Some safari moments begin with a plan. Others begin with a quiet morning, a mist-covered road and a glimpse of something you almost miss. For Jabulani Guide Donovan Hulett, one such morning unfolded into a memorable leopard sighting, from a shadow in a tree to a stealthy crossing and an unexpected hunt in the long grass. In his own words, Donovan shares one of his favourite leopard encounters and the patience, instinct, and luck that made it a morning to remember.

Through a guides lens by Jabulani Guide Donovan Hulett

One of my favourite leopard sightings.

It was a very misty morning, a light drizzle and rather low temperature. We set out on game drive before the sun came up and didn’t have a plan for the morning. 

The beginning of drive was fairly quiet, until it wasn’t. 

We came around a bend in the road and something caught my eye. At first I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things are there actually was a leopard in a tree. 

We had found her, a female leopard in a tree. As we waited for the mist to clear she became clearer and clearer. 

The sun had now risen and she climbed down the tree. We continued to follow her for as long as we could. The bush was getting very thick and we couldn’t drive any further. Made the decision to get out of the bush and head back to the road in an attempt to relocate her on the other side of the block. It took us a while but we managed and wow did we have luck on our side. She approached the road very slowly and all of a sudden she went from being a cute leopard posing nicely into a stealth machine. Into a leopard crawl, across the road, past the cruiser and disappeared into the long grass. 

Now we had to watch very carefully for any movement. 

There she is. All we could see was the top of her ears. We hoped she would show herself again, she did. Eventually. 

Little did we know, she had gotten very close to an impala. We couldn’t see the impala but she definitely could. 

We waited about 30 minutes before she moved again and she made an incredible effort to catch the impala but unfortunately missed. 

We left her alone in the hopes she would catch something. 

Donovan’s encounter captures the unpredictability of time in the bush. A morning that began beneath mist and drizzle became an intimate view of a leopard moving with patience, precision and purpose. Although the hunt was unsuccessful, the sighting offered a powerful reminder that every moment on safari unfolds on nature’s terms.