July 2026

July has come and gone with the wind, quite literally. This month was warmer than we were expecting and the winds started fairly early, considering that August is known to be the windy month. Most mornings started off cold enough to have all the extra layers piled on, gradually coming off by breakfast time, with the middle of the days feeling a little bit like summer. Our average temperatures for July were at highs of around 28’C (82’F) and lows of around 6’C (42’F). Our sunrise is currently at 6:51 and sunset at 17:48. Despite this month being warmer than usual, we definitely had a few mornings of frozen fingers and toes. No matter how warm some afternoons were, as soon as the sun hit the horizon, the extra layers were piled on again.

With the weather being a little too windy too early, making the mornings extra chilly, the morning drives were generally slower starts to the day in terms of not wanting to drive faster than a crawl and the fact that most of the general game take cover in the dense thickets until the winds calm down and the sun is warm enough to kickstart the days movements. There is absolutely nothing wrong with slower starts, in fact, it is actually an opportunity to ease into the day, and be grateful for the little things, like watching the sunrise from other side of the dam. Wrapped up in the blankets, with a hot-water bottle for extra warmth. Enjoying the opportunity of having enough time, nowhere to rush off to, and enjoy the luxury of waiting for the sun to peak over the horizon. And in quiet voices- “here it comes.” The perfect start to the day!

July was a good month in terms of finding the male lions. As for the females, not so much… The Kwena female and her one cub have been hiding out this month, and it seems so have most of the other pride members. There were frequent enough sightings of some of the other prides and their members being spotted and quite scattered, but never staying in one spot long enough. Their movements were less predictable lately. But that did not stop us from looking, and sometimes the anticipation of the search and what you learn along the way is most often just as rewarding as finding what you were looking for!

We set out to the river one day, because the river is always a beautiful area to explore. Keeping an eye out for birds and the elusive Hippos. On this particular drive, we did not find Hippos, we did however find two rather large Crocodiles, sunning themselves on the opposite bank of the river. What a sight. We know there are Crocodiles in the river, but they do not always show up when we hope for it. An inquisitive Bushbuck decided to get a closer look at the larger of the two Crocs, as we all sat there holding our breath for what could potentially happen, we were relieved when the Bushbuck decided to move on!

The spotted Hyenas have been very active, and there are supposedly two den-sites now on both the Eastern and Western sides of the lodge. This means that we are still getting to hear and see them quite a bit! Mateya is situated as a halfway stop for both sides and we often hear their whooping sounds from either side.

With the hide that has been finished and being used already, both by us and the animals of Madikwe. We have already had some interesting visitors! Apart from the Elephants that seem to just come crawling in at peak times, there is a resident family of Warthogs that you can count on visiting once the morning rush has moved on. We have been visited by Wildebeest, Kudu, Zebra, Eland, giraffe, a plethora of birds including, Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters, Little Bee-eaters, Blacksmith Lapwings which find great amusement in chasing off the Three-banded Plover. The Egyptian geese are also around, along with plenty of Canaries, Weavers and Starlings. We have seen a lion walk past, and upon further inspection we have also found lion tracks at the waters edge! You can keep up-to-date on some of our visitors that have been photographed from the hide on the Mateya website.

Until Next Time!

The Mateya Team.