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The Week in Pictures: Best in Show

This week, it’s photography’s Best in Show from our safari camps in the Greater Kruger Park and Botswana. With so much to see and everywhere to look, it doesn’t take a lot for the Average Jo to recognise the natural beauty that abounds in regions like the Okavango Delta, the Olifants River, the vast Klaserie, and the Sabi Sand, but it takes something special to capture moments on camera that evoke wonder and amazement from the audience. These are our picks for this edition of the Week in Pictures.

The Klaserie’s treehouse-inspired safari lodge has hosted weddings and honeymoons in simple elegance, and with the essence of the bush in every detail. nThambo Tree Camp conducts Big 5 game drives and guests have come to expect encounters with lions and elephants almost every day. Aside from the big beasts of the wild, there are smaller members of the bush to note, like this African scops owl feeding on a spider, and a little bee-eater basking brightly in the sunlight. The big and bulky hippopotamus is far from small, but somewhat overlooked as it mostly stays submerged in the water. This one, however, emerged with a splash!

In the wilderness that is Botswana, Afrika Ecco Safaris delves deepest. From the most recently appointed World Heritage Site – the inimitable Okavango Delta – to the phenomenal wild land of Moremi Game Reserve; this mobile camping operation offers some fantastic photographic opportunities. The stark landscape of Makgadikgadi Pans, and the lush Green Desert of the Central Kalahari in summer add to the list of destinations that Afrika Ecco explores by road, by river, and on foot. This week, our selection of Best in Show are these shots of an elephant in the Okavango reed bed, a herd of impala clustered together at sunset in Moremi, and a spotted hyena hot on a trail of something tasty.

On the open border of the Kruger National Park and possessing a long stretch of the Olifants River is the Balule Nature Reserve. Within these boundaries lie Ezulwini Game Lodges, two luxury locations for a safari holiday that will leave you overflowing with wild inspiration. The diversity of this reserve hosts a variety of wildlife from the greatest of all eagles, to the smallest of the tallest mammals, while the tranquil presence of the river offers the perfect platform for a pink sunset.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge in the prestigious Sabi Sand – Greater Kruger’s most well known safari destination – produces some of the best leopard sightings in South Africa. There’s no secret about that. This private Kruger Reserve is part of ancient history, and here in the midst of big cat paradise lies Umkumbe Safari Lodge. Many safari guides are inspired by their wild environments and pick up the hobby of photography. And why not? The subjects are some of the earth’s most sought after creatures, and this is an opportunity to watch and record them in their beautiful, natural habitat. These shots of a Charleston Male lion, a leopard called Mahlatini, and a herd of dangerous buffalo were shot by Umkumbe guides, taking their experience in the bush to the next level.

Africa on Foot‘s modest position in the vast Klaserie Game Reserve makes it one of the wildest places to go on safari. With unfenced perimeters and a treehouse out in the open, this is where an experience with the wild world comes alive. Early morning walking safaris and evening game drives in the private big 5 reserve result in some of the most quality game encounters one could wish for. The changing season is transforming the thirsty bushveld, bringing the water-loving leopard tortoise out into the open, and framing even the wartiest warthog rather beautifully.

Can You Take a Better Safari Selfie Than These Guests?

If you answered “yes”, then you need to hurry up and enter our #SafariSelfieSunDestinations social media competition. By entering you stand a chance to WIN a 6 night safari at 3 of our camps in the Kruger. The camps are: Umkumbe Safari Lodge in Sabi Sand, Africa on Foot in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve and nThambo Tree Camp in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve.

The competition is easy – simply upload a maximum of 3 selfies to your personal Twitter or Instagram account and #SafariSelfieSunDestinations. There is one rule though – your selfies MUST be taken at one of the Sun Destination’s camps.

Click here for a full description of the #SafariSelfieSunDestinations safari competition guidelines.

Here are all of the entires into our fabulous competition. Ask yourself this question – CAN YOU TAKE A BETTER SELFIE THAN THESE GUESTS?

nThambo Guests Get Close to a Relaxed Elephant Bull

An elephant, the gentle jumbo of the animal world. So emotional, yet fiercely protective and tough; they’re one of Africa’s most revered species often associated with wisdom. Elephants have the innate ability to express grief, humour, co-operation, playfulness and compassion. Their brains comprise a series of complex folds, more so than other land animals, which is a major factor in their intelligence. Seeing them interacting within their herds in their natural habitat and expressing their hybrid of emotions is quite an experience.

