Linyanti Wildlife Reserve camp newsletters – May 2025

Winter weather in the Linyanti

As winter sets in, temperatures plummet, and we are starting to feel the crisp, cold mornings, where the air feels sharper and the nights longer – while the bird sounds make it exceptional! 

We see animals starting to prepare for colder times, with some migrating, others burrowing, or adapting by growing thicker fur. 

Lion – and other predator – drama at Savuti

We have had impressive sightings of wildlife, especially the lions! Almost every morning and evening we have heard their roaring as it serenaded our days.  

The occasional leopard sighting caused tremendous excitement, especially when spotted with two cubs up in a tree. Her frequent call in the mornings signalled her presence close to camp.

During May we were excited to watch a pack of nine painted dogs make their way past camp – which certainly also had our guests chatting! 

The elephants are moving in

We’ve also seen the number of elephants increasing day by day as they pass by, en route to the riverside for a drink. We are also patiently waiting for the Cape buffalos to start coming up. Our guides are in for a busy season!

Camp and staff news

The team was quite excited to welcome one of our repeat guests who was equally excited to be back! Her commitment to sustainable tourism and wildlife protection continues to inspire all of us, but especially our amazing guide Onx, who was her guide.

It is always great to have a new member in the management team, and we were pleased to welcome Brie from Baobab Camp, who joined us for the month of May! We welcome her to the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve.

We also welcomed Veno and Boniface, who are new additions to our Front-of-House team, while Kea and Mapula joined the Kitchen team!  

Wildlife sightings from Linyanti Tented Camp

Even through the still-thick bush, the wildlife is showing up, and most thrilling to see were eight previously unknown lions (three females and five adolescent cubs) spotted around Crocodile Corner. Elephants are also slowly but surely appearing, and we saw a small herd along the river close to our guest tents on the western side of camp. 

General game including impalas and warthogs, and baboons have made their appearances around the area too. Our shy resident sitatungas also showed up, and were seen around the channel close to West camp’s main area. The nine hyena cubs spotted at the hyena den recently are well and healthy, and growing up well.

Important Birding & Biodiversity Area

The birdlife in the Linyanti area is prolific and we saw African fish eagles, several species of herons, egrets and geese daily. To our surprise, a lesser striped swallow pair built a mud nest by the main area. Then a few days later the nest collapsed, breaking an egg is the process. Happily, the love birds are back and building a new mud nest next to the broken one by the main area – to our guests’ endless fascination. We’ve also had an unexpected influx of guinea fowl in camp that seem to have relocated from elsewhere.

An interesting range-restricted species, the swamp boubou, was also seen around our camp office and main area. According to the African Bird Atlas Project, it ranges ‘widely over western tropical Africa, but occurs only marginally in Southern Africa, where it is restricted to the large floodplains and rivers in northern Botswana and Namibia’. 

Other interesting sightings

A water monitor lizard was spotted every day just around camp – interestingly, not in its natural element, being seen out of the water. The resident black mamba is frequently spotted basking in the sun, uninterrupted and out of harm’s way near the boma.

Cute tree squirrels, as always, are seen all over camp, but can be a nuisance in the main area when they attempt to access the contents of the snack jars. 

Linyanti Tented Camp guest activities

All camp activities have fully resumed with the arrival of our first guests after reopening; this includes both in-camp and out-of-camp activities. Many WOW activities are set up for our guests, while the recently constructed walkway has also enhanced our guests’ experience since it illuminates the camp beautifully in the evenings. 

LTC Staff news

Gontle, one of our Front of House team members, is currently assisting at Little Vumbura. All other staff members are in good spirits, motivated and excited to welcome peak season. All staff who are currently in camp are healthy and well.

Managers in Camp: Alex & Kgotso
Newsletter compiled by Kgotso