May 2025

Singita Sabi Sand

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Singita Sabi Sand: May 2025

There’s a quiet romance to being on safari in the month of May, the dry season, where every moment feels sharpened by the golden dust that hangs in the sunlit air. The landscape, parched and open, draws animals toward shrinking waterholes, creating intimate encounters that feel both timeless and raw. As the wind whispers through brittle grass and the sky blushes pink at dusk, there’s a sense of profound stillness - of shared breath between you and the wild. Nights unfold under a blanket of stars, the calls of distant lions echoing like ancient lullabies, and in that vast untamed surrounds, the heart fills from the wonder of witnessing life stripped down to its essence.
A sightings snapshot for May follows:
Elephants
  • We can feel the presence of elephants throughout the reserve. Pathways littered with footprints of all sizes and snapping of branches travel some distance on the still winter’s days. Herds make their daily pilgrimage to large watering holes like Castleton and Giraffe Pan usually late in the morning as the day starts heating up. Some encounters with these parades number over 60, an incredible sight as they gradually make their make through the bushveld.
Buffaloes
  • The majority of buffaloes have been in the southern reaches of our traversing where the Sand River draws in large herds from the nearby grasslands. Herds have fragmented into smaller groups as food becomes more scarce. Old bulls, which can no longer compete in the herd for mating rights, make the Sand River in front of Ebony and Boulders Lodges their place of refuge during the day and then make their way out the river valley for the evening.
Lions
  • At long last the Mhangeni Pride has reunited with the one adult that had been with the Nkuhuma and Talamati males. It had been about two months since she was last with her pride. They have been hunting daily to try and find prey suitable for seven lions.
  • The Plains Camp male lions have made many appearances mainly along the Sand River as they patrol between the Othawa and Ximungwe Prides.
  • The Othawa Pride has just the one cub left and have been seen along the Hukumuri River system in the north. The young lionesses have their work cut out for them as first-time mothers.
  • A fascinating story still unfolds as the brother and sister lions from the Nkuhuma Pride, where two lionesses split about five years back, keep on surviving among the larger prides that are found throughout the region.
Leopards
  • The Thamba male and Rivala female were seen mating in the central part of the reserve at the start of the month. Thamba has been spending more time on Singita as his movements shift further east now covering Singita from west to east. His large spoor is easily recognisable in relation to other males in the region.
  • Along Treehouse Road a male leopard was seen over a few days in a leadwood tree with a yearling impala ram kill. We’re unsure of the history of this leopard but the scars and nicks in his ears indicate he has been in some altercations with other leopards over the years.
  • The Nkuwa female and her two cubs have been moving between the Boulders river system and the larger Ximobanyana riverbed as she hunts through the woodlands in the nearby vicinity. She has made successful hunts of impala and duiker.
  • In the north the Thumbela female leopard has been vocal as she announces herself as a competitor for this section of the reserve. Her movements have been primarily along the Sand River which is wedged between the Thamba male and Hlambela males’ territory. We hope this blue-eyed female lays claim to this area for years to come.
  • The Xinzele female and Hlambela male have been viewed on a few occasions between Ingrid’s Dam and Tani Dam.
Cheetah
  • The Makotini female and her three youngsters of roughly one year of age have been covering large areas in the south. No impala is safe as these four are now effectively one hunting unit. The cubs are gaining experience following in her footsteps and learning the essentials of being a cheetah.
  • The resident male has also been spotted from time to time. The most recent sighting was of him on Eastern Sandveld, a ridge that allows for breath-taking views of the surrounding savannah.
African wild dogs
  • We have had the Othawa Pack hunting right through the southern parts of Singita on a few occasions this month. The pack which number 12 adults, has been focused on finding food for the alpha female who is busy nursing her pups back at the den. The den is beyond our boundaries but this is still exciting news for this pack which has been resident in the area for many years.
  • There has been a pack of six, one of which is collared by the Endangered Wildlife Trust, to aid in research of these endangered canids. The cooler winter temperatures allow for longer hunting periods and the packs have kept guests amazed by their endurance while on the search for their next meal.
Bird List
  • We recorded just one new bird for the month, now tallying 270 for 2025, and it was a really elusive one, an African finfoot! This shy bird was seen on more than one occasion along the phragmite reeds on the Sand River.
Unusual Sightings
  • During the cooler times of the year reptile activity slows down considerably but one of the most infamous characters of the African bush still has some business to do. The black mamba mates during this time of the year. Before any mating takes place males combat in the presence of a female to decided mating rights. On one morning drive two males were seen in combat, a unique dance where males try a push their competitor to the ground.
  • With temperatures dropping we have seen more honey badgers out during daylight hours.
  • As vegetation thins out herbivores are forced to feed for longer and adapt to the conditions. The ebony trees bear fruit this time of year and often we have seen the shy grey duiker at the base of these giant trees feeding on fallen fruits.
  • We have been excited to see the July East den being occupied again after months of no signs of hyenas using it. There has been at least one cub of roughly 2-3 weeks of age and its mother occupying the old aardvark excavation.