Our first early morning sighting, of a little Crowned Lapwing chick, shortly after setting out from Buffelshoek was quite suprising, considering how dark and cold it was for the little one to be venturing out from underneath his mother’s wing!
Crowned Lapwing chick
Soon afterwards the sun was rising beautifully over the Lowveld horizon and we couldn’t resist parking and watching in awe as the rich colours tinted the sky, nor could we resist attempting to capture it with our cameras.
A pack of spotted hyenas lounging at a waterhole was our first predator sighting of the morning. In the waterhole a hamerkop was trying to catch frogs, not in the least worried about the hyenas all around.
Our next sighting of note was of a breeding herd of elephants accompanied by a very impressive tusker.
Of course we also saw many other kinds of birds and animals on our morning excursion before getting back to Buffelshoek, where three elephant bulls visited the local waterhole just after we finished breakfast.
Our afternoon drive delivered spectacularly again when an off-duty guide sent word of a female cheetah with four cubs, about 7 months old, just a short drive from Buffelshoek. When we arrived at the spot the family lay claim to a termite mound from which they could keep an eye out for both prey and danger. Apparently just the day before we arrived in Manyeleti the mother was hurt in a fight with a leopard and the wounds were still evident on her right front leg, though it didn’t appear to have caused her too much discomfort and she is expected to make a full recovery.
With Buffelshoek being so far from all the other lodges in Manyeleti we had the beautiful cheetah family all to ourselves for a considerable time, and by the time vehicles from other lodges joined the sighting we had taken more than our fair share of photographs. We could therefore move on to another of Manyeleti’s special corners, a tranquil spot next to a stretch of water where we could enjoy our sundowners being watched – and serenaded – by hippos!
Back at Buffelshoek my new Scops Owl friend was calling from early on. What a way to end another day in wild Africa…
Scops Owl
In the next post we’ll show you everything we encountered on the final morning of our 2025 Manyeleti Magic photo-safari and workshop. The 2026 dates are yet to be confirmed, but do get in touch with us to keep a spot for you!
DeWetsWild 
The cheetahs are beautiful animals, but my heart belongs to the baby elephant.
Die olifantjie is te dierbaar. Die Koedoe is ook baie mooi geneem. Dankie weereens vir sulke pragtige fotos en terugvoer.