The Thanda guests enjoyed great sightings over the Christmas holidays.
Two young Elephant bulls giving a sparring demonstration …
… a White Rhino mum and her son hosting an Oxpecker party …
… a young Kudu bull in front of a beautiful Thanda vista …
… and Thanda’s dominant male Lion smacking his lips after a big meal!
Happy Holidays!
Pictures by Christian Sperka – Specialist Photography Guide and Resident Wildlife Photographer – Thanda Private Game Reserve.
This small Elephant did not mind the rain. He was moving between all his elders and ended up with mum – demanding his morning meal.
The Thanda guests enjoyed their early morning game drive – despite the summer rain!
In a five-star lodge service delays are not acceptable. So normally the game drives start just in time! But the rules change when the Thanda Elephants get involved.
Today a few of Thanda Elephant bulls were making their way to the Lodge when guests spotted them from the Lodge deck just before game drive.
Everyone waited patiently for the giant creatures to arrive. And only after they finished their drink at the water feature in front of the Lodge did the guests depart for the evening drive.
Half an hour late – quite acceptable when caused by Elephants 🙂
This small Thanda Elephant bull wanted to make sure that we came no further towards the herd. All the adult females were very relaxed when this little one showed us that he is a big Elephant already.
We adhered to his wishes and approach no further. He shook his head in “big bull fashion” and turned away to continue with his feeding.
A very memorable Thanda Elephant encounter 🙂
At the small waterhole in front of Thanda’s Villa iZulu a Spotted Hyena and a journey of Southern Giraffe met and interacted for almost an hour. This image shows Bheki in between the actors in this early morning drama.
… The Hyena had come to the waterhole when the Giraffe interrupted its morning drink…
… It moved off when the tallest land mammals came in to have their drink …
… But not far – at one time the carnivore ventured almost to “kicking distance” …
… We left after watching this scene for almost an hour – On the way back to Thanda’s Safari Lodge we ran into an Elephant road block. The matriarch was having an eye on us while we followed the herd slowly until they made their way through the bush to another waterhole. What a morning!
This small Elephant enjoyed his bath with the family – while climbing on the back of one of his cousins. At the end of a hot day there is nothing better than splashing around in a waterhole.
The Thanda guests enjoyed this very entertaining sighting!
One of Thanda’s oldest Elephant bulls walked quietly towards the sunset. Before he disappeared in the bush he provided the Thanda guests a very close encounter with a gentle giant.
Besides game drives Thanda guests are offered many additional activities.
The most popular is the Elephant Interaction on a neighboring property.
The first image shows me with Rambo, the 4 ton bull who is the largest of the three Elephants which guests interact with.
The second image shows young Jabulani reaching out for her treats.
And the the third image features Jabulani’s mum Rachel getting her fair share.
A very special experience 🙂
Imagine you are a Baby Elephant …
“Well, today is a very windy and cold morning. We were all were pretty thirsty and moving towards a waterhole …
… when grandma spotted a Lion …
… We do not like them! …
Mummy started walking really fast, trumpeting and everything. Great! …
… I love a good chase and I ran as fast as I could – keeping up with mum. But we did not get him 😦
Grandma decided to turn back towards the water.
Maybe next time 🙂 “
This is a “record” of an exciting Elephant/Lion chase at Thanda Private Game Reserve, enjoyed by many Thanda guests on a very windy morning.
Being close to wild animals has its thrill. But sometimes the best sightings are observing animals from a distance. The Thanda guests on game drive were fascinated to see one of Thanda’s largest Elephant bulls following the herd while crossing a recently burned area. Strong winds and the evening sun created a very special twilight atmosphere!
Christian Sperka Photography | Custom Luxury Tours 