Gomoti Plains Wildlife Stories May 2026
Weather Report
As we move into the second half of the year, temperatures have cooled, and cloud cover has noticeably decreased. There has been a sharp decline in rainfall over the past two months, with May recording only a single millimetre of rain throughout the entire month. Temperatures are still warm, reaching an average high of 28.2°C and nighttime lows of 14.7°C. with average highs
Thundering Cape
Cape Buffalo are some of the largest land mammals found near Gomoti Plains Camp. Reaching up to 1.7 metres tall and 3.4 metres in length, adult male buffalo can reach up to 900 kg. Now imagine these massive bovines with their sweeping horns in herds of over one hundred!
That is exactly what we saw on a game drive in the spectacular Okavango Delta in Botswana. The sight of their black bodies thundering across the plains, turning the coarse grasslands into softer ground, was breathtaking. To top it all off, we also saw two bull elephants and a male leopard on our way back to camp.
Protective Mother
Towards the middle of May, we spotted a female cheetah with her two adolescent cubs. She appeared to be on the hunt, leaving her cubs in a nearby thicket while she stalked an impala. The female cheetah managed to run down the impala, but had to abort the kill because two jackals noticed her two cubs. She bolted for kin and chased them away. If she had not noticed the jackals, we might have witnessed something heartbreaking.
Lions Share
We were driving on Maeshwane Road when we found a pride of 12 lions that had recently killed a young giraffe. In accordance with the strict hierarchy, the three dominant males ate first, claiming the lion's share and the best parts of the carcass. This is done so that the males can maintain their size and strength for when they will eventually need to defend their pride from other males. After them, the adult lionesses fed next, leaving only leftovers for the cubs.
Swamp Lions
Over the centuries, the lion population in the Okavango Delta has become less cautious around water. In pursuit of prey, better territory and fleeing from territorial disputes, lions here have adapted to swim regularly in water.
We managed to see this amazing sight after we tracked down the lions' calls during a game drive. At Motopi Crossing, we spotted them near the water's edge. After some time passed, in they went. It was a marvellous sight to see the kings of the jungle, among the biggest cats in the world, get their paws wet and wade through the water like it was nothing. To us at least, it was an awe-inspiring sight.
Departure
During May, we had a lovely couple stay with us for four days. Throughout their stay, they expressed wanting to see leopards, and on their final game drive, we finally spotted leopard tracks.
We followed them all the way to a beautiful male leopard that was clearly in the middle of a hunt. We were all ecstatic seeing such an incredible creature doing what it does best. Keeping its body low, slowly crept up on its prey until it disappeared into the darkness of the early evening.
Gomoti Plains Camp had an amazing predator sighting in May. Stay tuned for more amazing wildlife encounters from the world's largest inland delta, The Okavango Delta, coming soon!
Until Next Time,
Steven Mavromatis
Gomoti Plains Camp
