Beauty in the heat at Tswalu Kalahari
There is very rarely such a thing as the perfect time for a safari – I believe you make the most of what you get. In the Kalahari it was really hot, but by getting out early and staying out late, I managed to have a great few days with my guests. We explored the vast Tswalu terrain, seeing big-horned big game and hungry lions as well as a myriad of other creatures. One of the highlights was working with tracker Siphiwe Mandleni. He not only has the eyes of a hawk and finds Pangolin tracks with ease, he has a superb ethic to the whole safari. I can safely say that this is down to his foundations which were laid in his time at the Tracker Academy. The holistic approach taken there has produced some fine young men and instilled the right approach to take tracking into the next generation. What better place to see this in action than on game drive in the red sands of the southern Kalahari! (Alastair)
Another hot day comes to a close in the Kalahari as a White-backed Vulture sets in to roost for the night.
Siphiwe Mandleni & Alastair taking a selfie!
A tired young lion after missing a warthog during the hunt.
This is one of the fun parts of the night at Tswalu – finding scorpions with a UV light!
Photographing a Rufous-cheeked Nightjar on the red sand track – always a good photographic challenge to get the light right.
Africa’s smallest raptor – this male was not distracted by the butterfly like I was.
Refreshing is an understatement at this point in summer!
A female Kudu peers at me from the ridge above the lodge – Korannaberg.
On Safari at Savanna Private Game Reserve
I have taken several trips to Savanna this past year and wanted to share some of the highlights of my time there. Although the game viewing is exceptional, it is the genuine warmth and friendliness of the staff that I enjoy most. They all have this wonderful ability to make you feel so at home I often have to remind myself I am actually working.
It really is all about the game though and that’s the impression you get from the passionate guides who go out of their way to make sure all expectations are met and, where possible, exceeded. Every safari is an adventure, from tracking game to the friendly banter between the vehicles. We are often the first to go out in the morning and the last to come back in the evenings, and that’s not because the guides are lost. Guests are often dragged away from tasty meals to race back out into the field to find themselves arriving at the perfect moment to observe an incredible sighting, and sometimes not. That is nature and it waits for no one but it’s always worth a try. There are very few camps where this still happens and unfortunately, it seems to be a dying service.
At Savanna there is a directly proportionate ratio of embellished camp fire stories to red wine, both of which are in never-ending supply. It does make it a little harder to get up in the mornings but with a fresh cup of coffee, the incredible wildlife and a little nap after brunch, you find yourself quite happily doing it all over again. These are the makings of a great safari.
A young female leopard killed a warthog piglet just before dark. After a brief scuffle with an opportunist hyena she managed to hoist it into a nearby tree.
Lions killed a wildebeest in the early morning, this was all that was left by the time we arrived. This hyena spent some time making sure every available piece of flesh and bone was removed.
Affection from an older sibling. These young lions were separated from the rest of the pride, we found them in early morning where they climbed up a termite mound right next to the vehicle and posed beautifully for us.
This young giraffe, with its umbilical chord still attached was running away from a large male leopard who had been watching it closely from the cover of a thicket.
Watching elephants swim is both fascinating and funny, these two bulls certainly wont be competing in a synchronized swimming event any time soon.
We discovered this male cheetah early one morning, he had caught a young impala lamb just before we got there and had started to feed. Seeing cheetah is always a bonus so we just sat patiently in the rain and enjoyed the sighting.
Under immense pressure, one can consider every sighting of rhino a modern day privilege. In South Africa alone close to a 1000 rhinos were poached in 2013 and in 2014 we have already lost 42. How do we stop this epidemic?
A pack of wild dogs on the hunt has to be one of the most thrilling experiences in the African bush.
One of my favourite things to do is spend time watching a large herd of buffalo. There is so much interaction between the different members of the herd, ox-peckers fluttering excitedly and the ever present threat of hunting lions.
