Wilderness Shumba Newsletter – September 2023

Weather

 

The temperatures have begun to rise, especially during the day, with highs of 32° Celsius and lows of 10° C in the early hours of the morning. A couple of days into the month, we experienced cool and moist south-east winds and early morning mist. At the end of the month, some rain clouds formed in the nearby areas, and rain drops were reported.

 

Sightings

 

The animal sightings only kept on improving after the amazing sighting of the 27 lions at the beginning of the month. Big herds of over 50 sable and roan antelopes were seen coming out of the miombo woodland into the Busanga Plains to quench their thirst at the Lufupa River, as the waterholes have dried up in the woodlands. A lot of oribi, reedbuck and wildebeest were also sighted flocking to the river.

 

The big Busanga herd of buffaloes was not seen during the month unfortunately, but a cheetah was spotted on several occasions, with guests taking stunning photos!

 

 

The Busanga Plains has continued showcasing an abundance of leopards, with remarkable sightings of these cats on kills. Many, if not all of the guests who stayed with us at Shumba, had a leopard sighting – either on a kill or walking freely on the Plains.

 

Sundowners, breakfast on the Plains and traditional boma dinners

 

We have continued to wow our guests with our stunning Shumba sundowners, serving G&Ts, Vodka Orange and a lot of cocktail flair!

 

We also had a beautiful sunrise breakfast on the Plains right in front of the camp on the ground, level with the lechwe, which our guests enjoyed very much!