Category Archives: Memorable sightings

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Cheetah Concerns

DeWetsWild conducted a two-week tour of the Kruger National Park with altogether nine people to see out 2025 and ring in 2026 and every day for the month of February I’ll be sharing just a few of the many memories our group collected.

One very hot afternoon we were nearing Muzandzeni Picnic Spot when we came across an obviously distressed female Cheetah, calling non-stop as she walked. Other visitors at the scene informed us that she was separated from her cub when the pair came across a troop of baboons. Great was our relief when the cub appeared in the road ahead and the two Cheetahs were reunited.

Cheetah female searching for her cub

Cheetah cub

Cheetah female and her cub reunited

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Who’d think that a Leopard sighting could get even more exciting!?

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We found a Leopard up a tree with the scraps of an impala kill near Tshokwane Picnic Site one morning. Leopards are always a prize sighting and, being on one of the roads less in that part of the Park, we could enjoy the sight of the large cat lying lazily on a thick Marula branch to our hearts’ content.

Leopard in a tree with its kill near Tshokwane

Suddenly a herd of Impala came dashing from the other side of the road, heading straight to the tree in which the Leopard was. The Leopard immediately jumped up and moved down the tree, being ever the opportunist on the lookout for an easy kill. Our attention however was caught by the sight of a massive female Spotted Hyena (radio-collared as part of a research project) chasing after a newly born Impala lamb at an amazing speed. We had only a split-second glimpse of the chase but it was clear the hyena would be the victor.

Spotted Hyena chasing an impala lamb

With hyena and impalas vacating the scene in a flash our attention could return to the Leopard surveying the landscape from its elevate perch, having never jumped to the ground in the chaos.

Leopard in a tree near Tshokwane

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Family Life in a Baboon Troop

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Baboons are always a treat to watch, and thankfully they’re quite commonly encountered in the Kruger National Park. From the playful antics of the youngsters to the long-suffering expressions on the faces of the adults it is impossible to watch them without a smile (or recognizing at least one of your own family members!). This troop entertained us royally one morning on the main road between Satara and Tshokwane.

Baby Baboon

Mom catches a baby just in time before he jumps on his meditating sibling…

“Does your nappy need changing?”

Wrestling match interrupted

Little one being a bully

Dad just doesn’t have the nerve to watch…

Playful baboon youngsters

Wondering when mom’s lecture will end…

Family bonds

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Buffalo on the alert

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We didn’t get to see many buffalo during the trip, despite them being among the mammals with the highest population in the Park. This was probably as a result of the good rainfall the Park was receiving, leading to a flush of green grass and easily accessible water in areas well away from the tourist roads. It was actually during a downpour that we found a small herd just south of Satara. One of the cows in the group was noticeably nervous and on high alert, and while we never could figure out why she was so highly strung it was clear she wasn’t to be messed with!

Very alert buffalo cow near Satara

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: Thunderstorm Loading

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December heralded one of the wettest summer seasons on record in the Kruger National Park and surrounding Lowveld (and it isn’t over yet!), which culminated in extensive flooding and severe damage to infrastructure and even loss of human life in the towns around the Park by the middle of January. This image is of a particularly terrifying thunderstorm we witnessed developing and then unleashing its fury on the plains east of Satara.

Thunderstorm heading for Satara

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: The thrill of finding lions on the road!

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The central reaches of the Kruger National Park is lion country. On our first morning of the trip, taking an easy drive from Tamboti to Satara, we had no less than 4 lion sightings – two of them right on the road. The first of these was of two magnificent males lazily patrolling their territory along the Timbavati River, while the second was of a mating threesome – two males and a female – at the Nsemani Dam.

Lions on the road between Tamboti and Satara

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Summer Snapshots from Kruger: The Sound of Summer

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Now, if there’s one bird who’s song can be considered to be the summer anthem of the Lowveld, it has to be the Woodland Kingfisher, loudly and proudly proclaiming its presence from early morning right through to the evening. I love their song so much that it is the ringtone on my phone. No matter where I am when I hear this sound my mind immediately wanders to one of our beautiful wild places and the cares of the world vanish for a while.

Have a listen here.

Woodland Kingfisher

If you’d like to join me on a guided tour of South Africa’s wild places, of even if you’d just like a bit of help putting your reservations together, don’t hesitate to reach out!

As cute as monkey business can be!

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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!