We still have our morning coffee in hand, go to the office, want to start our working day. Alisdair, our ranger, in the corner of his eye sees there is a pride of lions approaching our watering hole. This is the first lion visit Rhulani Safari Lodge since we reopened. An ideal opportunity to observe this unique spectacle up close from our new Tshembo hide. Let’s be silent, but let’s go!

Yes, the lions actually get to the watering hole. They are very close now. "Wonderful," says our office boy Tom-Hendrik. The narrow window of the hide at floor level is open. We can watch it perfectly from there. Tom-Hendrik hardly dares to breathe when the beautiful female lion bends down to drink water. She doesn't seem to have noticed our presence.

Then the lioness gets up again. She looks around. It seems as if she is a little confused about the relatively new building here. Tom-Hendrik quietly closes the window. We want to be careful, not disturb her.

Now she comes close to the window, stands about two meters from our excited faces. "I could see the yellow in her eyes, just fantastic," says Tom-Hendrik.

But the lioness seems a little skittish. It's probably because she sees her reflection in the hide's window. She moves her head on all sides, looks at the movements in the window. Seen from the outside, our window is like a mirror, so you can't see through.

Take a deep breath. What a way to start the day!