This week at Londolozi, we got a blunt reminder of who’s actually in charge out here. A massive weather system off the Mozambique coast has essentially rewritten the map, bringing a staggering amount of rain to the Lowveld and turning the Sand River into a beast. The roads are pure mud, the bush is thick, and the humidity is a constant battle for the camera gear.
These are the conditions that really test you. The dust is gone, replaced by a relentless moisture that makes tracking almost impossible. Visibility is poor, and you spend half your time just trying to keep the sensors dry and the lenses clear. There are long stretches of quiet frustration—sitting under a grey sky, waiting for a break, listening to the hum of the gear as it fights the damp. It’s not always cinematic, but it’s real.
Despite the mess, the bush eventually stretched out a hand. We had some incredible sightings that, honestly, we didn’t have to work that hard for once we found them. We caught the Msuthlu Pride out on the open airstrip toying with a few giraffe, and found the Gijima males just sitting tight in the downpour—I was lucky enough to be there when the rain let up just enough to catch a head shake.
To top it all off, we finally tracked down a leopard. In fact, we found two: the Nkoveni female and the Shingi male. We watched them meet up briefly before they disappeared back into the thickets.
These are the moments that make the struggle worth it. It’s proof that even when the elements are against us, the machinations of nature just keep turning. Every sighting this week felt like a hard-won gift from the heart of the bush.
Enjoy This Virtual Safari…
Don’t forget to Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, if you haven’t already.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
Thank you Sean for bringing us some amazing footage despite the weather (love the head-shake!)
This must be the most rain you’ve had in many years? How does it compare to the floods of January 2012, when part of Founders camp (and many bottles of wine from the cellars) went floating down the Sand River?
It is certainly one of the wetter years we have had in a while. Everything is still so soaked. The Sand River Levels didn’t get as high as those 2012 floods thankfully.
My, my, my. Bless your heart. In the 56ish days we’ve enjoyed Londolozi only one morning was puddly. The inaccessible map was quite the shocker. Many thanks, Sean, for your perspicaciousness.
Yes, we really are confined right now and the road condition is only deteriorating further, so some of the roads we could drive on are now blocked off. Thanks so much, Willa.
What a miserable slog! I hope it moves off soon so everyone can dry out a bit soon. I love how the lions’ coats look so much darker and richer with wet fur.
It is supposed to be moving off soon. We still desperately waiting for some sunshine.
Wow, Sean, you are really tough and dedicated facing these horrible weather conditions. I very much enjoyed your video and am really grateful for it because it must have really strenuous to be out there in all that rain.
By the way, can the planes still land in such rain?
The video of the lions together with the giraffes is wonderful. poor lions- they look bedraggled and unhappy.
I wonder that they didn’t try to attack the giraffes, there was such a great number them on the airstrip.
And such a wonderful surprise to see the Nkoveni female and her son. he really is a wonderful, powerful young male. Nice that the two are still together sometimes.
I hope that you will soon be able to enjoy some sunshine and drier conditions. And that you will be able to use more roads during the next weeks.
It was rather tough out there but I still found it so enjoyable. No, so all planes were not able to land because of this rain. Guests had to fly to Skukuza or Nelspruit and get a transfer in.
They probably didn’t try for the giraffe because they had full bellies, they were in the open and lost the element of surprise so the giraffes would have run away.
Hi Sean, oh my word so much water makes me scared. Thank goodness you are all right and even found the lions and giraffe’s in the rain. Lovely to see the Nkoveni female and her son the Shingi male. He is much bigger than his mom now. Thanks for getting wet and taking the risk to get some footage for us.
The Shingi Male is huge now, I was so glad to see him.
Your dedication to your craft is admirable Sean and deeply appreciated, whilst driving around in the pouring rain looking for some animals to capture on video. Having been through rainstorms like this last year in the Kalahari, I know the feeling of trying to keep equipment dry, but still take a few photos, all the while dealing with the cold, rain in your face, and soggy clothing. But your footage was epic at the airstrip – the some of the Msuthlu pride trying to relax in spite of the weather while curiosity lured a few youngsters to check out the giraffes more closely. It seemed the giraffes were just as curious as the cubs approached. I noticed one of the females seemed to have a gash on her shoulder as well as under her chin – perhaps an altercation during a feed? Loved your slow-mo of the Gijima shaking his rain-soaked head – his limp is still very prominent and I assume it is permanently damaged. And thanks for toughing it out in order to photograph Nkoveni and Shingi, together once again. It seems he can’t quite separate from her completely which is great for us as soon he will disappear into his nomadic world. His size and coloration are impressive, thanks to his father, but he still looks like his mother making him one of the most dashing young male leopards. Hopefully your weather will dry out, the roads will change from mud pools to a firmer texture, and everyone can get out a travel more easily on their game drives.
It was a nightmare trying to keep everything dry, capture content and then drive the vehicle around. I think the injury on the Msuthlu lioness was probably from an altercation, maybe with another lion from a different pride, or maybe even just when these lions were feeding on a carcass together.
Oh vow, I read your blog from earlier this week too. You’ve had a LOT of rain. We can all agree on that. It’s just too much for the land to absorb. I hope it’ll calm down soon, take care!
There has been a silly amount of rain, and we are still waiting for some sunshine.
Wow Sean – Still managed to film Lion and Leopard in that downpour – thoroughly loved the video – hope your camera gear survived all the wet and moisture – cannot wait for next week’s videa. Regards Lana O
Thank goodness we had some camera covers, ponchos and the beach umbrella, without all of that we would have seriously damaged the camera gear. My lenses started misting up a bit after that so I have had to dry them out properly and I will send them through soon for a full proper internal clean.
Thank u for your dedication. Was still a very enjoyable video. Different perspective of the reserve. Keep it up. Waiting in anticipation for news on the Tsalala female
Thank you so much, Jos. It certainly was a different week out in the bush, very challenging. As soon as we have any further news on her we will share it with you.
Awesome footage again, thanks for sharing.
You are most welcome. Thanks for watching.
Thank you Jemma, Sean had a great safari today..
Thanks so much, William.
That was fun! Thank you for enduring the weather so we could enjoy. I can’t believe how much the Shingi male has grown, quite different from what I saw in person when he was only a few months old. He is beautiful!
Thank you so much, Maria. Yes, the Shingi Male has grown into such an impressive and awesome leopard.