May 2025
From time to time, Viva Safaris encounter guests that show little or no interest in seeing the Big Five. This is refreshing and the guests invariably turn out to be birders. All birders are advised to book the 7 day Kruger/KwaZulu Natal safari package. They will see many birds in Kruger Park, which boasts over 500 different species. Some very special species occur in the Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Game Reserve. For twitchers (the name given to birdwatchers whose main aim is to get sightings of rare birds) the opportunity to find a lifer (first time ever sighting of a bird), the Ismangaliso Wetland Park and the St Lucia Estuary and seaboard provide unparalleled opportunities to add new species to their lists.
Some 3 years ago a couple from the UK enquired whether Viva could show them piscivorous raptors. The words “piscivorous” and “raptor” originate from Latin and mean “fish-eating” (piscis = fish) and “take by force” (rapio = I seize). Of course, any intelligent safari operator will tell guests that we cannot guarantee sightings of difficult-to-find animals. Despite being so advised, the couple booked a 7 day safari to Kruger and KwaZulu Natal.
In South Africa we have three piscivorous raptors: African Fish Eagle, Osprey and Pel’s Fishing Owl in order of increasing difficulty to find.
What luck they had! On the second day of their safari, on our Bush Walk along the Olifants River in the Balule Nature Reserve, Raymond showed them a pair of Pel’s Fishing Owls.
The next day Smiley got them 3 different sightings of African Fish Eagles in Kruger Park. The following day they left for KwaZulu Natal where guess who had been appointed tourist guide : yours, now nervously, truly.
We had a great day in Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Game Reserve where I managed to show them 25 different white rhinos, all fully horned at that time.
Fully horned White Rhino in Hluhluwe about 3 years ago.
The next day was ‘crunch’ day. In the Ismangaliso Wetland Park, I was quite thrilled to find Southern Reedbuck and Tsessebe, both species that the guests had not yet seen, but the couple was unexcited and barely took a photo. They were after the Osprey.
The Osprey is historically known as “fish hawk” and is still called that in Afrikaans : ‘visvalk’.
It is found in all the world’s continents besides Antarctica. The Osprey’s diet consists almost exclusively of fish. A remarkable unique physical characteristic is that its four toes are equally long, its tarsi are reticulate and its talons are rounded rather than grooved. What is very special is that, like owls, the outer toes are reversible. This makes it a master fisherbird as the toes facilitate capture of slippery fish.
Unlike the African Fish Eagle that generally catches fish close to the surface, the Osprey can dive into the water, as kingfishers do, making it a formidable predator. This probably explains why it is so common worldwide and is classified as least endangered.
Anyway, back to my Osprey-seeking UK couple. On the boat trip on the St Lucia estuary we saw some great birds including a lifer for them in the form of a Squacco Heron, but no Osprey.
After lunch in St Lucia village, I took them to the beach. Within 20 minutes, we found an Osprey. Remarkably, it was being chased by a Yellow-billed Kite, which is physically smaller. The Osprey landed on a Casuarina Tree not more than 60 metres from us. The guests were so grateful. I still receive annual birthday and Christmas wishes from them.
I am unsure whether our rangers receive such cards. Judging by their game-viewing reports and photos, they may well do so.
GAME VIEWING REPORTS FROM OUR GUIDES
BNR = Balule Nature Reserve
KNP = Kruger National Park
LUKE, Head Ranger, sent the following:
Monthly Report for May 2025
The early morning chill is in the air, winter has arrived in the lowveld. Nothing too extreme, but the early mornings are pretty cold.
The waterholes are starting to drop in level as well as the Olifants River, making finding animals a little easier than during the summer months, as animals don’t have as many choices for drinking water.
The resident lion pride has been busy of late moving around within the reserve. We have enjoyed great sightings of them in Balule mainly on Sable Road, Barnards property, Olifants main road and they also visited Tremisana Lodge. 
Lions on Olifants Road during Sunset Drive, BNR
A very special lion sighting took place on a recent bushwalk. We had been viewing hippos in the Olifants River when we heard a very loud roar. We headed up the bank and walked a hundred metres or so, scanned the area and boom there he was, the king of the jungle. We viewed him from above as he walked along next to the Olifants River. Amazing experience.
The leopard activity at the start of the month was incredible with several great up-close sightings, mainly of one particularly relaxed male.
My best leopard sighting took place on the Barnards property on an Afternoon/Sundowner Drive. The leopard had found the perfect branch in a marula tree, we watched him scanning the area for a while, and then he elegantly climbed down and off he went. 
