In Madikwe’s interim period between warm summer and cold winter, the climate was ideal for safaris. Rhulani’s guests enjoyed many unique wildlife observations. The highlight was the release of "our" young cheetah Iketle. Here is our May update from the bush.

For our guests who stayed with us on Friday 13 May, the spectacular release of “Iketle” created lasting memories. Since then, the cheetah female has adapted well to the new environment.

The month of May brought us unique animal encounters in a stunning African wilderness, where nature still appears in green, and where the dams are well filled with water. This is good news for animals, that prepare for the dry winter months.

A look at the May statistics reveals: From the famous “Big  Five”, elephants (90% chance per game drive) and white rhinoceros (60%) have the highest frequency to be seen. Despite reduced stocks, lions (54%) is also found very often, and you see them almost certainly, if you book at least two nights with us.

Madikwe’s wild dog pack was found by our rangers more frequently than in previous months. We remember that on one occasion, the whole pack ran past us during our Sundowner. On another day, they ate greedily at a prey. In addition, this rare animal was staying for a while in our lodge, and so we could watch it without going out into the reserve.

As our rangers report, there were also special sightings with lions. Once they roared right next to our car, which was very impressive. Another time we watched a big male lion as he tried to steal a kill from a leopard, out of the tree. One became aware that lions are just cats and indeed can climb trees. We also found a cheetah coalition easting on a kill, and could watch as they had to relinquish their prey to a lion.