March 2026

March has gone by in the blink of an eye. The weather is cooling down slightly but still fairly warm. The days are getting shorter with our sunrise currently at 6:23 and sunset at 18:12. The temperatures averaged at highs of 31’C (87’F) and lows of 15’C (59’F). We had some good rain this month to keep the vegetation nice and green for a little while longer before the dry season creeps in. Our rainfall for March was a generous amount of 221.5mm.

The bush is still very vibrant, the grass continues to grow and the wild Hibiscus flowers are growing in all corners of the bush. There are still a few of the migratory birds around and some of the birds, the Whydahs in particular, that are still in full breeding plumage.

The summer babies of the bush are already growing so quickly. The young Impalas already almost the size of their mothers and the young males have their horns poking out. The little guineafowls, at that awkward stage of their growing, they are not as cute as when they have just hatched and not quite as eye catching as the adults just yet, instead looking half-sized and no sign of the bright blue faces appearing anytime soon. The pocket-sized warthog piglets are no longer pocket-sized and growing at a steady rate. The young wildebeest, have grown out of their lightly coloured fur and into the darker colours of the adults, but they are still visibly smaller than their elders.

We have had an abundance of Spotted Hyenas around the lodge again, they have been incredibly vocal, indicating that perhaps there has been plenty of food in the area for them. On one of the afternoons the wild dogs took down a wildebeest just in front of the lodge, cleaning up as much as they could before moving on. This left just enough for the hyenas to come through later that evening to investigate what scraps were waiting for them.

We have been working on a special new addition to the lodge this month and hopefully it will be ready very soon. There is a lot of excitement and anticipation here at Mateya with regards to the building of a new Hide. The perfect place to view the animals at the watering hole within close proximity to the wildlife without disturbing their natural behaviours. The hide will offer opportunities for incredible photographic opportunities and not just that but also hours of down time of just taking in the raw beauty that the wildlife offers. The opportunity to view the many different animals from yet another angle in addition to viewing the wildlife from the game vehicle or on foot on a walking safari.

Picture this; seated in the hide with a view from the ground up, equipped with a refreshing drink of your choice, your camera, or even just to watch, and the animals making their way towards the watering hole. Just a few feet away from the safety of the hide, you can hear the sound of their feet as each step makes contact with the ground, the red dust clearly visible around their feet, and as they begin to drink, you can clearly hear the sound of the water being slurped up. There is just something so special about being able to sit in the stillness of it all and take it in with a new perspective, disconnecting from everything else that’s going on around you and connecting with what is playing out right in front of you. Time stands still and the raw beauty of the bush overwhelms you in the most amazing way.

As we look forward to the completion of this exciting new development, we are looking forward to sharing the memorable moments from time spent in the hide. We will keep you posted!

Until Next Time!

The Mateya Team