Leopard in Marula tree on Barnards property, BNR
The buffalo herd made its way through our area a couple of times even visiting us at Tremisana Dam.
The resident hippo was not too impressed with the arrival of all the buffalo and began to show them his massive teeth. 
Hippo and Buffalo interaction at Tremisana Dam, BNR
Elephants have been a feature on all our activities, with a few great sightings on foot during the bushwalks. The Olifants River being a popular spot for elephant herds to drink and splash.
Elephant Calf drinking at Rome 4 waterhole during Sundowner drive . BNR
Another exciting month in the bushveld, with so many wonderful memories.
MARC sent the following:
The weather during May is just magical in the lowveld of South Africa.
Whilst the rest of the country start to experience severe cold fronts and lows of easy sub 10 degrees Celsius we still experience some upper 20 to 30 degree Celsius days and mild 15 to 20 degree Celsius evenings and early mornings. The morning and sunset drives do get quite chilly due to the wind factor but otherwise it’s a pleasant change to the heat and humidity that we normally experience in the Summer months.
The game viewing has once again been phenomenal this month.
We have been seeing Leopards daily and almost on every game drive. I’ve personally seen 2 different leopard sightings on each of 5 different game drives this month.
Leopard at Tremisana
There are two male leopards who frequent the Barnards property. There is a young female who has been seen on Rome 3/4 in the early evenings and another female with her cub on Sable road. Prior to the 10th of May there was another young female seen often between Campfire and Sable road.
On the 10th May, I did the morning drive and we saw 2 different Leopards in a space of 20min. The first was our big resident male who was crossing Olifants Main road into Barnards. The second leopard was a young female who was seen on Sable road who seemed to be very distracted and digging a hole or trying to hide something.
Later that day I did an afternoon drive with different guests and wanted to try attempt to relocate these leopards. When I came to the area that I had last seen this particular female on Sable road, there she was, still near to where we saw her in the morning. This time she was lying close to a Red Bushwillow Tree but not under it.
Whilst we were watching her something seemed extremely odd. Firstly it was over 30 degrees and she was not lying in the shade of the Bushwillow. Secondly she had not moved whatsoever nor taken any interest in our vehicle since we had arrived. On closer examination and with my binoculars I noticed that her head was face down in the dirt and she actually didn’t seem to be breathing as their was no rise or fall in her torso/abdomen. I was very concerned so I reported this to our wildlife security immediately and it was later established that she had died. After a thorough examination it was presumed that she was most probably bitten by one of our very venomous snakes in the area most likely a wet bite from a Black Mamba.
Sometimes these Leopards find snakes and start playing with them and the snakes in an attempt to defend themselves bite back. Maybe this is what she was preoccupied in the morning with and only later did the venom kick in which ultimately led to her unfortunate death.
This was a truly sad day and extremely emotional sighting for me and some guests who had been so excited in finding her but then realized she was no longer alive and with us.
On a happier note, the Rhino sightings have been better this month and they are doing well post their dehorning process which happened in April. They are busier and moving around more which makes it easier for us to track and locate them.
White Rhino and Viva vehicles on Sunset Drive BNR
Elephants are all over the place as per usual and the big herd of 200 strong Buffalo are still around and are seen often. One of our guides, Andy, actually saw one of the Leopards attempt to hunt a young Buffalo calf but to no avail. The video was posted onto our social media if you’d like to go watch.
Elephant on Olifants Main, BNR
Elephants paying us a visit during our dinner at Marula Boma, BNR
As my wife will attest to, I am a very heavy sleeper. Often she has been up alone all night soothing our crying baby whilst I haven’t even flinched from my deep sleep. However on one particular morning I was woken up at 2am by extreme loud roaring which seemed to be bellowing right outside my window.
I jumped up and still only in my sleeping shorts quickly went outside to investigate. I found the whole pride of about 15 Lions walking right in front of my house making their way in front of the Tremisana main dining area and roaring away into the night.
I took a video which like Andy’s Leopard hunt on the Buffalo calf can be viewed on our social media platforms, either on Instagram or Facebook under @vivasafaris
For the latest sightings from Viva Safaris and daily updates that our guides and guests may have shared please like, follow and tag our pages on these social media platforms @vivasafaris
Until next month
Marc
CHARL sent the following:
Lion dragging a buffalo carcass in Kruger.
Big tusked elephant bull, BNR
African Wild Cat on BNR.
