February 2026

Sabi Sand

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Sabi Sand: February 2026

Singita in the Sabi Sand is still a lush, emerald-green paradise because of the heavy rains we experienced a month ago. However, the rivers have subsided significantly since then and we only received twelve millimetres of rain for the month of February. While the vegetation is at its thickest, providing a private sanctuary for the regions famous leopards, the air is filled with the calls of migratory birds and the playful antics of young impala and wildebeest born just months prior. As you move through the reserve, you may encounter the sweet, tropical fragrance or ripening marula fruit, which draws in herds of elephants.
Here’s a sightings snapshot of the month’s sightings:
Elephants
  • Elephant herds and bulls have been drawn in from afar thanks to the fruiting marula trees. Some of the larger bulls have been shaking the trees to encourage the fruits to come falling down. One or two of the marula trees have also either been ringbarked or even pushed over by those larger elephant bulls.
Buffaloes
  • One large herd of buffalo continue to frequent the south of the reserve and the more open grasslands.
  • Other herds, of up to a couple hundred strong, are seen grazing and then heading to water sources. They’re a sight to behold! Just to switch off the game-viewer and listen to them as they pass by is quite remarkable.
Lions
  • The Mhangeni Pride of lions are still somewhat fragmented. The three sub-adults have been with one of the older lionesses; the lioness and the four new cubs have been with the other older lioness and have also been seen with the Nkumati male (their father) in the southern parts of the reserve. The males, as well as the pride, continue to torment the large herd of buffalo that frequent the southern grasslands.
  • The Plains Camp male lions have been heard more than they have seen for the month. They have been spending a lot of their time up in the north (still inaccessible) and the western sector of the Sabi Sand game reserve.
  • The Tsalala lioness has been sighted on several occasions close to the lodges, often very vocal and walking with intent past some of the rocky outcrops in the area. Could she be hiding something from us?
  • The Nkuhuma sub-adults were also seen recently, both looking in good condition, just with a couple of new scratches and nicks on their faces.
Leopards
  • The Nkuwa female and her young male cub have been thriving in the lush, green environment - often found with particularly large bellies. Mom is always on the lookout for their next meal!
  • The Thamba male and the Rivala female have been seen mating together around Castleton. They have subsequently parted ways and the Rivala female continues to frequent the river to the west of the lodges.
  • The Tisela female and her two daughters seem to be spending more time apart than together and we hope to see more concrete boundaries being created by the two young females now that they are just about on their own.
  • The Hlambela male made a cameo appearance from across the river! His rasping led him to being discovered in the Hukumuri/Sand River confluence.
Cheetah
  • The male cheetah has been sighted on a handful of occasions. He was flushed by the Othawa Pack of wild dogs on one occasion. He has been a tough cat to find in the long grass!
African wild dogs
  • Only once the rivers and streams became crossable did we start seeing more of the wild dogs. Specifically, the Othawa Pack, they have been making the most of the lush conditions and feasting on the abundant impala lambs.
  • The Toulon Pack were also seen on the northern bank of the Sand River, looking south to cross but the fear of what lurks beneath got the better of them and they disappeared further north.
Unusual sightings
  • Dan had an incredible sighting of a Southern African rock python basking in the warm summer sun.
  • Jason had a unique sighting of a pair of honey badgers early one morning as he left the lodge.
Bird list
  • We have added three birds to our list for the month of February. Taking our total number of birds for the year to 250.
By Jenny Hishin
Author / Field Guide