November 2020 Wildlife Sightings
The early rains in October and continued intermittent showers throughout this month, meant that November was officially the start of the green season, reflected in the lush look of the photography in this month’s sightings report and an abundance of life from birds to bugs and baby mammals. Huge breeding herds of elephants continued to […]
October 2020 Wildlife Sightings
The intense heat in early October was followed by a couple of weeks with some unexpected (but very much appreciated) early rain, which took the edge of the heat and brought fresh green shoots to many of the trees that had previously looked lifeless. Despite the early rains, October proved excellent for game viewing throughout […]
September 2020 Wildlife Sightings
Our corner of the world doesn’t follow the classic seasons. Winter isn’t followed by Spring. We leap from a cold dry winter to hot dry summer and look to the skies in anticipation of the rains. This month we had one midnight rain shower, which provided some relief from the heat, but this was the […]
August 2020 Wildlife Sightings
The seasons shifted through the course of August. We moved from what felt like bitterly cold winter (in Africa terms) to temperatures that felt like high summer, with a few cloudy days toward the end of the month that provided a relief from the heat. On the Zambezi river, along with numerous waterbirds, crocodiles were […]
July 2020 Wildlife Sightings
In the heart of winter, mornings can be brutally cold, and our guides take the edge off by providing hot water bottles and blankets for our guests going out on morning game drives. The sun warms us through during the day, and as it goes down the blankets come out again. Having had no rain […]
June 2020 Wildlife Sightings
As we head into the heart of winter, temperatures continue to drop, and the bush continues to dry up. The colours showcased in the foliage across Matetsi Private Game Reserve are remarkable. Mornings are crisp, and during the day animals and humans alike warm themselves under cloudless blue skies in the beautiful winter sun. The […]
May 2020 Wildlife Sightings
In May, the water levels in the Zambezi river peaked, and have started to fall. The sausage trees drop their giant pods into the soft mud below. Winter is certainly on its way; the days are shortening, and we don extra layers early morning and evening. As the bush continues to thin out, we have […]
April 2020 Wildlife Sightings
As was the case for the whole of mankind, the month of April 2020 was not “business as usual” for us. Though we were fortunate to be isolated from the worst of the troubles, it was a very strange and disconcerting time for everyone. We did not welcome guests, well, human ones at least – […]
December 2019 Wildlife Sightings
Despite December being the beginning of the “Green Season*”, one of our guides noted “Buffalo and Elephants everywhere”. These iconic species were seen in their numbers, and there were numerous lions spotted throughout Matetsi Private Game Reserve. *Green Season is the period in Africa that falls during the annual rains. Wildlife spread out from waterholes and […]
November 2019 Wildlife Sightings
Our seasonal rains started on 2nd November. The sight, sound and smell* of those first rains filled our hearts with joy. Within days the bush started to transform from a dry barren landscape to a green lush Eden. *Petrichor is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from Greek petra(πέτρα), meaning “stone”, and īchōr (ἰχώρ), the fluid that […]