Buffalo crossing a river in Kruger.
RAYMOND sent the following:
Sable and Olifant junction BNR
Wild Dogs near Orpen, KNP
Lioness near Tremisana, BNR
QUINTON sent the following:
Unexpected visitor, safely captured and released Rock Monitor at Masango Camp
Kudu bull seen at Marc’s Camp
Warthogs grazing at Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre
Pea spider shedding old skin seen at Marc’s Camp boma
ANDY sent the following:
This pride of lions was spotted at Campfire property during the Sunset Drive, BNR
Tracker Elvis and lions on BNR
Viva vehicle near elephants KNP
Our resident hippo spotted at Tremisana waterhole chasing after buffaloes, BNR
This leopard was spotted on the Olifants Main before turnoff to Marula Boma, during Sunset Drive, BNR
ROCKY sent the following:
Pride of lions KNP
Lioness crossing the road H7 KNP
Hyena cubs out of the den close to H7 KNP
Big tusker elephant h1-4 north of Satara KNP
VICTOR sent the following:
Male white lion Casper near Satara KNP
Wild Dogs on H6 near Satara Camp KNP
Leopard Road on H7 near Orpen Gate KNP
Lion and lioness on BNR
SMILEY sent the following:
On the 17 May, I went on the Sundowner Drive with my clients. We first started our drive at Tremisana property, that’s where we saw a herd of buffalo on the southern side of the dam.
Same day we drove to Campfire where we found the Elephant and the on Olifant road we saw one young male lion crossing the road. That was lucky.
We later found a leopard on BNR. That was an amazing drive. WOW.
PIERO:
I spent 10 days at the lodges this May.
Overall, I was very happy. The lodges are looking very good : gardens in great shape, vehicles all working well, rooms clean and attractive and staff generally contented.
Sandra and Marc at Guest House 
Andy and new tracker Dumisani
Game viewing was excellent. Now that Viva Safaris is the only operator on one of the properties we traverse, the leopard sightings there are unbelievably good. Gone are the days when unethical guides would chase and traumatize these beautiful animals. My strict instruction to all guides is to leave the animal in peace. I do not permit driving up to a tree in which a leopard is resting.
Leopard seen on Barnards BNR
Elephants have been seen everywhere.
Elephant at Tremisana, BNR
A large herd of over 200 buffalo has been seen regularly.
Buffalo drinking at dusk, BNR
An irreverent Black Rhino cow pulled a tongue at me: 
Black Rhino testing the air, BNR
Got a great pic of lion near our newly-canvassed Viva Safaris vehicle in Kruger Park:
I particularly enjoy the sunsets at this time of the year:
Sunset over BNR
NEWS FROM OUR LODGES
TREMISANA
I discovered a mandarin-lemon hybrid that the Tremisana monkeys do not find palatable.
Citrus tree at Tremisana
I arranged for all fruits to be picked and, with advice from Delina, honey and rooibos tea were added to the juice. Our guests were thrilled with the resultant citrus drink.
My thanks to Dr Org Prinsloo, owner of Rome 3 and 4 properties where we are fortunate to have traversing rights. On a recent bush walk there, Luke found a lovely pair of kudu horns. He asked Org whether we could have these and we are grateful for the lovely addition to our dinner boma entrance.
Thanks to Dr Org Prinsloo for magnificent Kudu horns
NYARAI sent the following :
Tremisana Report May 2025
It’s getting colder each day in the Balule Plains. Especially in the mornings and evenings. Thankfully, the sun always makes a welcome appearance in the afternoons. One can easily forget it’s winter. My favorite sightings for May in Balule were a male and female lion on Sable Road and a lioness at Tremisana Lodge.
This month was a very busy month for me. With my assistant, Ed, being on long leave, it was a really long month. Reminded me of the old days when I was alone in the office. Hectic but still a beautiful career journey.
We had our general manager Piero at the lodges this May. He was gifted a VS beautiful wooden sign by Tim, the photographer. We went outside the office to take a picture, and Piero jokingly said that it means very senile or very stupid. I advised him it obviously means Viva Safaris. What a hilarious moment.
One thing I love about working in the tourism industry is making friends from different walks of life. I appreciate the first conversations before making a booking to meeting a guest face to face. In most cases, it feels like old friends meeting up again. Special greetings to all the kind guests I met this month. To Nikhil from India ,thank you for the delicious masala chai tea. It is definitely now one of my favorite teas.
Until June, keep warm and take care.
