We pride ourselves on accuracy here. Correcting people on the difference between a leopard and a cheetah. Identifying pretty much every single thing out here. Getting the Latin names right. Using the correct anatomical terminology for why a lion’s dewclaw is structured the way it is. We spend years becoming experts in the wild so that we can share what we know with confidence.
And then we spend basically half the year calling it winter when it isn’t.
I caught myself out on this during the game drive this morning, saying “now that winter is in full swing”, along with a few rangers also referring to winter being underway for some time now in a few different blogs and TWIP write-ups. We’ve all been at it since May, talking about the cold mornings and the dry air and “winter is coming” (said with a Northern English accent), as if we are collectively living in Winterfell of The Game of Thrones.
The Flat Rock Male on a territorial patrol as he walks through a misty crest on a cold winters morning.
Here’s the thing, though: winter only started yesterday for us in the southern hemisphere. The 21st of June. The winter solstice. That is when, by every astronomical and meteorological definition, winter actually begins. What we’ve been experiencing since May is the tail end of autumn.
Let’s be honest — “autumn at Londolozi” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. And I get why we collapse everything between May and September into one big “winter” in the way we talk about it. The days get shorter, the mornings get cold, the grass dries out, and guests pack their fleeces. It feels like winter. It feels like it has always felt like winter. Which apparently has been enough for all of us to just… agree that it is.
On a misty morning as the sun rose, these zebras grazed in the morning light.
Except it isn’t. Or wasn’t.
What makes this slightly worse is that this particular “winter” has been, as winters go, remarkably underwhelming. We’ve had five days of it dropping to 8 degrees Celsius. Five. And every single time it has risen to a delicious 25-27 degrees Celsius by midday. I’ve had colder mornings in September, which is technically still winter, and is the one part of this whole thing I think we’re actually getting right.
This pair of Fish Eagle perched on a branch together in the midday sun. This pair are often seen soaring over the lodge, and if not, their distinctive call is hard not to notice
So here we are. Ranger team corrected. The official position of this blog, as of today, is that winter has only just arrived. We’ve been in autumn this whole time. I’m sure we’ll call it winter again by next week, but at least for this one brief moment, the record is straight.
Winter in the south, summer in the north: nice article on your southern winter, Sean.
8 degrees is cold ,especially when you get out of a cosy warm bed early in the morning. But 25 degrees during the midday hours don’t sound too bad.
Fabulous photos!
8 degrees before sunrise is a different beast when you’re sitting still in an open vehicle. The midday warmth is the reward for getting through the morning. Glad you enjoyed the photos.
And all these years I’ve told my friends I travel to South Africa in their Fall, my Spring, (usually April) and now I learn you don’t really count Fall – rather you move from summer to winter…..
Fall for me was the perfect time to visit as the rains were over and the daily temperatures were moderate and then there was this year! Rain and more rain. I may have to reconsider dates now…
April is still a great time to visit — the rains were unusually heavy this year, which was an exception rather than the rule. Most years April settles into exactly what you’d expect. Don’t write it off just yet.
Hi Sean, all this share a feeling of melancholic sunset… although so beautiful too. But the grass drying, the shorter and colder days… the zebras of the picture convey a meaningful message. Every season has its special light, so winter… some food for thought. Thank you to share the beauty of a fading system, whereas another is starting…
Beautifully put. There’s a particular quality to the light at this time of year that doesn’t exist in any other season. Something about the way it sits low and golden on the grass. Worth the cold.
Thank you for that clarification.
Here in Canada, it gets down to -40 degrees Celsius in winter and up to +40 degrees Celsius in summer. Spring awakens the fluorescent green of the foliage, and the purple of the maple leaves set our autumns ablaze.
These are what we call here true “seasons.” Nevertheless, I’m very much looking forward to experiencing winter in Londolozi.
That range is extraordinary — 80 degrees of difference between your coldest and warmest. Our version of seasons feels very mild by comparison. Hope Londolozi in winter lives up to the anticipation when you get here.
We do the same thing with summer in the Southeastern US. It starts to feel like summer in May, and the kids get out of school for summer break a solid month before the solstice.
Sounds very familiar, the seasons here do the same thing in reverse. The calendar says one thing and the bush says another.
Hi Sean, yes forsure winter has know begun on the 21st June. It is crispy cold here in Kranspoort in the early mornings and late afternoons. Oh winter has to come and go quickly please. Seeing the early morning images on Londolozi makes me cold already. Stay warm Sean and thanks for the amazing videos and 📸 📷 photo’s.
Stay warm Valmai, the early mornings out here have a proper bite to them at the moment. The light makes it worth it though. Thanks for watching.
so funny…our summer in Southern California…is basically May – November 😉 *winter Dec-April…we have no other seasons!
Sounds, just about how we put it with only having two seasons.