Tanda Tula - lions on the best safari in South Africa
< Back to all

Big cats in pictures

Chad Cocking | A Week In Pictures

Another week, and another opportunity to welcome more guests to Tanda Tula Safari Camphere in the Timbavati.With South Africa moving into Level 2 of lockdown, local tourism is open again and we had a couple of groups of guests join us during the course of the week. This gave us an opportunity to finally share the splendour of this special part of the Greater Kruger Parkwith them again.

Although I only spent a few days on drive this week, it was a week that saw all three species of big cats. The week started off with a surprise radio call notifying us that two male cheetahs had been found on our western boundary. That was all I needed to put my admin work on hold to go and have a look at them.  It was a windy day, but with full bellies, the brothers didn’t get up too much despite ideal hunting conditions.  These two males proved to be the same coalition that showed up at the start of lockdown in early April, and no doubt were the same two leaving their tracks across our southern sections a month ago.  Interestingly, the day afterwards we found tracks for a lone male cheetah walking through the open areas of the east, although we sadly didn’t get to see him.  Hopefully this is a positive sign for more cheetah viewing over the coming months.

Tanda Tula - male cheetah on safari in South Africa

Tanda Tula - cheetahs on a photographic safari in South Africa

On the lion front, the Giraffe Pride and Monwana males were seen in the far western portions and spent a day standing off against a herd of buffalos.  Once more though, it was the River Pride that took centre stage.  They spent the entire week within our concession (a welcomed change following their recent erratic movements), but still, they walked some large distances during that time.  The mother that lost her cubs spent last weekend mating with the Nharhu males as the rest of the lionesses and cub wandered around. They surprised us one evening when they came to drink at Camp dam while we were escorting the guests back to their tents.  Following up the next day, Jack managed to track them down to a very fresh buffalo kill a couple of kilometres south of the camp.  It was a pleasing find, not only because it gave us three days of guaranteed lion viewing, but also this was the first adult buffalo the pride had killed in almost a year, and they did it without the Nharhu males.  Only the limping male was present when we found the kill and it took the other two males a couple of days to locate the pride.  Despite that, by the end of the scene, all eight members of the pride were completely satiated following such a big meal.  Tracks for the two Mbiri males were seen going to Machaton Dam, but we didn’t follow up to find them.

Tanda Tula - River Pride on a buffalo kill in the Timbavati

Tanda Tula - River Pride lion cub on safari in the Timbavati

Tanda Tula - Nharhu male lion portrait on a photographic safari

Tanda Tula - male lion grimace on the best safari in South Africa

The same night that the lions came through camp, Innocent bumped into Thumbela leopardess walking past the staff houses and some good tracking from Dale, Foreman and Jack led to us locating her a little later in the morning.  She gave us the slip in the morning, but I was confident that she would stick to her usual MO of late and be found along the banks of the Nhlaralumi in the afternoon. Sure enough, later that day Jack spotted her resting in the shade of the riverbank’s vegetation.  She was walking around scent-marking and calling – she looks to be quite pregnant too! Although she usually gives birth to her cubs along the Machaton riverbed in the east, if this behaviour carries on and she persists in the area that she is presently using, she may well opt to use one of the many hiding spots along the Nhlaralumi to hide her new litter. This will be amazing for us, as it would greatly increase our chances of actually seeing these cubs.

Tanda Tula - Thumbela leopardess sleeping in the riverbed

Tanda Tula - Thumbela leopardess on safari

We also had a couple of sightings of Marula Jnr this week, but sadly she still has some reservations around the vehicles and giving her the space she needs does make keeping up with her a little more challenging.  However, with more regular sightings, it won’t take too long for her to become as comfortable around us as her brother and mother.  Ginger did find a male leopard with a kill near Nkhari Homestead while he was following the River Pride in that area, but the kill was almost finished, and we didn’t catch up with him again.

