Manyoni private game reserve lies in the heart of Zululand. Initially formed in 2005 as part of the WWF Black rhino range expansion project, Manyoni has become one of the premier safari destinations in Kwa-Zulu Natal with a strong focus on endangered species conservation. This work focuses on endangered and priority wildlife species, including the African Wild Dog, Cheetah, Rhino, Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Pangolin and Vulture species.

Manyoni was established in 2004 when the land owners agreed to take down their fences to create one larger reserve. The reserve extends over 23 000 hectares and hosts several safari lodges. We chose to stay at Rhino River lodge. This lodge is sited on the southern bank of the Msunduze river. This is a seasonal river which flows into the Mkuze river.

Manyoni private game reserve has over 70 mammal species and just over 450 recorded bird species. It is known as one of the best birding spots in Southern Africa.

“Photography is a love affair with life.” ~ Burk Uzzle

One of the interesting aspects of visiting different wildlife areas is that you get to see unique species such as the Southern Crested guineafowl. I had struggled to get a decent image of a Southern Crested guineafowl in Pafuri and Amakhosi. When I got to Rhino River lodge there was a group of about six just walking around on the lawn outside the main lodge.

A large-bodied, small-headed, black gamebird perfectly lined with rows of hundreds of bluish-white spots. It has a unique-looking curly crest above the naked face, which features an ivory-coloured beak and a blood-red eye. The facial skin color varies geographically. The Southern Crested guineafowl has a blue-gray face with a large white patch on the back of the neck. A broad band around the base of the neck is an unspotted black colour. It prefers forest and thickets, where it forages on the ground for berries, seeds, and other plant matter. (Source: ebird.org)

There are visual differences between the subspecies. The Eastern Crested guineafowl also has a bare skinned face and neck but its neck and nape is grey-blue and its neck and bare skin around the eyes is red. Its throat is also has a red downward stripe. The eastern species also has a black crest but it is not as curly as the Southern species.

“The beauty of the natural world lies in the details.” ~ Natalie Angier

A juvenile Black-crowned night-heron standing on one leg next to a thicket which housed its nest. This young night-heron seemed completely unfazed about the large crocodile sunning itself nearby.

A young Water Thick-knee (also called a Dikkop) resting in the shade near the Night-heron on the bank of a small dam. This species is usually found close to water but is nomadic, moving in response to changing water levels. This species of Thick-knee looks quite different to its Spotted cousin. It is distinguished by its distinct grey wing-bar which is edged with black bars. It has a beige chest with brown streaks which transitions to white towards the belly. It also has a longer and mostly black beak with yellow nostrils.

A Green-backed heron, now called the Striated Heron, is a small heron with a greenish dark grey back and iridescent green-grey wing feathers which have a yellow edge. Its long beak is bicoloured where the maxilla is black and the mandible is yellow on its underside. It has a yellow eye and a yellow ring around its eyes and across the top of its beak. Its legs are yellow to orange in colour. This species feeds on fish and it is known to use bait to catch fish. It also feeds on frogs and a range of aquatic insects.

A Brown-headed kingfisher keenly watching out for insects to prey on from its perch in a thorn tree. The Brown-headed can be mistaken with the Striped kingfisher but the key differences are that the Striped is smaller, its head its brown with white stripes and its beak is bicoloured with the maxilla which is dark brown and its mandible is a red colour. The Brown-headed species has a brown head, and a beige band which extends around from its throat to its nape. Its upper wing coverts are black and its primary and secondary wing feathers are a vivid turquoise.

At long last I managed to get a few images of a Gorgeous bushshrike. Gorgeous bush-shrikes are seldom seen despite being a commonly occurring species, as they mostly dwell in densely vegetated riverine woodlands. It is a shy bird which tends to stay hidden in the bush and will stay still and quiet in thick vegetation if approached. As with all bushshrikes, it skulks and has a distinctive call that sounds like “du-do-whit.” Similar to most bushshrikes, it feeds predominately on insects.

