A Leopard Safari at Lion Sands

I can’t wait for this afternoon. Not just because spending a night at Tinyeleti Treehouse is a spectacular way to privately indulge in a Big Five wilderness experience, but also because this will come as a complete surprise to my travel companion, and niece, Anne.

Lion Sands is renowned for its leopard sightings, and Fransje van Riel shares with us the excitement of seeing these incredible big cats.

Leopards. They must be one of the most spectacular wild animals to see on an African safari. Having booked a few nights at both Lion Sands Tinga and Narina Lodges, I knew that the chances of seeing these magnificent predators were fairly good and thus, with great excitement, we embarked on our first afternoon drive with field guide Ryan and tracker Chris.

“Nchila, one of our territorial leopards”, Ryan says, pointing to a massive Sycamore fig tree leaning over the bank of the Sabie River, “hoisted a bushbuck kill up into the branches last night”. Driving closer and coming to a stop beneath the tree, he scans the higher reaches intently. We can see the remains of the carcass, but alas, the leopard is no longer there.

We pull away, meandering along the dirt track along the river when an elephant roadblock deters us from driving on. Mothers and aunts and youngsters are feeding on a series of small trees, and we take our time watching the lovely family herd on the road ahead of us.

Ten minutes must have gone by when suddenly Chris ‘s voice sounds, ‘leopard!”

Gesturing to the river on our right, we eventually spot a beautiful leopard far away, on the opposite bank, sitting down and apparently watching us with some curiosity. The irony to only notice the leopard after we have been here for at least twenty minutes!

In the now greyish fading light, we watch the leopard getting up and making his way to the river’s edge to drink. He is far away, but we still pinch ourselves at the unexpected sighting.

The sun is setting fast and, as the leopard disappears from sight, we find an open spot close to the river for sundowners.

Ryan decides to head back to the Sycamore fig tree for a last check before heading back to Tinga Lodge for the night, and there is Nchila! Not in the tree, but on the ground, partially obscured by the reed bed at the water’s edge.

It may not be the easiest of sightings, but we are elated to see the big male’s beautiful spotted coat amongst the reeds. “We’ll come back here tomorrow”, Ryan says. “He might go back into the tree later to feed”.

It is early the following morning when we rattle across the bridge to return to the area. The soft golden sunlight provides a beautiful canvas as we drive along the valley and turn left towards the bank. There he is! In the tree. Nchila is feeding steadily on his kill, while a single opportunistic hyena is standing patiently by the tree trunk, hoping for a morsel to drop.

After some time, Nchila gets up, stretches, and, as we hold our breath, slowly begins his descent down the tree. Jumping down, he casually strolls towards the river to vanish into the reeds.

I am ecstatic.

The following morning, we are driving east, toward a different stretch of the Sabie River when Sam, a recently graduated field guide who has joined us as part of fulfilling his training period, spots another leopard in a marula tree some distance ahead of us.

It is an older female; she is not a leopard Ryan recognizes. Resting comfortably on a tree limb, facing away from us, she changes position after a little while enabling us to have a clear view. Once again, our patience is rewarded as, sometime later, she stands to scan her environment before padding her way down the tree. Standing in the fork of the tree, she jumps down in one graceful leap.

When we move to Narina Lodge a few days later, we come across another two different leopards: a female and young independent male.

It is on our last full day that we are back on the river road in the eastern side of the concession. Our Narina field guide, Quolani, and tracker, Isaac, are immediately alert and halt the vehicle when they hear a troop of vervet monkeys calling in a frenzy. Scanning the river’s edge, Isaac points to a moving shape.

There is Nchila once more! He is on patrol, a long distance from the Sycamore fig tree where we first saw him on his kill. It is a fleeting visual, but I just manage to capture an image as Nchila determinedly strides along the water’s edge where reeds further obscure a visual.

