The month of December is the most special one for our lodge operation. Uncertain weather, rains with the annual density test of our thatched roofs, and then the Christmas and New Year period, which demands a special effort for all of us. Above all, we have the daily safaris with unforgettable animal sightings. Welcome to the last monthly update from the bush of 2017.

For the last time of the year that just ended, we are going to look at one of the most important questions Rhulani's guests usually have: how likely will I see the wild animals? Our guests go out on safari twice a day with a qualified ranger, for 3 - 3.5 hours each. Last December, the probabilities to see one of the legendary “Big 5” mammals on a game drive were as follows: Elephant 97%, White rhino 79% Lion 78%, Buffalo 77%, Leopard 7%.

A stay in the savannah of Madikwe has much more to offer than just the Big 5. Let's take a look this time at the giraffe, often not specifically listed in the registers, and yet for many guests one of the favorite animals. In December, the giraffe reached a new record. It was spotted in 4 out of 5 game drives.

Again and again we find animals, from which even our experienced rangers are surprised. So after a long time we saw an eland, the largest antelope on earth. in the trees we saw a chameleon at night. We were watching a rhino's battle, or we found lions mating. Or we discovered smaller animals on the earthy ground like the anteater or the leopard tortoise.

Fortunately, the summer season has brought us already some rainy days, but not to the same extent as last year when our roofs were damaged. On the festive days over the Christmas season we could enjoy a dinner under the African starry sky in our boma, and on New Year we enjoyed an exciting Dancing Show.

We hereby wish all our readers a happy new year!