffalo, and rhino. Game drives lead to unforgettable sightings of these large species, in addition to general game, such as zebra, impala, kudu, gnu, waterbuck, bushbuck, duiker and steenbok. Nyala buck and elephant herds are frequent visitors to the camp itself. Leopard, hyena, cheetah, African wild dog, and the Nile crocodile are some of the prominent predators residing in the Kruger. Smaller predators include jackal, mongoose, civet, and genet and honey badger.

Birdlife

The Kruger habitat accommodates a complete smorgasbord of birder’s delights. Water birds such as herons, storks, plovers, spoonbills, and sandpipers are common along dam edges; kingfishers, orioles, robins, chats, larks, cisticolas, and coucals are some of the veld and woodland birds around; while birds of prey are seen and heard throughout the day.

Geography

The Maseke Game Reserve has a diverse geography, one laden with a variety of rock formations and dotted with undulating landscapes. The Maseke Game Reserve is fascinating from a geological aspect. Chacma’s traverse is dotted with koppies with neatly stacked granite boulders, intrusive dolerite dykes, and granite intrusions on the banks of the Olifants River which courses through the northern part of the traverse. You will also find a variety of metamorphic (gneiss), igneus and sedimentary rock formations, which provides the perfect conditions for the formation of the multi-layered mineral called Mica.

Ancient Mica mines are located a short drive from camp, and provided a narrow canyon with natural caves. These rocky outcrops and precipices are perfect for leopards, and other predators, to den their young. Don’t be surprised if you stumbled across small sheets of Mica and flecks of silver – these are the remnants of the Mica mine. Black granite, feldspar and quartzite are just a few examples of the types of rocks that form part the natural landscape.

You can expect diverse landscapes with plenty of waterholes, a mighty river, caves, hills and boulders which is the ideal habitat for a variety of game.

Week in Pictures : Change is Upon Us!

We ease into the weekend with a sense of excitement as another week in the bushveld comes to a delicate end. We are entering a new season, which means the weather patterns will begin to show their erratic moods. The colours of our landscape will slowly begin to shift into new hues, and wildlife behaviour will follow suit.

We’re in the full swing of spring, but the coming summer months will bring with it the rains, which will replenish the lands and lush vegetation will struggle and burst through the arid landscape. Across the board, wildlife sightings have not dwindled and we expect to see migratory birds returning to roost. Change in the bushveld always provides the promise of something exciting!

This week, in our “Week in Pictures”, sightings at nThambo Tree Camp, Umkumbe Safari Lodge and Africa on Foot have stood out. The Klaserie camps have enjoyed plenty of lion sightings. The Mbiri males have returned with their two females in tow, the Trilogy male lion has been spotted with his sidekick, the Mafikizolo male and the Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses continue to haunt the Klaserie traverse.

At Umkumbe Safari Lodge, male leopard Mxabene devoured his kill in the safety of a tree, while one of the Tsalala male lions appeared in a complete state of relaxation after a recent scuffle. The Tsalala male lions were actually spotted feasting on a buffalo kill while the Avoca lions were hovering around, waiting to steal their kill !

Here are a few of our favourite images from the week.

Week in Pics : A Bumper Edition

Last week we took a brief hiatus from our weekly portfolio of images, but this week we’re back with a bumper edition to right our wrongs of last week’s lack of “Week in Pics” delivery. Our reason? We were in the bushveld, monitoring lion prides and observing Pel’s fishing-owls. So yes, this week we’re due a catch-up!

Let’s kick-off Friday by paying homage to our rhino, a perfect time to create awareness given that it’s World Rhino Day today. Today we celebrate all five species of rhino – black, white, greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan rhinos. The black and white rhinos are the species we encounter in southern Africa. Head on over to their website to pledge your support and to see what you can do to help.

Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp

The highlight over the past few weeks has been the return of the lions. We enjoy consistent sightings of the Ross Pride Breakaway lionesses, but this week a different set of lions emerged from the thickets. The old Trilogy male lion returned, but this time with the Mafikizolo male. Two unknown males were also spotted in the area, adding a new dimension to our lion sightings. Bundu, the young male leopard continues to wow us with sightings in the Klaserie, and other big five sightings have been at an all time high.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

Ranger Geoffrey appeared to be in the right place at the right time – again. He managed to film the Tsalala lions with the Avoca lions having a scuffle over a recent buffalo kill. White Dam’s male cub was also spotted and so was firm favourite, Mxabene. Other than that, the Sabi Sand continues to tick over with sightings of species.

Ezulwini Game Lodges

While out on morning game drive rangers stumbled across the two Machaton male lions snoozing in the early morning light. Their stomachs were full – a clear indicator that they’ve enjoyed a recent kill. The Machatons are still causing the Mohlabetsi boys to go on the run, and have even taken to causing a stir with dominant lions in neighbouring reserves. The Machatons are young males in search of territory – they will stop at nothing! The elephants have been frequenting the skywalk at Billy’s and taking to enjoying the readily available sources of water. Guests have enjoyed observing the elephants frolicking in the mud – quite a sight to behold.