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, but I had something even more exciting planned…
I told my guests that a cheetah had been spotted and I recommend that we go looking for it. Everyone agreed and off we went. Stopping for nothing and hoping that by the time we arrived that the cheetah would still be where it was last seen. We took a scenic road with the most beautiful views one could imagine, looking down into a valley like the Garden of Eden. We felt the excitement just like a Jurassic Park movie and even wondered about the possibility of spotting dinosaurs in this beautiful valley! We stopped and took some photographs, despite the risk of running late and the cheetah leaving the kill to disappear into the bush…
As we carried on making our way into the valley looking for the cheetah, I called on the radio to see if any other rangers had spotted the cheetah. We slowly approached the area where it was thought to be, but to my surprise, as we came around a bend, suddenly there was a breeding herd of elephants approaching the road. One of the females clearly didn’t like us being so close. She approached us, gave us a long hard look and waved her trunk at us, warning us to move. We first analyzed the situation before I set the vehicle in reverse and backed off, giving the elephants an extra 10 meters to cross the road safely. I was amazed by the intelligence of the female elephant and the way she ‘communicated’ with us, clearly indicating the intention of the herd wanting to cross the road, and willing us to make way and thus, ultimately staying out of danger.
After this incredible elephant sighting, we literally drove only 20 meters and there she was – a beautiful young female cheetah with her impala kill. She had not started feeding on the kill as yet and was alert but resting, still recovering from the hunt. After a while watching her closely, she started eating. As the sun started setting and day light was fading, we left the cheetah in peace and some distance later, stopped in the bush to toast the excitement of this great game drive with a super classy, delicious Gin and Tonic. Cheers!
