Sfiso and I (Steff) just returned from a very successful South Africa Rainbow Route where clients got to see some incredible sightings. The first park that we visit on this tour is famous Kruger National Park and expectations are obviously high. But we never make any promises as the park is massive and animals roam free. The fact that it is winter and trees are without much foliage allows for a better view into the bush, however the grass is now yellow, just like the fur of the big cats!! So coming to spot animals at this time of the year has advantages and disadvantages.

We spent two nights in a camp in Kruger Park and had time to explore the area in the south, hoping to spot some of the big game as well as small game which to me are just as interesting and beautiful! It was however two sightings that I won’t forget that made the trip to Kruger for me!

After a warm brunch at Mlondozi picnic spot, we packed our stuff just before the monkeys made a go for our food. Instead they went for our neighbours and shame, even peed from the roof onto their dish!! Clearly these Vervet monkeys have no manners and are spoiled rotten. It is a huge problem and we were glad when we were on our way without having ‘donated’ any of our food. We made our way towards Lower Sabie as we wanted to drive a different route back to Skukuza. But then traffic … and traffic normally means cats. We were quite far at the back though and had no idea what was happening, nor did the people ahead of us. I checked with my binocs and I saw Spotted Hyenas??? Wow, such a traffic jam for hyenas, that’s quite something? The hyenas though were moving back and forth and I just couldn’t make sense of the scene behind the bushes. The traffic jam soon turned into a nightmare as no one abided to the rules and regulations and it got frustrating to say the least. Luckily our truck is high and we managed to move close enough to give our clients a view. Two hyenas ganging up onto a bush?? I still couldn’t make sense of it until someone that was there for a while told us that there were two lions with a kill next to the road under a bush! Ha, now it started to come together. While we couldn’t find out who made the kill, here we had spectacular sighting of arch enemies close to each other. The hyenas were excited and nervous, giggling and growling while trying to move closer to the cats. We couldn’t really see the lions as a car was blocking the view but the noises were incredible. Bones snapping, flesh being chewed and all the while the hungry enemies trying to make a move. We stayed there for quite a bit and the hyenas became more and more brave, trying to steal bits and pieces. But then we saw the two lionesses get up and move away, clearly full but probably also fed up with the pestering of the hyenas. Immediately the hyenas grabbed whatever they could and made a run for it.

Spotted Hyenas will normally only advance onto lions if they outnumber them 4:1. Otherwise it is too risky for them to get injured. But they are the biggest enemies out there and depending on the numbers of each animal in any given area, it is either the lions or the hyenas that will do more scavenging or hunting. Both being successful at either way of obtaining food. So it could have been that in our case, the hyenas made the kill but the lionesses stole it from them. We will never know! Either way to hear the hyenas being so vocal and see them behave like in documentaries was incredible. What a fantastic sighting of animal behaviour! Never had I seen such a thing and everyone was so excited to have been there at the right time!

The next day it was time for us to leave the park. After breakfast we packed our things and drove down south towards the gate. We saw general game such as zebra and impalas but otherwise it was a fairly quiet drive. Until Sfiso switched of the engine while driving and let the truck silently approach whatever it was he was seeing. God, I couldn’t see it? What was there? I was staring into the distance, knowing there was something. It took Sfiso to point it out to me to see this stunningly beautiful young leopard male lying in the grass right next to the road.

Definitely not where I was looking … And he was so calm, staring up at us and allowing everyone to take fantastic pictures up close. And then he got up and moved toward the front of the truck next to my door, staring intently at me. My heartbeat definitely going up now, what was he thinking? What was he going to do next? But he just looked at our mirror and then turned around, passing behind our truck across the road and then disappeared into the bushes. Having seen a leopard the day before already, we couldn’t believe our luck! Two leopards in two days, both times we were the only vehicle there in an area that is very popular … Nothing could ruin our mood!