Hi all,

My name is Tim Verryenne, and I am a guide at Kapama Lodge in the Kapama Private Game Reserve. I look forward to telling you about my life as a ranger and about our game sightings on the reserve.

This morning we woke up at Kapama to amazing clear skies and temperatures of around 12 degrees, as winter is now well upon us. We definitely make good use of the blankets for the early morning game drive. Of course, even though the temperatures are low, the sightings continue to impress the clients and even the rangers themselves. The day started with the guides finding the pride of Lions eating a Warthog at one of the waterholes on the western section of the reserve.

Something that made the sighting really special, however, was the encounter with a lone group of Buffalo Bulls that walked through the lion sighting, making it an unforgettable experience for all involved.

We’ve found that winter is a good time of the year for Leopard sightings, as the bush is less dense, making them much easier to find. Just this morning, we had 3 different leopard sightings on the reserve! There was also an excellent sighting of a crash of Rhinos (collective noun for a group of Rhinos found together), which consisted of 6 females and one young bull of about 8 years old.

We also experienced a fantastic sighting of the Elephant herd, which is always entertaining as they touch each other almost as if to assure the others they are close as they feed on the trees and grass surrounding them. I often marvel at their interesting herd behaviour and dynamics as I sit with guests watching them.

With afternoon temperatures soaring into the 30-degree range, we expect great things from this evening’s game drive safari. Until next time!