I just returned home after a wonderful four days in the southern Kalahari, on the border with Botswana. The semi-arid desert is covered in green after the area received a huge amount of rain. The locals explained to me that they haven’t seen it this green for the past 15 years. One afternoon we decided to head out on a drive, in search of black and white rhinos. We headed west to a rolling area of linear dunes that run from north to south; valleys with acacia trees running between them and silver cluster leaf trees topping the dunes. The sky was dark and looking pretty ominous over the desert. Moments later we got caught up in the rain, just on the edge of the storm. We took refuge underneath a camel thorn acacia, covered ourselves in our ponchos, and filled our lungs with the petrichor scent that the spectacular rains would release from nature around us.

The rain was a gift. Whatever tracks we would see next would be as fresh as they could be! On our way up to a water hole on the western boundary called Kalk Pan, we did indeed pick up fresh tracks of white rhinos, crossing the road. They could not be too far, so we slowly moved along the road. The bush was quite thick but, to the excitement of my guests, we caught sight of one rhino. As we drove off-road to get a better view, we came across two young male rhinos. They were a little shy at first, but they settled down as we gave them space and they got used to our voices. What a blessing to see rhinos, particularly because of the difficult poaching threat they are constantly facing!

My guests were happy, but also really wanted to see black rhinos. They are shy, nervous, more elusive, and tend to be in more closed country. We continued our drive since the bush here was the perfect place to find them. Suddenly, I noticed an oryx running across the road. It stopped and looked back in the direction it came from. We stopped, noticing two youngish hyenas about a year and a half old; to my surprise, they were very relaxed. We had a good view of them and continued to reach the pan, which was surrounded by short open grass. The area was stunning with beautiful herds of springbok, oryx, wildebeest, and a couple of black-backed jackals.

In the distance, the light was changing for a beautiful sunset with the storms in the distance. We stopped about 100 meters from the waterhole as we wanted to give animals space to come down and drink, in particular, we were hoping to see rhinos. We set up our sundowners, ready to celebrate the wonderful afternoon. A few moments passed before we noticed two hyenas. Straightway we thought these had to be the same pair we saw earlier; they were coming to the waterhole from the same direction!

We watched the hyenas drink, sniff around and start moving towards us. I suggested to my guests that we move to a nice area on the road and sit down about 20 meters from our vehicle. Usually, when you are out walking or you get out of a vehicle and see hyenas, they bolt, however, every now and then you find a couple of individuals, particularly the youngsters, who get inquisitive. They are like young teenagers spreading their wings. They want to learn about things and test things out. I told my guests, “Don’t worry, they know we are here, and if they don’t feel comfortable with us, they will move off; and if they do feel comfortable, they might come closer. So, just sit still, relax and enjoy.”

The two young hyenas moved within 10 meters but could not pick up our scent because of the wind direction so they moved around to the side of us. Once they picked up our scent, they came within a meter of us. They would have come closer if I had let them, however, I just moved slightly to create a little doubt in their minds. They were not sure about us, but still interested enough to hang around.

The emotions and excitement running through our veins were incredible. Although I have had similar encounters with hyena over the years, the intensity of meeting a wild animal that close never decreases.

As if this wasn’t enough, the Kalahari had yet another surprise for us. It was now twilight and we noticed the silhouette of two black rhinos! The mother and her calf were coming down to the water to drink. They did not know we were here! It was a phenomenal experience, two hyenas lying down 5 meters away and the black rhinos my guests had really hoped to see. We were so focused in the moment that nobody even pulled out a camera to capture it. That is what I love when on safari; the power of nature is overwhelming and without knowing it you are fully aware in the moment. Everyone was ecstatic.

After finishing our drinks and as the sun set, we drove back and were treated to a spectacular lightning show. There were storms all around us. Nothing beats a distant lightning storm in the Kalahari, and it ended an outstanding safari experience which was certainly the highlight for us all – something that will stay with my guests and me for a long time to come!