Wild game galore...

After Selati we moved to MalaMala, a spectacular private game reserve which has been frequented by many well-known people, including Elizabeth Hurley, Margaret Thatcher and my personal favorite, The Village People. In addition to its luxurious accommodations, MalaMala is famous for its excellent game viewing - those in the know claim this reserve provides the best opportunity to see the "Big Five" of anywhere. Let's just say we were not disappointed. Driving to MalaMala, we were greeted by a pride of six female lions strolling down the road outside of the lodge. Before our first game drive, Darren mentioned to our ranger that we had not yet seen a leopard. Within the first half-hour, we not only found a leopard, but we watched him drag his kill, a bushbuck, up a tree and devour it right before our eyes. We were so close to the action that I worried that the bushbuck's neck and entails, dangling by a thread above us, would fall into the jeep. Our fear almost became reality as the remains of the bushbuck somehow dislodged from the tree and crashed to the ground a few feet from our jeep. Unbelievable!

Because the staff at MalaMala tracks the animals so carefully, our ranger was able to give us detailed information about this particular leopard. Only two years old, the leopard had recently left "home" (his mother) and this was undoubtedly one of his biggest kills as an independent male. As we watched the leopard enjoy his dinner high above the ground, I couldn't help but think of the similarities between his young life and that of my new husband after he moved back to Chicago and rented his first apartment. Let me explain. At that point, Darren was on his own for this first time in his life (as was the leopard), he had his own pad (as did the leopard) and after his first visit to the grocery store he was proud to have "real" food in the fridge (as was this leopard after one of his first kills). The big difference, however, is that Darren stopped "hunting" for grocery stores and eventually resorted to eating microwave popcorn covered in Frijol sauce for dinner... hopefully our leopard friend will continue to hone his hunting skills.

Future game drives proved just as spectacular. We saw an older leopard try unsuccessfully to drag her kill, an impala, up a tree. We also watched a mother leopard and her two cubs feed on a recent kill, as two hungry hyenas waited around for any leftovers. When I arrived at MalaMala, I had a real appreciation for the beauty of the impala. Now all I wanted to see was a good chase, followed by a dramatic kill. I guess there's something exciting about witnessing the "natural order" in person.

In addition to the many leopard sightings, we were fortunate enough to see rhinos, elephants, African Buffalo, lions, hippos, giraffe, zebra, baboons, monkeys and many species of birds. In a matter of days we had spotted all of the Big Five! Many people have told us that there's a lot of luck involved is seeing animals on a game drive, after all, you cannot control the whereabouts of these creatures. MalaMala's 40,000 acres of property is more than any other private game reserve in Southern Africa, plus it shares an unfenced boarder with Krueger National Park over which animals can roam freely. It is no accident, however, that MalaMala's game viewing is so incredible. The rangers at MalaMala have an organized system for the game drives, with all rangers wearing headsets and communicating to one another as they comb separate areas of the property for game. If there is game on the MalaMala reserve, the commando unit of rangers will find it for you. This system ensures that a visit to MalaMala is a rewarding experience for everyone (except, of course, for those poor impala).

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