Category Archives: Memorable sightings

As cute as monkey business can be!

These two baby Vervet Monkeys, seen near Skukuza in the Kruger National Park on a recent tour, were most endearing – it was rather disappointing when their mothers decided it was time to get moving into the bush, as it was great fun watching their antics!

Baby Vervet Monkeys

Baby Vervet Monkey

I am a fully accredited and legally registered tour guide (with all the necessary insurance, professional drivers license and first aid certification) – don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like me to arrange a guided tour of beautiful South Africa and all her natural wonders, like the Kruger National Park, for you as well, or even just to assist with your holiday reservations for our national parks and nature reserves throughout the country.

A Giraffe with a bone to pick

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While on a recent tour of the Pilanesberg National Park we came across this Giraffe comically sucking on an old bone it picked up in the veld. Osteophagia – the behaviour in which herbivorous animals chew on bones – is thought to be a way for these animals to supplement the calcium and phosphate levels in their bodies, especially during the dry season when their usual fodder – leaves, in the case of giraffes – may not be adequately providing in their needs.

Giraffe chewing on a bone in the Pilanesberg National Park

Manyeleti Magic 2025: Day 5 (16 June)

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It always astounds me just how quickly time goes by when we’re out in South Africa’s wild places, and our June 2025 Manyeleti Magic photo-safari and workshop, hosted in conjunction with Hannes Rossouw Photography at Buffelshoek in the Manyeleti Nature Reserve, was no exception. All too soon our final morning arrived and we had just one more drive from camp to enjoy with our guests before everyone headed home again.

Early morning light reveals a herd of elephants

Still excited about the amazing photo-session with the cheetah-family the previous afternoon we opted to go looking for them again, and found them up another termite mound from where they were surveying their Lowveld home for prey and danger. Two spotted hyenas were also hanging around, hoping to get an easy meal if the devoted cheetah mother made a kill. The cubs were in a playful mood and practiced their hunting strides on each other and even occasionally on the hyenas, giving us a lot of entertainment.

Cheetah cubs

Cheetah cubs – there’s always that one in a family photo that has their eyes closed!

Cheetah cubs

Cheetah cub

Cheetah cubs

Cheetah female

Spotted Hyena

Cheetah family

Cheetah family watching the hyena closely

Cheetah family

Cheetah cub

Cheetah cubs

Cheetah female

Cheetah cub

Cheetah female

Cheetah cubs

Cheetah cub

Cheetah cubs

Soon after leaving the cheetahs we found a herd of elephant at a nearby waterhole – drinking elephants always make for interesting photographs!

Elephants at the waterhole

By now it was time to start making our way back to Buffelshoek for breakfast, but a tree full of vultures distracted us. Nearing the spot the vultures took flight – great for attempting some pictures of them in the air – and then we noticed two magnificent male lions walking around in circles around the area, smelling and marking as they went. It was obvious that the two shared a close bond and woe to the interlopers that try to muscle in on their territory!

White-backed vulture in flight

Lion male

Lion males

Lion male at Manyeleti

Lion male marking territory

Lion male

Lion males

Lion male

Lion males

Lion male

Lion males

A small herd of plains zebra and blue wildebeest were our final sighting before arriving back at camp after yet another exhilarating drive.

Plains Zebras

Blue Wildebeest

Plains Zebra

After a final scrumptious breakfast it was time to say goodbye to the management and staff of Buffelshoek who took care of us so wonderfully the past couple of days. On the way to the gate, and home beyond that, Manyeleti had a final gift for us – another encounter with the cheetah family pacing through the veld!

Cheetah female

Cheetah cubs

Manyeleti certainly delivered the magic again! Hannes and I will be hosting two photo-safari workshops at Buffelshoek again in 2026, in June and September – do get in touch with us to keep a spot for you!

Manyeleti Magic 2025: Day 4 (15 June)

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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.

Manyeleti sunrise

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.

