Following Tracks: Day 2 on Safari in Phinda
- Digital Rabbit
- Apr 5
- 3 min read
If I were in charge of a safari adventure, we’d stop every two feet. There’s so much here that’s new to me—insects, flowers, plants, birds, animals—that if left to my own devices, I’d be asking about everything. So having a safari guide is definitely a good thing. Fortunately, I’m not in charge. I have Steve—our unflappable safari guide—who sets a clear goal for each game drive and keeps us (mostly) moving.
How a Safari Drive Works
Every safari vehicle has a spotter, perched in a seat mounted on the hood. There are no seatbelts—not for us, and not for the spotter. He grips a rail with one hand and scans the ground for tracks, the trees for movement, and the bush for signs of hidden animals. The ride can be quite rough—at times, it feels like an amusement park ride, just without the restraints.
Our guide is an expert driver. He and the spotter have an extraordinary knowledge of the reserve. Nothing here is marked. They don’t use maps or GPS. Instead, they carry a mental map of Phinda, navigating effortlessly through a landscape that, to us, seems impossible to decipher.
The safari vehicle is a true workhorse. Getting into it is like mounting a horse. There are three tiers of seats, rising from low to high, but no doors—just a few footholds to climb up, then a swing of the leg over the side and a plop into place. The vehicle doesn’t even have rearview mirrors. When it’s time to reverse, Steve sometimes stands up, turns around, and somehow manages to steer and hit the gas from this unusual position.
Steve and the spotter make a remarkable team. They’re in constant communication—where to go, how best to intercept an animal, what clues they’re picking up. The vehicle itself is the third essential member of the team. It can handle steep, slippery slopes and shallow water crossings, but it doesn’t leave the track—though to be clear, these tracks are as “off-road” as driving gets. No ordinary car could make it.
Today’s Goals: Hyenas and a Leopard
Last night’s mission was to track down cheetahs; this morning, hyenas and a leopard. These goals usually require a long drive, but we stop to enjoy whatever crosses our path along the way.
We drove to a hyena den known to host around fourteen individuals. Since hyenas are nocturnal and often return to the den in the morning, we arrived quietly and positioned ourselves behind a bush to wait. Once our eyes adjusted to looking through the leaves, we spotted a female hyena lying on the ground, resting. Our guide guessed that young hyenas were likely tucked into one of the dug-out dens nearby, while the males may have opted to sleep out in the grassland.
Flies were bothering her—now and then, she’d flick her tail or twitch her skin, then settle back down to rest. After watching her for about half an hour, we turned our attention to our secondary goal: finding a leopard. Steve knew where one had been seen recently, so we drove off to that area in search of tracks.
We found plenty—crisscrossing paw prints in the red mud—and followed countless jeep trails (too rough to be called roads), but we never caught sight of the leopard itself. Many animals prefer to stay hidden, and the leopard is no exception. The landscape at Phinda is a patchwork of open grassland and dense bush. The bushes often grow together to form hollow centers—perfect hiding spots for a big cat.
What We Did See
Although we didn’t find the leopard, the morning still offered an abundance of wildlife: Cape buffalo, hippos, giraffes, zebras, a glass snake, a snake eagle, wildebeest, a marsh terrapin, crested guinea fowl, and red duiker. I was also struck by the background symphony: the buzz of insects, the calls of birds, the grunts of hippos, and the sharp impala alarm calls that warn of predators. Even the smell—of faeces and urine, though far from pleasant—added to the multisensory experience, offering clues about which animals had passed by and how recently.
On to the Next Safari Drive
You’ll hear about tonight’s adventure tomorrow. At 3:30 this afternoon, we head out again, followed by an outdoor dinner. Then it’s time to pack. We’ll be up at 5:30 AM for one final game drive before catching our 10:00 AM flight to Johannesburg.
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