July 2025

We’re officially more than halfway through our winter months. July was not as cold as we thought it might be. However, we did have some strange weather towards the end of the month, some darkened skies and a sudden but short-lived downpour of about 3mm (0.1 inches) of rain. The sky teasing us with flashes of lighting and rain in the distance for a couple of evenings to follow. It made for some dramatic skies and beautiful sunsets! Our Sunrise is currently at 6:51 and sunset at 17:49. Although the temperatures might not have been as cool as we predicted, it was still a bit cold. Our high temperatures averaging at around 22’C (71’F) and lows of 2’C (35’F). The mornings and evenings might have been a bit chilly, but I do believe the midday temperatures were warm enough for some to test the swimming pools out, emphasis on “test”.

With the bush getting drier and less water readily available at every turn, the movements to and from the waterhole in front of the lodge has been more predictable. You can count on seeing visitors throughout the day, and even during dinner time. The elephants are always entertaining to watch, the way they dominate the waterhole whilst the Impalas and Zebras eagerly wait their turn. The little elephants breaking out in playful fight because the adults are taking too long at the water, you may even see them make a game out of chasing the birds around, trunks swinging uncontrollably as they storm around in circles.

Game drives have been good this month. However, with the Addo and Matata male lion coalition still roaming the East, the females are steering clear with their youngsters. Blonde Mane Mahiwa has been lurking in the outskirts of his territory and not sighted as often as usual. With the females making themselves scarce, the Addo and Matata males must find their own food, which is very likely the reason we saw them moving back South, to find the females and cubs in their own territory. The talk amongst the East that perhaps Mahiwa is no longer the King of the East and that Addo and Matata have claimed the territory. Let’s see what August has in store for the lions in the East!

It appears the Wild Dogs have chosen the East as a suitable breakfast stop. We have been fortunate this month again to see them in action on a couple of occasions. It is always exciting to see them, and as we get closer to the time that we predict the whole pack moving together again, we will get to see the puppies! How many will there be? We certainly cannot wait to see!

As we know, not every game drive is action packed and full of the big things, and the quieter game drives not appreciated enough. We have had some incredible outings where nature has reminded us that we need to slow down and take it all in. Take a moment to literally smell the flowers, you will come across familiar scents of the plants you did not even know existed, the smell of lavender from a flower still thriving in an area that remains damp. The strong smell of the Fever Tea bush that is often described to have a mixture of scents such as Lemon, Eucalyptus and mint, crush these leaves, take a good sniff and your sinuses will be cleared. Whilst we are enjoying the slow pace, you notice more. You will see the flash of electric violet as the Violet Eared Waxbill zips through grass and low brush.

As you listen you will hear the wind whispering through the bush, then a crackle and a crunch of the elephants chewing through the vegetation. The alarming grunt of the Wildebeest catches your attention, the Impala chimes in too. What have they seen? After some time passes and they quiet down, curiosity still lingers, you watch their gaze slowly sweep across the drainage line. We still have no idea what they can see, but we are intrigued, we drive along the road to get a clearer view into the drainage line. We are all scanning the landscape to see what they see, and someone says, “there it is, over there.” The illusive leopard, crawling across the road and blending back into the vegetation. What an incredible moment, time stood still yet moved so quickly all at once. All because we took a moment to listen to what the Wildebeest was trying to tell us.

Until Next Time!

The Mateya Team