March 2025
The European Roller, Coracias Garrulus, is a non-breeding summer migrant that arrives in SA around October and leaves for Eurasia towards the end of March.
It is not as colourful as the Lilac-breasted Roller.
Previously there was competition between the two species and my experience over the last 45 years was that the European Roller did displace the Lilac-breasted Roller. Of late, I haven’t noticed this trend and believe it is because of reduced numbers of the migratory species. I am not sure why the numbers of European Rollers appear to have declined. It is believed that habitat loss both in SA and in Eastern Europe have contributed to the decline.
It is a sad reality that, as our world’s human population increases, so the natural habitats of many animal species decreases with the consequent unfortunate drop in numbers.
I am pleased to know that, in protected areas such as Kruger Park and our own private reserve, Balule Nature Reserve, the animals seem to be thriving as evidenced by the brilliant photos taken by the Viva Safaris rangers.
GAME VIEWING REPORTS FROM OUR GUIDES
BNR = Balule Nature Reserve
KNP = Kruger National Park
LUKE, Head Ranger, sent the following:
Monthly Report for March
The month of March has been incredible in Balule Nature Reserve, where my guests and I have had some thrilling encounters.
The days are cooler, and the sun is starting to rise and set earlier as we slowly get closer to our cooler winter months.
My favourite activity is the bushwalk in the morning, which allows you to take in the smells, tastes, and sounds of nature. It also gives one the opportunity to find animals while the day is still young. Lions have been particularly good this month. We have encountered them so many times just lying next to Olifants Road on route to our walking spot. 
Lion Campfire Dam, Sundowner Drive BNR
The leopard sightings have also been really good this month, my favourite being one we saw on the Barnard property, stretched out on the branch of a marula tree during a sunset drive.
We have also had our buffalo herd moving through specifically on Rome 1, which keeps the lions excited.
One particular Sunset Drive this month has made its way onto the list of some of my best. 
Elephant herd Rome 1 river front, Sundowner Drive. BNR
We headed off from Tremisana Lodge, my guests a mixture of people from around the world, still excited to see impalas.
They got a whole lot more this particular evening. It started off with a small herd of elephant bulls at the Tremisana water hole, a great start.
We then made our way to Olifants along which we had a tough view of a lion, but we would return later to check again hoping for a better view.
So we made our way to Barnards, the water holes there are always a good spot to find animals. From the cutline we spotted an impala carcass hanging from a branch. This was a leopard kill.
So we we circled round the area, checking in all the trees, until boom there he was lying full length with his tail and legs dangling down from a branch. Awesome sighting. 
Leopard in Marula tree, on Barnards, Sunset Drive BNR
We then headed back towards where the lions were, and yes, they had moved onto Olifants Road. We had the pride walking right next to the open vehicle, another incredible experience.
Lions on Olifants Road, on route to Marula Boma
On route to Marula Boma just past the entrance to Rome 1, a white rhino appeared out of thin air and walked right past us. 
Marula Boma
All we were missing was the buffalo to compete our big five in one night, but nature had decided four out of five was enough for one night.
MARC, Assistant GM:
The big cats have been very active in March with multiple sightings of lion and leopard. One of my many highlights of the month came one evening when we stumbled upon a pride of 18 lions lying in the road. They later all got up and decided to slowly walk ahead of us. We then spent over an hour following them into the dark of night.
Close-up of lion on Tremisana property during night drive BNR
Display of flehmen in which, with mouth open and lip curled to facilitate exposure of the vomeronasal organ to a scent or pheromone
The Leopard sightings have been a bit more regular this month especially on the Barnards and Rome 1 properties. We have also had some great close up sightings of Rhinos which has been a real treat for our guests and guides alike.
Close up of Square-lipped Rhino, BNR
Our early morning Game drive is offered to our Tremisana guests on their last morning with us just before they depart for Johannesburg. The Kruger Park is a far cry from a zoo and occasionally we cannot find our guests everything even though we always strive to do so.
One particular morning, my morning drive guests told me they have had awesome sightings of Lion, Elephant and Buffalo however they had yet to see the two rarest of our Big 5, the Rhino and Leopard respectively.
The duration of the morning drive is about 2 hours long so this particular morning I found myself under a little bit of pressure to try complete the big 5 for my guests and go out to try find these two elusive big 5 animals.