The elephant herds stuck around over the past week, but with cooler conditions and cloudy weather blanketing the bush most days, they were not as active around the water points as they were last week.  The buffalos this week were only represented by the groups of bachelors that spent time around the camp, Marco’s dam and Reflection dam.  There was a slight drop in giraffe sightings this week as it appears that the Knobthorns are flowering at differing times across the reserve again, but I am sure that they will flourish in the near future.

Tanda Tula - elephant herd in the Timbavati, South Africa

And that rounds up the week! I will be out again for a few more days over the coming week, so be sure to check back again next week to see what has been happening here in the heart of the Timbavati.

Until next time, stay safe!

Cheers,
Chad

Tanda Tula - brown snake eagle on a birding safari in South Africa

Tanda Tula - water monitor lizard on safari

Categories

Authors

View rates & promotions >

Find Us

We’d love to have you join the family.

Sign up for exclusive access to early bird promotions and other exciting offers, news and updates.




Booking Terms & Conditions

Rates are quoted in South African Rand (ZAR) and include VAT. Rates are reviewed quarterly and are subject to change.

PROVISIONAL:

Bookings can be held as provisional for up to 14 days, after which the booking is required to release or confirm. A 20% refundable deposit is required to confirm the booking.

CONFIRMED:

Once confirmed with a 20% deposit, the booking is held on a status of ‘confirmed with refundable deposit’ until any of the following becomes true:

  • The booking is cancelled in writing by the agent.
  • Another request is received with overlapping dates. At such a time, the 20% refundable deposit shall be required to be converted
  • into a 20% non-refundable commitment fee. At this stage, the booking status changes to ‘confirmed with commitment.’ • In such an event, Tanda Tula will contact the client and give them the option to either confirm with the non-refundable
  • commitment fee or reschedule their dates, or, failing that, to release the booking.
  • At 60 days prior to arrival, when the full payment is due, the booking status changes to ‘confirmed with full-payment.’

Final payment is due 60 days prior to arrival. Any outstanding balance on the total reservation value shall be required to be settled at 60 days prior to arrival.

All refundable deposits, commitment fees and full payments are held in a separate call account and do not become part of the operational cash flow until the guest has stayed.

The amount stated on the invoice is what must be received by Tanda Tula nett of bank charges.

CANCELLED

Cancellations must be received and acknowledged by Tanda Tula in writing.

‘Confirmed with refundable deposit’: bookings carry no cancellation fees up to 61 days prior to arrival.

‘Confirmed with commitment’ or ‘Confirmed with full-payment’: in the event of any reservation being cancelled after Tanda Tula has issued a confirmation, for any reason other than a WHO-recognised pandemic that impacts the booking, the following cancellation fees will apply:

  • ‘Confirmed with commitment’: if cancelled more than 60 days prior to arrival, the cancellation fee shall be equal to the 20% non- refundable commitment fee.
  • ‘Confirmed with full-payment’: if cancelled between 60 days prior to arrival, the full reservation value is forfeited.

All cancelled bookings that qualify for a refund, will be refunded less a handling fee valued at 5% of the refund amount.

PANDEMIC DISCLAIMER

Tanda Tula will allow postponement of a booking for up to 12 months, if travel is cancelled with a commitment fee or 60 days or less prior to arrival due to a WHO-recognised pandemic directly impacting the guests’ ability to travel (e.g. lockdown, no flights, guest not allowed to board a flight, guest falls ill due to a pandemic and unable to travel).

In the event of a WHO-recognised pandemic directly impacting the ability of Tanda Tula to meet its obligations with respect to the booking, all monies received, including the commitment fee, will be fully refunded (e.g. lockdown in RSA, government restrictions on trade).

Any refund is given at the discretion of Tanda Tula management and will be charge a handling fee valued at 5% of the refund amount.

All travellers are advised to take out fully comprehensive travel insurance with ‘cancellation for no reason’. This insurance must be able to fully cover cancellation of travel fewer than 60 days prior to arrival.

The Terms and Conditions are subject to change without notice.