What keeps people coming back to the bush is this: Every drive has the potential to be mind-blowing and you never know what to expect.
The reality is that not every drive can be that. After all, it is the bush; it’s an unpredictable and dynamic environment. It means that sometimes you just aren’t going to get to take that perfect leopard-draped-over-a-leafless-branch-in-perfect-golden-light shot.
Like this…
But you also might!
And sometimes, you’ll see so much more. And that’s why we go out every day. The bush is an environment in which a myriad of small wonders occur all around us, if you are open to experiencing them. In which case, every drive can be mind-blowing! And I truly believe that the bush rewards the appreciation of its splendour. Mother nature is vain, she wants to be ooh’d and ah’d at, to be admired. Flatter her and she will often gift you with so much more than you bargained for.
There’s so much beauty all around us if we just slow it down and look.
Our afternoon drive started off as every drive does; laden with potential. But we had very little in the way of expectations; giraffes were a must and some (attempted) shots of the minuscule dewdrop spiders that parasitise the Golden Orb spider webs, which currently blanket south-west Londolozi.
Two giraffes slowly ambled through a clearing and then stared curiously at our vehicle.
Having ticked those boxes and after having spent some time with a very curious young elephant bull, we heard Ranger Jess Shillaw’s voice crackle over the radio, “We’ve got tracks of a single young male lion heading east” in an area nearby to us. A very exciting update as that track would almost certainly belong to one of the Ntsevu Breakaways; a group of young lions and lionesses that are now separated from their natal pride. We decided to give Jess a hand.
En route, another update from Jess, “We can hear him contact calling!” Now we knew it was on and we picked up the pace accordingly. After a quick planning discussion, we took on the task of looping ahead to check the nearest waterhole while Jess bee-lined it through the bush along the path of the tracks. The two of us converged on the waterhole simultaneously vying to be the first to spot him – nothing wrong with a bit of friendly competition! But it would be remiss of me to claim it; Jess and tracker Advice Ngwenya pulled off an incredible spot and it was worth the “loss” just to see the ecstatic grins on their faces and those of their guest!
Feeling somewhat abandoned and vulnerable, the young male was calling constantly.
And then it really got exciting…
The young lion belted out another booming contact call as he tried to find his littermates. That in and of itself was a spectacular moment. But then we heard the reply. As we came around the corner, seven lions and lionesses marched up the road to find their lost comrade. Quickly, we switched off our vehicles to witness that moment of long-lost family being reunited (excuse the hyperbole there – they had probably only been separated for a few hours!). The expected aggressive head-rubbing, tackling, and affectionate allogrooming ensued and kept us enthralled for another 20 minutes or so.
This female raises her head to see her littermate emerge over the rise. Soon after this moment the greeting began; an abundance of affection.
And then we heard the buffalo…
I have no doubt that these lions knew well in advance of us that the herd was approaching and were just biding their time, waiting as that dust-reddened African sun dipped below the horizon, for the advantage to lie in their favour. Now, lions hunting buffalo, at least in my opinion, is one of those holy-grail sightings. It’s a brutal affair to be sure but from a behaviour and tactics point of view, I have been dying to see it happen!
And so, my heart was in my throat as we saw the herd leaders emerge over the rise! Three big buffalo bulls ambling slowly in front, this in itself was quite interesting as the pathfinders usually tend to be females. At this point I just couldn’t believe what we were seeing; these bulls could not see the lions lying in wait all around them! At one point, one young male had to slowly creep backwards as a bull fed 3 feet away. At this point the inexperience of these Ntsevu Breakaways was woefully apparent; one young male further out from the herd was comically trying to flatten himself into the middle of the road after having not used the 30 minutes he had prior to the herd emerging to take the five strides needed to get into the long grass where he would be perfectly concealed (or maybe he was just hiding where they’d least expect him to be!). But while the pride bided their time the herd emerged en masse, almost encircling the would-be stalkers.
This photo shows the defensive weaponry that stands between a pride of lions and a hearty buffalo meal
And then the buffalo noticed the lions…
The herd bolted as one, back the direction they had come, calves caught in the fray bouncing off the flanks of their mothers, trying desperately to keep up, trying desperately not to be trampled! But they wasted no time in gathering themselves into a unified front and charging right back at the unprepared predators. 800kg (1800pound) bulls storming through, lowering and thrashing their grizzled horns, scattering the fleeing cats in all directions, many of whom came flying past our vehicle in an absolutely breathless moment.
A scene like this (sans the bloody face of the middle lion) as the herd tore into the middle of the pride.
And if all this wasn’t enough, as the situation slowly cooled, what walks into the middle of this scene? Not one, not two but five magnificent prehistoric looking mammals, rhino! Three of the big 5 in one setting, all interacting; the new arrivals catching lion scent and trying to search out the source of it. Amidst a number of buffalo bulls holding guard as the rest of the herd backed off. The lions prowling restlessly but keeping their distance from these antsy, dangerous beasts.
