We have had huge rainfalls over recent days. This is rare, as we are already late in the rainy season, but there we go. We had over 100mm of rain in one night alone this week, which is a massive amount, given that we get about 700mm on average per year.

As a result the perennial rivers have swollen massively, and some parts in the area are flooded. This has also reduced significantly the amount of the reserve we can show guests, as some rivers and muddy grounds make safaris there impossible and unsafe.

That said, we saw a lot of birds today, which is always great to see, as well as giraffes zebras and wildebeest, so a very decent day for a wet day. Cats also don’t like rain, so they hide away and wait until it’s all over. No different to humans, really.

The weather has now improved, and if it holds, usual safaris on the entire reserve will soon resume. Fingers crossed!

See below a picture of the wild river as Justine photographed it this morning. Spectacular! It is just at the bottom of the lodge’s ground, our guests can walk over and watch the river.

Jesse, Uyai and Jay-Dee were all out to find some interesting game (they often do that before game drives) yesterday and luck would have it that they found our cheetahs again. It is the same two young males (they are brothers) that we see quite regularly. They are very used to the presence of game drivers, and they don’t mind. It appears that the mother has passed on the knowledge that game drivers present no danger (which is true!), and as a result the cheetah sightings we have here are very much up-close and spectacular. There are not many reserves in South Africa where one can observe cheetahs in this manner, in their wild habitat. Especially as only a few thousand specimen are estimated to still live in the wild, so it is a huge privilege to observe them doing so well here.

The two were in a dry riverbed, one of their favorite spots, grooming each other and resting. They seemed very well fed, so they are still very successful hunters. They even took down an impala right in front of one of our chalets a few months back (see earlier story here: http://www.vuyanilodge.com/safariblog/sometimes-the-unthinkable-happens/ ), so they know what they are doing.

Cheetahs born and raised in captivity often do not acquire hunting skills, and are hence hard to re-introduce to the wild, but these two were born and raised by their mother in the wild on our reserve, without any human interference at all, so they are very skilled hunters, and know their way around.

Our guests truly enjoyed this beautiful sighting, and I am happy to share some photos of this animal that many consider as one of the most elegant and beautiful in the world. And as one of the rarest and most endangered, sadly enough.