The heat had been building all day in the Sabi Sand, but the guests at Umkumbe Safari Lodge weren’t going to let 45-degree temperatures deter them from an afternoon game drive. As Cameron, Marius, and Mauritz pulled their vehicles up front, guests gathered their cameras and peak caps and climbed aboard to begin their safari. Trackers – Josef, Moses, and Forward – took their seats and the Land Rovers spluttered to life before departing in various directions in search of wildlife.
It didn’t take long before a regal kudu bull emerged from a leafy drainage line and posed for his audience. A journey of giraffe ambled through the thicket with their gentle eyes gazing down at us, skeptically. Birds perched in the trees with their beaks slightly open and their wings hanging slackly against their sides – every creature was feeling the heat!
Soon enough, a herd of elephants appeared in and alongside a sandy riverbed, feeding on the lush foliage that is found there, while everywhere else seems stricken by drought. Rain has been very scarce this season, and the evidence is all over the Sabi Sand. Thankfully, relief was written in the sky in the form of ominous clouds and a gusty warm wind that swept around our faces.
After a lengthy encounter with the herd of jumbos, guests were whisked off to see the star of the show: White Dam – one of Umkumbe’s well known leopards. She had made a kill with her subadult cub, and they had been located at a large termite mound, relaxing. This incredibly special sighting is an Umkumbe classic, and luckily for all, White Dam was in the mood to be admired.
Before dark, it is tradition to stop and unpack a cooler box at a remote and scenic place on the traverse. Cameron stopped near a small waterhole, from where we could see the elephants continuing their feeding mission through the bush, and a herd of blue wildebeest grazing in the last light of the day. The clouds gathered overhead, creating a dramatic backdrop for sundowners, and attention soon turned to the wine!
After sunset, guests climb aboard once more, and Forward pulled out the spotlight and began scanning the darkness for any sign of nocturnal creatures. A quick check back with White Dam and her cub revealed that they had been joined by a couple of hyenas, ready and waiting for a morsel of impala to fall from the tree. The wind began to blow passionately, threatening to bring what we have all been waiting for: rain. Just as the guides returned to the Umkumbe entrance, a porcupine made a rare and rushed appearance in the spotlight – a delight for guests and guides alike.
What’s more? The rain did arrive, and it arrived by the bucket-load!
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