Meet our most beautiful and beguiling predators

What makes the Greater Kruger National Park such a huge drawcard with safari travellers from across the world? Well, its incredible big cats are most certainly close to the top of the list! This legendary wildlife region has some of the highest concentrations of lion and leopard in Africa and when it comes to Baobab Ridge and the Klaserie, these two species are truly the stars of the show.

We're blessed to have regular sightings of both of these beautiful felines and each one is spectacular and special in its own right. It's easy to see why they both top the list of wildlife species our guests really want to see and our guides have become experts at finding them. Indeed, our very own David Mathonsi is renowned for his built-in "leopard compass" and ability to find these stealthy hunters! 

His colleagues Moven Qibi and Paul MacFarlane are no slouches when it comes to serving up superlative sightings and both have had marvellous luck of late, especially when it comes to lions, with the famed Vuyella pride with its magnificent males and plethora of cubs stealing the limelight.

Nothing beats spending times with active lions, especially when there are cubs involved. No matter how much other pride members try to rest during the day, the cubs are always on the go, often pestering their relatives mercilessly with their constant play pouncing and energetic games. It's an absolute pleasure to watch and always entertaining.

Of course, catching glimpses and quality sightings of leopards in action is an amazing privilege that's hard to beat. Beautiful in the extreme, these powerful predators are often spotted in the high branches of trees with their kills in an effort to escape the machinations of the Klaseries healthy hyena population. Hyenas love nothing better than stealing from leopards, but when the object of their zeal gets off the ground with their prey there's little they can do than just wait it out in the hopes of a few small scraps dropping within reach!

Watching a leopard devour an impala in the uppermost branches of a tall tree is truly something special to behold as you fathom the incredible power that got cat and prey up the tree in the first place and the agility that keeps both precariously balanced there, out of reach from canny scavengers. 

When the hyenas are surrounding the tree fervently trying to work out how to get to the carcass, the intrigue reaches boiling point! Will the leopard make a wrong move? Will the hyenas give up and move on? It's a knife-edge scenario that many of our guests get to witness first-hand.

Of course, while lions don't do trees anywhere near as well as leopards (they can climb, but very clumsily thanks to their weight and decided lack of agility!) when they are on a kill it's a truly awesome spectacle. And one often tinged with sadness when you see a once noble creature like a giraffe or its baby being feasted upon. 

Lions too are bedevilled by hyenas and fights often break out over carcasses when a hyena clan appears and takes on the pride. It can be bloodcurdling with all of the noise and dust as the lions roar in anger and the hyenas scream and yip excitedly. It certainly isn't for the faint of heart!

So when you next come to stay with us and head out into the wilderness of the Klaserie, you may be lucky enough to capture our next great big cat sighting! Don't forget your camera and your cellphone to capture the occasion!

Images: Paul MacFarlane