I had seen some White Rhinos the previous evening during a Sundowner drive, and thus decided to go straight to where I had seen them the previous day. With my fingers crossed I took off in the hope of finding some tracks to follow and possibly relocate them once more.
After trying for 45mins I eventually lost their trail and unfortunately couldn’t find them. We did however see two separate sightings of Honey Badgers which is an extremely rare and unusual occurrence.
Feeling defeated by not finding the Rhinos and with only 30 odd minutes left of the morning drive I decided to quickly pop into Barnards on the way back to camp for one last opportunity.
As I turned down the next road, we hit the jackpot! There lying in the middle of the road ahead of us was not a Rhino but rather a big beautiful Male Leopard. Leopards are extremely secretive, so they are very difficult to find. We were definitely at the right place at the right time, and moments like these make it all worth it. The Leopard slowly began to move off and we followed him for a bit before he disappeared into a thicket. My guests were ecstatic and I felt somewhat relieved that I at least got to find them a Leopard.
A few minutes after leaving the leopard sighting, I made a last minute turn at a dam before we needed to head back to Tremisana for breakfast. And again, just like that, there they were, to our delight our guests finally got to see their first Rhinos of their trip. The Rhinos were very relaxed busy drinking some water as we watched on in amazement for a few minutes.
My guests had spent 4 days on Safari seeing almost everything else except Rhinos and Leopards and in their final 15 minutes of their final game drive they finally got to see both of them in a matter of minutes of each other. We were left completely satisfied and overwhelmed of what had just happened. Moments like these is what keeps us guides ticking out here in the African Bush and leaves us with a sense of excitement and longing for more. There is a little saying out here called the Magic of Kruger, and what we experienced in those short 5 minutes seeing both Leopard and Rhino was exactly that, just magical.
Until next month, take care.
Marc
CHARL has renewed his Kruger Park qualification and has done a few drives on Balule Nature Reserve this month:
Newborn Nyala lamb at Marc’s Camp
4 rhino seen on Sundowner Drive
Elephant cow and her calf seen on Balule
Lioness doing a flehmen response after smelling urine
ROCKY:
Four White Rhino during Sunset Drive
A Black Rhino cow and calf were spotted during afternoon drive
The gentle giant Ezulwini was spotted on our Sundowner Drive
Breeding herd of Buffalo along H7 KNP
ANDY:
One of the few remaining big tuskers of the Kruger National Park, spotted on the H7 KNP
A pack of African Wild Dogs spotted in the Kruger Park, on the H 7 near Orpen Camp
White Rhino spotted in BNR
Lioness and young cubs near Satara, KNP
RAYMOND:
One metre from me at Campfire BNR
White Rhino BNR
Kumane Dam KNP
Big White Rhino bull BNR
QUINTON:
Wildebeest seen on bushwalk at Marc’s Camp
African Wild Dog seen close to Masango Camp
Blyde River Canyon view at Three Rondavels
Guests at Three Rondavels Panorama View
SMILEY:
17 March: We saw White Rhino on BNR
19 March: we saw Wild Dogs on H7 in Kruger Park.
On the same day in Kruger Park we also saw zebra, KNP
21 March: we saw a herd of Buffalo on S100 KNP
VICTOR has sent a whole lot of excellent photos this month. He thanks Jana B from Germany for agreeing to share some of hers:
At Picnic Spot, KNP
Wildebeest watching two Kudu bulls near Orpen, KNP
Waterbuck cow near Satara, KNP
Giraffe near Sweni, KNP
Zebra near Nwanedzi, KNP
Male lion road H6 near Satara Camp KNP
Leopard Rome 4 BNR
NEWS FROM OUR LODGES
There has been very little rain this month. The bush is looking very dry for March. I anticipate more elephant break-ins at Tremisana this year.
A beautiful morning at Olifants Road.., a complete pride of lions very relaxed
All the dams in the area are just about empty. Only Tremisana Dam, fed by a solar-powered borehole, has enough water for a hippo to submerge. However, there is visible seepage at the dam wall. We have decided to introduce a chemical agent that will stop the leaking at Tremisana Dam. We thank our great friend, Wynand Britz, of Rome 1, who introduced us to a bio-friendly chemical, called Damit, that will help in sealing the dam and stopping seepage. Wynand assured me it would have no detrimental effect on any aquatic or other animal life.
