Spotting Leopards

Let’s face it - if it was easy it wouldn’t be nearly as exciting, and a leopard sighting from the boat at stiegler’s gorge is hands down, pant wetting - exciting!
That splash patterning is not only breathtakingly beautiful but it serves as an incredible camouflage just about anywhere (I’m told there are leopards living in Johannesburg – how’s that for adaptable?!).

There is a dappled, morning light coming through the forest canopy that cloaks the steep sided gorge, turning every rock and stump into a possible leopard sighting. It is they who choose whether or not they are seen.
What a privilege that we were on board for this particular sighting and managed to get some snaps of this remarkable cat.

Out in the sticks

This lodge is all about the wilderness we live in.Dining, dipping in the pool, relaxing in your room and nodding off after a day of bush adventures are all accompanied by a breathtaking vista of the mighty Rufiji river.
We could hear the sawing call of a leopard as he made his way past camp last night, the grunting of hippos and the whooping of hyenas are a nightly chorus during dinner. We were sitting up in bed excited about lasts nights leopard performance, as you can imagine, our guests were buzzing this morning! Sounds pretty wild hey??

Believe it or not we can trump it……..try this on for size.
You leave the lodge in the late afternoon on one of our open game-viewers. Once the temperature has cooled a little you hop off the car with your guide and strike out on foot.


Rounding a bend to come across our home away from home for the night. A fly camp is light weight with minimal impact on the environment it is set in – we literally put it up and take it down for each group, moving around our own carefully chosen sites throughout the season.

We’ve arrived for the sunset and it’s high time for a Gin and Tonic, ice cubes in the glass of course as there are certain ceremonies that need standing on, even out here. As darkness falls the camp fire we’re gathered around becomes a focal point, guests begin to whisper as the sounds around us spur on active imaginations.

Several people jump when Francis (our waiter) calls us to the table for dinner. Three courses under the stars… decedent.

Our tents shield you from the insects without obstructing the night sky – there are few places left in the world with such little light pollution and a clear night sky here is nothing short of breathtaking.

The first light brings birdsong and fresh brewed coffee – we head out on a morning walk with Hamadi to explore the surroundings we slept in, checking the tracks to find out exactly what those noises were last night. In his 23rd year as a ranger/scout Hamadi is a legend in the bush, it’s really a pleasure to follow him.

Fly camping may not be for everyone, it is an option we arrange for those interested. If you have the slightest inkling this may be for you, if you’re looking for adventure and a story you can dine out on for years to come then trust us – this is the real deal.                                                                                   We love it.

“Although the hippopotamus has no sting, a wise man would prefer to be sat upon by the bee”

Our massive amphibious friends have been keeping us well entertained of late. Cavorting in the channel in front of our breakfast deck, chasing each other across the sand bar, some romance and even a birth have been viewed by our guides and guests.

These three must have seen Jana and her camera coming….

“Here she is ….get ready”

“wait for it…….”

“Strike a pose!”

A soft spot for Elephants

..............You must have a favorite though…what is it?

Despite a noble speech about the fascinating diversity of this place and the pleasure of watching a year pass by - caught up in nature’s dynamics I predictably arrive at the same old confession:

“I’m really here for the Elephants”

The table was being set up for dinner on the deck while our guests enjoyed afternoon tea before their activities. Lazaro pipes up at a shadow on the horizon (One of the guides, Laz has crazy eyesight - if he spotted a tourist on the horizon he’d tell you what brand of binoculars he/she is sporting).


Sure enough squinting through our own Bino’s (annoyingly Laz isn’t using any) we were treated to this distant elephant sighting. It looked to be quite a sizable herd mulling around on the northern bank of the river when to our surprise they crossed!

The boats were already prepped to go so we dropped the tea and dashed out to view them from the water. Elephants are wonderful subject matter for a guide, always busy with something (a lot of eating) and- being so large and visual in their interactions with each other - they keep us captivated.

In this vast setting you can’t help but marvel at their resilience. They can manage in deserts and forests from the coast to the highlands. Vulnerable as they are, left alone in this habitat they are able to thrive -and it is tough out here. We’re unlikely to see rain for another four months and the salad on offer is already looking pretty sparse, the elephants can move massive distances seeking the best food supply available.


That was the magic of this sighting – they just crossed our path and we were lucky enough to see them. Totally on their own mission, without manmade water holes or food supplements, we hold no sway over the pathways they choose and can only watch dumbfounded when, massive as they are, they decide to vanish into the colossal space they call home.

“A bad days fishing is better than a good days work”

We couldn’t agree more, although we combine the two more often than most and end up with the best of both! It’s a wonderful alternative to the walks and game drives – just find a perch, (each of our guides will advise you of his own “secret fish hotspot”) cast off and while away an hour or two enjoying just being here!


The inspiration for our latest outing with the rods and tackle came in the guise of this Giant Kingfisher. We had all sat for lunch when this juvenile male (you can tell by the patchy chestnut breast band) plunged headlong into the water to retrieve an unfortunate fish.




We were alerted to his presence by the squeaks of our waitress Flora who took exception to him beating the life out of his quarry on the banister of the restaurant deck. Patently ignoring these protestations the tenacious little chap proceeded to spend 15 minutes tenderizing his meal. We’d all but given up watching when, the preparation being complete; he swallowed his lunch in one!
                                     Nature is marvelous!

Good Gnu’s

Not the prettiest of our neighbours, the noble wildebeest rarely makes it into the limelight of the Sand Rivers Blog. This territorial bull from the Miombo woodland area doesn’t have the luxury of blending into the crowd like the millions of his brethren that rumble past Lamai every year.

He has to tough it out on his own until one of the breeding herds consisting of a few females and young deems his area suitable for a temporary stay – he’ll try his best to keep them in but inevitably the grass will prove greener at some stage and he’s have to watch them leave.

To reach these dizzy heights of success he needs heightened senses and presumably a nervous, high strung disposition. We’ve seen lions hunting them and their acceleration is incredible – the big cats have to get the jump on a bull wildebeest to catch him. In lovely evening light we recently watched this old pro flexing his muscles.

Stiegler’s Gorge…’ere be dragons!!

It’s been said before but we’ll say it again; a morning expedition up the Rufiji River to Stiegler’s Gorge is a magnificent activity. Leaving at dawn - it feels like we’re heading out in search of the “blank spaces on the map” that all those explorer diaries have alluded to.

Rounding a bend, where we plan to switch off the motor and begin our silent drift downstream towards the lodge, we disturb this pile of crocodiles!


Seeing so many together certainly raises a few eye-brows in the boat – it’s a firm reminder that these creatures are far more social and complex than their reputation would have us believe.

As we continue downstream we spot this impressive adult, he was concealed when we passed him on the way up, quietly observing us from his basking place as we made our way upstream him by. Now in full view he took his time to slip silently into the water.




The crocodile is often described as an unchanged ancient creature harking back to the age of dinosaurs. This, however, doesn’t quite do the apex predator justice. It took a vast number of adaptations over 250 million years to reach this modern day river monster, to hear the taxonomist’s state that they are the closest living relatives to birds should surely reaffirm this!

None the less - the cool light of the gorge certainly adds to the prehistoric feel of these photographs.