2026 wasted absolutely no time getting on with things. No gentle warm-up. No polite handshake. Just straight out the gate with sightings so good they feel suspicious, like the bush is setting us up for something later in the year. Lions, cheetahs, leopards — all present, all accounted for, and all behaving as though they’ve signed performance contracts. The coming months promise to be exceptional from a sightings point of view… but we’ll get to that shortly.
First, the weather.
And surprisingly — very civilised.
Yes, it’s rained. Properly. But in a manner that can only be described as considerate. None of the usual “all at once, take it or leave it” nonsense. Instead, rain has arrived in neat, staggered intervals, allowing the reserve to absorb it without roads dissolving into abstract art installations or game drives being cancelled in favour of philosophical discussions under a lapa. Plenty of water, plenty of green, and remarkably little chaos. A rare win.
Unfortunately, this courtesy memo did not reach Kruger National Park.
Kruger has been on the receiving end of floods so dramatic they’ve made the infamous 2000 levels look like a damp inconvenience. 2026 took one look at the historical record and said, “Hold my beer.” Rest camps underwater. Bridges washed away. Gates closed. And for four full days, the park shut entirely to day visitors — something almost unheard of. Recovery will take months, insurance claims will age people prematurely, and rebuilding will be slow.
In the meantime, Pilanesberg remains very much open for business — dry(ish), operational, and fully capable of meeting your safari needs. Preferably with a sundowner in hand and a decent view while doing so.
Now, the motivation.
Lions.
Cheetahs.
And yes — leopards.
The sightings over the past month have been nothing short of excellent. The three western breakaway males continue to entertain guests almost daily and have developed a particular fondness for our physical concession. On two occasions this month, they were spotted mere metres from the lodge access road — the sort of sighting that makes you double-check whether you’re actually on a game drive or just nipping out for milk.
Adding to the surprise factor, the eastern pride made an unexpected appearance on our concession — their first visit since disappearing nearly a year and a half ago. One moment absent, the next back as if nothing happened. Typical.
The two female cheetahs have continued their reliably unreliable routine, popping into Black Rhino for week-long stints, sitting on rocks like paid actors hitting their marks with frustrating precision. The buffalo herds remain close by as well, drawn in by the protein-rich grass currently on offer — thousands of kilograms of muscle following the salad.
And then there’s the one animal people always seem to miss off the Big Five wish list: the leopard.
If you’ve been following our social media lately, you’ll already know that leopard sightings have been exceptional — both in the park and on our concession. This isn’t a sudden spike, either. Sightings have been steadily increasing over the past year, culminating in the current showstopper: Kgodisa’s new cub.
A playful, confident young female, she’s already proving to be a natural scene-stealer. Frequently near roads, almost always in a tree, and perpetually up to something she probably shouldn’t be. It’s the sort of leopard sighting people imagine when they book a safari — and then assume they won’t actually get.
January has been an exceptional start to the year at Buffalo Thorn, and we’re hoping to carry this momentum straight through into February and beyond.
From all of us here, we wish you a fantastic 2026. We hope to see you out on safari with us this year — and to help you tick off those bucket-list moments, preferably with dust on your boots and a camera full of evidence.
See you in the next one,
The Buffalo Thorn Team