We had a challenge insofar as the machine Wynand lent us to scatter the chemical could not be used from the dam wall only. The chemical needs to be applied evenly across the dam. This necessitated two things : hiring a boat and making sure the resident hippo was away at the time. The hippo will have no hesitation in attacking and overturning the boat.
Viva Safaris is very fortunate in having management of the calibre of Charl, Luke and Marc.
The daily boat hire was expensive and, given that the hippo might not vacate the dam for weeks, this option became a non-starter. Enter Charl. We had a cracked 10 000 litre Zozo water tank at Marcs. He cut it in two and presto, we had a make-shift boat. Luke and Marc kept tabs on our hippo and one morning when he was gone, the team sprang into action.
Charl and Elvis rowing out to seal dam
Wynand Britz conducts the operation with consummate ease. One would think this is his full-time job
Luke advises that the seepage has stopped and that hippo and crocodile look healthy.
Hippo at Tremisana Dam
NYARAI, Office Manager at Tremisana, sent the following:
The end of the month of March marks the end of summer and ushers in the beginning of Autumn. The beauty and transformation that comes with Autumn is beyond words. Vincent Van Gogh in an effort to describe said “As long as Autumn lasts, I shall have not have hands, canvas, and colors enough to paint the beautiful things I see”. I know it’s going to be a beautiful Autumn.
Beautiful Tremisana gardens
We had a wonderful visit from a pride of lions during dinner at the lodge. They came to drink water at the watering hole in front of the Lapa. We were all happy to see them. Thank you to Jana for the photographs. I really appreciate the kind gesture. Other animal sightings included a herd of elephants and warthogs.
The number of guests steadily increased towards the end of the month. I was going through the bookings and April is going to be out busiest month so far. We are excited and ready to welcome all our new guests as well as our repeat guests. We always become like family once a guest visits us.
We have started repainting at the lodge. Every structure has a new breath of life. Much appreciation to our maintenance guys. 
Newly painted gazebo
Our 2024 pictures of the year are now on display at the Lapa. Another stunning addition to our collection.
CHARL, Manager of Viva’s Southern Camps sent the following:
With winter approaching fast, we have already started to notice a change in the bush with the grasses starting to turn a slight yellow tinge. Luckily the temperatures are still very comfortable – great for safaris.
At Dumela our carpenter, Given has been hard at work making some amazing new desks for our new photographer program, they will be used in the lecture hall for training purposes for the course.
Project room ready with new desks and chairs for the photography course.
The new resident Nyala bull seems to have taken to the property well and we can often find him hanging around the compound or in and around the tents by the pool.
Nyala bull seen browsing at Dumela
We have started this week to assist the animals by feeding them citrus fruits that have fallen of the tree prematurely that the local farmer can’t sell, giving them an extra boost before winter comes. As for Marc’s Treehouse Camp we are currently working through the rooms one by one doing maintenance that we can’t do in the busy season varnishing the floors in the rooms painting the decks with special treatment to keep the termites at bay this has quite the strong odor so its best to give the room a few days to air out before we can make use of it again.
Maintenance taking place at Treehouse 3
We have been quite lucky this month by having the pack of Wild Dogs around they have been quite elusive with a few sightings but mostly we have been finding their tracks, we can also see that they are moving through the area as our Nyala’s are not seen as frequently as normal moving away to thicker bush.
Our new Chef Walter has definitely become a guest favourite with countless offers to take him home with clients on departure.
At Katekani the nights have been full of some cool sightings of both the thick tail bush babies as well as porcupine and hyena passing by last week while doing my rounds to deliver groceries to the camp I was very fortunate to come across a huge black mamba passing from our property through the fence to the next door property of Kapama – if I were to estimate, the snake would be about 3m long. Luckily snakes prefer to stay clear of humans so as soon as the snake felt the vibrations of the vehicle approaching they will give way.
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
March 2025 saw an increase in tourist numbers compared to January and February.
Numbers are still below last year’s figures. I believe that the worldwide political and consequent economic uncertainty is playing a major part in this.
