Its hot and dry out here now. We haven’t seen rain for months - dust devils spin through the scorched bush, fires ravish the tinder dry scrub, the death of everything seems inevitable. Yet, amazingly, life abounds. Water is the key to the survival of everything out here and its around the water points, that most of the game is found. Fortunately both Lebombo and Sweni lodges are built on rivers and guests are continually treated to wonderful sightings from the comfort of their rooms.

If you watched the rocks in the Sweni carefully for a minute or two, ears would start twitching, tails would flicker, birds would flutter. Then, as if by magic, the giant bulk a hippo emerges out of the rock.

The shrinking pools of the Nwanetsi River are home to thousands of water birds. The yellow billed stork pictures to the top right was wading carefully through the shallows in search of some fish or frogs stranded in the muddy shallows.

Southern Africa is the last remaining place where one can find the White Rhino in abundance. This “crash” (third from top) of nine animals was seen in the fertile depression areas near to Lebombo and Sweni lodges.