“The two most engaging powers of a photograph are to make new things familiar and familiar things new.” ~ William Thackeray

This species of bushshrike is stunningly coloured with an olive coloured back, a yellow eyebrow, vivid red throat, a black chest band and red under tail coverts, and black rectrices. Its belly varies in colour according to its location. In Zululand its belly transitions from its black chest band from red to yellow to olive green and back to yellow at the bird’s vent.

A male Chin-spotted batis had caught an insect in the sweet acacia. The male has a black breast band whereas the female has a clearly defined rufous chin-spot and breast band, and rufous flanks.

A Bearded scrub-robin foraging in the leaf litter in a flower bed next to the lodge. This species is identified by its white eyebrow with a black border. It has a white throat and black gular stripe. It has a pale orange breast and flanks and white belly. The Bearded scrub-robin inhabits dense woodlands, thickets and riparian forests, and is often seen flicking through the leaf litter on the ground for insects and spiders.

A male Southern black tit seen outside our room. He was very busy in the tree looking for insects. This species of tit normally forages as a pair but I did not see the female which has greyer underparts.

A female Black-headed heron breaks off sticks to build a nest in a tree overhanging a small dam. At first glance, the Black-headed heron looks similar to Grey heron but the former has a black head, ear coverts and black nape. Its beak is slaty grey as are its legs. This species seldom hunts in water and is more often seen hunting in the grass areas near water. It is a highly capable hunter taking anything from insects, to small mammals and birds.

“Wildlife photography is a matter of patience, focus and timing. If we learn these, we learn life.” ~ Unknown

A Grey heron fishing in the water of the small dam close to the Black-headed heron. The Grey heron has a broad black band which extends from its forehead to its nape and its lower mandible and legs are pinkish yellow. It has an ability to stand motionless for long periods while fishing.

A Yellow-billed stork fishing in the same small dam as the Grey heron. In bright sunshine this stork will often lift one wing to create a shady patch on the water which attracts fish. In lower light this stork fishes with its bill immersed and slightly open, whilst stirring mud with its foot. Its beak is highly tactile, and this stork reacts extremely quickly to the slightest detection of prey.

A Little egret standing still in the water while the wind blows and disturbs its hunting. This is a small egret, larger than a Cattle egret. It has a slender GISS with a long black beak and black legs with yellow feet ( golden slippers). It looks like it put its feet in a tin of yellow road marking paint. This egret’s plumage is white all over and the male grows long white plumes on the back of its head and neck during the breeding season.

A Woolly-necked stork hunting in the soft mud next to a small dam. It was a hot afternoon so looked to be trying to cool itself by flapping its wings.

Together with the Southern crested guineafowl and the Gorgeous bushshrike, a Pink-throated twinspot was another special sighting. This species of twinspot is a small rotund type of waxbill. The male has a guava-pink face and throat, and a brown crown, while the female has mostly whitish-beige underparts. It has a mauve eye ring and its belly is black. Its flanks are black with white dots. It has a blue-grey beak and legs. This particular male had lost his tail feathers.

The female lacks the guava-pink breast, neck, nape and face colouring. Both sexes have pink upper tail coverts. The distribution of this species is restricted to southern Mozambique, eastern eSwatini, north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal, and eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa. The name twinspot comes from its white spots on both flanks.

A lone Hooded vulture. This is a small mostly brown vulture. Its has a relatively small head where its face is bare skinned and normally white but flushes with pink when agitated. It has a long pinkish ivory coloured beak with a sharp downward hooked tip. Being small, this vulture tends to scavenge on the periphery of vulture feeding frenzy picking up scraps dropped by other vultures. This species has been in steep decline since 2000 and is now listed at “critically endangered”.

