Carnivore Feast in the Sabi Sand

Sabi Sand Hyenas on Kill

While out on game drive, guests from Umkumbe Safari Lodge enjoyed two different sightings of carnivores feasting on recent kills. A clan of hyenas bathed in bloodied, matted fur were fully submerged inside the cavity of a dead buffalo. There was plenty of high-pitched cackles and excitement surrounding the availability of meat from their very […]

Week in Pictures: All Creatures Great and Small

New life, in the light of a new day

When it comes to wildlife photography, where can we draw the line? There is wild life in everything, from the trees, to the soil, to the birds and the bees. It’s buffaloes and beasts alike that draw our attention at first glance: the rosetted pelt of a leopard streaking through the bush, the flick of a […]

Southern Pride Lions & Their Two New Cubs

Mother lioness and one of her 6 week old cubs (both males)

The newest additions to the Southern Pride/Charleston union are these two 6-week old cubs, and guests at Umkumbe Safari Lodge have just enjoyed their most uninterrupted sighting of them at a recent buffalo kill on the traverse. The Southern Pride lionesses, including Floppy Ear – the cubs’ mother, were joined by one of the Charleston […]

Week in Pictures: My African Dream

The golden-haired lion king strikes a solitary figure as he moves through the Klaserie

Another week in the wild is coming to an end and now we have the opportunity to reflect on the best of the week’s photography! Capturing moments where lights, camera, and action come together in the natural world and freeze moments in time. With spring around the corner, we’re seeing the end of a very […]

Week in Pictures: Born to be Wild

A speedy road crossing taking place in front of our game viewer, as this pink-eared ellie dashes across the opening to find the shelter of its mother

This time, the Week in Pictures falls on World Elephant Day, a day dedicated to the celebration of the world’s largest land mammal. In the wild places that house our safari camps, elephants roam free, and are so at home that they take it upon themselves to come right onto the camp grounds, help themselves to […]

Umkumbe Lions and Hyenas : Ultimate Frenemies

Umkumbe Hyena

Frenemies is a term used freely by the millennials and those familiar with urban slang. In the world of wildlife, we believe that lions and hyenas are the ultimate frenemies. So, just what is a frenemy? The Urban Dictionary provides us with a colloquial definition of the term, which is, “Someone who is both friend and enemy, a […]

Week in Pictures: Winter Wildlife

Marula, female leopard in the nThambo Tree Camp territory, marches off with the remains of her steenbok kill in her mouth. A phenomenal sighting for her adoring audience

Temperatures are at an annual low at this time of year, as winter fastens its grip in Southern Africa. The Kruger Lowveld has taken a knock with the drought that has left many dams prematurely dry, and inhibited the growth of grasses needed to feed the grazing wildlife community. Still, nature always has a way. […]

Week in Pictures: A Week to Remember

An elephants smells the air as the light begins to fade at sunset

This week, we’ve celebrated elephants, been awed by lions, laughed at hyenas, and ogled leopards in all their glory. It’s been a week of big game encounters, breath-taking sunsets, stellar skies, and experiences to last a lifetime; and now we get to play back our favourite moments to you in the form of our Week […]

Umkumbe Leopard Catch Up With Ranger Marius

Little Bush Leopard

Deep in thickets walks a majestic and proud cat with acute senses, deadly prowess and lethal killing tactics. A loner, a survivor and graceful demeanour like that of royalty; this is the much revered Panthera pardus species. This super-predator possesses so much skill that it creates quite a deadly combination. The abundance of drainage lines, high […]