Photography enthusiasts Ulli Mühlhoff and his wife Irmi recently visited Cheetah Plains as a leg of their safari itinierary. The couple had a Big Five-filled three days at the reserve, with some amazing sightings as featured below.
Known for its Big Five game viewing, the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in which Cheetah Plains Private Game reserve is located lies along the south-west corner of The Kruger National Park. There are no fences between the two reserves, meaning that the animals are able to move freely between the two areas and as a result, it offers some of the best wildlife viewing in Southern Africa. In particular, Sabi Sand is known for the leaps of leopards that traverse the area.
There are two rivers that cross Sabi Sand, namely the Sabi River and the Sand River. Thanks to these water sources, there is an abundance of wildlife species in the reserve, including lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, elephant, cheetah, hyena, buffalo and a host of different antelope.
To date 45 fish, 30 amphibian, 110 reptile, 500 bird and 145 mammal species have been noted in Sabi Sand! A number of rare species have also made the reserve their home, and guests are often treated to a glimpse of bats, honey badgers, ground hornbills and wild dogs.
Of his trip Ulli says, “The chalets are very comfortable and lovely. Together with the main building and the observation deck they offer the best way to enjoy the wilderness and nature. Laying on the pool and viewing the elephants coming around was amazing.”
“The highlights [of the safari] were definitely the game drives” says Ulli, “our guide Ephraim showed us all the animals in a perfect way. He always succeeded in finding the best positions to get these photos.”
“During our last game drive we got the Big Five in just two hours before breakfast!” This drive included perhaps the best sighting of the trip – a beautiful family of lions who were relaxing and grooming each other in the comfort of a thicket close to Buffelshoek Dam. The lions were the Nkuhuma pride, the resident pride in the north. They have eight adorable new cubs.
