Our Journal

Christmas Leopards, Floodplain Drama & Baobab Time

There is something about ending a year in the wild that recalibrates everything.

Time is no longer measured in calendar dates or countdown clocks.
It is measured in tracks at first light.
In the echo of a lion’s roar rolling across the dark.
In the quiet gravity of standing beneath a 2,000-year-old baobab.

This festive journey brought together a curious, engaged family of four for a thoughtfully designed exploration across South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe — a celebration not only of the season, but of Africa at its most alive.

Connecting these extraordinary landscapes was the trusted Pilatus P12 — the ideal aircraft for remote African travel. Built for short bush airstrips and vast distances, it allowed seamless transitions between properties while offering spectacular aerial perspectives of braided Delta waterways and Zimbabwe’s granite outcrops. At the controls was experienced pilot Quinton, ensuring each flight was smooth and professional. 

On the ground, the experience was led by private guide Nicky Souness — orchestrating logistics, anticipating every detail (including perfectly timed bush snacks), and interpreting the wild with depth and clarity. From tracking territorial shifts to explaining bird migration patterns, from adjusting daily plans around weather systems to reading the subtle body language of predators, she wove each location into one cohesive and meaningful narrative.

Safari at this level is never a sequence of sightings.
It is understanding.

A Gentle Beginning

The journey began softly with a relaxed poolside dinner in Johannesburg — space to exhale before stepping into the wild. Conversations moved fluidly from global affairs to ecology, from rainfall patterns to raptor behaviour. This was engaged exploration from the outset.

By the first morning drive, the rhythm had already shifted.

Christmas in Leopard Country

Christmas morning arrived bathed in gold.

A leopard lay draped across the limbs of a marula tree, her body spilling elegantly over the branch. She blinked at us — calm, composed, utterly at ease. No ribbons required. A perfectly timed gift from the wild.

Summer rains transformed the landscape. Storm clouds gathered and released silver sheets across the bushveld. Vast herds of buffalo moved steadily through the downpour. Elephants appeared and dissolved in mist like ancient apparitions.

That evening, a dominant male lion walked past our vehicle. Close enough to hear his breath before he paused and released a deep, resonant roar into the night. It was not aggression. It was presence — a reminder that we were visitors in an ancient domain.

Above and around us, the diversity of birdlife added constant richness. Lylic breasted rollers flashing against storm skies. Saddle-billed storks stalking fish from the camp deck.Fish eagles calling across the water. Rollers, jacanas, kingfishers and raptors punctuating each drive with colour and movement. Across three countries, the avian diversity became its own unfolding story.

Christmas dinner unfolded under lantern light — generous, atmospheric and unmistakably African.

Botswana: Floodplains & Shared Privilege

From South Africa we flew north into Botswana’s Okavango Delta, where the experience deepened into something elemental.

Here, lions are not occasional sightings — they are a daily presence. Territorial negotiations played out across the floodplains. Males bore fresh battle scars, visible evidence of shifting power. Lionesses lay intertwined in golden grasses or surveyed their world from termite mounds rising above the plains.

One evening, the sound of lions clashing beneath the wooden deck of our canvas tents was a visceral reminder of how thin the boundary can be between guest and wilderness.

A leopardess and her adolescent cub offered moments of tenderness and transition. At first light, a hyena den revealed cubs tumbling in pale dawn while adults returned from nocturnal patrol.

Then came a sighting few could have anticipated.

At a waterhole, a vast herd of elephants gathered — matriarchs steady, calves restless, bulls watchful. Alongside them stood eighteen rhinos. Eighteen.

In a time when rhinos face immense pressure and are absent from many former strongholds, witnessing elephants and rhinos sharing water peacefully felt profoundly significant. No spectacle. No drama. Simply coexistence. A rare privilege.

Evenings in Botswana carried their own rhythm. Champagne and local beers were poured. Fishing rods leaned nearby as the red sun slipped below the Delta. Fish eagles called across the water. Jacanas stepped delicately across lily pads. Large fish broke the surface in sudden flashes of silver while crocodiles remained unseen but ever-present.

Between drives, something equally meaningful unfolded — the strengthening bond between brothers. Shared adrenaline. Shared quiet. A family experiencing the wild shoulder to shoulder. The kind of closeness that only untamed landscapes seem to cultivate.

Botswana does not perform. It reveals — slowly, honestly — to those willing to be present.

Zimbabwe: Stone, Story & Walking with Giants

Our final chapter unfolded among Zimbabwe’s granite hills and ancient baobabs.

Standing beneath a 2,000-year-old baobab shifts perspective instantly. Its immense trunk, shaped by centuries of drought and flood, has witnessed histories beyond imagination. Leaning against it, you feel both small and deeply anchored.

Nearby, ancient rock art still whispers from stone — delicate ochre figures painted thousands of years ago. Hunters. Movement. Belief. Africa’s human narrative runs as deep and layered as its wildlife story.

Then the pace shifted.

Seventeen wild dogs moved through the landscape like liquid energy. We worked to keep pace as they threaded through bush and open ground. Watching them hunt among a herd of eland — coordinated, focused, relentless — was a masterclass in teamwork and instinct.

At Pamushana, another extraordinary moment unfolded. The brothers walked on foot alongside a white rhino — close enough to appreciate its scale and presence. To meet such power at eye level is both humbling and transformative. It is conservation made tangible.

The year closed on the water.

Tiger fishing on the lake evolved into a spirited and joyful competition alongside the local Zimbabwean team. Rods bent, reels sang and the camaraderie between our guests and guides made for a fitting New Year’s celebration. The friendly rivalry — particularly between the Zimbabwean crew and the enthusiastic American anglers — added energy and laughter to the final days of the year.

No fireworks required.
Just stars.
Distant lion calls.
The steady rhythm of water against the hull.

A Journey Defined by Connection

This festive safari was not defined solely by extraordinary sightings — though it delivered them in abundance.

It was defined by connection.

A leopard draped like a ribbon in a tree.
Elephants and rhinos sharing fragile harmony.
Lions reshaping territories in real time.
Wild dogs hunting as one.
Ancient rock art enduring across millennia.
A baobab measuring time in centuries.
Brothers strengthening their bond.
A family experiencing the wild together.

Southern Africa offered contrast, drama and depth — a seamless journey crafted with intention, precision and care.

For those seeking to mark life’s milestones not with noise, but with meaning, the African wilderness remains unparalleled.

And as one year gave way to the next beneath vast southern skies, it was clear: there is no better way to measure time than in shared wild moments.