June and July brought the magic of winter to Londolozi: crisp mornings, golden afternoons, and a season filled with moments worth remembering. From celebrating our iconic leopards with the launch of Into the Unknown to another heartfelt Mandela Day celebration and remarkable sightings in the bush, these past two months have given us plenty to look back on.
Here are some of our favourite reel highlights from the past two months. We hope you enjoy looking back on them with us!
Let us know in the comments which moment was your favourite.
1. A Buffalo’s Remarkable Escape
300 Buffalo. One Crocodile. A full-grown bull who escaped jaws that nearly had him, and returned to drinking as if nothing had happened.
What a moment to have witnessed!
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2. Wildebeest Turn the Tables on Wild Dogs
Not every chase ends the way you’d expect. In this remarkable encounter, a herd of wildebeest stood their ground and sent a pack of African wild dogs running.
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3. An Unforgettable Elephant Crossing
The only traffic you’ll find on safari. Ranger Kate and Tracker Equalizer waited while a herd of elephants crossed through the Sand River in a peaceful, unforgettable moment.
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4. A Leopard’s Greatest Superpower
The Nkoveni Female leopard powers straight up a marula tree, demonstrating the athleticism that makes leopards such extraordinary predators.
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5. A Colourful Roadblock
A flock of White-fronted Bee-eaters claimed the road for their morning dust bath, reminding us that some of safari’s most memorable moments come in the smallest packages.
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6. Lion Dynamics in Motion
The Plains Camp male lions continue to make their presence felt. Their latest venture deep into Londolozi culminated in a striking Sand River crossing at dusk, another chapter in an ever-changing lion story.
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7. Honouring Londolozi’s Leopard Legacy
For decades, the leopards of Londolozi have been at the heart of our story. Their resilience, mystery and beauty have inspired generations of guests, guides and storytellers.
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8.The Kambula Pride on the Move
This Reel captures a beautiful sighting of the Kambula lion pride moving through Londolozi’s wilderness together. A powerful and beautiful safari moment that never gets old.
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9. Celebrating 100 Years of Londolozi with Love Letters from Our Guests
For a century, Londolozi has brought people together around fires, under skies filled with stars, and in moments shared in the wilderness.
This touching tribute from guest Susan Strauss captures what this place means to so many.
Want to add your voice to the fire? Send us your Londolozi story: a video, a voice note, or a few words to loveletters@londolozi.co.za
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10. Up Close with the Shingi Male Leopard
An incredible sighting of the Shingi Male, captured from a truly special vantage point. Few moments in the bush feel quite as special as being this close to a leopard.
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11. The Extraordinary Journey of an Albino Zebra Foal
A truly special sighting at Londolozi. This rare albino zebra foal continues to surprise us with every appearance, and watching her grow has been an incredible privilege.
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12. A Leopard Legacy 100 Years in the Making
In 1979, a female leopard stepped out from a newly restored thicket and, in doing so, changed the story of Londolozi forever. Over a hundred years, through generations of leopards, trackers, rangers and families, a bond was forged, built on patience, trust and deep respect.
Into the Unknown is our latest centennial leopard film: 10 minutes celebrating that relationship and the collective wisdom that has shaped it.
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13. Winter Mornings with the Gijima Male Lions
Cold air, golden light, and the two Gijima male lions walking straight past the vehicle. There’s nothing quite like it.
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14. Mandela Day at Londolozi
Sixty-seven minutes. Four stations. One village.
This Mandela Day, our staff and guests came together in the spirit of village consciousness, packing care parcels for our elders at Hlyaikesani Nursing Home, planting Marula seedlings for Save The Sand, lacing up for Run for Ripple, and pulling on our new Peaks for Purpose caps.
What we raised along the way:
1,560 Marula seeds planted to restore the Sand River
67 care parcels packed in honour of our elders
185 laps run, meaning R185,000 donated to the Ripple Fund
R72,376 raised through Peaks for Purpose
Small acts. Endless ripples. Every day can be Mandela Day.
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That’s a wrap for June and July. We hope you’ve enjoyed looking back on some of the moments that made this winter so memorable.
As the seasons continue to shift, we’ll be sharing many more stories and reels from life at Londolozi. Follow along on Instagram to stay connected with the wild.
Hi Megan, lots to contemplate and admire in your selection especially the Londolozi 100th birthday love letter (39 visits – wow) however, for me the dust bathing of the bee-eaters does it for me.
Thank you so much, Eric! The dust-bathing bee-eaters are also one of my favourites.
Another wonderful collections of videos, Megan.
Thanks.
Thank you, Christa! I’m so glad you enjoyed the collection.
Thanks Megan for assembling this collection of videos as a reminder of how wonderful and varied the bush is, during any time of the year. I have two favorites – the Buffalo escaping the jaws of death as well as #7, honoring the Leopard legacy of Londolozi, although each video was special in its own way.
Thank you, Denise! Great choices.
Hi Megan, your list is very variegated and so difficult to pick one. Of course, also given the recent eulogy about the Three Rivers female and the Mashaba female, videos about leopards are my first choice. I couldn’t help stopping at the Plain Camp males crossing the river in the moonlight! And the Gijma males broderhood. But really all videos are a chapter to stop at. Great.
Hi Megan,
Thank you so much for putting all these wonderful videos together!!
It’s impossible to say which is my favorite but safe to say that these are a wonderful example of what makes Londolozi so special .
Each one has its own story , its own relationship with Londolozi and that’s what makes the fascination with Londoz so special.
Thank you again.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Tirso!
Hi Megan, fantastic to view all the video’s once again. For me the Shingi Male video is my favourite then the buffalo’s. Londolozi surely does surprise with all these amazing animals.
Thank you, Valmai! Those are great choices.