October 2025

Sabi Sand

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Sabi Sand: October 2025

Fireball lilies have given the bush a splash of colour this month, and we have welcomed back some of the familiar sounds of the summer here in the Sabi Sands as the red-chested cuckoos and European bee-eaters have been heard throughout the reserve. We continue to get some light showers after some of the warmer days, but what have looked like some ominous weather systems have blown past. We are most certainly transitioning into summer, marked by the rising temperatures and the start of the rainy season, which brings lush greenery and birthing season for many animas, especially impalas. The landscape is bursting with colour and wildlife activity, with new life and returning migratory birds adding to the spectacle, making it a visually vibrant, and occasionally humid, time for safari!
A snapshot of the sightings for October follows:
Cheetahs
  • The male cheetah has been frequenting the grasslands in the southern parts of the reserve. He has done well to avoid any altercations with the lions that have been in pursuit of the large herd of buffalo in the area.
Leopards
  • The Nkuwa female and her young male cub seem to be thriving between Castleton and the lodges closer to the river. He is already about a third of mom’s size.
  • The Thamba male seems to have been in a fight with another male in the western sector of the reserve. He’s still got some battle scars and a bit of a swollen head. He spends time waiting on top of unsuspecting warthog burrows for a meal. Switching tactics, possibly due to his injuries, to perhaps conserve the energy he has.
  • The Tisela female and her two sub-adult daughters are also thriving. They have been seen regularly to the west of the lodges next to the river. They have also been given names for research purposes. The blue-eyed female is known as “Xihangu” (meaning hail or ice) and the yellow-eyed female is known as “Xiluva” (meaning flower).
  • The Rivala female leopard has also been a regular sight in and around the river, west of the lodges.
  • The Hlambela male continues to frequent the north of the reserve.
  • Other leopard sightings include the Nhlanguleni female and the Nottens male.
Lions
  • The Mhangeni Pride have been in and out of the Singita reserve. The three subadults are all looking healthy and the two younger lionesses will help strengthen pride numbers.
  • The Plains Camp male lions have been visiting the Othawa Pride of lions a lot of late. They were all seen together towards the end of the month feeding on a warthog. The three cubs in the pride are also all looking healthy - all three are young males! With early rains having fallen, the males have been very vocal and move a country mile in cementing and marking their territory.
  • The Ximungwe Pride, also known as the Bateleur Pride, of three lionesses have also been seen on a number of occasions.
  • The Nkuhuma and Talamati male lions have been seen with two of the older lionesses. One of which we think is quite heavily pregnant.
  • The ever growing Nkuhuma sub-adults are still together and avoiding trouble from any of the larger males in the area.
  • Other lion sightings include the large Msuthu Pride and Gijima males.
Elephants
  • Almost like a scene out of the movie, Holes, the property has been dug by the herds as they target the roots. That and to loosen up the soil to have a bit of a dust bath. A few new tiny elephants have also been sighted with some of breeding herds. Groups of askaris (young elephant bulls) and particularly large bulls have also been frequenting the south of the reserve.
Buffalo
  • The large herd of buffalo have somewhat fragmented into smaller herds. With the changing lion dynamics and the sheer presence of the lions they continue to move throughout the southern section of the reserve.
Bird List
  • We have added two more species to the list this month, taking the total to 288 birds. Grey-headed kingfisher and pied avocet being the highlights for the month.
Unusual Sightings
  • An amazing sighting of an African wild cat!
  • Early one morning guide and guests were treated to a young elephant bull chasing an African civet from its hiding spot!