The Fastest Cat of the Kalahari - the Cheetah!

April 2025 gifted us with a safari experience that defied even our wildest expectations. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, already generous with sightings of lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas, had one more surprise in store—an electrifying encounter that would etch itself into our memory forever.

Two male cheetahs. A trio of unsuspecting springbok. And us—mere meters away from the unfolding drama.

The Calm Before the Chase

It was Day 5 of our journey, and by then, our memory cards were brimming with golden-hour lion portraits and elusive leopard silhouettes. Spirits were high, and we were content—anything more would be a bonus.

Just past Rooiputs waterhole, a cluster of parked vehicles caught our attention. Engines off. Passengers still. Eyes fixed on something in the bush. The kind of silence that screams: “Predator nearby.”

We scanned the landscape, puzzled. Nothing. Curiosity piqued, I rolled down the window and asked the driver ahead what they were watching. He turned, wide-eyed, and whispered, “The cheetahs. In the tree.”

Wait—what?

Cheetahs. In a tree.

Not exactly where you'd expect to find the fastest land mammals. But there they were—two sleek males perched like leopards, surveying their kingdom from above.

A Shift in the Wind

We pulled back to the end of the line, ready to move on if nothing happened. But just as I reached for the ignition, one cheetah stretched, scent-marked the tree, and leapt down. His brother followed, and together they began a purposeful walk north along the Nossob riverbed.

We followed—slowly, respectfully—watching them mark territory and move with the fluid grace only cheetahs possess. Then, suddenly, one froze. His body tensed, head lifted, eyes locked on something in the distance.

Both cats dropped low into the golden grass. The hunt was on.

The Standoff

Following their gaze, we spotted them: three springbok, blissfully grazing on fresh green shoots, unaware of the danger coiled just meters away.

The air was still. No wind. No warning.

We held our breath. Shoulders hunched. Hearts pounding. The tension was unbearable.

Then—movement.

One springbok froze. Eyes wide. Nostrils flared. The scent of death had arrived.

In a flash, alarm calls rang out. The trio clustered, calculating. Fight or flight? Left or right? Live or die?

And then—against all odds—they charged. Heads down, horns forward, sprinting straight at the cheetahs in a desperate, defiant gamble.

The Chase

What followed was a blur of motion and instinct. The cheetahs exploded into action, muscles rippling, dust flying, speed incarnate. I barely managed to lift my camera, heart racing faster than the shutter.

Click. Click. Click.

And then—one perfect frame. A cheetah at full tilt, every sinew stretched, eyes locked on its quarry. My first ever capture of a cheetah hunt. A moment I’ll treasure forever.

Nature doesn’t offer guarantees. But every now and then, it offers magic. This was one of those moments—raw, real, and utterly unforgettable.

It turned out to be the springboks lucky day, however I feel that if these cheetah had not fed on a red hartebeest a few days earlier it would have been a different story!

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I challenge you to book your bucketlist safari TODAY instead of waiting till “some day”, as that day may never arrive!

Till next time…