May 2026

May has come and gone, just as our Autumn season has. We are grateful that this month was much drier and the last bit of rainfall recorded was on the 6^th of May, leaving us with a total of 72mm for the month and the grand total of 800mm for the season (so far). We are not expecting more rain until the next rainy season is due, closer to the end of the year, especially as this season brought us unexpected amounts of rainfall and so late into the year. Our Sunrise is currently at 6:50 and sunset at 17:33. With temperatures averaging at highs of 25’C (77’F) and lows of 9’C (48’F). The extra layers are coming out and the game drive blankets are no longer strangers; there is definitely a need to wrap up and stay warm on these cold mornings. The game viewer roofs have been retired for the winter months, and we are already taking full advantage of the warmth that the morning sunshine sends our way! If you are wondering what to pack for your visit in the next few months, layers are a definite recommendation!

May has been a very successful month in terms of locating the big cat variety!  Addo and Matata male lions have been very active in the East, yet again, and much to our surprise, the Bolokega and Lafathla males were being very vocal whilst in close proximity with them! Perhaps they are feeling up to a challenge for some of the territory. The Kietumetsi females have been moving around quite a bit, even into territory that is considered as Kwena pride territory. With the Kwenas still waiting for the river level to drop, they cannot control who enters their territory until then. We had only been seeing the Kietumetsi adult females until the last week of May, when their youngest cubs of around 8 months old were spotted near the caves and a few older cubs, now subadults, lingering in another corner of the east. They are still very scattered with the two “new” male coalitions that have encroached on their home ground. Hopefully the more recent sightings of the rest of the pride means that we will be seeing more of them!

As for some other spotted cats, both the Leopard and the Cheetah that have been extra elusive in the last couple of months, have made some appearances over the last few weeks! One of the Male Cheetahs has been keeping to east, not always in areas that were easy to find him, but still staying close. And just recently, the 5 young males, sons of the late Ashia female, have been spotted moving more and more east and into our backyard, we are hoping that they fancy these parts enough to stick around for an extended visit in the east! And as for the Leopards, we have been lucky enough to spend some time with them on one or two occasions.

We have also been fortunate enough to get to see the Wild Dogs again this month, even though they should be denning already if not very soon. We caught a glimpse of the Alpha female and she looks just about ready to give birth! With last years Wild Dog puppy survival numbers being so good, we can only hope for another successful season for them again this year!

And of course, as promised, an update on our up-and-coming photographic hide… With May being much drier, allowing for the big construction parts to be completed, we are nearing the finish line! The biggest parts of the project are behind us, and now just for the finishing touches and finer details before we open the doors for a whole new Mateya experience! The new water hole has water and already attracting some wild and wonderful customers, everybody is waiting with much excitement to spend some time in the new hide and share this new addition with you! See a little sneak peak below…

Until Next Time!

The Mateya Team