When rangers notice an elephant herd, they will often stop to watch the expressive antics. Guests from nThambo Tree Camp watched a lone bull drinking from the dam for about 10 minutes. Trackers and rangers believe he was following a herd – there were fresh tracks around the dam. This makes sense because males are solitary creatures who move from herd to herd. Elephant cows live together in herd harmony and are led by the most experienced matriarch. There are normally about 10 individuals in a herd and together they will source food and raise their young.

According to the WWF, the conservation status of the African elephant is “vulnerable”, which is why we celebrate and express gratitude for elephant sightings in the wild !

Leopard Chavaluthu Feasts in a Tree

When you’re lucky, you’re lucky! The gorgeous blue-eyed leopard Chavaluthu (“afraid of nothing”) has been seen at Ezulwini over consecutive game drives, offering guests the great fortune of up close and unforgettable leopard viewing. This male leopard has been around for many years – past guests remember interactions with him back in the day – and still parades his territory with deserved confidence.

Chavaluthu killed an impala and was seen yesterday morning tucking in to his well earned meal, then again yesterday afternoon, guests saw him leaping effortlessly into a tree where he had stashed the remains of his kill. Leopards will frequently hide the carcasses of their kills in hard-to-reach places to protect them from scavenging predators like lions and hyenas. We know of lions climbing trees to steal from leopards, so this doesn’t always work out! Luckily for Chavaluthu, his impala stayed safe and he was able to return to it in the evening.

Leopards, like all other predators, will try and tear every last mouthful off their carcasses before abandoning the bones for the jackals and vultures, but rarely finish their kill in one sitting. Lions will lie, belly-up and fast asleep in the shade near their carcass in between feeding times, and leopards (being no match for lions, or even hyenas) will try and hide their kill before going off to sleep in between meal times.

Chavaluthu must have done just this after he finished feeding yesterday morning, and decided it was time to feast once again just as Ezulwini guests arrived on the scene! Great timing to watch this incredible leopard walk straight passed the vehicle, yawn and stretch on the ground, flash those blue-eyed good looks, and leap into the tree to continue feeding.

Marius Zeilinga’s Wildlife Images from Umkumbe

Game rangers are surrounded by a wealth of wildlife and kaleidoscope of colours on a daily basis. They guys in khaki witness the most incredible interactions between animals and are hugged by endless landscapes while out on game drives. Trackers and rangers spend a large part of their day observing, tracking and studying animal behaviour. Having the knowledge about animal instincts allows rangers to, on occasion, predict upcoming behaviour which means plenty of incredible photographs! Of course, the wild being the wild, means that there is always an air of unpredictability and a bit of pot luck when it comes to sightings.

There are moments in Africa begging to captured on camera, to be shared and celebrated. And this is exactly what Marius Zeilinga from Umkumbe Safari Lodge has done. He whipped out his lens and framed life in the Sabi Sand for us.

Here is his collection, a world of wildlife seen through his creative eye.

Sabi Sand Leopards

The Bicycle Crossing male is a playful leopard who is seen on occasion while out on game drive. A few months back he came right up the lodge but hasn’t been spotted in recent weeks. Here Bicycle Crossing takes on the role of the quirky leopard – look at his tongue.

Mxabene, the dominant male of the Umkumbe traverse, was seen scent marking. He seemed determined to mark anything in his way and wasn’t stopping for anything en route to his destination.

Big Five, Cats, Dogs, Plains Game and Birds!

A huge herd of buffalo were seen at the waterhole close to the lodge. The Cape buffalo requires a habitat rich in grass, shade and water. They need to drink twice a day – find a waterhole, find buffalo!

Somewhere in the wilderness a lone male cheetah was spotted marking his territory and napping in between. Out of the thickets emerged an unidentified pack of wild dogs who put on quite a show for guests! After devouring a recent kill, the dogs decided to play rough-and-tumble close to the side of the vehicle.

Next up was the sighting of the majestic Verreaux’s eagle-owl, who has a rather varied diet and will eat anything. The owl happened to be enjoying morsels from a recent snake kill.

And then of course, there was an adorable zebra foal caught on camera!

Sabi Sand Lions: Charleston Male with Southern Pride Females

One of the Charleston male lions was seen with the Southern pride lionesses. They had just returned from a buffalo kill south of the Umkumbe boundary and were trailing another huge herd of buffalo. The second Charleston male was nowhere to be seen.

