We woke up early this morning (04:00 to be exact) and set off towards the central part of Mashatu in the hope of catching the millions of Red-billed queleas leaving their roost at sunrise. We unfortunately just missed it, which means we have to plan for an even earlier start in a few days’ time.
To say our day was fantastically successful is a huge understatement. We had hardly finished watching the last few stragglers (quelea) departing when Francé, our trails guide back-up, spotted a lioness. This turned out to be two females and their six cubs. Leaving this sighting we heard that the pride male wasn’t too far off and headed that way.
Day complete… or so we thought! As we headed towards ‘Disappointment kopje’ for coffee, we spotted three male cheetahs lying underneath a Shepherds tree. Finally, with coffee and some rusks for nourishment in our bellies we headed to camp only to stumble across a stunning young female leopard in a Mashatu tree.
En route, we found some giants resting in the shade of a tree.
Mashatu we have been humbled once again, thank you!