Our Wildlife Photographic course is due to start in May. To date, we have not had a single enquiry. So, if you know anyone who may be interested in a 20-day wildlife photography course, please send them our way. Please see our brochure here
Thanks to Marco who has upgraded the Meet our Staff page on our website, www.vivasafaris.com.
Staff changes have been made. We welcome Walter, our new chef at Marcs. He is Tremisana chef Mama B’s son.
Chef Walter
Congratulations to Sylvester, our fulltime electrician, on the birth of his son, Sumkelo.
Nomsa has returned to Viva and we are pleased to have her back.
Marco has selected the good reviews published this month :
Une expérience unique
Jérôme B
Absolument incroyable ! Une organisation au top, un personnel au petit soin, des expériences uniques, des lodges fantastiques, une cuisine locale et fraîche, que dire du barbecue dans le bush ! Waouh ! Je reviendrai avec mes enfants, et je vous remercie pour ce séjour inoubliable ! Et je précise que les Big Five, ça c’est fait, et grâce à vous !!
Viva Safaris
Helen H, Ireland
Travelled from Ireland and booked Viva Safaris independently few months back. Very professional and excellent customer service from the onset …. Replied and answered plenty of questions prior to arrival.
Arranged domestic flights from Capetown and met at local airport. Our experience was absolutely wonderful from start to finish, each staff member was fantastic from rangers to guides / reception / serving staff and cook.
Be prepared the itenary is busy but so worth it – if in doubt just book it !!!!
Very suitable for any budget and the Balule reserve is amazing.
Peio Sagastigordia, Spain
With Viva Safaris you can have all the experiences that exist on a safari, or almost all of them. We went in August, and on the first day we had almost seen the Big 5.
The treatment of the people is spectacular, both the guides and the staff at the camps.
It is true that we missed a little more time with the animals, or walking a little more on the bushwalk, but I imagine that the rules have something to do with these decisions.
I am very happy to have chosen them as my first experience in Africa. I am looking forward to returning, and I do not rule out doing it with them.
Thanks to the entire Viva Safari team, from Bilbao.
Esti and Peio
Better than expected!
Swen, Germany
It was an amazing experience. Better than we expected. The hosts took care of us and we had a great time there.
The three days were very intensive, with lots of travel time. However, in the short time you are there they try to pack as much in as possible for your benefit with morning and late night safaris.
The rangers are all very knowledgeable and do their absolute best to find the animals that roam free. They cooperate with locals and other rangers to find animals that like to hide away. Food and bathroom breaks are well-spaced, and they can accommodate for dietary needs.
All staff is friendly and accommodating.
Die Tierwelt war der absolute Hammer 😍
Anonymous, Germany
Ich hatte so ein Glück und schon innerhalb der ersten 15 Stunden die Big Five gesehen, der Tag im Kruger Nationalpark war Klasse und die Guides haben ihre Augen einfach überall, so dass sie selbst in den verstecktesten Ecken die Tiere finden. Ich muss „leider“ nochmal die Reise machen, weil ich keine Löwen bei jagen und fressen gesehen habe 😉 Sehr zu empfehlen!!!!
It was a great experience!
Jesse, Netherlands
Very friendly guides and great organisation.
Perfect if you have limited time and want to experience Kruger and surroundings.
Big thanks to our amazing guides, Quinten, Vic, Andy & Ray.
The bus service is comfortable with nice views and good stops, thanks Soli 1, Soli 2 & George!
Viva Safaris
Hirotaka, Japan
貴重な体験がいろいろできて盛りだくさんの内容でよかったです テントについては私たちはかなりレアな体験でしたが 慣れていない方は大変な部分もあるかと思います！ いずれにしても通常のテント生活を楽しめる方なら良いと思います
Amazing 3-Day Safari
kurtweider, Germany
This was my first Safari experience and due to limited time I decided for the 3 day Safari and I couldn’t be more grateful to the team of Viva! With limited time and perfect organisation they made the most out of the 3 days trip; even though I’d recommend to add another day if you have the time!
Special thanks goes to Luke and Victor for the game drive in the reserve, making it possible to spot 4/5 of the big five during a beautiful sunset.
Also huge thanks to Andy for the full day Kruger tour. Your service and knowledge were really outstanding!
Also thanks to all the other rangers, guides and staff at the campsite and lodges.
Until next month,
With kind regards,
Piero
General Manager
Viva Safaris
