The Nhlanguleni Female in a golden sunset and grass.

I wanted to include this photo from three weeks ago, not only because I love the scenery, and the story it tells, but rather to show some perspective on just how quickly the bush has come alive with green!

A herd of Waterbuck and their dominant male make full use of the new grass shoots in the open crests near camp in the soft afternoon light.

For me, one of the most memorable Wild Dog sightings I’ve had. The Ottawa pack cross the sand River at finfoot as the sun sets. I’ve always dreamt of a photo with the koppie in the background, and the magical colours of sunset make it all that more special.

A different perspective from the same sighting. Wild dogs cross rivers often, due to their vast home rangers, however, that doesn’t mean they are unaware of possible dangers lurking in the water (or make it any less memorable!)

The Ntomi Males stares back into the sunset as the Skorro Male walked past behind our vehicle.

While sitting with the Ntomi Male on an open crest as sunset, impalas started to alarm and with huge excitement, we spotted the Skorro Male walking towards our vehicle! Had he smelt the leopard in the area, we don’t know. However, he did pose with another beautiful African sunset in the background. A majestic male lion staking his claim on Londolozi.

A very timid female chin-spot battis hunkers down in the wind! Much to our surprise, she didn’t fly away, despite us offroading near to the tree she was perched in following a leopard. Another incredible spot from tracker Ray Mabilane

A lone elephant quenches its thirst in the Sand River. On hot afternoons, it is so rewarding spending time along the river as animals are drawn to the lifeblood flowing through the heart of the reserve

The Mashaba female, wearing the signs of old age has surprised us all in shifting much further north than usual, returning to her old territory around camp. Possibly due to her age, this much-loved female continues to show the resilience of leopards defying all the odds!

A large female buffalo gazes towards us, I was particularly impressed by this set of horns on a female buffalo.

The largest of the Ntsevu Males walks with a purpose. These four males have provided some exhilarating entertainment over the past few weeks as they are never far from a herd of buffalo, constantly on their heels. On this particular day, his eyes were locked and the hunt was on!

As the ground becomes saturated with more rainfall, lilies such as this extraordinary African Blood Lily (Scadoxus multiflorous) break the ground. They grow so quickly that they almost appear to have popped up overnight. The blossoms last between one and two weeks and are strongly toxic and were traditionally used in medicines as well as arrow and fish poisons.

A mighty impressive elephant bull enjoying the cooling rewards of fresh mud and water in a wallow in the open grasslands. With a slight dip near the waterhole we were able to get almost eye level with the gentle giant, and soaked up every minute spent with him.

After going through an incredible run of cheetah sightings a few weeks ago, these rare cats have gone quiet once again. We did however have a great sighting of this young male resting on top of a termite mound in the late afternoon. How beautiful are his eyes?

As the late afternoon light shone through the scene this elephant’s eye lit up.

The sun catches an infant Vervet Monkey as it perches in a tree with another slightly older monkey nearby.

A young member of the Othawa Kack emerges from the thickets along the Sand River, and with neither anticipation nor apprehension, eyes the river crossing that follows.

A family on Southern Ground hornbills let out their booming call as the meander fed on a chilly morning.

Two playful young elephant bulls entertained us with their antics as they jostle for hours, establishing a hierarchy and developing vital fighting skills. Despite the playful fighting, there is no doubt of the shared sibling bond that unites elephants.

The Three Rivers Young Male has one last look at the zebra calf he has managed to hoist into a tamboti tree. An amazing feat of strength and balance to pull such a heavy meal into the tree

A large male giraffe stands tall in a clearing

Nyala bulls have a rather strange way of fighting though. It looks more like a slow-motion waltz than it does a fight. They circle each other, with their faces trained on the ground but keep a beady eye on their opponent by surreptitiously using their peripheral vision

Parking down in a dip, one of the Ntsevu females slowly started to wake up and eyed out the water. Any stage to get eye level with these impressive cats is a photographers dream, and the power of these lionesses can’t be understated.

Undoubtedly the best leopard sighting I’ve ever had! The Nweti male spent a good half an hour digging out this warthog from his burrow, and in a flurry, it was all over! Stay tuned for a full blog on this sighting from Ranger Dan Hirschowitz as his images capture the whole encounter.

A large elephant bull wanders across the causeway.

Having already stopped for a sunset gin and tonic, the booming roar of the Skorro male nearby brought an abrupt end to that! With darkness descending, we tried our hands and some night, backlight photography.

The Three Rivers Female pauses momentarily on her ascent with a worried glance at some descending vultures in the distance. With night falling she needn’t have worried.

Two large zebra stallions jostle for dominance early one morning as the rest of the herd continue grazing obviously

The Tsalala Lioness. With hardly a scratch on her face, due to the solitary life she has been forced into, this female optimises both resilience and beauty that is apparent in all lionesses. A force, and a truly incredible lioness

Another shot of the Ntomi Male with his distinctive eye marking and glare.

Much to our delight, the Ntomi Male continues to stay in both his mother’s and father’s territories. Despite all contradicting literature, there have been multiple sightings of both the Senegal Bush male and Ntomi male, sharing a kill, in the same tree. Here, perhaps a bit brazen, he snarls at the much larger Senegal Bush male, attempting to take back what is left of the warthog.

With the Senegal Bush Male feeding in the tree above, one of the Ntsevu Males glances longingly upward.