Sabi Sands: A Leopard Wonderland

A recent trip to the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve yielded enough leopard sightings to have me grinning from ear to ear. The Sabi Sands, which borders the Kruger National Park, is well-known for providing spectacular encounters with leopard, in my opinion, the most magnificent of the all the Big 5.

Our first encounter was a lone male resting in the shade. Far from the ferocious beast I was imagining, he was rather small in size and had the kind of face that made me want to make kissing sounds and say, "Here kitty, kitty". I was instructed to do no such thing.

Shortly thereafter we came across a mother leopard and her 2 cubs who were walking with determination through the bush. Curious as to where they were headed, we followed them across a dry river bed and through some pretty thick bush.

The bumpy ride was well worth it! Under a tree, well hidden, lay a small duiker that the mother must have killed earlier in the day. The cubs followed their mother to the feast and, as the sun set, we watched them nibble away at the carcass.

What struck me the most was the way the mother leopard methodically licked away tufts of fur from the duiker with her rough tongue so that her cubs could tuck right in, and of course the chilling sounds of snapping bones that served to remind us of the brute force that these animals possess.

That evening we returned to camp satisfied with our sightings - that is, until we heard what had happened while we were out.

An impala met with death at the hands ... erm...paws of a leopard right in front our chalet. The leopard then proceeded to drag the buck beneath our deck for safe-keeping. The rangers, with guest safety as their first priority, moved the carcass away from the camp.

The next morning, we headed out to see if the leopard had claimed its carcass. We were not disappointed when we found the leopard in question high up in a tree where it had hoisted the impala and was chomping away.

And, as a final gift from the Sabi Sands, on our last game drive, we spotted another female leopard stalking a herd of impala. It was amazing to see this magnificent animal in stealth mode. Unfortunately, the herd of impala caught sight of her and made a run for it, so we didn't get to see a kill.

On the whole, a successful 2 days in the Sabi Sands, I'd say.

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• 1. wow, a successful 2 days indeed! you were very very lucky so see so many leopards,I'vebeen hearingrumorsthat they are somewhat difficult to 'spot'... ;) I myself am partial to cheetahs as my favourite of the big cats, but leopards come in at a close second. magical, mystical animals...
  

  
  NicolaWade11

  December 28th, 2009 at 12:05pm

  

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• 2. Incredible pictures!
  

  
  emmagass

  December 28th, 2009 at 2:47pm

  

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• 3. The Sabi Sands are one of the best places in SA to see leopards, miss claudiskies you were exceptionally lucky to see so many. I agree with emma - stunning photos!
  

  
  kimberoo

  December 29th, 2009 at 1:06am

  

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• 4. Thanks all! It really was such an amazing experience and we were very lucky to have seen so many leopards.
  Think it's ruined me for other reserves though...it's going to be a tough one to follow in terms of astounding wildlife.
  

  
  claudiskies

  December 29th, 2009 at 11:47am

  

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• 5. Yes for leopard you can't beat Sabi Sand, they have taken on that niche in the Sabi Sand and focus quite heavily on leopard on game drives, great for photos. The combination of radios, knowledgeable guides and the always controversial off road driving, make it a great leopard spot!We had a guide recently return from the Sabi Sand with 7 leopard sightings, amazing! Luckily they also went to Kruger and got wild dog and black rhino amongst others.Kruger is brilliant for general game viewing. Greatphotos, well done.
  

  leonardvanderwalt

  January 9th, 2010 at 8:02am

  

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