Spotted Hyena

Spotted Hyenas

Spotted Hyena

Hamerkop

Our next sighting of note was of a breeding herd of elephants accompanied by a very impressive tusker.

Impressive Tusker

Elephant family

Baby elephant

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.

Lilac-breasted Roller

Magpie Shrike

Grey Go-away Bird

Rattling Cisticola

Kudu cow

Kudu bull

Giraffe

Elephant bulls

Elephant bull

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.

Cheetah Cub

Cheetah Cubs

Cheetah Family

Cheetah Cub

Cheetah Family

Cheetah Cub

Cheetah female

Cheetah Cub

Cheetah female

Cheetah Cub

Cheetah female

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!

Grey Heron

Being watched by a hippo

Manyeleti sunset

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!

Manyeleti Magic 2025: Day 3 (14 June)

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Out again in the morning dark on day 3 of our 2025 Manyeleti Magic photographic safari and workshop our first notable encounter was with a black-backed jackal just a few minutes after starting our drive. Ever the opportunist this one was trotting along a patch of burnt grass looking for a quick morsel.

Black-backed Jackal

Sunrise in the Lowveld is usually very inspiring and that certainly was the case this morning. A herd of elephant crossing the road in front of us at the right time simply added to the magic!

Sunrise over Manyeleti

Elephants at sunrise

A beautiful stretch of water in Manyeleti Nature Reserve

We soon arrived at the spot where we found the hidden lion cubs the previous afternoon, and now the whole family was together – the six cubs, their three mothers and the pride male. The focus on our photographic workshops are to spend as much time at quality sightings as we can; good light and interesting subjects being much more to the liking of our group of photographers than was covering lots of ground to take in as many sightings and as much of the scenery as is possible in a limited time. Our participants were able to play around with all kinds of camera setting-combinations, aided by Hannes’ expert advice, and with the cubs being much more boisterous now under the safe supervision of their parents than the previous day there certainly was lots to keep the cameras clicking!

Lion family

Lion cub

Lioness

Lion cub

Squabbling lion cubs

Lion cub

Lion cub and mom

Lion family

The proud Lion father

Lion family

Suckling lion cubs

Eventually we had to head back to Buffelshoek for breakfast, and another session of bird photography from the camp’s elevated deck before lunch.

Red-billed Hornbills

Pearl-spotted Owlet trying to hide

Pearl-spotted Owlet in flight

Red-billed Hornbill

Our afternoon drive, extending after dark, was filled to the brim with exciting sightings! White rhinos, a side-striped jackal, a male lion on a mission and a hasty hippopotamus all put in appearances.

White Rhino

Side-striped Jackal

Lion on a mission

Hippopotamus

Our expert tracker Elvis is extremely skilled at picking up chameleons in the spotlight, and this gave us a chance to marvel at this fascinating creature from up close.

Flap-necked Chameleon

Back at camp we were serenaded by an African Scops Owl, who even followed me back to my tent when it was time to turn in!

African scops owl

In the next post we’ll show you everything we encountered on day 4 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!

Manyeleti Magic 2025: Day 2 (13 June)

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Your day starts early on a wildlife photo-safari through the Manyeleti Nature Reserve with DeWetsWild and Hannes Rossouw Photography. Coffee and rusks await our early-rising guests in the dining room at Buffelshoek around 15 minutes before we head out in the morning, which is usually about 30 minutes before first light.

Out in South Africa’s wild places an early start is handsomely rewarded more often than not. On our first morning drive our second animal sighting after leaving camp, the Lowveld still shrouded in darkness, was a male cheetah. Eventually we spent about 90 minutes following him through the veld while he was patrolling and marking his territory and making several (unsuccessful) hunting attempts on duiker and impala. Thrilling stuff!

Cheetah male at Manyeleti

The rest of our morning excursion gave us many opportunities to point our cameras at various kinds of birds and animals before we arrived back at camp.

