The past few weeks have been the turning point for me as I officially welcome back my winter gloves . The mornings have turned cold now and with each passing day the bush seems to thin out a little more. Visibility is improving, the air feels crisper, and there’s that familiar sense that winter game viewing is beginning to gather momentum (even though we are actually in June).
Lions have been everywhere.
The dynamics at the moment feel particularly exciting with an extraordinary number of different individuals moving through Londolozi. The Gijima Males continue to dominate conversations after a measured but successful interaction with the Nwaswitshaka Males, who seemingly used experience over outright aggression. The Msuthlu Pride also appears to be entering an interesting period as some of the older subadults edge closer to the age where independence and pressure begin to creep in. The Ntsevu lionesses have been seen regularly, too, and it will be fascinating to see whether another breeding cycle lies ahead.
Leopards, meanwhile, have remained beautifully elusive, and the team has continued putting in long hours tracking these incredible cats. The Tinxiya Female, as per usual, found a way into the frame once again. Not that I need much convincing.
Elsewhere, the Sand River continues to drop and with that comes the quiet optimism that we may soon have all three crossings back in action. Finfoot in particular has started calling my name again… although history suggests that enthusiasm and confidence there should always be approached with caution, well, at least for some of us…
Large elephant herds continue to provide unforgettable moments and watching calves play never seems to lose its charm. Add in a spectacular sighting of the Hlambela Male and a wonderfully poised vervet monkey and this week delivered a little bit of everything.
Let us know your favourites in the comments section below.
Enjoy This Week In Pictures…
A stunning sighting as we watched the Gijima males march confidently towards the distant roars of the Nwaswitshaka males
He really is a powerful looking male lion. This was taken just before he met up with his blonder brother as they continued to march southwards.
The Msuthlu pride were at their very best as they played in an open clearing on some fallen over trees. The sky line behind them make it that much better! Hues of purple, blue and orange set the sky alight.
Lions as we all know can sleep 18/20 hours a day on certain occasions and so moments like this afternoon are to be treasured and enjoyed.
A bull giraffe walks through a clearing just before sunrise. Its always a mad scramble in the early hours of the morning to remove your gloves to allow you to take a quick snap of a beautiful moment…
One of the Msuthlu lionesses watches over the younger more playful members of the pride.
A elephant cow sways in the wind as she feeds on the remaining green shoots of grass. This particular shot had very harsh light coming through and so an easy option to try a black and white version.
The Nkumati coalition having sired off spring with the Munghen pride have really had a productive few months. They have added a interesting dynamic to the coalitions found in the Sabi Sands.
This zebra reminded me of a farmer with his strand of grass hanging out his mouth.
A magical morning with the Wild Dogs as we followed them. We all appreciated the warm rays of the sun!
Hues of gold and green as the Wild Dogs ran alongside us. It never ceases to amaze me how much ground these animals can cover in a short space of time.
One of what we think is Makathini’s cubs rests on a termite mound after having an awfully close run in the Munghen pride. Its such great news to have this female and her offspring around again!
The Dark maned Gijima male meets my eye line after a busy morning.
This young calf was full of energy after an unusually hot day. It was at that awkward age where it still struggled to use its trunk to suck up water and so it kept shoving its entire face in the river much to the enjoyment of itself and our vehicle.
Comfortably my favourite shot of the bunch as I got to spend an incredible morning with the Tinxuya female.
A confident and curious young leopard, that is nearing independence after a remarkable start to life alongside her resilient mother.
After ascending and descending a few Marula trees in the general vicinity she finally picked a spot to rest and soak up some sun.
I really hope she never loses her light blue eyes! With all the lions about Tinxiya will have her work cut out for her as she continues to find her feet.
This Hippo bull wasn’t too appreciative of us driving past his water hole. An endless amount of respect for these animals.
Bryce and Freddy pulled off a master class as they tracked and found the Shingi Male, after which he decided to survey the surrounding area from this beautiful tree. What a morning!
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
Playing with composition, we decided to take a few from quite a distance and then naturally a few from a bit closer. I have a knot in my stomach about this incredible young male and his pending nomadic phase…
White backed Vultures stacked together on this dead tree.
This young Vervet Monkey was full of confidence as he clambered around this Jackalberry. These animals and their distress calls have become increasingly helpful as we search for the elusive spotted cats.
An incredible afternoon with the relaxed Hlambela Male who I quite literally nearly walked into when tracking off in the bush. You can imagine my surprise when I gazed up to see this beautiful male three meters from me lying on a warm rock. Not a hiss, growl or snare. I backed off slowly and sprinted back to my Land Rover trying to gulp down air and explain to my guests the sighting that was about to unfold!
An impressive male, appearing as a rising force in the north. Making a name for himself by pushing other males out.
With a face full of sun the Hlambela Male pauses to gaze at some distant impala. Fingers crossed we see more of this male because he is such an incredible male to spend time with!
We spent the next two hours eyes glued to this male as he moved around with an air of confidence that only male dominant male leopards can exude. Towards the end of the sighting a herd of impala came running through as he narrowly missed catching one no more than 15 meters from our vehicle.
A wonderful collection of photos, Nick.
The young elephant in the water is so funny.
I love seeing all the leopards , they are such amazing animals.
It is really fantastic how the Gijima males recovered from their injuries which they got in that fight lately.
And I especially love the photo of the wild dogs in the golden light.
Thanks Christa!
Lovely photos , I doubt that I will ever get to visit Africa again, but your photos recall the dust of the bush, the excitement of not knowing what is round the corner and sometimes the pleasure of just sitting , watching and leaving the camera in the bag – and enjoying the moment
Thanks Ian – could not agree with you more!