SOUTHERN CAMPS
CHARL sent the following :
Marcs Camp
Winter has most definitely begun with a few very cold nights; the hot water bottles definitely help to keep warm at night with the extra thick blanket on the bed. The sightings around camp have died down a little with our resident nyalas not being seen as frequently but what has definitely picked up is our sightings of the blue wildebeests in the camp. We have also been fortunate enough to have a pack of 9 wild dogs come onto the property. I even managed to find them running on the road directly into the treehouse camp.
There is something special about dinner time at Marcs Camp. I added red lights to keep the bugs away so that our clients don’t have to eat them with their dinner. The general manager came for dinner. Without a trace of a smile on his face, he asked whether I had opened a brothel. Nothing beats sitting for dinner having the fire going and listening to the hyenas whooping and calling definitely makes for a true African experience. Speaking of the boma our Chef Walter has been hard at work cooking up a storm: one of my favourites this month was a lovely Creme Brulee.
We have begun to make an attempt to plant grass around the pool. Let’s hope the Nyalas don’t eat it up before it begins to take. 
Katekani pool side seems the place to be. A few years ago we managed to get footage of a leopard drinking out of one of our plunge pools. This month, we had a client tell us about her unexpected visitor who once again joined the club of animals drinking from the pool. The client woke to the calling of a hyena that sounded very close. At first they thought they were dreaming. Not long after, the hyena called again. The client thought it best to have a peek through the curtain. They were pleasantly surprised to see a hyena drinking from the plunge pool. What an amazing experience and something the client will always cherish and remember the time they awoke to a hyena drinking from their splash pool.
NEWS FOR OUR TRAVEL PARTNERS
We have had a good May.
Professional photographer, Tim Feherty and partner Julie were invited to spend some time at our lodges. Tim is working on our Professional Wildlife Photography course. We have decided to reduce the package to 14 days. Please see new program here :
Our 2026 tariffs will be available in late June.
Marco, our Webmaster, has selected the following reviews posted in May 2025:
“VIVA SAFARIS IS AMAZING!” from TripAdvisor
Zoe C, Australia
Such an incredible experience at an extremely reasonable price point. I went with my Dad and from the moment we showed up we were taken care of.
Everyday was exceptionally organised and told to us the night before. The rooms are quite large and the beds are very comfy. The surrounds of the lodge are beautiful, well kept gardens and pathways and a lovely clean pool. It was a very personal touch at Tremisana, all the staff got to know us over the week and each night the guides join you for dinner which both me and my Dad loved.
You get lots of different guides and they are all so passionate and knowledgeable of the park. Be mindful it gets cold in an open top vehicle, bring layers particularly on the morning drives. We had Smiley quite a lot and he worked so hard for us to see the big 5. As we were leaving we had only seen 4 (lion, leopard, elephant and rhino) but on the drive back to Johannesburg we finally saw the buffalo! Completing the big 5.
We were fed very well and the kitchen staff are just as kind as the rest of tremisana. The bush BBQ was a very cool experience, hyenas even came to say hello. But the best experience was definitely the bush walk, to get out of the car and walk amongst the bush is such a special, unique experience. You feel vulnerable without the car but we felt safe the whole time with the expertise of Luke.
I could not recommend viva safaris more it was the most amazing holiday yet!
“Incredible experience at Tremisana Game Lodge!” from TripAdvisor
Beatrice R, Saudi Arabia
We arrived by shuttle bus from OR Tambo airport. We arrived and pretty much went on a sunset game drive immediately. Followed by dinner in the bush. A cheeky hyena watched us from just outside the light of the campfire.
The next morning was an early extended game drive for us as my son was too young to go on a Bushwalk. We had lunch at the lodge and an afternoon game drive, before transferring to Marc’s Treehouse.
Tremisana – the guides were wonderful with my son, patiently answering every question and observation. Guides Luke and Marc were very knowledgeable and shared fascinating tidbits of local lore, folk stories and facts about the animals we saw. We saw buffalo, lion, rhino, elephant, kudu, waterbuck, zebra, steenbok, wildebeest, giraffe, hippo, warthogs, crocodiles and impala. I loved that the guides would stop and allow us to watch the behavior of the animals, this allowed us to watch a group of 4 lionesses get up from their nap and walk across the road right in front of us! We also spent some time watching elephant wallowing and playing in a dam.
The lodge has a watering hole just outside the fence at the restaurant and we saw elephants, warthogs and guinea fowl up close and personal. The lodge had loads of vervet monkeys, such funny little creatures.
