Your wildest wilderness encounter

While walking through the bush I heard the sound of grass rustle in front of me. Instinctively I looked up to see I had inadvertently almost trodden on what is known in some parts of Africa as the Death Kisser, Dendroaspis polylepis for the herpetologists, or more commonly, black mamba, known for its potent venom.

To avoid being trampled, the snake had reared up to warn me of my impending doom. A standing black mamba is an impressive sight: two metres of gunmetal grey, with a third of that off the ground, and holding your gaze in an almost hypnotic trance. My adrenal gland was running on maximum speed while my body remained completely motionless. Staying dead still (operative word being ‘dead’), is always a good strategy when startling any dangerous game while on foot in the bush.

Within seconds, and before I could fully comprehend what had happened, this majestic and beautiful animal had gently dropped down and quietly cruised off to be on its merry way, with zero desire for fussing or fighting. Luckily all evacuative bodily functions had held their ground, but the post-apocalyptic feels were not ones of fear or of having cheated death. More so, I was overwhelmed by a sense of joy from having an intimate encounter with such a seldom-seen species. In a close encounter, I had stood almost face-to-face with one of the most exquisitely designed creatures on Earth. The snake wanted nothing out of the encounter other than to be left alone to go about its business, and I gained a sense of awe, respect and empathy for such a misunderstood and yet beautiful animal”. – Craig Glatthaar, Wilderness Head of Sales: Americas

We had hiked to a gorilla family group and were enjoying spending time with these magnificent creatures, the young ones playing all around us, when suddenly there was an intense cloudburst.

The gorillas came to sit right next to us under the trees, almost shoulder to shoulder. We dared not move. Then, a sudden lightning bolt almost struck the silverback. He flew out from the trees and glared at us from just a few feet away as we sheltered from the rain, as if blaming us for the weather”. – Caroline​ Culbert, Wilderness Visual Media Administrator

1 buffalo vs 10 lions

“We were following a group of lions at Wilderness Qorokwe in Botswana. They were a very unusual group of 10 lions all aged between two and three years old, with no adult lions accompanying them.

Suddenly one lion spotted a lone buffalo bull. The lions moved in formation toward the buffalo but it got wind of the lions and took off with 10 lions in pursuit, trying to jump on the buffalo’s back. One young male caught up and managed to make the leap onto its back.

But with a rodeo kick the buffalo sent the lion crashing. Twenty metres further on the lions surrounded the buffalo but none managed to remain on the prey. The buffalo then took the initiative. He pursued the lions, chasing them around, the young cats learning valuable lessons about making their first buffalo kill. However, it was not to be that day.

Tug-of-war in the bush

“On a safari to Wilderness Chikwenya in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park, we were about 10 minutes from the camp when we spotted the fluffy white tails of a pack of painted dogs. As the dogs came into full view of our vehicle, we saw a cloud of dust and heard a loud yelp followed by excited squeals. The pack had come across the remains of an impala that they must have killed earlier, and having regrouped, were now fending off some hungry hyenas.

A lone hyena snuck in behind the ravenous pack of three dogs, waiting for an opportune moment to strike. Once again, dust billowed and a noisy commotion broke out – the hyena yanking at the leftover impala while the wild dogs, having strength in numbers, tugged back. While this was happening, an African fish-eagle swooped in from the right, eyeing out the remains and making off with a decent-sized piece. It was extraordinary to watch.

The tug of war continued until the hyena broke off, taking the carrion with him and loping into the distance as fast he could go. But the wild dogs managed to snatch back the carcass and came bounding back to the tree where they’d first made the kill, all furiously digging into the last bit of impala.

But the African fish-eagle was the real prize-winner. The fearless bird swooped down once again to find whatever it could, exerting the least effort and coming away with the greatest reward”. – Kate MacWilliam, Wilderness Head of Brand and Content.

Watch a video from this encounter here.