Hyenas rescue clan member from Black Dam’s jaws
Hyenas rescue clan member from Black Dam’s jaws. Lions, Hyenas, and the Battle over a Hippo Feast In early August at Arathusa Safari Lodge, De Beer and his guests, including Margot and Maddie Lowe from Australia, returned to a scene they’d witnessed the day before: the two Black Dam males feasting on a mysterious hippo […]
May 2023 Sightings At A Glance
May Sightings At A Glance. A special visit from an endangered species is the talk of the lodge As May draws to a close, it feels as if winter is knocking on the door. Winter is the dry season at Arathusa, which means that grasses and juicy leaves begin to die back. This is excellent […]
April 2023 Sightings At A Glance
April Sightings At A Glance. Our old friend Skumba returns to Arathusa! The landscape around Arathusa lodge is showing us that Autumn is here. Each season in the Kruger National Park area brings with it its own special visitors, and after a very lush summer we are so happy to welcome back some of our […]
March 2023 Sightings At A Glance
March Sightings At A Glance. Xidulu’s leopard cub gains confidence, and we watch a cheetah hunt from beginning to end! The seasons are showing us small signs every day that summer is coming to a close. While we had more abundant rain throughout March, we are now heading into the dryer Autumn season. The bush […]
The Xidulu leopardess has two new cubs
The Xidulu leopardess has two new cubs Something very special happened… Tracker Norman and Guide Jordan tracked and found the Xidulu female with two new cubs! During an evening game drive, we found Xidulu feeding on a kill on Simbambili close to where she was denning. We saw that she had suckle marks during this […]
The Tiyani leopardess and her daughter Laluka
The Tiyani leopardess and her daughter Laluka Tiyani – derived from the Shangaan word for Strong One – was born in May 2015 west of Arathusa Safari Lodge to the Salayexe female, and was sired by Tingana. She is one of the successful female leopards in our area as she has raised two offspring – […]
The history of the Talamati lion pride
The history of the Talamati lion pride The lion dynamics are constantly changing out here in the bush. We take you through the history of the Talamati Pride… Originally part of the Nkuhuma Pride, the Talamati Pride of lions broke away from the Nkuhumas in 2007 when the Mapogo males took over from the Manyeleti […]
Leopardess and cub on a hunt
Behind the scenes: Leopardess & cub on a hunt Guide Jordan Jacobson talks us through this incredible sighting On a beautiful morning game drive, Guide Jordan Jacobson came across an incredible moment between a Leopardess and her young cub. We spoke to Jordan to ask about this sighting and why it’s so important to this […]
A leopard called Xidulu
A leopard called Xidulu Xidulu was born on a property to the south and west of Arathusa. The name Xidulu means ‘termite mound’, which is fitting as leopards often use termite mounds as den sites as well as resting spots – they also provide the ideal vantage points from which to spot prey. Xidulu’s mother […]