Walking Safaris – by Ellen

We had the incredible opportunity to approach the animals on foot. In quiet single file we left the Land Rover at the point where the marker branch had been placed across the road: the Cheetahs were sleeping somewhere close by. We walked up to where they were lying in shade of a shrub, looking regal and haughty and powerful and lazy all at the same time, as only cats can.

We were lucky to be able to approach the three cheetah groups on a number of occasions. We were alerted to the presence of one group by camp when the impala the other side of the river started snorting and coughing – their predator alarm call. Jaco quickly abandoned his paperwork, grabbed his rifle, kicked off his shoes and set off into the bush. He called us over a short while later; Savannah and her two teenage boys were just the other side of the river. The next time we saw these two cubs it was without their mother; she had finally tired of hunting for them and had kicked them out. She’d taught them well though – they were lying at the side of the road next to their freshly killed impala, their spotty bellies bulging and fat, paws in the air and blood on their faces.

Another day when walking not far from camp, we saw fresh lion spoor. We set off in the direction that the lion had taken, looking in the sand for more tracks. We followed the road round, thick bush on one side, long grass on the other. “It’ll be near impossible to see them in the bush” said Rob. “And even in the long grass they could be 5 meters away and you’d still not see them”. We looped round, but lost the tracks. “Let’s take a short cut through here” – we started following a narrow path that led straight through the long grass...

We didn’t see the lions that morning, but I have a feeling they saw us.