The water hole at Savanna often attract herds of elephants, buffalo and lions. To see these animals from the comfort of the breakfast table is always a treat.
At the Foot of Mount Kenya
I just wanted to share a few shots from a very recent trip to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya – a perfect end to 2013. With huge views over the plains to Mount Kenya and straddling the Equator, its location is superb. I was not quite sure what to expect when I went, but was blown away by the people, landscape and the game. All the plains were packed with a great variety, most notably the endangered Grevy’s Zebra, ‘Jackson’s’ Hartebeest, Grant’s Gazelle and the exquisite Reticulated Giraffe. The marsh was always full of elephants, we saw lions daily and were also treated to a sighting of a pack of African Wild Dog that recently denned there. The birding was very good as we saw three species of harriers, African Cuckoo-hawk, Hunter’s Sunbird, loads of Tree Pipits in the woodland and a Jackson’s Widowbird lek (male display arena) – loads of classic East African birds. I did some lovely bush walks viewing elephants, buffalo and rhino on foot. I also visited the Northern White Rhino boma (where basically the last 3 of this subspecies that remain on the planet now live – very sad in fact). At every turn there was something new and I took great pleasure in seeing the herds of indigenous cattle that are used to graze the lush red grass grasslands in parts of the reserve. All in all a wonderful experience – can’t wait to be back again later this year. (Alastair).
The ‘joker’ of eagles in the savanna skies.
Rhinos and oxpeckers – Ol Pejeta.
This is one of Africa’s most attractive dragonflies – photographed along the Ewaso Nyiro River.
A male Speke’s Weaver attending his nests within the colony.
One of many lion we saw hunting the open plains at Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Eerie late afternoon in southern Laikipia.
One has to be up early to catch a glimpse of this incredible mountain.
Cape Town and beyond in spring…
Somehow the words ‘Cape’ and ‘good weather’ don’t seem to mix – this might be true in the mind, but hardly the reality of what I experienced this year whilst guiding a number of trips across the length and breadth of the Cape.
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves – my guests and I got down low to capture the beautiful detail in the immense diversity of wildflowers. We zoomed out far to get shots of endemic antelope, cavorting whales and the majestic grassland birds like the Blue Crane and the bustards. We froze to snap the elusive elephant shrew going about his business. We sat patiently to be rewarded with some action at a seabird colony and even more patiently to freeze the perfect frame at a waterhole in the Kalahari.
Although photography has not been the driving force behind the trips over the past 3 months, it all our eyes to a myriad of details and allowed us to sit back and marvel at the richness of life right here at the Southern Tip of Africa (even when we do have a few rainy or snowy days!).
Flower fusion – dazzling flowers around every turn in the Biedouw Valley
A classic over-the-shoulder glance on a morning game drive at Bushmans Kloof
One of the many poses to find in a field full of flowers
Intimidating White-breasted Cormorant on the Cape Town coast
Elephant Shrew snapped near its shelter in the Little Karoo
Sandgrouse squadron coming at high speed to a waterhole in the Kalahari
Guests enjoying the diversity and hidden treasures in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve
A stunning male Cape Rockjumper photographed in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve not far from Cape Town
Spurfowl and flowers – West Coast National Park
Groot Winterhoek Mountains north of Cape Town
Family Safari to Africa
The journey began at the Saxon Hotel where we enjoyed superior service and luxury, just what you need after a long transatlantic flight. After an early morning breakfast and a quick transfer to the Federal Air Lounge we soon found ourselves buzzing along at altitude heading towards the Sabi Sands.
Londolozi is world famous for leopard, but we were treated to some of the finest hospitality under the African sun. The game was plentiful to say the least, wild dog on our first afternoon, cheetah on the airstrip and herds of elephants in view from the camp. It was also the added touches of a craft beer tasting at sunset, the marvelous bush breakfast in the warmth of the winter sun that were greatly appreciated. Nothing was too much, even a round of golf was arranged in between game drives at the local course in Skukuza. Sitting in the Varty boma on our last evening being thoroughly entertained by talented guides by day and ambitious rock stars at night. It’s tough to leave a place that creates such everlasting memories and I know a few tears were shed.