A Sunset in Paradise at Ezulwini

The Balule Nature Reserve is special for many reasons, not least of all its diverse terrain of rocky outcrops, the burgeoning Olifants River, thorny thickets, and sandy drainage lines. Ezulwini River Lodge boasts a prime position in this 40 000 hectare private nature reserve, built amid fig and mahogany trees on the luscious banks of the Olifants River.

There is plenty to feast your eyes on from the numerous viewing points around the lodge, but Ezulwini takes its sunsets very seriously, and built a rustic, elevated viewing deck purely for the complete appreciation of the Golden Hour. About 10 minutes’ drive from River Lodge, up a rocky slope through the bush, you arrive at Paradise Camp: Ezulwini’s private location designed for the ultimate sundowners.

On special occasions or by prior arrangement, guests at River Lodge can end their afternoon game drive at this epic location, just in time to watch the sun sink below the horizon and spread its light through the sky. Paradise at Ezulwini, as it has become known, is the epic vantage point from which to see the expansive Balule Nature Reserve at the most beautiful time of day.

The perspective gained after seeing the reserve from this angle is astonishing. The sheer size of the bush makes your existence in it seem minuscule. The thick growth of trees houses a variety of birds, snakes, bush babies, and big cats. Not even the elegant head of a giraffe, or the Africa-shaped ears of elephants emerge through the vegetation; just the green landscape stretching as far as the eye can see.

When your gaze meets the horizon, the Drakensberg Mountains rise into the lava-like sky creating an uneven edge to the otherwise flat shape of the earth. It’s a magnificent spot to oversee the surroundings in their entirety, to snack on fruit and cheese platters, sip on wine, and watch the day fade away. Paradise Deck sundowners is an exceptional addition to a special-order safari at Ezulwini.

Ezulwini’s Top 3 Videos of the Week

Safari, meaning journey in Swahili is the ultimate kind of holiday. Getting in touch with nature, spotting rare beasts in wild Africa and evenings spent enjoying traditional meals around a campfire helps us get in touch with our roots. Obviously, we like to inject a bit of modernism into each safari, which is why Ezulwini offers added value activities such as wine tasting!

Laurence Saad, owner of Ezulwini Game Lodges, decided to add that something extra to a safari. He built a wine cellar resembling a small cave. The entire cellar is built from natural rock and provides a truly intimate setting for an exclusive wine tasting session. Upon arrangement, guests can enjoy an evening of wine tasting with Laurence, who will chat about the history of the Balule and let you in on a few interesting facts about wine. We love this video because it highlights the “other” side of a safari.

Wine Tasting on Safari

York Pride of Lions

We love this video of the York Pride of lions because our pride sightings are normally dominated by the Olifants West Pride of lions and the River Pride of lions. The York Pride is 13 members strong and is led by a huge, intimidating male. Mira’s video pans in on a few fantastic close-ups of our revered king of the jungle!

Elephants Taking a Dust Bath

There comes a time on safari when you just sit back and marvel at the wonderment that lies in front of you. This video highlights one of those rare moments on safari when you become immersed in watching one of the big five interact. This breeding herd of elephants soaked themselves with water then sprayed dust onto their hide to create a layer of mud. Mud acts as a natural sun screen for our gentle jumbos and also cools them down. Look at how close the elephants are to the game vehicle. Posing no threat, the curious herd decided to go about their daily business!

Week in Pictures: A Dip into Our Astounding Archives

This week we’ve delved into the archives to showcase a few of our favourite images through the ages. The old adage of history repeating itself certainly rings true with our sightings – lions are still ambushing unsuspecting impala, leopards are still aloof, bush babies still look Bambi in the headlights and lone dagga boys are still sulking in the shrubbery. For today’s week in pictures we’ve incorporated historically classic images with a splattering of new images, just to shake things up and create the ultimate melting pot of wildlife images for your viewing pleasure.

Ezulwini River Lodge and Ezulwini Billy’s Lodge

The elephants herds have enjoyed a party at both lodges and have literally littered the area with their presence! It’s that time of year when the temperatures begin to rise, which means there are plenty of elephant mud baths happening. Elephants cover themselves in mud because it serves as protection from the sun and cools their body temperature. With scorching heat, a mud bath seems to be a fantastic idea. Just the other day a huge herd approached the walkway at Ezulwini River Lodge and put on quite a show for guests.

