Safari lovers who use the winter months of July and August for a trip to Madikwe Game Reserve will be fascinated by numerous astronomical phenomena, which occur only very rarely. Only recently we marveled at the red moon on the occasion of the worldwide lunar eclipse, but there is much more to see.

It is well known that at this time of the year, the dry season, the sky above us is clear. There is hardly any pollution, neither through haze, fog nor through light. It is an ideal place for friends of astronomy.

We are amazed at how many stars and planets we can see with our naked eye. Many guests see the Milky Way clearly for the first time ever.

Last Friday night we were all looking up to the sky, as everyone did. We did not want to miss the special lunar eclipse, which was the longest 'blood moon' of the century. Our ranger Sean had his camera ready and made sharp, unique photos.

As perhaps very few people know, in July and August we are experiencing two more rare astonomic phenomena.

Firstly, all the visible planets align in the early evening sky, which occurs about once every decade. This is always an amazing time as Venus and Jupiter are then the brightest objects in the night sky and create lots of interest for anyone looking up at night. You see the "Big 5" not only on safari, but also in the night sky.

Secondly, the planet Mars is the focus of much attention right now. Under normal circumstances it is actually quite a dim object in the sky, because it is usually very far away. Every 15 or 17 years it makes a very close approach to earth and everything changes. Mars is currently about four times brighter than the brightest star in the sky and is even brighter than Jupiter.

So take this unique opportunity and visit us in August.