Arathusa Safari Lodge blog

Sunday

What a start to the week! We kicked off the morning drive with the pack of nine Wild dogs. This fantastic sighting was quickly followed by an equally amazing one of impala running, stotting, and jumping to incredible heights in order to avoid becoming breakfast! All of this took place on the open area right in front of the lodge, in full view of the 17 hippos hanging out in the dam. It was helter skelter as the predators chased their prey all over the show, eventually catching a young impala. This settled them down for all of 10 minutes, before they went tearing off again.

After an hour of this adrenalin-pumping action we continued on our way. We came across two buffalo bulls lying in a small waterhole not far from where the impala kill had taken place, and then we enjoyed a really nice sighting of the two Kahuma male lions on a firebreak in the northern sectors, where the pair was grooming one another in the morning sunshine. On our way back we came across the Wild dogs still in front of the lodge, resting up after their intense morning.

In the afternoon we went in search of elephants. We received word of  a small herd in the western sectors, so we headed off to see if we could find them. We arrived in time to see three massive elephant bulls work together to pull down a large Marula tree, which they then fed on for some time. One of the bulls was in musth and displayed a distinct dislike for one of the other males, who eventually moved off to feed elsewhere. The antagonist was clearly the heavyweight of the three, and the obvious favourite should a fight have broken out. Fortunately things ended peacefully, as the elephant in musth relaxed considerably as soon as the other bull moved off.

We came across the Styx pride in the eastern sectors, and watched as the cubs played in the cool evening. A little further along we found two rhinos grazing contentedly on the nutrient rich summer grass, and on our way back to the lodge we bumped into two large buffalo bulls ambling casually across our airstrip. What a way to end a fantastic day’s game viewing.

Monday

This morning got off to a great start when we found the four Styx lionesses and their five cubs to the east of the lodge. Even at a distance it was clear that their bellies were full. After leaving them we headed west and came across Ntima and the ‘orange-eyed’ male leopard walking along together. We were lucky enough see the couple mate briefly, before they disappeared into some thick bush where we couldn’t follow.

A call then came through on the radio that there were Wild dogs west of the lodge. There was no way we were going to miss out on that sighting, so we headed off at a clip to see if we could find them. We arrived to find that the pack had chased Salayexe into a tree and were harassing her from below. After a while the dogs lost interest, and as soon as they moved off the female leopard hurried down the tree and hightailed it out of the area.

The plan for the afternoon was to find some elephants, and as luck would have it there was a herd playing in a waterhole north of the lodge. It is always a real treat to see the calves enjoying the water as much as they do. We then decided to head east and see if we could relocate the two leopards from this morning. On our way there we came across two old buffalo bulls lazing in some water in a bid to cool down. They kept dunking their noses in the water to get rid of the flies that were plagueing them. Continuing on from there, fresh rhino tracks led us to find four rhinos sleeping in a nearby wallow. We then decided to stop for sundowners before continuing our search for Ntima and her new beau.

When we found Ntima and Kwatile, they were both trying to curry favour with the ‘orange-eyed’ male. We watched as the two performed a whole song and dance for him, but he wasn’t all that interested. Although the females stayed well clear of one another, that didn’t stop them from hissing, spitting and growling their displeasure at the other’s presence.

Tuesday

This morning we discovered a brand new hyena den close to the lodge. When we first got there two large females were resting around a termite mound, so we waited to see if there were any little ones in the vicinity. After quite some time a tiny black head popped out of one of the holes. The little guy eventually decided that it was safe and came out to join his mother. We watched for a while, but when the baby went back inside we decided to move on and leave the hyenas to themselves. The only other sighting for the morning was of the two Kahuma male lions. The boys had travelled a fair distance during the night, so by the time we got to them they were both fast asleep.

Three rhinos were wallowing in a pan close to the lodge this afternoon, and a little while later two buffalo bulls arrived in the area as well. The bovines weren’t all that thrilled at the idea of sharing the water with the rhino however, and only came closer once the other herbivores had moved off. We spent the remainder of the afternoon with a large herd of about 60 elephants, all of whom were extremely relaxed. With everything from large bulls to tiny calves, it was a truly remarkable sighting to take in. After drinks we bumped into Nduna, one of our young male leopards, but unfortunately we weren’t able to stay with him for very long as he soon cut into some impenetrable vegetation.

Wednesday

This morning we found three of the Styx lionesses walking with intent along a road. There were no cubs in sight either, which meant the females were definitely on the prowl. On leaving them we followed up on some Vervet monkeys that were alarm-calling, and found Mvula walking along the road marking his territory. He eventually moved off into some thick brush, leaving us to continue our drive. We came across some very fresh rhino tracks, which led us to a horned trio feeding on a small open area just meters from the vehicle.

It was extremely hot when we set out this afternoon, so we decided to drive from waterhole to waterhole to see what we could find. Our efforts paid off when we arrived to find four buffalo bulls wallowing in the water. Francolins alarm-calling then alterted us to Nduna, who was also making his way towards the waterhole. We moved on from there to follow up on the Styx females from this morning. They were all fast asleep though, so we didn’t stay with them for long.

Thursday

After following his tracks this morning, we found Jordaan drinking at a small dam. He then disappeared into a thicket behind the dam wall, but we outsmarted him by looping around to find him drinking at a muddy pool. Karol’s two cubs were playing around another dam in the north. The curious young male ventured alarmingly close to a small crocodile in the water.

On our afternoon drive we found a group of elephants at a muddy pool. One female proceeded to spray herself with mud very close to the vehicle. She was so vigorous in her efforts that some of the guests got splattered in the process. We then went north again, where we found Karula with her cubs. We followed them for a long time as they played and made their way towards the northern boundary.

Friday

Things took some time to get going this morning, but we eventually found three rhinos resting in one of the drainage lines. Other than that, all we managed was a quick glimpse of Mvula before he disappeared into an area where we could not follow.

This afternoon was quiet in terms of cats, although the abundance of herbivores more than made up for the lack of perdators. We came across rhino, buffalo and elephants hanging around the waterholes, where they were drinking and wallowing to cool off.

Saturday

This morning we found some rhino tracks, which led us to a rhino cow and her calf drinking water at a mud wallow. A big bull was harassing the female, but she just kept snorting at him to show him that he wasn’t welcome. While we were watching the rhinos we heard some buffalo and decided to follow up. We didn’t have to go very far before we found ten buffalo bulls walking towards the same mud wallows that we’d just came from. We then returned to the waterhole and watched as they enjoyed a good soak.

Later we found Thandi and her cub in a tree with a kill. The sighting wasn’t all that great when we first got there, but then the cub dragged the carcass to a different tree before disappering into some thickets. Mom wasn’t at all fazed by her offspring’s shenanigans however, preferring instead to have a nap alongside our vehicle.

This afternoon was hot, so we decided to check the waterholes again. They didn’t disappoint either. Three buffalo bulls and three rhinos were all wallowing together at the same waterhole, so we spent a long time watching them enjoy the coolness of the water and mud on their backs. We ended our drive with Thandi and her cub, who were posing on a termite mound. What a great afternoon.

And that brings to an end yet another spectacular week! Remember to visit our Facebook and Flickr albums to see more photos from our game drives.

Until next time,

The Arathusa Team