“Wildlife is something which man cannot construct. Once it is gone, it is gone forever. Man can rebuild a pyramid, but he can’t rebuild ecology, or a giraffe.” ~ Joy Adamson

By mistake we chased this Tawny eagle off its scrub hare kill. It was feeding on a game trail in the grass next to the road and we only saw it at the last moment as we were driving past.

This Tawny was looking around to see if there was anything coming to steal its prey. Our guide wisely did not stay too long otherwise the Tawny might have lost its meal to a wily jackal.

This was a small selection of birds that we saw while wandering around the Manyoni private game reserve. In the second and last post of the reserve I will show some of the mammals and scenery we were privileged to see.

“Every sunset gives me a hope to live.
It reminds me,
You have capture more with your heart.
It reminds me
you are not alone,
surrounded by a beautiful world,
always there for you.”
― Biju Karakkonam

The northern section of Kwa-Zulu Natal has an incredible variety of flora and fauna and is one of south Africa most important wildlife areas. It is our intention to do a lot more exploring in this area in future.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

This is the third and last post from our recent trip to Amakhosi private game reserve. Each morning at the safari lodge we rose at 5h30 to be ready for the morning game drive at 6h00 after a cup of coffee and a muffin. The mornings were brisk at it was the beginning of spring. On some of the morning game drives shortly after leaving the lodge we crossed the Mkuze river with mist rising from the river in the foreground and the glow of the sunrise in the background.

“The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us. Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fibre and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing. The trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and tremendous storm song of the rocks in the heart of the mountains is our song, our very own, and sings our love.” – John Muir

The game drive took us to the southern part of the game reserve where we had some wonderful views of the area. This was the view from a section of the Mkuze river just east of the safari lodge. The north and eastern section of the reserve has undulating terrain and by contrast the southern section is quite mountainous.

A view from the hill on the opposite side of the Mkuze river to the safari lodge. The wellness centre is visible on the left hand side of the image and the main lodge on the right hand side. The Mkuze river is obscured by the steep rocky cliff directly in front of the lodge.

In the flatter sections of the game reserve, we found a female giraffe and her calf. A giraffe calf is usually up on its legs within 20 minutes of birth and nursing within a few hours. This calf looked to be around six months old. Our ranger often watched which way the giraffe was looking to give a possible sign of a big cat.

Up river along the Mkuze from the main lodge is “IsiGodlo” meaning the chief’s residence. It is a private house positioned on a rocky cliff directly above the Mkuze river. I never visited this house but I imagine the views are spectacular.

Often while waiting to start the game drive we were greeted by Purple crested turacos which were attracted to the seeds of the cycads in the lawn in front of the main lodge entrance. Their antics gave us much entertainment.

In the front of the lodge was a coral tree which attracted many sunbirds. The most common of which were the larger Scarlet chested sunbird and smaller Collared sunbirds. This was a male Collared sunbird with his purple necklace.

“I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful — an endless prospect of magic and wonder.” ~ Ansel Adams

We often saw Nyalas drinking from the pond at the entrance to the main lodge. These female Nyalas were quite habituated to people but would not let anyone get too close.

On our first day, we found the dominant coalition of two males down at the western boundary fence. They were interested in a lioness just other other side of the fence. They responded to the male lions roaring from the other side of the fence with their own powerful roars.

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” ~ John Muir

This male Nyala did not know it but he was only a hundred metres further along the fenceline from the two male lions. Once the lions started roaring he moved deeper into the thick bush.

This Waterbuck bull did not venture too far from the Mkuze river. This is a water dependant species which is not usually found more than two kilometres of a water source. A male Waterbuck is larger than a female and the fur of both sexes is strongly scented by their sweat glands. The Waterbuck was on alert because of the lions in his part of the reserve.

We found a male cheetah along the eastern boundary with the Mkuzi Falls reserve. He was close to another male who was across the fence.

Our guide, Jacques, chose a different place to stop every day for a coffee break. Each one of our stops had a wonderful elevated view across sections of the Mkuze river. This was in the western side of the reserve looking north west on to the adjacent reserve.