Lilac-breasted Roller

Elephant bull in musth

Elephant Bull in Manyeleti

Some elephants came so close to us that we noticed the hair around their ear openings!

Elephant bull

Brown Snake Eagle

The break between breakfast and lunch was the prefect excuse to practice our bird photography skills – especially shooting them in flight – from the elevated deck at Buffelshoek.

Yellow-billed Hornbill

Pearl-spotted Owlet

Chinspot Batis

Cardinal Woodpecker

We got up from the lunch table and got straight onto the game drive vehicle for our afternoon drive. The highlight of our encounters that afternoon was a huddle of six lion cubs hiding in the long grass where their mothers left them when they went off hunting. Considering how boisterous baby animals can be these little lions were very well behaved – perhaps their mothers have this discipline thing all worked out!

Well-behaved lion cubs waiting for their mothers

The runt of the litter hiding deep in the long grass

Lion cub practicing his intimidating starei

Lion cub

Lion cubs

Lion cub

Lion cub licking his lips

Lion cub

Lion cubs

After a day packed so full of the most amazing sightings and experiences we cherished the beautiful serenity of the sunset even more!

Manyeleti sunset

In the next post we’ll show you everything we encountered on day 3 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!

Manyeleti Magic 2025: Day 1 (12 June)

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At long last our 2025 Manyeleti Magic photographic safari and workshop, hosted in conjunction with Hannes Rossouw Photography, was about to start. A year of planning finally culminating in us and our guests meeting at the entrance gate to Manyeleti Nature Reserve at the agreed time of 11:30 on the 12th of June.

Entry formalities completed we set off for Buffelshoek Camp. Given that Buffelshoek is located in a remote corner of Manyeleti it would take us at least an hour to get there, soaking in the wonderful Lowveld atmosphere again while keeping a lookout for game and birds along the way.

African Elephant

Blue Wildebeest

Hippos and a crocodile sharing a corner of Manyeleti’s biggest dam

White Rhino

Guests can arrive at Buffelshoek from 13h00, which allows ample time to settle into your tent before lunch is served an hour later. Buffelshoek is entirely off-the-grid and very comfortable despite its rustic nature, with the 5 guests tents – with en-suite bathrooms! – spaced well apart from each other for privacy and to allow animals to move through the unfenced camp unhindered (over the next few days we’d have elephants, hyenas, impalas, giraffes, jackals and hares in our midst, and those are just the ones we saw!).

The central building at Buffelshoek has a lapa, viewing deck, lounge and dining room where guests can relax

One of Buffelshoek’s five very comfortable furnished safari-style tents in which guests are accommodated

After lunch we excitedly set off on our first drive, with expert tracker Elvis showing the way while Hannes gave photography tips to our guests and I explained the finer details of the environment and wildlife we encountered. We had regular encounters with various kinds of animals and birds, including some elephant bulls that came very close to our vehicle.

Plains Zebra

Giraffe

Elephant Bull

Damaged ivory

Elephant tusk close-up

Eager photographers

Fork-tailed Drongo waiting for insects flushed by the feeding elephants

Water lilies

The highlight of our first afternoon drive was an encounter with two beautiful male lions just as the “golden hour” descended on Manyeleti. At first they were very lazy but thankfully one of the males – the one with the darker mane – decided to give us some nice poses and scary stares. What a highlight on our first day!

Lion male

Heading back to camp in the dark showed us many fiery-necked nightjars in the road. We also stopped so that the photographers could try their hand at shooting the moon in the dark of night (though my own attempt was a mess it was still great fun to hear everyone’s excitement when Hannes’ suggestions gave them results they could proudly show off).

Fiery-necked Nightjar

Moon over Manyeleti

In the next post we’ll show you everything we encountered on day 2 of our 2025 Manyeleti Magic photo-safari and workshop. The 2026 dates are yet to be confirmed, but do get in touch with us if you’d like us to keep a spot for you!

