Deteema Springs Wildlife Stories April 2026
Weather Report
The wet season at Deteema Springs Camp is finally over, making way for the slightly cooler average temperatures and arid heat that will soon turn the lush green vegetation to a brittle yellowish-amber colour. In April, we received more than 50mm of rain, keeping most of the flooded areas in Hwange National Park full of water. Mornings were still cold, requiring a blanket and sometimes a hot water bottle, while afternoons were hot and humid.
Meet The Family
During breakfast in Deteema, we heard a troop of baboons calling somewhere near camp. We knew something was up, so we hopped in our vehicle and drove to tent eight, where the noise was coming from. When we arrived, we found fresh lion tracks that we immediately followed. Not more than 100 metres away from tent 8, we spotted two adult females with their cubs. We were so excited to see the small family, but as we were watching them, we noticed that they were making contact calls. There were more lions nearby.
We followed them for a while more until we found the rest of the pride. In total, we spotted four females, one male, and 12 cubs not too far from Deteema.
Cheeky Cheetah
After a successful morning safari, we headed out for another game drive in Hwange in the afternoon. As soon as we left camp, we saw a herd of impala running in the same direction and alarm calling. We drove closer to see what all the commotion was about and found a cheetah in the tall grass stalking them. It is unbelievably rare to see this endangered species in Hwange, let alone seeing one during a hunt. We watched as the sleek big cat tried to get closer to the herd, but unfortunately, its hunt ended unsuccessfully.
The Bigger Things In Life
We went out on a safari walk to see some of the smaller and less celebrated animals and insects found in Hwange National Park. Mother Nature decided that that was not going to happen and threw the biggest animal on the African continent at us.
As we were walking, we heard an elephant breaking tree branches and decided to approach it. We got as close as 20 metres away from it and watched it break branches and feed on leaves while taking stunning photos without it even noticing us.
Lucky Leopard Sighting
On one of our routine morning game drives, we headed to Masuma in search of a leopard sighting to tick off our guests’ must-see list. On the way, one of the guests dropped their water bottle out of the safari vehicle. Our guide stopped and walked around the vehicle to pick it up when he spotted a leopard sitting on a rock nearby. Everyone thanked the guest for dropping their bottle and allowing us to watch the leopard before it disappeared into a thicket 20 minutes later.
Armchair Safari
After a long and fruitful morning safari, our guests decided they wanted to head back to camp and have an armchair safari at their tents. As they were watching birds fly past, a massive herd of buffalo thundered in and started grazing right in front of Deteema Springs. Some of them came even closer to the camp and started drinking from the pan. We were awestruck by how large the herd was, especially when we don’t normally see herds that big at this time of year.
Deteema Springs Camp and Hwange National Park did not disappoint this April. Stay tuned for more Machaba Safaris Wildlife Stories coming soon.
Until next time,
Julius
Deteema Springs Camp