“The eye never forgets what the heart has seen.” ~ African Proverb

Looking down on the anti-poaching team camp from one of the surrounding hill tops where we stopped for coffee one morning. The Mkuze river is flowing in front of the camp and there is a large pool of water that extends around the bend. A natural large pool created by the rock formation in this area.

The type of scenery down near the anti-poaching camp along the Mkuze river. It was teeming with life.

A vista of the rolling hills looking south west across the Mkuze river valley onto the reserve.

One afternoon, we returned to the small waterhole where we had seen the lone lioness the day before. We had suspected that the lioness was hanging around the waterhole because she had cubs close by and we were hoping to see the cubs. Instead we found a breeding herd of elephants which had stopped for a drink on their way towards the Mkuze river.

Later that afternoon we surprised the same herd of elephants on route to the river. They stopped, blocking the road, for a good look at us before they were satisfied that we were no threat, then they moved on into the bush.

Our guide, Jacques, correctly anticipated which section of the Mkuze river the elephants were making their way down to. We drove across the river to get a better view of the herd drinking.

“Few can sojourn long within the unspoiled wilderness of a game sanctuary, surrounded on all sides by its confiding animals, without absorbing its atmosphere; the Spirit of the Wild is quick to assert supremacy, and no man of any sensibility can resist her.” ~ James Stevenson-Hamilton

It was late afternoon in the mountainous southern section of the reserve. The whole herd came down to drink, each group taking turns. They wanted to quench their thirst from the fresh water in the flowing river rather than a stagnant waterhole.

Sunset is a magical time in the African bush especially if there are plenty of clouds which add drama and colour to the scene. This was view looking west as we were crossing the Mkuze river over a rocky section.

After the sun has set there is a period of about 20 minutes when the light softens and the colours initially take on a pastel hue before becoming more saturated. After the phase of greatest colour saturation, the light and colour in the beautifully coloured sky fades fast giving way to the darkness. This is an in-between time in the bush which brings about a reverent stillness.

We had a privileged sighting of a leopardess and her year old male cub who emerged from the thick bush next to the road and walked around in the spotlight for about fifteen minutes. Unusual behaviour for such a secretive cat. Nature continually surprises when you least expect it.

We had superb sightings of some of the wildlife in the reserve. The variety of birdlife is astounding and the scenery beautiful in the ever changing light at different times of the day. I sense there is much more to see in terms of both mammals and birdlife. Management of the reserve make a concerted effort to maintain the gravel roads which makes a real difference to the bush experience on the game vehicle. This was complemented by our guide, Jacques’s excellent 4×4 game vehicle handling and his tracker Zakele’s incredible eyesight and knowledge of the bush.

“Everybody needs beauty…places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike.” ~ John Muir

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

Helen and I visited Amakhosi private game reserve in September 2023. This was the start of spring in southern Africa so most of the migrants had yet to arrive and it was dry. The rains usually only arrive in late November or early December. Despite this, there is a perennial flow of water in the Mkuze river which courses through the reserve. The Mkuze river is known for its wonderful diversity of birdlife. Around 420 bird species can be seen in this reserve. There is something for every wildlife enthusiast from the “big five”, birdlife and frogging in the wet season. As a wildlife photographer I am interested in all wildlife.

There is a remarkable diversity of birdlife around the lodge. At breakfast, after the morning game drive, I found myself regularly getting up from the table to photograph new birds which showed themselves in the trees next to the pool and above the deck in front of the lodge.

“In the cathedral of the wild a glorious language is revealed in every breath.” ~ Robbie George

We saw this Orange breasted bushshrike outside our room at the safari lodge. I have often heard these small bushshrikes but seldom saw them as they are normally found at the top of the tree canopy. Thankfully each species of bushshrike has a distinctive call. Once we heard the call we started to look for the vividly coloured bushshrike. This bushshrike has a vivid yellow forehead, throat, belly and rectrices. It has a black bland across its eye from its beak to ear coverts. Its nape and the top section of its back is grey which wraps around to its ear coverts. Its lower back and wings are a green-yellow colour which blends well with the colour of the tree’s leaves.

