Verney's Camp Wildlife Stories April 2026
Weather Report
April marked the end of the rainy season and the beginning of winter at Verney’s Camp and Hwange National Park. The landscape still has numerous watering holes and is various shades of vibrant green, but over the coming months, the dry terrain will turn a shade of yellowish-amber, and most of the water sources will disappear. At first glance, this may seem like a bad thing. In reality, it is the herald of the best time to go on a safari in Zimbabwe.
Kings Clash
During one of our game drives, we witnessed something incredibly rare: two male lions having a standoff for control of a pride!
The breathtaking encounter was between the resident male and a young newcomer to the area. We watched in awe as the two postured, roared, called and marked their territory. From the beginning, we were on the edge of our seats, waiting for the moment one of the lions pounced and started the fight of a lifetime. Unfortunately, the males had a lot more restraint than we gave them credit for.
Hours later, we finally decided to go back to camp, where we could still hear them calling throughout the night. The next morning, we went back to check in on the resident lion pride, only to find that the new guy had become their patriarch.
Adorable Ducklings
As one of our safari guides was making his way to the Mango 1 area, he stopped his vehicle to look at something that he described as “weird-looking stones”. Upon his approach, he realised that those were no stones at all, but a handful of the cutest ducklings. It took us a little while to identify the scurrying waterfowl, but after we got a good look at one of them, we realised they were adolescent red-billed teal.
Call Of The Wild
On our way back to camp from an evening safari, we heard the distressed calls from a troop of resident baboons. We stopped and looked around for what was causing the commotion when our guide spotted an incredible male leopard headed for a watering hole right in front of Verney’s Camp.
The rest of the camp was quickly radioed to join in on this amazing sighting, and together we spent around 30 minutes watching the leopard drink from the pan and lie along the roadside.
Lounging Lions
As the sun started to warm up one mid-April morning, we spotted a pride of lions in the Somalisa expedition zone on our way to the Ngweshla picnic area. The famously fierce creatures looked more cuddly than ferocious when we watched them sunbathe along the road.
We were hoping to watch the pride hunt a lone impala that was in the area. Unfortunately for us, the antelope had its eyes fixed on the lions and was ready to flee as soon as they showed any killing intent.
Chilling Cheetahs
Cheetahs are the fastest land animals on Earth. They are widely renowned for reaching speeds of up to 110km/h. However, the rest of their lives don't get nearly as much fanfare.
During one of our game drives, we spotted a pair of these elusive creatures. Not at top speed, but they were headed for a shaded area to laze about in. Once they found a cool spot, they both lay on the ground until the temperatures started to cool down again.
Verneys Camp was filled with spectacular big cat sightings this month. Join us soon to see what else Hwange National Park has to offer.
Until next time,
Simatete
Verney’s Camp