Returning to Narina a little later for a hearty breakfast, I ponder these incredible cats and the lives they lead. Their existence and survival at Lion Sands is testament to the protection of this pristine land. We, as people, have an incredible privilege to catch a glimpse into these beautiful spotted cats’ lives – and their home.

Did you know that the field guide team at Lion Sands documents all leopard sightings and behaviour, as well as collects leopard scat? This data is submitted to non-profit Panthera for a collaborative look at their lineage and territorial range, all of which you will learn about on a Lion Sands safari, as well as how to identify individual leopards with their unique whisker spot patterns.

A Tinyeleti Treehouse Surprise at Lion Sands

I can’t wait for this afternoon. Not just because spending a night at Tinyeleti Treehouse is a spectacular way to privately indulge in a Big Five wilderness experience, but also because this will come as a complete surprise to my travel companion, and niece, Anne.

It’s probably the best kept secret I have managed to keep for a long time and, considering this has been in the planning for many months, I am quite proud to have kept the surprise right until the last minute.

We are five days into our safari trip. Having spent the first few days at Tinga Lodge, we’re now at Narina, where every staff member, from managers to reception to field guides and trackers are in on the treehouse surprise – which makes it even more special. I have decided on the menu, have packed an overnight bag for us while Anne wasn’t looking and now, as we are about to enjoy afternoon tea prior to the game drive, I quickly walk back to the room to furtively grab her toiletry case – which I had dared not pack knowing full well she would’ve noticed it as missing from the bathroom.

Climbing into the safari vehicle and joining our field guide Quolani, tracker Isaac and the other guests, Anne still has no clue as we head out into the concession.

It is about 4:30pm when I hear another vehicle approaching. We are just admiring a trio of old bull buffalo and I can barely contain myself. This is our link-out to Tinyeleti!  Murray, one of the other Lion Sands field guides, draws up alongside us and getting up from my seat, I grab my bag and camera gear and motion Anne to follow me to step straight over and switch vehicles. She doesn’t question this, as a few days ago we arranged to be taken back to the lodge a little earlier to have some extra time before dinner.

After a short drive, Murray stops and indicates that we have almost arrived. “Anne”, I say, as I excavate a scarf from my bag that was lent to me by Sue, the lodge manager, “you just have to trust me now”.

Understandably bewildered, she allows me to blindfold her; we carry on around a bend in the road, and there is Tinyeleti Treehouse!

Murray is a real sport and, with Anne still blindfolded, assists her in coming down the vehicle and up along the walkway until we are right in front. I remove the scarf and for a moment, she stands dumbfounded. Then, as she looks up and spots the double bed with mosquito netting 8 metres up on the open platform, her jaw drops.

Wildly excited she follows our welcome committee through the entrance door and up the stairs onto the platform. We have just passed the bathroom on the lower level; there is a washbasin, flush toilet and shower with hot and cold running water along with plenty of soft fluffy towels, bathrobes and luxury amenities such as shower gel. She can’t believe her eyes.

Upstairs, a small table, draped in a flowing white cotton tablecloth, is set for a three-course dinner and a bottle of bubbly rests inside a large metal ice bucket. Paraffin lamps are aglow and two therapists from the newly refurbished Narina Spa are waiting for us to take a seat and spoil us with a foot massage (this was a surprise for me too).

We are familiarized with the radio to contact the lodge and shown a fully charged cell phone in case of any problems. Our dinner, including hot soup, is tucked inside a wooden cabinet and a Field Bar yields a chilled bottle of white wine. We are good to go.

Everyone leaves and, closing the door and donning our comfortable bathrobes, we head back up to open the bubbly. It is the golden hour and, with stunning views across the Sabie River, we are savouring this ultimate sensation to connect with nature.

As night falls, we hear the faint trundling of a safari vehicle heading back to the lodge. Saving that, everything is quiet.

We have the best of sleeps after dinner and, in the morning, awake to the chirping of birds and wave-like sound of some rapids in the Sabie River.

An hour later, when Murray collects us and we re-join our safari vehicle, we know we have made memories to last a lifetime.