MASTERS
Communication between animals of the same species in the wild is vital for their survival as they can convey important, and often life-saving information to one another. Elephants are…
CATS NIGHT VISION
A commonly asked question is: why do cats see so well at night? Cats have excellent night vision and they have far superior eyesight to humans and other animals.
THE MOTHER CHEETAH
Mother Cheetah has been hanging around the central part of the reserve with her four cubs the past few weeks. The cubs are around eight months old and are fully weaned…
A WHISKERED TALE
Once upon a time there was a woman and her husband who were unable to have children. One day, next to the road they found a young orphan boy who had no home. The woman…
THE CHEETAH
When visiting Africa many people dream of seeing the magnificent Big 5 and by all means, the Big 5 is an iconic piece of the African wilderness puzzle, but the graceful cheetah…
HIPPO VERSUS LION
This morning we went out in search of giraffe and cheetah. But when we heard via the bush telegraph that the Western lion pride was out and about, I couldn’t just pass by…
THE KLIPSPRINGER
The klipspringer is a unique, small antelope. The name klipspringer is Afrikaans, and literally translated it means ‘rock jumper’. As the name suggests, these little…
BUSHMAN POISON BULB
When meandering through the extensive road network or game paths on the Welgevonden Game Reserve you will find many beautiful and interesting plants, flowers and trees…
A RANGER’S GUIDE
When going on safari for the first time, one can be quite baffled as you stare into your empty bag, wondering what you need to pack to ensure you get the full enjoyment of a safari…
PRESENTS
Christmas does not go by uncelebrated, even here deep in the Waterberg. And it’s not only us humans celebrate the festive season…. For example, Christmas morning…
WHAT AN ENDING!
The last day of the year basically summarized what a super fantastic year we had here at Mhondoro. We had been spoiled with excellent wildlife sightings all year and it culminated into…
GAME DRIVE WITH KIDS
Every day another challenge. Two white rhinoceros sleeping in the road and you can’t get past; elephants that approach to investigate the game drive vehicle; or the most real-life…
BIRDS OF FEATHER
Birding is a very underrated topic as these little creatures with their bright colours and funny antics can really keep one well entertained on safari. Birds have gone through massive…
ELEPHANT SMOKING?
Ever seen an elephant smoking? Well me neither, until now! It’s incredible what one’s imagination can get up to when watching animals. Truth is, they were not really smoking…
GROWING UP IS TOUGH!
It’s often said that Africa is not for the weak. In the animal kingdom this gets proven time and again. I was fortunate enough to come across two leopard cubs, a brother and his sister…
THE MOON
I have seen the Moon countless times and have never wondered how it was formed, until today! Three theories have been on the table, debated all around the world…
HELLO HIPPO!
Let’s be honest, real-life hippos look quite ridiculous with their huge faces and swollen bellies supported by four stubby short legs. But let’s not judge the book by its cover!
WHAT A WAKE-UP!
Nothing can compare to the disturbance of an alarm clock that goes off at five o’clock in the morning. But if the alarm call is the sound of a male lion roaring close to the lodge…
KING OF THE JUNGLE
It is always a privilege to see the magnificence of lions as they bond as families, play and hunt together. Yet when they start to challenge the gigantism of the white rhinoceros…
KEEPING THE KIDS…
Being the king of the jungle, a male lion continuously has to defend both his territory and his pride from young lions…
WHAT WE LEFT BEHIND
We are busy with our hectic lives, running from one task to the next, small details often get lost along the way…
THE UNEXPECTED
Driving through the southern part of the Welgevonden reserve, we go in search of the spotted speedster, the cheetah…
BLOOD MOON
What a spectacle it was! Guests were treated to an amazing sighting on the 27th of July 2018, when the longest…
ZULU HUNTER
A Zulu tale tells the story of a hunter from a village deep in the hills of the Zulu Kingdom. He was not as good at hunting as the other hunters were…
MOTHER CHEETAH
Having spent several days down in the Southern section of the reserve, we have been lucky enough to keep tabs on a Mother Cheetah and her young cubs…
SOMETHING MAGICAL
There is something magical that draws humans to nature. Some simply enjoy taking time off their busy city lives to relax in the bush…
WHERE THE LIONS PLAY
Lions are truly spectacular to watch and observe, and their family bonds are extraordinary
and unlike any other seen in nature…
SAVE ITS YOUNG
After a long drive to the South of the park in an attempt, we managed to locate them crossing over the massive open plains. We noticed that they…
CAMOUFLAGE EXPERT
It is always nice to find the camouflage expert, locally know as the Flap Necked Chameleon. They are certainly one of our specialist reptiles…
MAGICAL SPOTS
Cheetahs are beautiful creatures. They have stunning ‘tear drop’ facial markings, lean and graceful bodies with long, flat rudder-like tails…
SIGNS OF THE BUSH
When on a bush walk no one knows what you may get to encounter or experience. Bush walks are about getting yourself in tune with nature…
HONEY BADGER
Amazingly, we had stumbled upon a Honey Badger – one of the toughest, meanest and most agile little creatures in the
African bush…
MYRIAM VOGELS BLOG
In 2008 we fell in love with Welgevonden Game Reserve and became the proud owners of Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa. We do not live in South Africa…
LIONS VS WARTHOGS
or the past two weeks there have been interesting sightings taking place in the Southern part of the reserve and it has been thrilling to take our Mhondoro guests there…
SIGHTINGS REPORT
The past two weeks have been rather exciting and active in the reserve, with a number of sightings of Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant & Lion…
SOUTHERN PRIDE LION
Midweek is sometimes quiet at the lodge but I had a chance this week to take two guests out on two morning drives before they departed the lodge. The guests had requested to see Lions…
ELEPHANT AND GIRAFFE
Last week we had some beautiful sightings of the elephants in the western part of the reserve called Andre’s Pan. We looked for them during the day time but they were nowhere to be seen…
LIONS SIGHTINGS REPORT
So in the last week or so there have been a number of exciting things happening in the reserve, with many special sightings of rarely spotted animals like the Honey Badger…
ELEPHANT AT THE OFFICE
Living in the bush, you have no choice but to adapt, quickly, and become accustomed to challenges that are very different from what you would find in the City!
