"Ingwe," one of the guides who parks next to our safari game vehicle tells Promise, our game driver.
"It's about 2 kilometres from here, with a kill," he tells her. "Hurry," he adds before speeding off to his next sighting with a group of tourists. Promise wastes no time, our adrenalin in overdrive.
Everyone inside the green coloured vehicle is eager with excitement, passing up the opportunity to capture images of elephants and buffalo to see the leopard.
It's my first time at Kruger National Park, and I am at the edge of my seat with anticipation. It is also the first time, if the animal remains in its original position, that I will see a leopard in the wild.
I've been to many game drives, but the elusive leopard always manages to evade me. When we arrive at the sighting spot, it takes me a while to spot the leopard, not even the binoculars prove helpful.
When I eventually spot the leopard, cleverly camouflaged between the lush thicket, it stares towards our direction, his face stern.
The leopard remains unbothered by the sound of clicking cameras and maintains his position.
When it finally moves, we see a glimpse of the giraffe calf he killed. He moves slowly at first, vigilant of his surroundings. He has to finish his dinner before the lions and hyenas try to steal the carcass.
As Promise and Lennox, the other game ranger in our vehicle, explain the characteristics of the leopard, I take it all in. Here I am during sunset watching a leopard feast. As the vehicle heads towards our sundowners spot, I relish in the fact that I officially lost my Kruger National Park virginity.
If my first encounter was anything to go by, I cannot wait to see what the next two days at Mdluli Safari Lodge will offer.
*Clinton Moodley was hosted by Cape Union Mart for their Festive Media Experience at Mdluli Safari Lodge.