We spent four days in Manyoni private game reserve last September. Manyoni private game reserve lies in the heart of Zululand and its management has a strong focus on endangered species conservation. This focus is on endangered and priority wildlife species, including the African wild dog, cheetah, rhino, lion, elephant, leopard, pangolin and vulture species.

“I appreciate these moments where I can get away from life and focus on living” ~ TJ Thorne

We chose to stay at Rhino River lodge. This lodge is sited in the south eastern section of the reserve on the southern bank of the Msunduzi 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. This game reserve covers 23 000 hectares consisting of a varied landscape of mountains, open plains and dense riverine woodlands.

“Nature is the greatest teacher. It teaches us patience, humility, and respect for all living things.” ~ Biju Karakkonam

The first image is of a female Red duiker. This species is smaller than the Common duiker. The upper parts are a deep chestnut-red and the lower parts of the flanks and under parts are a pale chestnut colour. The nape and throat turn ash-grey as the animal ages. Both sexes carry short, straight horns. The horns have coarse basal rings and longitudinal striations, but are smooth towards the tips.

There are two small dams on the west side of the reserve near the Msunduzi river. It is a shady serene area which is home to many bird species. Two juvenile Black crown night-herons seem unfazed by a Nile crocodile warming itself outside the water.

A Red duiker foraging under large Ana and fever trees on the bank of the Msunduzi river. Red Duiker forages mostly during the early mornings and late afternoons and prefers freshly fallen leaves, fruits and flowers from forest canopies.

A small herd of Plain’s zebra standing in the shade on a hot afternoon. The reserve falls under the Mkuze Valley Low-veld vegetation type, varying from open Savanna thorn-veld, bush-veld to riverine woodland, characterized by Acacia and Marula tree species.

“I am not the best, I am not one of the best, But every time I will do my best.” ~ Biju Karakkonam

Driving along the dry river bed bathed in warm late afternoon light. The reserve contains several protected tree species such as Torchwood, Shepherd’s tree, Matumi, Marula, and White milkwood.

A Nyala bull was drinking from a small stream of water flowing in the Msunduzi river. This species inhabits thickets within dense and dry savanna woodlands. It forages mainly during daylight hours. Among antelope species, the sexes are distinguished as bulls and cows for the larger species and the smaller varieties use the terms ram and ewe. In the case of Nyala the male is referred to as a bull while the female is called a ewe.

The Nyala’s pelage is rufous brown in females and juveniles. It is dark brown or slate grey in adult males, often with a bluish tinge. Females and young males have ten or more white vertical stripes on their sides. Both sexes have a dorsal mane of hair running right from the back of the head to the end of the tail. Males have another line of hair along the midline of their chest and belly. Both males and females have a white chevron between their eyes and a bushy tail white underside.

An late afternoon scene down at the river with filtered light. The large fig and fever trees filter the light and create cast a blue hue in the shadow areas. This kudu cow was walking slowly down to the river to drink. She was very cautious given the numerous predictors which prefer the shading river habitat.

“Nature, especially wilderness, has a calming effect on the mind” ~ Percy Fernandez

A view of a herd of impala grazing peacefully in the warm late afternoon sunlight. The herd was feeding on the grass along the dry sand river bed under large acacia and fever trees. Although the river bed looked to be sandy and dry, the water table must have been high as the grass was lush and there were patches of water at the surface of the river bed.

On several occasions we found the coalition of two large male lions. These males looked to have been around six to seven years old and appeared to dominate the south western section of the reserve. We first found these males near the river.

This old male lion was not part of the coalition but seem to spend a lot of time on his own scavenging. We did not get close but assumed his teeth must be worn down.

This next image shows the terrain in the southern western section of the reserve. The two males had walked north about five kilometres. They must have been patrolling their territory. Presumably they did most of their patrolling in the cool of night and at dawn and dusk, so were fast asleep in mid afternoon.

Down along the Msunduzi river we found a lioness and her cubs. On this occasion we were having a sundowner on an elevated bank admiring the beauty of the river scene with all the huge fig trees, torchwoods, and fever trees when this lioness walked passed below us on the river bed. She had a good look at us to see what we were doing.

The lioness looked in prime condition and was licking the blood off her mouth after having fed on a warthog she had caught. The cubs tucked into the remains but it was not possible to get decent images of them.

Two relaxed warthog lying in the sun in the afternoon. These warthogs felt safe in the confines of the camp. They must have taken up residence in the camp some time ago as they seemed quite habituated to all the comings and goings of the staff and guest in camp.

Manyoni is known for its conservation efforts. We did not see wild dogs, brown hyaena or honey badgers but on two occasions we found a coalition of three cheetahs. Our first sighting was down near the river in surprisingly thick riverine bush. The coalition had caught and killed an impala and were feeding on it when we arrived. There was always one member of the coalition on look out while the other two fed as fast as they could.

“It is my intention to present -through the medium of photography- intuitive observations of the natural world which may have meaning to the spectators “ ~ Ansel Adams

Our second sighting of the coalition was away from the river in an thornveld area. They were hunting in the last light of the afternoon and were on high alert because of the proximity of lions. The cheetah population in the reserve is estimated at 25 individuals. The cheetah reintroduction has been a success to the point where the reserve is now in the position to contribute to the metapopulation by moving cheetah to new reserves.

We spent four enjoyable and photographically productive days in the Manyoni private game reserve. Its was early spring in September in South Africa at that time. It was warm but not too hot during the days and pleasantly cool in the evenings. We still have much more to see in this reserve so will be back.

“Life is a journey which never lets you know when and where it will end.” ~ Biju Karakkonam

Manyoni private game reserve is protected with the highest protection status, highlighting the importance of the
ecosystems contained within the reserve.

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” ~ Earl Nightingale

The diversity of ecosystems provides a wide range of scenes and attracts different birds and mammals. We just scratched the surface of what this game reserve has to offer.

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

Have fun, Mike