This bushshrike is not a migrant and is highly active constantly moving in the branches of tree foraging for insects such as beetles, caterpillars, bees, ants and wasps.

This Red-billed firefinch is a small gregarious seed eater and is often seen on the ground foraging for seeds alongside Blue waxbills. This male has a pinkish-scarlet forehead, face throat and breast. Its uppertail coverts are scarlet as are its rectrices. Its nape, back, wings and belly are brown tinged with scarlet.

Next to the lodge is an inviting swimming pool. At the deep end it has a fountain flowing across a large boulder which attracts many birds to drink. One of the regular visitors was a group of Cape white-eyes. These small insectivores have yellow plumage with a slight green tinge and a distinctive white eyering.

“Everyone likes birds. What wild creature is more accessible to our eyes and ears, as close to us and everyone in the world, as universal as a bird?” ~ Sir David Attenborough

In many of the reserves in the northern part of South Africa you will see Brown-headed kingfishers but in this reserve you will see mainly Striped kingfishers. This species is an insectivore. It has powder blue rectrices and primary wing feathers. Its crown is light brown with dark brown stripes. It has a whitish buff coloured cheek and nape and its eye stripe is dark brown reaching from behind the eye around the back of the head. Its breast and belly are a whitish buff colour with dark brown stripes. It beak comprises a dark brown maxilla and red mandible which is diagnostic feature.

Lesser striped swallows were constantly flying around the lodge hawking flying insects. These are large swallows with a russet coloured head, nape, ear coverts and upper tail coverts. Their back and upper wing coverts are steel blue in colour. Their throat, breast and belly are white with thick black streaks. The primary and secondary wing feathers are a black-dark brown in colour. The outer rectrices are long streamers, which are longer in the male.

Next to the dining area and deck that overlooks the Mkuze river, there are coral trees. The nectar in the florescences attract a variety of birds from weavers and Cape white-eyes to sunbirds. The Scarlet chested sunbird is a large dark brown sunbird with a vivid scarlet chest. It aggressively protects its feeding area from other sunbirds such as the smaller Collared sunbird.

The Collared sunbird is also strikingly coloured with an iridescent green back and head and yellow underparts. This small sunbird has a short beak so it feeds on different parts of the florescence to the Scarlet chested sunbird. The male has a purple collar which is absent in the female.

The most frequent visitors to the trees around the lodge were Purple crested turacos. Like most turacos, it is a large vividly coloured fruit eater. This species has a bright red eyering and its primary and secondary wing feathers are bright scarlet. Its crown has a purple-blue crest which extends down its nape. Its throat, back, belly and shoulders are an olive green. Its chest is an apricot colour tinged with olive green. This is a large, beautiful noisy turaco which is always on the move in the tree canopy. We saw this species feeding on fruit in the cycads at the entrance to the lodge and fruiting trees around the lodge.

“Tranquility of the heart is a blessing one receives from the wilderness.” ~ Robbie George

These turacos found the soft red seeds from the cycads around the lodge very enticing. The antics of these turacos around the pool area of the lodge provided plenty of entertainment.

A White-browed scrub-robin foraging in a open dry area close to where we found the cheetah family. This species of scrub-robin has a distinctive pale white superciliary (above its eye) stripe. Its crown, nape and back are light brown and its upper tail coverts are a rust colour. It has a buff coloured throat, breast and belly with dark brown stripes. Its greater and lesser wing coverts are distinctively white striped. This is a restless insect eater foraging mainly on the ground.