The York Pride, Olifants West Pride and River Pride of lions have all been out on the prowl. Every couple of days the team spots a pride of lazy lions cooling off under a canopy of trees somewhere. We hope you enjoy the Ezulwini pictures from this week – just another average day in the Balule Nature Reserve!

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

This week the Umkumbe team have had a brief sighting of Mxabene, the dominant male leopard of the area. He seems to be patrolling regions in both the north and south of the reserve; and was last seen with newcomer Tatowa on an impala kill. White Dam and her cub made a quick appearance for guests but darted away before you could shout “Panthera Pardus”. The male cub wasn’t present but could have been hiding in a drainage line somewhere.

This week, to celebrate the beauty of game viewing at Umkumbe Safari Lodge, we’ve tucked into our archives. Below are a few of our classic and memorable moments from the past couple of months!

nDzuti Safari Camp

nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot

Over the past few days, Africa on Foot has had an abundance of mammals, critters and plains game. Jacques managed to photograph a tower of giraffe drinking from the pan. It’s always a rare sighting – drinking puts plenty of strain on a giraffe’s body and they don’t need to drink often. They gain most of their moisture from their diet of succulent leaves.

We’ve also included a few of our favourite sightings through the ages to highlight the incredible game viewing opportunities at both Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp! And the honey badger? Well yes, they’re approaching camp territory yet again!

Top 5 Reasons to Stay at nThambo Tree Camp

nThambo Tree Camp is located in the heart of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve and is home to the big five and other mammals. The bio-diversity of the area allows for a vast array of wildlife, which means there are always ample game viewing opportunities. From pearl-spotted owlets to predator kills and plains game giving birth; nThambo certainly is a place to “write home about”. Coupled with the exceptional game viewing, the actual lodge offers a unique place to stay. A secret, intimate hideaway with an adventurous twist. Welcome to nThambo Tree Camp!

Here are our top 5 reasons to stay at nThambo Tree Camp:

1. You get to sleep in a wooden chalet on stilts in an open camp

Five wooden chalets on silts surround a small waterhole and main lodge area. Each chalet is designed to emulate a wooden treehouse and each treehouse contains a private balcony which overlooks the Klaserie framed by the Drakensberg mountain range in the distance.

Treehouses are eye-line with the trees, giving you an incredible birds-eye view of the landscape. The camp is open which means hyenas will dart under your chalet in the dead of night and elephant herds will keep you awake with the gentle grumbling of their stomach. Staying in a treehouse will make you feel like a kid again – only this time you will be surrounded by modern luxuries in your chalet.

2. nThambo is an eco-friendly camp adhering to green guidelines

nThambo Tree Camp has balanced the art of being eco-friendly and luxurious at the same time. It’s the ideal destination for eco-warriors and those who are eager to improve their carbon footprint. The aim of the team at nThambo is to intentionally adhere to green guidelines so that guests can stay in a camp that is energy-efficient and non-toxic. nThambo recycles, makes use of solar power, grey water & waste water and non-toxic cleaning products. The camp is non-permanent which means that if it needs to be moved, within a year no traces will remain of there ever being a safari lodge in the location.

3. Located in an uncrowded big five private game reserve in the Kruger

The Klaserie Private Nature Reserve shares unfenced borders with the Timbavati Game Reserve and the Kruger National Park. This means that big five and other animals can roam freely throughout. The Klaserie is less commercial than other reserves, which means there are less vehicles and people. The reserve offers unparalleled game viewing opportunities.

4. This is the place where elephants drink from the swimming pool

During the dry months elephants will seek out available any water sources. The swimming pool at nThambo Tree Camp offers a clean, fresh perennial source of water and attracts plenty of breeding herds of elephants. If you’re lucky enough, you’ll catch a glimpse of the herds flocking to pool.

5. Professional rangers, trackers and lodge staff

The key to any successful safari is the atmosphere. After all, safari in Swahili means journey. And friendly lodge staff, affable rangers and humorous trackers all become a part of your personal African journey. The nThambo team will often arrange a traditional bush braai (barbecue) or bush breakfast in a secret location. Authentic South African cuisine is served and guests dine together with their ranger. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed; but always professional. Trackers help rangers with identifying possible locations of wildlife and they generally work together as a team. Isaac and Matt are quite a team!