Arathusa Safari Lodge blog

Monday

The week got off to a fairly quiet start, with us finding only three buffalo bulls to begin with. We persevered though, and our efforts paid off when we eventually came across Mvula resting next to the road. After a while he got up and wandered around in a thick dry riverbed, affording first time safari goers a unique look at this often elusive cat.

Things heated up nicely in the afternoon. We had three different rhino bull sightings and one of a buffalo bull. The four Styx lionesses were out and about with their five cubs, so we spent a nice amount of time watching them. From there we headed east, arriving just in time to see the two male cheetahs making their way towards the Kruger National Park boundary. On our way back to the lodge we ran into Mvula again, this time at a small watering hole.

Tuesday

We awoke to a fine drizzle this morning, although it did nothing to dampen our spirits. We were intent on finding the Styx pride again, and we weren’t about to let a bit of wet weather deter us. We found the big elephant bull that’s been hanging around the lodge recently on our driveway, and as soon as he gave way we set off on our quest to relocate yesterday’s lions. On the way we came across a big rhino bull grazing lazily alongside the road. We left the big guy to himself, and pretty soon found the lion tracks we’d been hoping for. A call came in saying that one of the females had been seen moving north, but in the meantime we’d discovered more tracks leading south. We immediately set off on foot to follow up, not realizing that the lioness had since turned around and was heading straight back towards us. The strong smell of a recent kill permeated the air, and before long we got wind of the lions. We quickly returned to the waiting guests to relay the exciting news. We were able to get a lot closer to the sighting in the vehicle, and saw the four Styx lionesses and their five cubs all together on a buffalo kill. It was quite something to watch, as the youngest cub actually climbed right inside the carcass to feed. Each time it emerged covered in blood, its mom would give it a thorough going over.

In the afternoon we returned to the buffalo carcass to see what was going on. We arrived in the area to find fresh leopard tracks and decided to follow up. It was too risky to follow up on foot as we’d run into a breeding herd of elephants, so we decided that since they were there we might as well enjoy them, figuring we could always follow up on the leopard later. The herd was feeding amiably right next to our vehicle, when much to our amazement the leopard we’d been tracking popped out inbetween the elephants and casually moved past them, before disappearing into the bush. It turned out to be Ntima, and we’re pleassed to report that she is looking much better after her recent mating sessions with the unknown ‘orange eyed’ male. The wound in her neck is healing well too. When we eventually arrived at the lions they were all dead to the world, their bellies full to bursting from their morning of feasting. The drive ended with an impressive 16 buffalo and three rhinos all together at the same waterhole, which made for some interesting interaction.

Wednesday

Keen to see if there was anything left of it, we decided to make the Styx pride’s buffalo kill our first port of call this morning. En route to the east we saw a fair amount of general game in the form of giraffe, impala and kudus. We even spotted a few migrant raptors, including the Wahlsberg eagle, which hails from east Africa and sometimes as far as the Middle East. Instead of the expected Styx pride, we came across the young Nkahuma lion male, and he was looking decidedly ‘short-changed’. He’d obviously chased the Styx females and their youngsters off so that he could grab himself a free meal, but all that was left on the carcass was a few shreds of meat and skin. We eventually found the Styx pride a few hundred meters south of the kill. They were all passed out on their backs, breathing heavily as a result of their over-stuffed stomachs. They spent the entire day in some shade close to a waterhole, so they could quench their thirst without having to move too far. We saw three rhinos not too far from them, and that evening we came across Mafufunyane’s nemesis, the unidentified young male with the haunting eyes. While most leopards have characteristically greenish-blue eyes, this guy’s are a strange orange colour. He is a photographer’s dream, and we are looking forward to seeing more of him. Something that will probably happen sooner rather than later, as Mafufunyane appears to have lost his grip on all of his old territories.

Thursday

This morning we found the four Styx lionesses and their cubs again. We were happy to see that the dark maned Majingilane male had since joined them, and they were all resting peacefully together. We also saw a group of three rhinos, and a massive elephant bull was loitering at our dam.