“I would like to paint the way a bird sings.” ~ Claude Monet

When we have meals at the safari lodge on the deck overlooking the Mkuze river, we were visited by a pair of Mocking cliff chats who were quick to pick up scraps of food dropped on the floor. There were quite habituated to people which gave us a chance to see them close up. This cliff chat is black all over except its belly and undertail coverts are chestnut brown. This species has a distinctive white shoulder patch. It is a very “chatty” chat.

Similar to all chats, this species lifted it tail just after it has landed. The male’s upperparts are black while the female’s upperparts are a dark grey. This species inhabits rocky boulder strewn areas and well-wooded rocky ravines. On the opposite side of the Mkuze river to the lodge is a high, well treed rocky cliff.

This Groundscraper thrush is an upright standing thrush. It is a bold, long legged thrush with a short tail. Its upper parts are a grey-brown and its cheeks, and underparts are white with bold dark brown spotted which join together around the face creating a malar and ear stripe. It characteristically, runs long distances on the ground hunting insects, stopping and standing bolt upright all the while flicking its wings. The Groundscraper Thrush is predominately terrestrial, hopping on the ground like many thrushes and scrapings among fallen leaves and other dead vegetation for insects. Sometimes it can be seen cocking its head to listen for prey moving in the leaf litter.

While having breakfast we were visited by a pair of Black backed puffbacks who hopped around in the trees close by the lodge’s deck. This small shrike has white underparts, a black head, variegated black and gray lesser and median coverts. Its back is black as are its rectrices.

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” ~ Gary Snyder

The male and female Black-backed Puffbacks are similarly coloured but the male has an all black head with the black becoming white just below its ruby red eye. The female’s face is mostly white face and she has a white eyebrow. These little shrikes also have a distinctive call which announces their presence. Thereafter it requires some patience to see them clearly.

The Pied wagtail is also a strikingly pied coloured wagtail. It has a long black tail which it wags up and down constantly. It has black upperparts and white underparts. It has a strong white eyebrow and a black stripe down its throat which broadens out into a black apron on its chest. It has a white panel of feathers on the leading edge of its wings. This insect eater seems to prefer to be close to water, be it a swimming pool or a river.

The other side of the Mkuze from the lodge is a steep rocky cliff with a small valley between the cliff faces leading down to the river. The opposite bank of the river is lined with large trees. On several occasions we heard what we initially thought was a baby crying but it turned out to be a family of Trumpeter hornbills. This pied colour hornbill has a wide pink area of skin around its eyes. This species is a large hornbill, compared to its yellow or red billed cousins. It has a large grey casque on top of its maxilla which is bigger on the male than the female.

On two occasions, the family of hornbills flew from their roosting trees on the other side of the Mkuze river to the fruiting trees around the lodge. They made quite a noise while communicating with each other.

This adult Fish eagle was perched on a broken branch close to a large pool of water in the river. There must be plenty of fish in the river because we saw a number of Fish eagles.

“Nature’s beauty is that is cultivates appreciation and gratitude.” ~ Louie Schwartzberg

We found a lone African hawk-eagle perched on a fallen tree. It had a high position from which to scan its surroundings. This raptor prefers savanna and and riverine forest habitats where it primarily hunts gamebirds, such as francolin and guineafowl. This hawk-eagle hunts by swooping from a perch, quartering low over the ground or stooping from a soaring position. It is aggressive and highly territorial.

In my experience, adult African hawk eagles hunt in pairs. The only time I have seen a single African hawk eagle was when it was a fledged juvenile.

An adult Martial eagle perched on a large aloe on the side of a hill looking down onto the Mkuze river. This is the area where we found the three year old male lion hiding from the coalition. This is one the largest and most powerful species of booted eagle. Also found in Amakhosi private game reserve another large and very powerful booted eagle, the Crowned eagle, which is sometimes called the “flying leopard” because of its colouring. The Martial eagle is one of the few eagles which hunts primarily from a high soar followed by a high speed stoop once it has located its quarry.

