His warm brown eyes punctuate the crisp air of the surrounding bushveld, offering many pensive and reflective moments of a life well-lived in the backyard of Africa. He is a quiet man with a mischievous demeanour and expert knowledge of wildlife. Some of his tales are best left untold, while others are moments to be shared around crackling campfires….
Whether it’s powerful matriarchs governing intelligent herds of elephant, protective lionesses hovering over their birth pride or motherly leopardesses teaching cubs the artful skill of conducting kills; one thing is undeniable in the bushveld – the feminine energy is powerful and often a force to be reckoned with. Lionesses are a powerhouse of maternal instinct, stealth…
Two nights ago we introduced our guests to the much anticipated and talked about “Bush Bar, located deep within the thickets of the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve. When guests arrived at our sublime and carefully selected spot, hearty laughter and exclamations of delight could be heard reverberating through the land. Plenty of pomp and ceremony ensued while guests swilled…
There are times when you’re navigating the arid landscape and there’s nothing in sight except the flurry of turquoise wings from lilac-breasted rollers and the nervous scuttle of impala. As the vehicle twists and turns on the network of sandy roads with not a predator in sight, you wonder if all that’s on the horizon…
Lion pride dynamics in any reserve are always shifting and changing with the wind – nothing is ever cast in stone, which is why we can never become emotionally attached to local prides. Prides splinter, lionesses stick together and once strong kings are ousted when the testosterone fuelled sub-adults seek to take over. Sounds complicated?…
The endless striking hues of the bushveld creates a palette of colour that leaves you yearning for more of the safari lifestyle. Languid days are spent exploring the sometimes arid and occasionally lush bushveld, while nights are spent huddled around campfires under star spangled skies. Angles, texture, reflections, depth and moods can all be captured…
Charcoal skies dotted with glimmering crystal stars hover over the mysterious landscape below, casting a sense of peace and solitude to all those gazing into the abyss above. The eerie stillness and absolute silence of the surrounding bushveld instills a sense of wonder into the those who have a kinship with nature. And for those…
We are in the quarter-year holiday phase (already!) and it looks like the bush is in as high spirits as we are about it. The long Easter weekend produced some serious excitement, and game drives at nThambo Tree Camp and Africa on Foot were filled with mud-loving elephants, sneaking leopards, sister lionesses, sunlit buffalo herds, and…
The start of May signifies the end of the impala rut. Rams are exhausted from mating and they roam the bushveld with waning stamina and little emotional energy. They become weak and vulnerable prey for predators and an easy take-out meal for eager carnivores. Co-indecently, the beginning of May is also the start of the…
The soft light of the Klaserie bushveld floods the landscape with golden hues and creates a gentle, surreal atmosphere; enamouring onlookers with its ethereal golden glow. Smothering the colourful landscape below with its pastel colours, this is the time of day that heightens our feelings, softens the senses and ultimately gives the bushveld a romantic hazy…