Morning game drive generally depart at 07:00 AM and the afternoon drives at 15:30 PM in July. Reason for this, so that we can have more daylight, with temperatures averaging in the mornings between 2 – 6 degrees Celsius and during mid-day between 24 – 28 degrees Celsius. We have had a couple of cold fronts coming through and there is often a big benefit to nature conservation. For example, certain species of insects being dormant during winter, will have a decline, before they can get a foothold in harming your plants. There is a minimal risk of diseases, fungi as well as weeds etcetera.  On the other hand you will experience beautiful winter landscapes and warm golden light lasting for almost an hour longer then in the summer months.

Thsukudu dam near Mateya has given as superior results and our guests have experience serval different sightings. Like in a previous ranger blog where we have mentioned wild dogs finishing a carcass. This time we have experienced it firsthand, where six wild dogs chased an impala into the watering hole and not long after that catching a male impala, finishing it up in just 10 minutes. We were fortunate enough to witness a pride of lions laying on the dam with prey lurking in the distance. As we wanted to leave the lions, we got a big surprise. A massive herd of buffalo made their approach unaware of the lions. 1 lion got up and started to stalk and chased the group while they were drinking water. Not long after that the lion came running out with the buffalo behind her. It carried on for a good 30 minutes as the lion and buffalo had a stand-off.

Some watering holes have dried up completely. The focus for most of the game drives is to check the main watering holes, where majority of the wildlife congregate together. Generally, where you find a lot of prey species, you will also find some of your predators. A lot of times you might see some action and will have good results when it comes to photography.

At Mateya we will have the refreshments ready for the morning and afternoon game drives. We also provide a warm comfortable blanket on the car, as well as a hot water bottle for the morning drives.

Until next time

The Mateya Team