On the 25th March I saw a Facebook post from Mosetlha Bush Camp and Eco Lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve saying that they had availability for the Easter weekend. Ever since I visited there in November 2025 I have been hankering to go back, so quick as a flash, I booked my room.
I arrived on Friday the 3rd of April, and after the “grand tour” and a lunch of their wonderful hamburgers, we set off on our first game drive. This is what we saw: many lilac-breasted and purple rollers, an elephant in musth who didn’t enjoy our presence and charged us, both brown and spotted hyena, a small pride of mom lioness with her two male and two female subadults, and in the evening after a lovely sundowner we saw about 5 spotted Eagle Owl and 4 Puff Adders slithering across the road.
Over the next couple of days we saw the pride of 5 cheetah brothers, a couple of prides of lions, and two packs of African wild dog. The wild dogs start getting active at about sundown, and they run around and yip at each other and play like real puppies. Of course, being a dog lover, I was enthralled by this!
We also were privileged to see two leopard cubs up a tree gnawing on an impala that mom had killed and dragged up and wedged into the branches of the tree. Unfortunately we were quite far away so the photos aren’t great, but you can get the gist of it.
Western Yellow-bellied Sand Snake – we had just arrived in camp and completed the “tour” when our host noticed this snake slithering up a tree.
Mauritian Tomb Bat – this little male bat nests in the roof of the lounge area at Mosetlha Bush Camp. I didn’t hear a single mozzie, so I think he is doing his job! But the poop on the coffee table is a bit of a turn-off. Read more here: Mauritian Tomb Bat
A huge bull elephant in musth. When you read the description in Wikipedia, this male displayed all the traits – temporal gland secretions, constant urination, and aggression. He wasn’t happy that we were in the same hemisphere as he was! Read more here: Musth
The usual suspect, the Red-billed Oxpecker, sitting on the giraffe’s head.
Lilac-breasted Roller
Brown Hyena – considered the rarest species of hyena and is marked as is marked as near threatened in the IUCN Red List. Read more here: Brown Hyena
He he he, that is a good joke!!
Puff adder crossing the road
Spotted Eagle-Owl
Black-backed Jackal pair
Two leopard cubs on an impala kill that their mother dragged up a tree
The leopard mom came back to see what the cubs had left her
Immature Pale Chanting Goshawk
Wildebeest baby drinking from mommy
Lilac-breasted Roller
Lilac-breasted Roller
African Pipit
I really don’t like photographing collared animals, but this photo is too endearing to pass up
A little brotherly love
The animals come to this area in Madikwe to get minerals from the earth. It looks like they are eating mud clumps – and they are!
Our eagle-eyed guide, Justice, spotted this Flap-necked Chameleon crossing the road. He was about to get squished by another car so Justice hopped out of the vehicle and rescued him. He took a little time for a photo shoot. You can see the difference in colour from when he was on the road to when he was on the branch. Amazing creatures!
Flap-necked Chameleon crossing the road – slowly!
Purple Roller
Southern Banded Groundling (a type of dragonfly). Read more here: Groundling
Lesser Grey Shrike
A fine feast of sweetcorn and “fried” eggs. The food at Mosetlha is amazing!
Easter decorations, which the resident squirrels found very tasty!
Easter breakfast feast, including toasted hot cross buns