The lodge has beautiful gardens and a nice swimming pool to cool off in.
The game guides really went out of their way to make sure we saw as many animals as we could.
We would love to come back for another visit.
“More than expected” from TripAdvisor
Paul W, USA
I’m not sure if my experiences are similar to others or if I was just lucky enough to have a number of rare experiences.
If I had written down what I expected from this safari I would probably have been embarrassed for having expected so much. In reality, my real life experiences with Viva Safari surpassed those expectations.
Some of those included observing a white lion cub with mom and siblings for 45 minutes, watching male impala but heads to determine dominance, watching for 2 hours as two lionesses hunted a herd of zebra, and seeing the rare bushbuck.
Staff was very friendly, very very knowledgeable, and really cared about providing a quality experience every time they were with guests at the lodge.
Thank you Viva Safari staff—you guys were great!!!!!
“Patricia helped me so much to book the best experience for my need. The whole experience was so great!” from SafariBookings
Margherita, Italy
I did not really know what to look for or to expect when coming to South Africa. I had very little time to find information myself and Patricia from Viva Safari helped me so so much to understand what I actually wanted to see and for how many days.
I did a 3 night / 4 days safari from Johannesburg. Staying at Tremisana on the first night was very confortable, the other two night I stayed at the Tree House that was instead much much wilder, but overall it was great to combine the two sleeping places.
All guides I met were very experienced and passionate. I am vegetarian/vegan and a vegetarian food option was always ready for me as well.
I loved doing the bush walks and the evening safari. The day in kruger is very long but I loved it.
Overall, very high raccomanded. I would love to go back. Thank you!
“Katekani: Great People, Room and Food!” from TripAdvisor
Kailee-Jade J, USA
Room- The room was much larger than expected, with a king-size bed, a separate twin bed, a small table, and two chairs. There is a private plunge pool and outdoor shower.
The beds came with bug nets, and the king bed’s netting was spacious enough to include the bedside tables, making it barely noticeable. The AC unit above the bed kept the room cool and comfortable.
Two walls are solid, and two are tented, giving it an authentic safari feel without sacrificing comfort. The insulation was surprisingly effective with no noticeable temperature swings and the roll-up tent windows added to the experience. The bathroom layout was smart too, with the toilet in a separate space from the sinks and shower.
Amenities- There is a mini fridge, a tea kettle, instant coffee, tea bags, and powdered milk. The shower has body wash and conditioning shampoo, so if you like to use conditioner I recommend bringing your own. There is also no lotion. The bathroom has lots of toilet paper and air freshener spray. There are 2 small water bottles in the mini fridge. There is no communal water jugs out- so unless you are comfortable drinking from the tap, I recommend bringing water jugs here. The large ones fit in the mini fridge.
Food- The chef, Margaret, is INCREDIBLE! We loved everything she made. Breakfast and dinner are different each day and there is only 1 main course option, but no matter what it is, it’s amazing!! She is so talented and kind. There is a fridge of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic that you can purchase for an additional cost.
Wifi/ Service- I would plan on being unplugged while you are here. We had a wifi router in our room and in the dinner lodge, but it was really hit or miss if it would work. It wasn’t an issue at all though since you are gone for 9-12 hours each day.
Overall service- We stayed here during low season, so it was just my boyfriend, me, and 2 staff members. That was Margaret and Mr. Strong and they were one of the best parts of our trip! They are both so kind and personable, I hope everyone gets a chance to meet them! They made our stay so comfortable. Overall we are so happy with Ketekani!
My only (very minor) regret is that we weren’t able to enjoy the property during daylight hours, as we were out on game drives. I would have loved to use the plunge pool!
If you have poor eyesight, the room can be a bit dim at night. While the overhead lights are good, the space is quite large and there aren’t many lamps, so visibility in certain areas can be limited.
“Alles war super organisiert” from GetYourGuide
Tamara, Austria
Alles war super organisiert.
Die Guides sind toll, tun alles für ein tolles Safari Erlebnis und besitzen enormes Wissen.
Ich kann diese Safari wärmsten empfehlen.
“It was an amazing trip!” from GetYourGuide
Jana, Germany
It was an amazing trip!
We got so see a lot of different animals and we felt warmly welcomed in both accommodations.
I can highly recommend!
The guides were super knowledgeable.
A perfect trip to escape from one’s usual everyday life.
Until next month,
With kind regards,
Piero
General Manager
Viva Safaris
