Manyeleti Reserve

 We are here in Springtime just before rainy season. It has worked out perfectly for weather and not too many people due to COVID. Tourism is just starting to come back. We have had a small tour group and lots of attention.  The reserve has mostly dry dead looking scrub which allows us to see the animals from a good distances and not too hot except mid day.  Our game drives are early morning and late afternoon.  As soon as the sun goes down the temperature changes drastically.  Mornings can be pretty cold with an open top and traveling fast, but the Jeep is equipped with blankets and hot water bottles for each person.

Sunrise in Manyeleti

A gang of Buffalo

Wildebeest 

 

Our mornings search was for lions and leopards. We saw a few other nice sightings on the way, but the highlight was a lioness with her new 3 month Cubs. This was the first that Alistar had seen these Cubs. Lions sleep 18 hours of the day so you don’t get to see activity very often. They were all very relaxed and the lioness was grooming her Cubs and keeping them well hidden in the grasses.  We saw a total of 4 lioness and 2 of the cubs all from the same pride.

After watching for about 20 minutes Alistar drove to a site and Foster, our tracker, set up “Starbuckswith a view" Africa style.  Including my new favorite liqueur, Amarula to add to the coffee.  Of course some pastries and muffins were included.

View from Starbucks

After another hour or so we stop for a full breakfast.

Starters of granola, yogurt and fruit in a glass bowl.

Grills in background where they make us eggs, bacon and sausage.

Cheers to an outdoor breakfast with mimosas.

Lilac breasted roller.

This bird has incredible colors when flying.

We had the afternoon to relax and enjoy the amenities at the lodge.  I checked out our pool which was too cold for me to get in, but the animals would come up to the pool for water.  I also took the opportunity for a walk.  It is required for a ranger with a gun to walk with any guests.  He has years of experience in animal behavior and  tracking.  If the animals see two feet they perceive a threat from years of hunters, so we did not expect to get close to any animals.  It was more about the exercise and learning more about animal behavior.  When we are in the jeep, there is no standing so the animals see one large vehicle and have never felt threatened by the sound of engines, or headlights or voices.  We are able to get amazingly close and there is no change of behavior in the animals.

velvet monkey visits our pool

Kudu have large ears directed independently

Wildebeest dung

dark, bloody dung of a leopard - we never saw the animal

Skull of a buffalo killed by lions near the lodge.

Staff dragged the kill away from lodge for lions to feed.

Burt plays tracker.

back side of lodge entrance

sitting area in lodge

After a leisure afternoon, we have afternoon tea and head out again for a sunset search for leopards.

afternoon tea - iced coffee mochas, tarts and fruit

Lioness with 7 month old cubs

Lionesses are rounding the pride up for evening hunt.

 

We find a different pride from yesterday that has 4 females and two males of about 5 years old.  After sleeping all day they are gathering up for the evening hunt.  The ranger thinks they haven't had a meal in a couple days so need to get one soon.  We then travelled to another area looking for a leopard and saw a couple males from another pride.  They were older about 10 yrs and heard one of them do a low growl which we were told was a challenge to the pride we just saw for a fight.  Listening to this gave me a chill.  We would look for evidence of any results tomorrow morning along with looking for any kills that might be made tonight.

other male in pride with some battle scars

challenger