April 2025

Singita Kruger National Park

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Singita Kruger National Park: April 2025

April has brought a subtle shift in the landscape, as the vibrant greens of summer begin to fade into the soft cream - yellows of the approaching dry season. Dust hangs in the air, stirred by passing vehicles, casting burnt, rusty - orange hues across the horizon as the sun sets. Mornings are now noticeably crisp, a gentle reminder of winter’s slow approach, though the midday warmth still lingers pleasantly. The short rains have been sporadic, and with the arrival of the dry wind, there's a quiet sense of transition settling over the bush.
A Sightings Snapshot for March follows:
Lions
  • The Chava Pride is now up to 22 members! Seven adult lioness, two subadults and 13 new fluffy editions. They are not, however, always together. The mothers of the newest cubs are spending most of their time in the far north-western corners of our concession, and sometimes even hopping over to Kruger. Two females, one of which was seen mating with the Sonop male in the middle of this month, are exploring eastwards, further into our concession, towards the Lebombo mountain. They have been seen as far as the central plains. This could be due to the fact that the general game is plentiful and there have been herds of buffalo moving through.
  • The three Sonop males split up temporarily when one spent a week mating with one of the Chava lionesses, but have joined forces once again.
  • One afternoon, we spotted a lone lioness from the Chava Pride steadily walking along a drainage line. Every hundred metres or so, she paused to let out a soft yet deep and far - reaching roar, more of a mournful moan than a call. She was clearly searching for the rest of her pride. We followed her, and within five minutes, came across seven other females, two subadults, and all three Sonop males lounging in the shade of an apple - leaf tree on a sandy sodic clearing. As the sun dipped lower in the sky, we waited patiently. A few of the lionesses slipped quietly into the tall grass surrounding a small thicket, and soon we heard the unmistakable “aaow” of cubs greeting their mothers. They must have nursed for a few minutes - the sounds shifting to soft snarls as they jostled for a teat. Moments later, the tiny furballs emerged, wobbling into view. Their oversized paws and short legs made for clumsy but adorable antics as they tumbled, pounced, and chased each other in play.
  • The Mananga Pride has remained tightly bonded, with all ten cubs still alive and thriving. In an effort to avoid encounters with the Sonop males, they’ve been keeping a low profile, spending most of their time along the edge of the basalt plains and the Lebombo Mountains. After a series of consistent sightings in the first two weeks, the pride vanished into the rugged southern Lebombo valleys, leaving trackers using all their skills and experience as they traced the pride’s elusive movements through the mountain terrain.
  • With no sightings of the Shish Pride this month, except for the two - and - a - half - year - old male seen one morning on the S41, we can only hope that as the seasonal pans dry up and the game returns to our concession around the N’wanetsi River, that the Shish Pride will follow.
Leopards
  • The Masia male managed to catch a young zebra foal, and hoist it into a magnificent tamboti tree. This is a rare sighting as zebra, always being in herds with a very observant stallion, are not easy to surprise. The strong kick of the hind legs could also cause significant injuries to a predator.
  • The Kalanga male made a rare appearance this month, just once, slipping through on the far western edge of our concession, close to the Kruger boundary. It seems he’s taken a liking to that stretch of the N’wanetsi River lately tucked away in the dense, sticky - thorny thickets. For the past month or so, that’s where he’s been hanging out, weaving in and out of the sticky thorns like he owns the place
  • The Dumbana female has been frequently sighted on both sides of the N’wanetsi River, particularly near the confluence with the Ntsisbistane drainage. Her sub - adult cubs are growing quickly and are beginning to spend more time away from her as they gradually assert their independence. Based on tracks discovered one morning, we suspect that she had caught an impala and dragged it across the S41, out of our concession. When we followed up later that evening, the carcass was gone, replaced by hundreds of hyena tracks - an unfortunate but common outcome when leopards fail to hoist their kills.
  • Towards the end of the month, as we were driving back to the lodge, we stopped to take in the sounds of the night. Barely ten seconds passed before we heard the unmistakable sawing call of a leopard behind us. We turned around and headed in the direction we thought the sound had come from. Switching off the engine, we sat in silence, straining our ears. A few quiet minutes passed - then came a soft contact call. Just a few hundred metres ahead, Dumbana and her daughter appeared, casually strolling down the road. I suddenly remembered a group of impalas we had passed not far back, and my heart began to race as the two leopards veered off the road, heading straight towards the unsuspecting herd. We switched off the lights and sat in the pitch black, waiting, listening for any sign of movement. Under the starry sky, we could just make out Dumbana’s silhouette as she slinked behind a tree. About five minutes later, chaos erupted - impalas scattered in every direction, accompanied by frantic snorts and alarm calls. That was our cue to turn the spotlight back on. She had done it. We found Dumbana and her daughter dragging an impala ewe toward a nearby thicket. Dumbana had her jaws locked around the ewe’s throat, while her daughter had already begun tearing into the soft skin behind the hind legs in a hurry to feed. Then, out of the darkness, Dumbana’s son emerged, and the three leopards fed as quickly as they could. With no trees large enough nearby to hoist the kill into - and a high hyena population in the area - they had no choice but to consume as much as possible before it was too late.