By this stage the sun was well below the horizon, the rhino eventually gave up their tracking, the herd were settled somewhere out of sight and the lions, having lost the element of surprise were moving off into the long grass.
And we, having barely breathed for the last 2 hours decided to make for camp where our own dinner (and maybe a whisky to calm the nerves) lay in wait. And that is the story of one of the most perfect afternoons I have had the luxury of experiencing out here in the bush. I’d love to hear a little snippet about your favourite moment in the wild below!
What a fantastic drive that was for you and your guests Kyle! I can’t claim anything that thrilling involving three of the big five, but my sighting did include a kill – a cheetah mom who flew off a termite mound whilst her cubs crouched and watched as she had seen a lone Impala in the trees and went for it – victory and a meal for the three of them. It was my first experience witnessing that part of nature and the “circle of life” came to have true meaning.
Watching something like that is always something so special. Especially for the first time, it’s also not always easy!
Did the bloody face lion get gored from the Buffalo?
Wow, so exhilarating! Nature sure has magic and power in big and small.
It does indeed, Karin! The rhino were hilarious as they shuffled nervously through the throng, by far the strongest of them all!
An action packed afternoon Kyle! I also very much like the quiet drives, where you get to see the little things, like white baby chameleons and so………
Hi Irene, I am so glad to hear you enjoy the small things! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, mother nature appreciates appreciation. Loving the smaller and more intricate parts of this world often leads to fantastic experiences in the larger!
What an incredibly exciting afternoon, Kyle!
You asked for a snippet of your readers’ favorite moment in the bush. I have had so many, it’s hard to say which one was the best. But actually I also had an experience with lions and buffalo. 6 young adults were sneaking up on a herd of buffalo. They were so patient that we already thought they had missed their chance when finally a last cow with her calf came along. They got the calf, the cow’s cries were heard and the herd returned to chase the lions off. Sadly the calf was already dead and eaten later by the lions after the herd had calmed down and vanished into the bush. It was really very sad when an old bull came back once more to check on the calf. He was standing there, I would say mourning, while the lions were devouring the calf.
That is such an intense sighting Christa! Lions hunting buffalo is always one of those “hallowed” sightings out here but seeing it play out is not always easy! It can be long, arduous, and even somewhat emotionally draining!
Lovely, wonderful photos and blog! The horns wall is impressive
Well done Kyle, another great job of storytelling giving us the feelings of being there with you and your guests! You really are a terrific storyteller!!! It is so much fun to read your blogs! Reminds us of the videos we shared with you and Sean of our interaction with Cape Buffaloes and lions when JV & Nick Kleer gave us a wild ride chasing the action! Perhaps someday Sean will share that with everyone!
Hi Bob and Lucy! Thank you for that, I do enjoy trying to relive the moments on “paper” and trying to convey those same emotions from the sighting, not always successfully but it’s fun to try! I remember those videos! That was a properly wild afternoon. I can’t say we had the heard stampeding passed us quite like that but it was very close to!
That was an incredible day! Wish I had been there!! Victoria
What an amazing day!! How lucky you were.
Kyle that was a wonderful afternoon full of excitement and adrenaline. I’m sure your guest enjoyed the whole drama unfolding in front of them. We were in Kruger one year at Biyamiti bush camp when we were walking around the camp, when we got to the fence there were about 3 hundred buffalo coming to drink water in the river. It was a see of these beautiful black bodies of the buffalo, grazing and drinking and slowly moving up the river. Their calls could be heard from afar. The next night we went down again and there were elephants all over and playing in the water. Too beautiful for words.
A big buffalo herd moving through a waterhole is always such a special thing to see. And then elephant too, absolute magic!
How incredible, Kyle! It is always an adventure each and every game drive! Great photos! 🥰
When you least expect it you get the perfect break and boy what a break that was for you and your guests Kyle !!! Can’t say I have ever witnessed more than 2 of the big 5 together and certainly not in hunting mode! Perhaps my most treasured sighting ever was in the Kruger, near Satara about 28 years ago. I took a back road not too far from the Camp which was dead quiet and came across 3 cheetah playing on a dead fallen tree trunk. They were right by the side of the road and I sat for as long as I could with them enjoying the scene all to myself. They were not in a hurry to leave and I had to rench myself away to make the Camp gate in time. Would have loved to have been able to stay with them far longer but as you say, had I chosen to take another route back to the camp, I would have missed this once in a life time sighting.
To have something like that to yourself must have been such a special experience, Cally! It’s a special thing to be able to just sit quietly by yourself and watch a scene like that unfold.
Our 3 of the big 5 experience involved 2 lions “relaxing”after a buffalo kill whem a herd of elephants approached and actually scared them off.
My most memorable event was a 2 hour stalk and capture of an impala by a cheetah which proceeded to instruct its 2 cubs how to finish the kill. Our pateince was rewarded.
Patience is always rewarded! Always give it another 15 minutes!
What an amazing sighting! THIS is what brings us back into the bush over and over again….