Deteema Springs Camp Wildlife Stories September 2025
Spring at Deteema Springs in Hwange National Park continued its usual pattern of cool early morning temperatures, daily afternoon highs and a gradual decrease by sunset. What is unusual this year is that the August winds persisted throughout September, which helped predators catch that first scent of their next prey.
Deteema’s Lion
After a lovely breakfast at Deteema Springs Camp, we drove off in search of lions near the Big Toms area. About three kilometres away from camp, we heard impalas snorting and saw them pronking. A behaviour that has them leaping in the air with their legs straight and back arched.
We knew something was up. We scanned the area looking for anything with sharp teeth, and oh boy, did we find it. Under some dense Mopane shrubs, we saw our resident Deteema lion looking healthy and hungry.
Sharing a Sundowner
Golden hour is best experienced during a game drive. There is no better example of this than one of our most recent excursions. During a late afternoon trip to the Deteema Dam, a herd of elephants wandered by! Watching these gentle giants up close was truly magical.
We were enjoying our beverages while the herd also drank from the dam and grazed from the vegetation mere meters away from our safari vehicle.
African Ancient History
Accompanied by Dr Chauke, we embarked on a game drive to explore the Bumbusi ruins. Steeped in a rich history, Dr Chauke educated us on the significance of the still-standing ruins and ancient drawings known as petroglyphs, some of which connect to those found in the Deteema area.
We also managed to find tools dating back to the Iron Age.
Tracking Predators, Finding Prey
It was during an exhilarating safari walk that we decided we wanted to track and follow some lions. While on our adventure, we witnessed an additional set of fresh buffalo tracks.
The mandate was lions, so we opted to still follow the paw prints in the sand, but it was not even 50 metres when we noticed the massive buffalo resting under Mopane trees.
Unlikely Pair Sighted
Upon hearing we spotted some buffalo earlier that day, one of our guides decided to take his guests to Chingahobe dam, a location known for buffalo activity. When they arrived, they saw six buffalo bulls drinking from the dam, but to their surprise, there were some bat-eared foxes resting on the other side of the dam!
September was a month of exciting surprises and awe-inspiring sightings. Join us next month for another Deteema Springs wildlife story.
Until next time,
Ntandoe
Deteema Springs Camp