Common Brown Water Snake

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Lycodonomorphus rufulus

The Common Brown Water Snake is a small snake that on average grows to about 60cm in length, adult females being considerably larger than males. It is of no danger to anything except the small frogs, tadpoles and fish it feeds on, being as its name suggests closely associated with watery habitats where it is an excellent swimmer. The Common Brown Water Snake is non-venomous and kills its prey by constriction. It is placid by nature and rarely bites when handled. Females lay between 10 and 20 eggs in the summer months, with the babies hatching about 2 months later.

We have Joubert’s sharp eyes to thank for seeing this beautifully camouflaged specimen at a stream in the Mountain Zebra National Park. The sighting was rather unusual as these snakes are usually active at night.

Common Brown Water Snake (photo by Joubert)

Common Brown Water Snake

More snaps from our summer days in the Mountain Zebra National Park

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For the majority of local and international tourists the Mountain Zebra National Park is probably one of the country’s most underestimated protected areas. Conservationists and those visitors who have fell under its spell, however, can’t praise the place highly enough. But don’t give away the secret – we love Mountain Zebra National Park for its untrammeled wilderness feeling far from the madding crowds!

During our visit earlier in January I posted a few photographs on a daily basis to give those following along on our travels a glimpse of what we were experiencing. Let’s start this recap with those.

Kudu bull eating sweet-thorn blossoms

Gemsbok

Black Rhino

Springbok ewe (photo by Joubert)

Blesbok lamb (photo by Joubert)

Mountain Zebra (photo by Joubert)

Young Kudu bull (photo by Joubert)

Black Rhino (photo by Joubert)

Speckled Mousebird

Mountain Zebra National Park: Scenery along the Kranskop Loop

Mountain Zebra family squabble

Black Wildebeest

Black Rhino

Springbok

Black Rhino

Ostrich chick

Yellow Mongoose

Ground Squirrel

Marsh Terrapin

Mountain Zebra

Kudu calf

Scenery in Mountain Zebra National Park

Of course, pride of place goes to the population of Cape Mountain Zebra, as saving these beautiful creatures from extinction was the reason behind the Park’s proclamation almost 90 years ago.

Cape Mountain Zebras

Cape Mountain Zebra

Cape Mountain Zebra foal

Cape Mountain Zebra foal being shy

Cape Mountain Zebra

Cape Mountain Zebra mare and foal

But of course, Mountain Zebra National Park is also home to an amazing variety of other wildlife that also finds a home in this beautiful landscape.

Ludwig’s Bustard

Chat Flycatcher

Blesbok

Warthog (photo by Joubert)

Southern African Ground Squirrel

Yellow Mongoose

Yellow Canary

Ammocharis lily

Brown-hooded Kingfisher

Four-striped Grass Mouse

Blesbok

Springbok herd on the move

Meerkat

Cape Longclaw

Familiar Chat

I suspect this is Cotyledon campanulata

Common River Frogs

Blue Cranes

Southern Ground Agama

Namaqua Sand Lizard

Springbok (photo by Joubert)

Eastern Clapper Lark

Blesbok lamb

Spike-heeled Lark

Black Wildebeest herd

Scaly-feathered Finch

Bar-throated Apalis

Red Hartebeest

Poynton’s River Frog

Southern African Ground Squirrels

Male Ostrich sunbathing

Blesbok Ram standing proud

Malachite Kingfisher (photo by Joubert)

Grey Rhebok

Yellow-throated Bush Sparrow

Nile Monitor

Male Buff-streaked Chat (photo by Joubert)

Common Brown Water Snake

Female Sentinel Rock Thrush

One of the most exciting sightings of our entire trip occurred early morning on our last full day in the Park, when we came across a herd of buffalo anxiously milling on the road at a precarious downhill stretch on the Kranskop Loop, just where it crosses a small stream. Only after some of the herd passed us, nerve-wreckingly due to the steep slope next to us parked off to the side of the very narrow roadway, we could go around the corner and saw the reason for the buffaloes’ distress – they were being stalked by two lionesses! The cats never went into a full blown attack while we were watching but seemed content to keep following the buffaloes and working on their nerves.