We saw many more interesting birds but I was not able take a good images of them. Two species which proved difficult and elusive were the Crested guineafowl and the Gorgeous bushshrike. Many raptors appeared to move up and down the river but were usually on the other side of the river to the lodge. I never got to see a Crowned eagle this time but we did see a pair of Crowned eagles in 2008 sitting in a large tree above a female bushbuck which they had killed.

“Birds provide a treasure trove of colour, diversity and sound. Treasures that can be seen on every game drive.” ~ Mike Haworth

We plan to return to Amakhosi in September this year before it gets too hot. I still want to get a good image of a Purple crested turaco flying, and try to see and photograph a Crowned eagle. Brown hyaena, civet and a serval are also on my mammal wish list.

“You never know what may cross your path and fuel the wildness of your soul.”~ Robbie George

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at bits interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike

Amakhosi Private Game reserve is located on the banks of the Mkuze river about 25 kilometres south east of Pongola in Zululand, which is in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. Helen and I first visited Amakhosi Safari Lodge in the reserve in 2008. We were so impressed with the experience that we returned in 2009 to find some significant changes. There had been a land claim and 10 000 hectares of the original 22 000 hectare reserve had been awarded to the claimants leaving 12 000 hectares of the original private game reserve. We had a wonderful time in 2009 despite the reduced size of the private reserve because of the quality of the safari lodge and the staff. The reserve has the Mkuze river coursing through it and has lush valley bushland, rolling savannahs, majestic mountains and thriving river wetlands which support a wonderful diversity of wildlife.

“If I have ever seen magic, it has been in Africa” ~ John Hemingway

In September 2023, Helen and I decided to return to Amakhosi to see how things had developed. To our very pleasant surprise it was excellent, as good as before. The safari lodge and staff had maintained the high level of standards regarding cuisine and service. Even more impressive was how well maintained the roads were in the reserve. It is a “big five” reserve and we were privileged to have had many good sightings of mammals and the birdlife, which in that part of the world is prolific.

The reserve introduced two new male lions in early 2023. These two aggressive male lions are the dominant coalition and any young males do their best to hide from them. The male lion at the back is collared so they can keep track of them. Interestingly, the blonder male is the more dominant and more aggressive.

Initially, when the two males were introduced to Amakhosi, one of the males regularly mock charged which must have increased the pulse rate of the guests on the game vehicle. We had no mock charges and the males seemed to be settling down in their new environment.

The two dominant males were very active and one many occasions we found them patrolling their territory. This was not because it had been raining and they had to remark their territory, but probably because it was still so new to them.

In the southern mountainous section along the Mkuze river, we found a three year old male hiding from the coalition. Remarkably, a day later, the coalition which was out patrolling their territory they came to the exactly same spot where we saw the young male hiding. This reminded us of how developed and sensitive their olfactory senses must have been.

“Vulnerability is the biggest attraction to all predators. But your survival instincts are also at the highest when in danger. Use them, don’t let fear shut them down.” ~ Mitta Xinindlu

The Amakhosi private game reserve has a male and a female cheetah. We were fortunate enough to see the male and female on separate occasions. The female had five cubs. Our first sighting of the cheetah family was early in the morning when it was light but before sunrise. There was still some frost on the dry grass and the cubs were curled up in the embrace of their mother. She was lying in an open section of grassland probably for protection so she could see and sense any danger coming.

Cheetah females become sexually active after two years and can give birth to as many as six cubs, with the average around three. Unlike the males which usually form coalitions, the female remains solitary and does not maintain a territory.

Cheetah cubs are blind at birth and their eyes open after 10 days or so. The cubs are born with a mantle of white fur running from the back of the neck down to the rump. This mantle is thought to provide camouflage in the grass.

The cubs’ mane of white hair disappears after three months and they are usually weaned around four months of age. At this point their mother no longer hides her cubs and they begin to follow her.

