To me it often still feels like the Vuyani Safari Lodge is a relatively new lodge. But that simply isn’t true. We have been running for over 7 years now, and that can only mean that we are not really the “new kid on the block” anymore. About 30 lodges have opened in the area since we launched, and we are now ranked No.1 of all safari lodges in the Hoedspruit area on Tripadvisor, so no, we are not really a challenger lodge. Far, far from it.

What I have noticed this year is that the density of sightings is totally different from what it was as recently as 2 or 3 years ago, as well as its reliability. We used to have “quiet” days, sometimes 2-3 in a row. No more! It’s 2-3 of the Big5 now every day, and then so much more … cheetahs, hippos, crocs, …

The last 2 days show what I mean. Loads of amazing sightings, and this is only a portion of what we managed to show our guests.

We saw the elephants just west of Lodge Road – they were in the thicket and munching away.

We tracked and found the Lions twice near Nyala Crossing on Riversdale. We got some amazing photos of the male and he is looking exceptionally regal. So pretty, not a single scar on him.

We knew the Rhino would be near a feeding spot and we were lucky! We saw two of them munching on the grass that has been put out. You will notice that their horns have been cut, which is a very effective way of preventing poachers. Our rhinos have no value for them!

In the evening we drove past Diep Dam and there was a large Hippo bull out of the water looking for some grass. This is a fairly rare sighting, they are usually in the water, during daytime anyway, but they don’t like to be disturbed during feeding time. But we saw this one …. fascinating.