The Big 5
Landscapes in the reserve range from rolling hills of open Acacia savannah, lush riverbeds lined with giant Sycamore figs and bright Fever tree forests, dense thickets favoured by the elusive Black Rhinoceros, towering cliffs and scattered waterholes often thronged with thirsty animals.
Predators
Our Lion population has supplied us with endless hours of thrilling viewing and our guests are sometimes awakened at dawn by the reverberating roar of Lions. Other cats include Cheetah which are regularly encountered on our game drives and Leopard, which is the most elusive of the Big 5. Serval are also regularly seen but Caracal less so, although they are resident on the reserve. Spotted and Brown Hyena as well as Black-backed and Side-striped Jackal are more often encountered at night. White-tailed Mongoose, Large Spotted Genet and Honey Badger are also nocturnal predators but Slender and Banded Mongoose can be found during the day.
Other mammals
Our African Elephant herd regularly moves between the north and south of the reserve. We have two very impressive bulls who are often with the matriarchal herd. Our elephants are very relaxed, sometimes approaching to very close quarters. Large herds numbers in the hundreds of African Buffalo are sometimes encountered as well as some truly impressive Dagga Boys. Both White and the more elusive Black Rhino breed on the reserve and are strictly monitored and protected. Pods of Hippopotamus are resident Other regularly encountered mammals include the Impala and Common Warthog, splendid Nyala, Greater Kudu (males with impressive spiralled horns),
Common Waterbuck, the diminutive Natal Red Duiker and its more nocturnal cousin the Grey Duiker, Steenbok which favour the driest zones and Common Bushbuck which stick to the denser vegetation around the riverbeds, herds of ungainly Blue Wildebeest and Burchell’s Zebra which usually travel together, dispersed herds of enormous Giraffe and noisy troops of Chacma Baboon and Vervet Monkeys. Scarcer resident mammals include Suni, Mountain Reedbuck, Aardvark, Bushpig, Cape Porcupine, Temminck’s Ground Pangolin and Thick-tailed Bushbaby.
Gallery