LION AT THE WATERHOLE
Many animals come to drink at our waterhole hide, as well as the saline pools at Mhondoro’s main lodge and Mhondoro Villa. On more rare occasions, leopard, cheetah, rhino and lion also visit…
A CURIOUS ELEPHANT
It was the first afternoon game drive for a family with children, and it seemed that the children’s main interest was to find … elephants! We set out looking for the giants, heading all the way…
A SPECIAL COFFEE STOP
Early one cold winter’s morning during our group’s last game drive out in the bush, we were looking for giraffes, when we suddenly heard there might be some in the area of Eddie…
CHEETAH AND WARTHOG
Sometimes the African bush will leave you utterly speechless… Recently a scene unfolded in-front of our lodge which kept all staff and guests totally flabbergasted…
THE ELEPHANT…
The elephant who dented the car without touching it! It was the end of another beautiful day in the bush. The sun was going down, leaving behind bright…
THE GAME DRIVE
So, we went on the best game drive ever – one that we never thought could be possible. It goes without saying that the guests asked to see elephants…
AMAZING GAME DRIVE
This was one of the most successful game drives I had in a very long time. As usual, we started out early morning to travel to the northern part of the…
A MOTHER’S INSTINCT
I chose the title to be “A Mother’s Instinct” because the following blog is about looking at the mother’s role – both as the hunter and the hunted…
LION TRACK
On this particular afternoon the game drive set out with the plan agreed between our rangers to find the buffalo up north in the reserve. We were also hoping to spot the male lion…
MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY
Macro photography is the art of producing quality photographs of small items, in larger than life size. This extreme close-up photography usually focuses on flowers…
TUNNEL VISION
Experiencing the Mhondoro Waterhole Hide for the first time was really a big deal for me – and I needed to sit back and try take in all the feelings I felt. I would call it a ‘senses overload’…
PHOTOGRAPHIC TIPS
Guests often ask about the best equipment to bring along when planning a general Photographic Safari. I love photography and would like to share these tips with you!
A HERD OF ELEPHANTS
On the way, I heard on the radio that the elephants have been spotted again. I got a feeling of excitement but did not want to share the news with my guests just yet, as I was scared that they may be gone by the time we got there…
BREAKFAST
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a cheetah comes along and stalks a waterbuck while you are sitting down for breakfast. The cheetah then catches the unsuspecting buck, right in-front of the photographic hide…
ELEPHANTS AT MHONDORO
One of Mhondoro’s unique features are our elephant bulls that regularly move between the lodge and the guest suites. Over the years they have become accustomed to walking on the pathways and…
THE SCORPION
We left the lodge in high spirits hoping to see something amazing today. Sure enough, about 600m into our drive, in the middle of the road, we saw a lilac-breasted roller fighting a scorpion. The roller was trying its utmost to…
THE BEE-EATER
So not only do Mhondoro Safari Lodge & Villa rangers deal with the large wildlife of the African bush, but we also boast a large population of birds…
MHONDORO BREAKFAST
To start off with, the day started like every day but with one added point, the stress for finding animals. The reason, the guests…
THE LAST GAME DRIVE
Our last morning game drive was specifically difficult for my guests as we had a late night watching the tennis final on Super Sport. Even though…
A LUCKY SAFARI DRIVE
On a morning safari game drive we specifically went out to find a lion. Whilst searching an area close to the western airstrip we came across…
THE WATEHOLE HIDE
Mhondoro is known for many unique elements and quality experiences. But for close quarter game viewing none are so impressive than the underground game viewing hide!
THE LEOPARD
The story all started when I picked up the guests and asked how they were doing and what they would like to see. First reply I got was, “it is on my wish list to see a leopard”…
THE REAL UNICORN
The beast that’s built like a Tank moves at a speed that is truly unlikely and with the softest heart that could melt any body’s heart, the wonderful Square lipped Rhinoceros…
CHEETAH IN THE MIST
To be fair the morning started quit slow as we all where feeling the excitement wearing off from the amazing Boma dinner we had the night before, were we sat down and ate like kings…
ANIMAL POLITICS
On a recent morning drive, we found the new male lion confidently walking down the road eagerly stopping now and then to check out trees, crevices and new drinking spots…
A CLASSIC BITE
Our day started like any other morning. Wake-up at 06:00, coffee at 06:15, depart at 06:30. My guests and I were not sure if we would locate anything we haven’t seen yet…
THE HUNTING CHEETAH
We had been searching for the cheetah and her 2 cubs for a few days. I had wonderful guests that were very eager on spotting specifically her, for it is a favorite amongst everyone even myself…
SILENT HUNTER
On a morning safari game drive we specifically went out to find a lion. Whilst searching an area close to the western airstrip we came across a mother cheetah and two cubs…