Paradoxically, cheetahs are the most productive cat yet they are endangered with a global population of only around 7 000 wild individuals. The main reasons for their decline are human-wildlife conflicts, prey decline, and habitat loss and fragmentation. In a private game reserve these factors are managed. The vulnerability of the cubs arises when their mother leaves them alone to go hunting. When small cubs they are easy prey for lions, leopards and hyaenas and, at times when they are very small, even jackals. Even when their mother is close she is often unable to protect the cubs from lions, leopards and hyaenas. Her best survival strategy is to keep the cubs far away from these predators.

We found this lioness around mid-afternoon lying close to a waterhole. We could not be sure, but judging from her behaviour she may have had cubs hidden in the shrubs among the rocks overlooking the waterhole. This was the only lioness we saw.

At dusk one afternoon, we had been watching a large herd of elephants drinking from the Mkuze river in the mountainous southern section of the park. After watching the herd in the water for a while it was getting dark. So we began making our way back to the lodge. On route our tracker, Zakele, caught a glimpse of a leopard in the thick bush next to the road as he was sweeping his spotlight from left to right looking for any interesting nocturnal wildlife. We stopped, reversed a short distance and our ranger, Jacques, turned the vehicle so we were side on to the road. To everyone’s amazement this leopardess walked out onto the road in the spotlight with year old male cub.

“Give your all to every experience, feel it breathe it appreciate it, nothing lasts forever, when it’s gone you’ll remember the feeling it once gave you and sometimes that’s enough.” ~ Nikki Rowe

The male cub was very affectionate to his mother. He looked to have be around a year old. Male leopards have usually leave their mothers by two years’ old and can start breeding from three years.

This male was too young, but the method of aging leopards older than three years, is usually done by looking at their dewlap size, the condition of their ears and the degree of facial scarring and sometimes the colour of the nose.

We were privileged to see this leopardess and her male cub walking around in the spotlight for what must have been around 15 minutes. The two were inquisitive and even walked close to the vehicle. For such secretive predators this was a remarkable sighting which left all of us on the vehicle quite breathless with excitement.

On the western boundary of the reserve there was a fence and on the other side of the fence was a huge open area. Early one morning, we found the two males walking along the fence line watching a lioness who was just the other side of the fence. The male lions on the other side of the fence had been roaring and these two male replied.

There were no “flat cats” on this particular morning. These two males were very interested in the female close to the fence but on the other side.

These were unusually confident male lions judging from their disregard for our vehicle and interest in what was the other side of the fence. Both males were large and were in good condition. Dr Jennie Miller in her Panthera Field Notes for Panthera’s Lion Program noted that lion biologists have long used unique natural markings (like whisker spots, ear notches and scars) to identify individuals but these factors do not help determine the age of the male. Research found six traits which notably changed with age – nose darkness, facial scarring, teeth colour and wear, and jowl slackness. These males looked to be around five year old.

“It starts with a series of grunts. Then the roaring starts. If you are close, it will send primordial shivers down your spine. The sound is deafening and awe inspiring at the same time. The game vehicle vibrates and you can feel the roaring in your chest.” ~ Mike Haworth

“He was a killer, a thing that preyed, living on the things that lived, unaided, alone, by virtue of his own strength and prowess, surviving triumphantly in a hostile environment where only the strong survive.” ~ Jack London

Amakhosi’s predators looked to thriving in the reserve. We had exceptional sightings of all the cats. On one occasion early in the morning, we had a fleeting glimpse of a Brown hyaena. According to the ranger, Jacques, there are many Brown hyaena in the reserve but they are nocturnal and very skittish in the daylight.

“There is something about safari life that makes you forget all your sorrows and feel as if you had drunk half a bottle of champagne — bubbling over with heartfelt gratitude for being alive.” ~ Karen Blixen

Being a “big five” reserve we also had excellent sightings of elephant, rhino and the birdlife was prolific.

Explore seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike