We’re waving a sad farewell to the end of another season of plenty as the dry season begins to get its grip on Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate, home of eKhaya Bush Villa. The lush greens of what’s been an amazing, long and bountiful summer are finally fading to brown and the trees and shrubs are losing their leaves en masse… The grasses are waving their last goodbyes as the final winds of autumn blow through, there’s an early morning chill to the air and the evenings are growing cold and drawing in early…

Thanks to late rains, there has been enough food for our wildlife to ensure they are in prime condition going into winter, when the pickings will be a lot slimmer and the hunt for something tasty to eat becomes a daily grind. It’s also getting very dry as the humidity levels drop and the ground becomes more parched.

We’ve recently welcomed a new baby giraffe to the estate, born just as autumn had its last gasp with a couple of (very) late rain showers. It’s always lovely to see our wildlife carrying on with their lives as we poor humans deal with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic!

With South Africa’s phased exit from lockdown in full swing we’re beginning to make plans for re-opening and hope it’s not going to be too much longer before we get to welcome our first guests again. And those first guests will be local, as domestic tourism’s wheels will start moving and getting us all back into the swing of things before our borders open to international arrivals once more.

So keep us in mind, fellow South Africans, when you are able to travel once more. Think of our amazing location in the heart of the Greater Kruger, with the Kruger Park and a host of private game reserves on our doorstep. And think of our beautiful, warm winter sunshine and amazing wildlife. Dream the dream, and we’ll be here waiting to make those dreams come true!