Did you know that the Helmeted Guineafowls are mostly found on the ground in large flocks, but that they can still fly short distances? Today Rhulani’s Field Guide Daniel tells us more about this bird, which you will often encounter on safari, and we learn that the males have a larger and more colorful helmet than the females.

Leopards are quite shy and well camouflaged big cats and are therefore among the most spectacular sightings on a safari. At Rhulani we are fortunate to have a fairly laid back leopard male nearby, we call him Munye. But also Munye is moody and we haven’t seen him very often lately. Rhulani’s young ranger Willem has heard a lot about Munye but had actually never seen him. Until recently. And the first time was pretty special.

Did you know that elephants very often stand on the road and don’t want to let us pass - in other words, they represent a real road block? Rhulani’s ranger Ralf tells us about a recent encounter on the road with a female elephant and he tells us why he had a particularly strange feeling this time and was extremely careful about it.

As the evening sun approaches the horizon, it’s time for a break on safari. The ranger will then usually stop the vehicle in a nice, open spot with a good view and begin setting up the bar for the sundowner drink. It’s the time when the guests get off the vehicle, stretch their legs, enjoy the silence and the sunset, and one hopes that a little surprise will happen again.

In the afternoon everyone gets ready for the sunset safari. While the guests in the lodge are having a little refreshment, Ralf the ranger is preparing the Land Cruiser for the 3.5-hour game drive. It is better to always have a full tank, as you never know what you will see and how far you will go.

Did you know that cheetahs can’t really be said to be territorial cats like lions, but they still leave their mark, by which they signal their presence? Rhulani’s ranger Alasdair tells us more today about the scent marking of the two cheetah brothers, the “Phinda Males” that we recently found.

The two young lion cubs have grown dear to us and especially to Ranger “Captain Redbeard” Alasdair. He is always so happy when he finds the young cats somewhere out in the bush and sees how they grow up and that they are doing well. The cubs are also special to him because there hasn’t been a lion birth in our region of Madikwe Reserve for many years. On a recent game drive there was an extremely remarkable sighting.

Did you know that elephants love to frolic in the water? Rhulani’s ranger Willem tells us more about such sighting he had at one of our full dams, explaining that in the very dry Madikwe Reserve this was an exceptional sighting that occurs in the rainy season only.

Today we put you in Ralf’s vehicle and we take you on safari. You will witness a unique animal sighting. Two lion brothers have discovered a hole in a bush in which a Warthog is hiding. You will see how one of the lions digs up the Warthog and gets a relatively easy prey. Ralf tells the story which was unique for him in his own words. We would like to thank our guests Christine & Pete Torres for the fantastic video material.

Did you know that giraffes are curious animals? Rhulani’s ranger Ralf tells us about a recent sundowner which was joined by more than 10 male giraffes, who presumably also wanted a Gin and Tonic. Or something like that.