We saw the lions the previous evening late on the banks of the Sabie River, about 4km from Lower Sabie towards Skukuza Camp in the Kruger National Park just lying on the sand in the river and they did not look like they wanted to go anywhere soon.

Forming an orderly line, this pride of twenty lions enjoyed its morning drink in perfect harmony. Cubs and adults together lapped the gentle waters of the River Sabie in Kruger National Park, South Africa. The wildlife photographer who captured the scenes described the ‘once in a lifetime event’ as ‘magical’. Bernhard Bekker, 40, said: ‘It’s just such an amazing moment. In 18 years I have not seen that ever – a whole pride drinking like this in full view – it’s unbelievable. ‘I had a thought that they might drink but I did not for one moment think that it might turn out this way.’

He added: ‘We saw the lions the previous evening. They were just lying on the sand in the river and they did not look like they wanted to go anywhere soon. So we decided to call it a day and return to camp. The next morning we rushed to get to the spot where we last saw them and there was no sign of the lions. I was quite disappointed and so were our guests in the vehicle. Then we decided to go up the river and start our day looking for leopards. About a half an hour later we returned towards the Lower Sabie camp and suddenly out of nowhere we saw the lions appearing on the beach out of the reeds.

Then the magic just happened – one by one these lions came down to the water and filled in the gaps next to each other. As they came in I counted them. Nineteen appeared then at the last moment before the first lioness raised her head the last baby came – making 20 – and they all started to drink. Our guests left the sighting in awe, we were completely speechless until we got back to the camp. The response on social media was amazing and I am very proud to have this shot in my collection. I’m also happy that I can share this with guests and nature lovers all over the world.