It was a completely normal game drive, with new guests, the first trip into the bush, and it was an afternoon with a beautiful setting sun. Alasdair, Rhulani’s head ranger, wanted to create a "wow" effect right from the start, so he got out of the vehicle to search for lions on foot across rough terrain, as he had discovered footprints of them on the road. And then something completely unexpected happened.
Alasdair tells us: “My guests were a family from Brazil and a family from South Africa, and they both said to me they wanted to see a leopard.
When I saw the lion tracks and I decided to follow them. I was walking, and walking and walking, and then, all of a sudden, in the distance I see this silhouette in the tree and I was like ‘nooooo ways!”. It was a leopard!
So I walked back to the car, started the engine and somehow I slithered through the bushes. And we arrived there, and it was true. There was a leopard in the middle, of the tree!
I went like mad, like crazy! That is the most awesome thing in the world. It's been ages since I've tracked a leopard on foot, but now to find one by accident, while tracking lions, was just incredible!
Related articles
True stories about our leopard in the lobby
| Rhulani Safari LodgeThe impressive sculpture has been standing in Rhulani's entrance area for two months now. The leopard, which climbs down the tree in its typical, tense posture, as if it were about to pounce at any mo...Rhulani Insights 240 – Elephants go for the fresh water
| Rhulani Safari LodgeThere is no better place in Rhulani than here in the underground hide, very close to the waterhole, where you can relax and unwind and watch the elephants. These large mammals sometimes stay here for ...Staff Party 2024: That was “our day”
| Rhulani Safari LodgeIn the quieter phase before the big rush over the holidays, the Rhulani team found time to relax, enjoy themselves and make friends. Rhulani was closed to guests for a day and our team headed off to t...Rhulani Minute Safari - The smile of the lioness
| Rhulani Safari LodgeThe lioness has picked up something in the bush and is showing us a typical grimace, also known in technical jargon as the "Flehmen response". This is a reaction when a lion encounters a scent of inte...Life of a Ranger: The Zebra's cooling system
| Rhulani Safari LodgeDid you know that while antelopes usually seek shade on sunny days, zebras are often found in the blazing sun? Rhulani's ranger Willem shows us a zebra stallion today, standing motionless in the sun o...Top quality, top management: 5 stars confirmed
| Rhulani Safari LodgeAs every year, we received a visit from the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) in November to renew Rhulani’s star grading. We are delighted to inform you that the 5-star seal of approval...
