Meet Our Unexpected Friend!

As some of you know, my wife Alex and I went on our first Safari, and yes, it was life-changing. I will share many many stories, but why not start with this incredible Leopard encounter on our very first day?

Welcome To Singita Boulders in Sabi Sands South Africa!

This was the view from our room deck at Singita Boulders, one of the greatest resorts we have ever stayed at….this lodge sits at the front of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve,a group of private game reserves located adjacent to the Kruger National Park in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga, South Africa. Its name comes from the Sabie River on its southern boundary and the Sand River flowing through it, which you can see behind Alex. Elephants, Water Buffalo and Springbok routinely stopped by for a drink.

Meet Our Tracker Louis And Guide Henry!

After we checked in, we dropped our bags and were immediately out on our first safari game drive, and what an adventure it was! George was our Guide, and Louis our tracker: both were incredibly informative, knowledgable end engaging…we went out for almost three hours and saw so so much, like these hungry Elephants!

As you can see, the animals were very close to us, but George and Louis knew exactly where to put us to safely watch them…but our biggest encounter was going to happen when we headed back after this incredible first night sunset:

That’s Alex with George and Louis – at sunset they find us a beautiful spot to watch it and also put out a spread of snacks and drinks – cheers!

But it was when we were driving back to the lodge when THIS happened:

Yes, we tracked a Leopard! Another of the Singita Jeeps joined us as well – what a sighting!

Leopards are known for their solitary nature, exceptional climbing and stalking abilities, and powerful build. They are skilled ambush predators, often hiding in vegetation and using their spotted coats for camouflage. Leopards are also nocturnal, with excellent night vision…and we were about to experience all of it!

This is how George maneuvers the Jeep for the best sighting, while Louis puts the spotlight on it – by the way, the Leopard doesn’t acknowledge us at all:

Leopards are known for their solitary, secretive, and adaptable nature. They are strong, stealthy hunters, often described as powerful and mysterious. They are also symbols of courage, wisdom, and resilience, embodying traits of independence and self-reliance. 

Native to more than 35 African countries, leopards occur in the widest variety of habitats among any of the Old World Cats – from desert to grasslands and tropical forest.

That was incredible…the Leopard is one of the “big 5” sightings on safari – the others being the Elephant, Rhino, Lion and Buffalo…what a way to end our first day! But then this happened: the next morning, on our way back to our lodge after a morning drive – George drove inside the entrance to our lodge property, and spotted this!

I filmed this with Alex win the foreground on purpose, so you could see just how close the Leopard was! It was resting under a tree, heavily camouflaged!

After resting, the cat went on its way, and right toward Alex!

Again, there is no danger: the Leopard doesn’t see a Jeep as food or threat, so wandered by as Alex filmed:

What an exciting first day on safari! Don’t worry, I have so much more to share: a huge pack of Lions arguing over a kill, a baby Rhino bouncing along after its mother, and Giraffe, Hippos and more!

I already shared a story about how they greeted us at Singita Boulders our first night, a look at the festive food welcome we got when we arrived…see it here!

Our safari adventure began in South Africa, which also happens to be the place where you can begin the world’s longest walk! See that here:

A safari is nature at its finest, plus a chance to learn more about South African culture and have a cookout too!

Much more to come, like this:

Yes, they were hot Hippos and they needed to cool off….but our food was just heating up…much more to come!

Here’s a tease I shared of our trip…

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Categories: Africa, Exotic Travel, Memoirs, nature, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir

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