We had an exceptional month of walking trails this past month, with eight three-night departures taking place in a row! As spring creeps in, the local flora and fauna are donning their best outfits and the scents wafting through the bush are fabulous. The woolly caper bush in particular is putting on a beautiful show, and once the sun has gone down its jasmine-esque smell is hard to resist. Sunbirds litter the flowering bushes, and the scarlet flame creeper looks stunning draped over surrounding trees. Walking through the hypnotic fever tree forest is always an unforgettable experience, and at this time of year even more so as the sweet aroma of its blossoms lingers in the cool morning air.

All our guests have been stunned by the unique experience that the Pafuri Walking Trails offer, with the chance to view this concession from a different, exciting and often exhilarating perspective.

Several August encounters certainly fell into the exciting and exhilarating category. With the water levels in seasonal pans beginning to dwindle, many of Pafuri's four-legged residents have been frequenting the banks and the surrounding bush of the Luvuvhu River. As a result walking the river course proved to be eventful with frequent encounters with herds of elephant and buffalo. General game was in abundance and sightings of a range of species like nyala, kudu, impala, bushbuck, baboons and monkeys quenching their thirst in a single location were common.

The Limpopo River is currently neither great nor greasy: it is in fact almost dry and provided an apt location for cooling tired and worn-out feet at the end of a day's walking. Strolling barefoot through the sand while the sun winked its goodbye at dusk was an unforgettable highlight for many of the Pafuri trailists.

Lions were seen frequently on trail this month. A sighting that will stick in my mind from the August trails occurred after discovering fresh lioness tracks along the base of Houtwini Mountain. Deciding to follow them, it was not long before we found her lying in the shade of a vast nyala berry tree. We spotted her at a distance of approximately 40m, and we watched, almost holding our breaths, as she lifted her head and fixed us with her piercing gaze. We grouped together and got down on our haunches, remaining silent all the while. She began to relax and shortly afterwards settled down into a sleep. This was more than we could have bargained for, as lions will usually move away quickly when approached on foot. After spending some time taking in this incredible sight, we decided to move away and leave her in peace. A cautionary glance from the lioness saw us off.

However, whilst moving away from her, a sudden movement caught our attention from under a thick bush. A quick look through the binoculars revealed a heart-stopping sight: another lioness with three tiny cubs, no older than three weeks. Knowing that this was potentially a charge-inducing encounter, I decided to move away before she became aware of our presence. As we retreated, she saw us. We needed no more than a deep, thundering growl to tell us that we were highly unwelcome, but as she took a few quick steps towards us as well this impression was confirmed! We were already around 50m away from her and slowly kept backing away until she lost interest in us.

Tracking the rhinos this month was eventful as always and we found them on almost every trail. They are frequenting the dry sandveld region on the higher ground and with only a few springs in the area, their movements become more predictable. Tracks of a very young calf were seen but this new addition is yet to be glimpsed.

Comments from our guests, such as "beauty like no other," "diversity beyond belief" and "impossible to beat," confirm to us all that the Pafuri region truly is the ultimate place to walk in the greater Kruger Park, and we head into September and October hoping that guests continue to share this opinion.

-Callum Sargent-