  • Late one afternoon, Nhlanguleni appeared, casually strolling along the road in the central depression. She soon spotted a small group of impala and quietly slipped into the long grass. Sensing danger, the impala grew wary and moved off into a nearby sodic site, making it impossible for her to stage an ambush in the daylight. Abandoning the attempt, she changed course and disappeared into a drainage line. There, she found a small pool of water and paused to quench her thirst. By the time the sun had set, she was already making a direct line back toward the impala.
Cheetahs
  • These elegant cats have been elusive this month, but are sure to return as the dry season approaches.
African wild dogs
  • The pack of three, two females and one male, appear every now and again in the granophyre and area adjacent to that every other day. Breeding season is typically from March to June so that the pups can be born in the dry season when hunting is easier and pup survival is higher. Dens are often located in abandoned aardvark, porcupine, or warthog burrows, or under thick bush. In Sabi Sand the abandoned burrows are typically in huge termite mounds while in our concession in Kruger, having a more clay soil means there are almost no termite mounds large enough to house a pack of wild dog puppies. Instead, thick brush and caves in the Lebombo mountains are used.
Spotted hyenas
  • Hyena sightings have doubled this month. The Granophyre Clan currently has at least five cubs under a year old. Though shy at first, their curiosity usually gets the better of them - if you’re patient though, they’ll often sneak up to the vehicle for a closer look.
  • In the Nstibistane and Ostrich Link area, another clan was spotted one morning lounging together. At least three adult females were accompanied by five youngsters, all busily chewing on anything they could find to soothe their growing teeth and developing jaws.
Elephants
  • Daily sightings of breeding elephant herds - ranging from 5 to 30 individuals - have been a highlight for guests as they admire the playful calves, dust bathing adults, and the impressive use of trunks as the elephants feed and reach into rivers for clean water. It’s a special glimpse into the social life of these iconic animals in one of Kruger’s wildest regions.
  • An elephant bull with unusually large tusks, the kind not often seen in this area anymore due to past poaching, was recently seen following a breeding herd. He stood out noticeably, both for his size and the impressive length of his tusks, which made the adult cows around him appear much smaller by comparison. His presence was a rare and interesting sight for this region.
Buffalos
  • The northern grasslands have been buzzing with activity lately, with buffalo herds ranging from 50 to well over 250 strong moving through the area. The grass up there is still lush and green - so tall in places it nearly swallows the adult buffalo whole. Add in the abundance of mud wallows, and it’s just about paradise for these tick-covered beasts. Between the grazing and the wallowing, they’ve settled into the perfect spot to ride out the last of the season’s heat.
Plains game
  • Zebra herds have started returning to our concession, moving in from the south and west of the Sweni River, bringing with them a familiar sense of movement across the plains. Giraffe sightings have been especially frequent lately - it’s not uncommon to see 30 or more on a single drive. Warthog numbers have made a noticeable recovery since the drought, and most sounders now include a couple of piglets trotting close to the adults. Among the impalas, the rams have begun to establish territories, and the first throat-gurgling calls of the rutting season can already be heard echoing through the bush.
Rare animals and other sightings
  • One crisp morning, a young female caracal was seen walking down the road, more relaxed than most of her kind, who are usually shy and elusive. She allowed a rare and special sighting, moving with calm confidence as she strolled ahead of the vehicle. We were able to watch her for a few quiet minutes before she casually hopped into the long grass and disappeared, leaving us with a memorable glimpse of one of the bush’s more secretive predators.
  • Nearing the end of the month, a herd of nine sable were seen about midway up on the eastern boundary of the concession. As the veld and ephemeral pans begin to dry up, we tend to see these elusive animals venturing further south from their usual home range.
  • A honey badger was startled by hyenas following a pack of wild dogs through the long grass. The interaction was quick. The deep gurgling rattle from the badger enough to scare away most animals.
  • A female cane rat was nursing her two youngsters on the road when one of our lucky guide and tracker teams came past one evening. They are rarely encountered as they prefer areas with dense vegetation, especially wetlands, reedbeds, and riverbanks, where they can find ample grasses and reeds to feed on. In Kruger, they often stay close to rivers like the Sabie or Letaba, where thick cover is available. Their habitats are often off the main roads and hidden, so they’re not easily visible to tourists.
Birds
  • As summer comes to an end, many of the migrant birds have now departed, much to the apparent relief of the lilac-breasted rollers, who were heavily outnumbered by their European counterparts throughout the summer months. With the sky’s quieter, the lilac - breasted roller is once again a more dominant presence in the area. On the ground, almost every spurfowl sighting includes a line of tiny chicks scurrying behind the adults along the dusty roads.