Hi LGR. Thank you so much for putting up such a interesting TWIP for me to see and read. Although the young Tinxiya female and Shingi male aren’t related, I’m sure they’ll make a good mating pair in a couple of years time, when they’re old enough to mate and sire several litters of cubs of their own together one day. Wouldn’t they? As we know all to well, the big cats don’t have to be related to mate and sire several litters of cubs well.
As the pretty old Nkoveni female didn’t yet again feature in this week’s TWIP, is it possible that she’s preparing herself to go into hiding to await her labour and give birth to her new and last ever litter of cubs there at all? If that is the case, it might possibly explain why she hasn’t been in the TWIPs there fairly recently. Whenever I think of her, I often think of her rather elderly mother, the Mashaba female a lot of the time as well. Do you think it is possible that her mum is still alive and well there today at all? The Internet on my phone seems to think so.
Like you, I can’t wait for the day to arrive when she brings her new tiny bundles of joy out of their densite to show them to you all and the cameras, too. It will just be so exciting to see them, and I hope she gets them to independence so very well. No matter how many cubs she will have in her final litter, I do hope she won’t get as much trouble and gip from them as she did before she finally got rid of her large independent son there.
It’ll be so interesting to see where she’ll be denning her new tiny cubs once she has given birth eventually. Even when she is or isn’t with them, she’ll have to be very careful where she hides and leaves them, before she sets of hunting or just scent marking her territory. She wouldn’t want her large independent son, any other leopards, lions and hyenas all discovering them while she’s out, mainly trying to get some food for them.
What other leopards did you see during the course of the week there, apart from the ones mentioned in the TWIP? Most TWIPs are totally infested with leopards a lot of the time. I know you haven’t seen the old Mashaba female leopard for a long time unfortunately, but it’s also been a long time since you last put up a blog on her, too. It is so difficult to know if she’s still alive and well there today or not, as it’s been so long since the last recorded sighting of her there. But with her been the oldest leopard in the whole of the Sabi Sands, it has me wondering to myself when and if she will ever next appear there again at all or not. I know she is a very special old girl, due to her advanced age and how agile she is so much. I think it has been almost a year now since she was last in a blog and a virtual safari video clip. Hasn’t it?
I hope the elusive Ximungwe female has still got one or both of her two cubs still with her alive and well to this very day. It’s been quite a while now since her two cubs were last seen there with her. They both should be about 5 months old by now, but it’s a bit of a mystery to where she’s denning them both currently. I hope it won’t be long before we get some more news of them all together. Do keep me updated on them as much as possible please, as I hope they’re all fine & well.
Hope to hear from you shortly.
Robert 19.6.26
Hi Robert, thank you for your detailed comment. We should be able to share an update on the Nkoveni female soon. I saw a few other leopards but no real photographic opportunities presented themselves to me.
Some memorable shots this TWIP, Nic! And a few of them are from sightings we recently shared. Those Msuthlu lionesses are beautiful, with such intense eyes. Hope the Hlambela makes finds a permanent home at Londolozi; I’d love to see him next April!
Hi Mary Beth, thank you. Hlambela is an incredible male to have around.
Thanks Nic for a wonderful TWIP. My favourites (too many to list!) include the adorable ellie calf, and the Tinxiya female framed so beautifully in the tree.
Thanks Suzanne. Tinxiya is such a incredible leopardess!
Hey Nic – looks like you got some other great leopard & lion sightings after we left, not to mention the cheetah & baby elephant! Wish we had been there to see them all. Great time with you – stay out of the mud!
Thanks Carrie! We had plenty of fun thats for sure. That I will – haha
The Gijima males are an awesome pair, and I LOVE the elephant youngling.
Thanks Michael!
Hi Nic, lovely array of images this week in TWIP. I loved the images of the Shingi male leopard. Naughty boytjie that would not let his Mom feed with him on a carcass that she caught. Gijima males are really impressive lions and huge as well. Tiny elephant calf is to cute for words. The Tinxiya female with her blue eyes and long eye brows is such a beautiful leopardess.
Thank you Valmai.
Hi Nic,as usual, you seem to be reading my mind and put the picture I’m go awwww… we’ll, leopards are absolutely superb, as lions, and the baby elephant just adorable! I love the giraffe bull just before the sunrise, and the zebra chewing the strand of grass made me smile! The hippo bull is really something! The Makathini member reveals itself or herself as an absolutely lovely surprise. Yes there’s a sort of protection instinct towards the Tinxiya female and the Shingi male, who has a long road ahead… Just gives me goosebumps. Thank you Nic!
Thanks Francesca!
Hi Nic! Loved your TWIP as you put together a wonderful assortment of photos. Favorites? Of course Tinxiya and Shingi, but also your shots of the Hlambela male – looking forward to seeing more of him in the future. Additionally, seeing elephant calves during the phase when they have no trunk control is always entertaining and so it was good to see your capture of that little one in the water. Final favorites include the female cheetah in b/w and the hippo posturing as you invaded his space. Hopefully winter temperatures won’t be too brutal…..
Thanks Denise – hope you’re well.
What a lovely selection of pictures. My husband and l have been twice, both were almost life changing for me. I cannot describe the feeling I experience while there and what l take away. It makes me want to jump on a plane and return. I envy the daily experiences you get to have.
Thank you all for the blog and daily pictures, it keeps me on the Land Rover waiting for the next delight!
Obviously the baby ellie takes the win! Always love the vultures on the dead tree shot as always so fitting! Ans always jealous of all your time spent with the gorgeous leopards of Londolozi! So on my bucket list 🫶🏽