WILDLIFE


Bens Marimane Opposite:


Giraffes in the mist Below:


Cape Buffalo herd


Kruger to drink at the remaining pools. It’s a buffet for the lions.” My first sighting is a fleeting glance of a gaggle of tiny cubs — no more than a month old, according to Bens — and their mother, half-hidden by the foliage surrounding their river den. And then, as we explore the far side of the river, driving through an otherworldly forest, blackened and bare from the seasonal drought, Bens spots something in the under- growth. He takes the jeep into the brush, then kills the engine. Ahead is a lion tearing at the carcass of a nyala antelope. We’re so close I can hear his laboured breathing, the crunch of bone and rip of flesh. There are clotting wounds across his nose and above his eye from recent fights for dominance. He holds the kudu’s head in one massive paw and chews at its ear in a grotesque embrace. We hardly notice darkness fall; our cooler of sundowner drinks forgotten on the back seat. It’s thrilling to be so close to a preda- tor, to witness his power. And it’s a visceral reminder of the bloody mechanics of the natural world. Eventually, Bens flicks on the headlights; it’s time to leave. “A game drive is so exciting,” Bens reflects, “because you never know what you’re going to see. Every day it’s something new.”n Amelia Duggan


malamala.com SOUTHAFRICA .NET 37


Guide tip


Danie Van Zyl Northern Cape


For me, the GREEN KALAHARI is about the little things. The beautifully


coloured Augrabies flat lizard, the


scorpions, the tiny ants. If you get on your hands and knees, you’ll see the magic of the desert up close.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52