The sounds of an active night filled with monkeys and small animals scurrying, frogs bellowing is replaced by a deafening quiet.  A lone jackal can be heard in the distance sounding off it’s cry, signaling danger is afoot, the cat is on the prowl.

Impala gather and flee;  eland’s, the country’s largest antelope and zebra hide in the hills to avert the mud that clogs their hoofs making it hard to run.

Our guide navigates us through the Tuli Wilderness in Botswana, expertly pointing out cat prints that verify the growls we hear from our cabin at night.

He uses all of his senses, listening for birds and animals running or sounding their alarm for impending danger.

We are lucky we see a total of 5 leopards during our Africa trip.

The guides notify one another through radio’s of any sightings, or sounds through the night, helping them to locate big game for their anxious guests hoping for a glimpse of whatever the day’s game drive might yield.

On our last morning, we are gifted with a final sighting of the mane event, the lion. The majestic creature that commands our attention.

For more posts of our Africa trip, check out … https://kritterspaw.com/2026/09/16/wild-africa/. and https://kritterspix.com/2026/09/16/birds-gone-wild/