In the afternoon we saw a lone elephant bull at the airstrip, and later on ran into a rhino bull, followed by a group of four rhinos. Next we went looking for the lions, and found all of them resting in the same area as this morning. Shortly before sunset we found Jordaan. He was more relaxed than usual, and even allowed us to watch as he drank from a small pool of water. We left him to himself when he went into a dense thicket for a snooze.

Friday

This morning our ‘resident’ elephant bull was hanging around the waterhole again. What a great way to start the morning. We headed to the east next, and found one of the Majingilane male lions with one of the Styx lionesses. The pair was close to where the rest of the pride had been yesterday, and paid us no attention whatsoever. A call then came through on the radio that there were 18 Wild dogs not far east from where we were. The sighting was fairly brief as the pack was moving north at a pace, but it was great to see them again nonetheless. On leaving them we found the Styx pride and their cubs playing lazily with each other close to our southern boundary.

Our elephant bull was still at the waterhole this afternoon. Ntima was scent marking her territory south of the airstrip, and four rhinos and fifteen buffalo bulls were all grazing together in a large open area. The size difference between these two species, as well as how peaceful they are in each other’s company, is quite something to behold. The lions were still in the same place we’d left them this morning, and we were fortunate enough to have the Majingilane male roar right next to our vehicle.

Saturday

The morning dawned wet and overcast, so sightings were few and far between to begin with, although things picked up when we discovered Ntima strutting her stuff along a game path. At this time of year there are impala lambs everywhere, so when a predator spots a herd of impala it will immediately go into stealth mode and try to sneak closer to its prey. But on this particularly wet morning, Ntima paid them (or anything else for that matter) no heed. Instead she seemed content to just casually scent mark her territory. The birdlife was prolific as always. We saw many European bee-eaters, Blue waxbills, and a rare Saddle-billed stork, which was a real treat. Even the non-birding folk were impressed by its stately presence! We found the Styx lioness and her beau, the Majingilane male, on the Wessels’ property, and we actually got to see the pair mating. This is always very special to see. We’d heard that a large obstinacy of Cape buffalo were on their way from the west, so we set off to find them. Unfortunately they turned north out of our traversing areas before we were able to get a good look at to them. We did get to see two massive bulls trailing the herd at a distance however, that is until they spotted a small dam and decided to relax in the mud for a while. Mvula showed face yet again. He’d killed a duiker and hoisted it up a Jackalberry tree situated in a breathtakingly beautiful riverine section, so we were all treated to a magnificent leopard sighting bathed in golden sunlight. Wow! We’re hoping that this beautiful male will decide to settle into his new territory. We also saw a trio of rhinos, as well as a large elephant that was quite close to the lodge. What a day!

Sunday

In complete contrast to yesterday morning, which was wet and relatively quiet, today was jam-packed with amazing sightings! In the morning we picked up tracks of a territorial rhino bull. They followed a muddy game drive road and then went through the wet grass, so locating this large pachyderm wasn’t difficult. We also found three elephant bulls grazing on soft wet grass close to our airstrip. A group of 10 buffalo bulls stared intently at us, as they enjoyed the cool fresh air that had arrived with the rains. The Styx lionesses were also lazing about, while their cubs spent their time play fighting and stalking, much to the guests’ deight. The Majingilane male took no notice of the gamboling youngsters, and instead just flopped on down on his side and fell fast asleep. The higlight of the day was seeing the newly territorial Thandi casually going about her evening, scent marking her territory. Inbetween taking photos of this princess leopard, guests had to vigilently dodge branches as Thandi followed a path of incredibly dense foliage laced with Green thorn trees and Large-fruited bushwillows. All in all an amazing end to the week.

And that brings to an end yet another spectacular week…and year! While it will be business as usual up at the lodge, the editing team is taking a breather until the New Year. You can look forward to your next update on Monday the 9th of January. Remember to visit our Facebook and Flickr albums to see more photos from our game drives.

Until next time,

The Arathusa Team