Buffalo roadblock

Buffalo herd on the move – photo by Joubert

Buffalo herd almost forcing their way past our vehicle on a narrow, steep road!

Buffalo close-up (photo by Joubert)

Buffalo

Very nervous buffalo cow – photo by Joubert

Nervous buffalo cow

Buffalo herd continuing over the stream and up the hill to get distance between them and the lions

Lioness

Lioness eyeing us and the buffaloes from the grass (photo by Joubert)

Lioness

Seen high from the Kranskop Loop Road the buffaloes are still trying to put distance between them and the lions

But the lionesses are following patiently behind

We ended our visit to Mountain Zebra National Park with a night drive. The Park is renowned for the quality sightings of otherwise rarely seen nocturnal creatures and our drive certainly did not disappoint!

Scrub Hare (photo by Joubert)

Bat-eared Fox (photo by Joubert)

Aardwolf (photo by Joubert)

DeWetsWild is proud to be a contracted reservations agent for the Mountain Zebra National Park, so whether you’d like us to assist you with a reservation to visit on your own or would like us to include the Park in a guided tour arranged specifically for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Snaps on Tour: More than a thought for the scavengers

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I’ve dedicated this post to the scavenger animals and birds we encountered while touring the Kruger National Park in October. These creatures are often terribly maligned, despite the vital function they perform in healthy ecosystems.

I have a real liking for Spotted Hyenas. They’re nothing like the cowardly scoundrels popular media would have you believe. They’re intelligent and fascinating creatures and spending a little bit of time with them, observing their behaviour and interactions, will quickly convince you of that. I was very happy that we had so many close encounters with hyenas during or October trip to Kruger.

Spotted Hyena

Spotted Hyena mother suckling her cubs

Hyena on a mission – Maroela Loop near Skukuza

Spotted Hyenas on a mission – Maroela Loop near Skukuza

Early morning at the Hyena den

Spotted Hyena with a wry smile

Spotted Hyena portrait

Spotted Hyena with a wry smile

Spotted Hyena chomping on a buffalo carcass

A parting glance from a Spotted Hyena

Crossing the dry Shingwedzi River on their way home after a night of searching for food

Lazy Spotted Hyena just outside Mopani camp

Our vultures are in crisis. Due to poisoning and habitat loss all the species occurring in the country are now at dire risk of extinction, and it is vital that wilderness’ like the Kruger National Park remain safe havens for these birds fulfilling such a critical task in the ecosystem. We had many sightings of vultures on the wing, pairs at nests and others sitting exposed on the open branches of tall trees, and twice had the pleasure of watching them peck at and squabble over the carcasses of large animals (a buffalo and an elephant respectively).

Lappet-faced Vulture

Hooded Vultures

White-backed Vulture

White-backed Vultures

White-backed Vulture

White-backed Vultures at an elephant carcass

White-backed Vultures at a smelly elephant carcass

White-backed Vultures at an elephant carcass

Some birds and animals are opportunistic more than they’re scavengers. This Yellow-billed Kite is making the most of a windfall spurfowl that was the victim of a hit-and-run on the main road between Satara and Letaba.

Yellow-billed Kite taking advantage of a roadkill spurfowl

Finishing off this post with a few images of another mammal that catches far more of its own food than it scavenges. Black-backed Jackals are the most numerous canid in the Kruger National Park and any visit to the Park will usually yield a few sightings of them. Finding a den however is a rare occurrence, so having the good luck of timing our visit to Satara with the local jackal pair in the family way was wonderful (even if the adorable family caused a traffic jam at the entrance gate to the camp every evening that they played outside just before dark)!