A short hop down to Cape Town and we were soon settling in to our villa overlooking the vibrant Camps Bay scene. The African Penguin colony at Boulders Beach provided an effective, albeit short lived, distraction from the highlight of the day which was the fear-confronting experience of shark cage diving. The Apex Shark Expeditions team were exceptional and met every possible expectation; their passionnd their professionalism for what they do and how they do it is certainly a benchmark for the industry. We observed several different sharks throughout the afternoon satisfying our curiosity for these deadly predators. The day ended with an almighty breach by an enormous shark that resulted in a roar of cheers by the awestruck team.
Table Mountain and Cape Point on a windless sunny day is simply hard to beat. Sensational meals at The Test Kitchen, Bistrot Bizerca and La Petite Ferme brought rightful recognition to the mouth-watering meals that the chefs created. No trip is complete without a guided trip to the wine lands of Franschhoek to taste some of South Africa’s finest. Wine maker Gareth Hardres-Williams our, extremely knowledgeable guide for the day, chose some fantastic vineyards and kept us entertained with his humor and stories of his life as a game ranger.
Its amazing how many life-changing experiences can be accumulated in just eight short days. That is what Africa is all about, memories that will last a lifetime and stories that will grow by the day.
We were extremely fortunate to see a pack of wild dogs on our first afternoon. We spent some time trying to track them so it was really rewarding to find them and watch their natural behavior and eventually seeing them on an impala kill.
There is a magical moment that happens when you invite people to get off the vehicle and to walk amongst a journey of giraffe. Their faces start with a fascinating look of disbelief morphing into a child like gleam on Christmas morning. It really is a wonderful experience and a allows one to experience just how tall these giants are.
It is always good to give animals their space and watch stories unfold. We watched this mother leopard looking for her cub. Patiently waiting and respecting her pursuit, we were rewarded a wonderful scene of a the cub running towards his mother and watching them reunite and share the special moment with them.
Our ranger and tracker team Tom and Jerry, did an outstanding job using their skills to track and find these magnificent males. To be sitting so close in an open vehicle next to these super predators is an experience that makes the long distance travel to get to Africa completely worth it.
World class guide,Tom Imrie has been at Londolozi for the last 10 years. Formerly a golf pro, he really made the trip for us with a round of golf alongside hippos, giraffe and the green trimming warthogs. The golf course at Skukuza, who’s scorecard sports an amazing image of a lioness eating a buffalo on the fairway is a wonderful experience that Tom managed to squeeze in between our morning and afternoon safari.
Its always best to get up early to enjoy the spectacular views from the cable car on Table Mountain.
Rock Hyrax enjoying the view from the top of Table Mountain. These cute little animals spend their mornings basking in the sun much to all the photographers delight.
These comical birds are easily seen at Boulders Beach and is a popular spot for most tourists to visit. What people don’t realize is there are less than 20 000 African Penguins remaining in South Africa.
We had a phenomenal shark cage diving experience with Apex. The team were outstanding and went out of their way to make sure we had the best time. A four meter great white breaching with with such speed and ferocity is something we will never forget.
A special thanks to Jimi Partington from the Apex team who shared his incredible sequence of images with us.
Seeing great whites in action like this is a thrilling experience. Add that to the natural predations which take place around Seal Island and spending time underwater watching them glide effortlessly through the frigid Cape Water is an absolute must if you visit Cape Town.
Congo-Kalahari: From Primates to Pangolins
We set out to create a unique safari, possibly the first of its kind, to experience the diversity of the African continent. For seasoned African travellers, the goal was to find the ultimate guided wildlife adventure combining iconic fauna and flora without compromising comfort and luxury.
Our first stop was the heart of the West African rainforest Odzala National Park in the Republic of Congo, where Wilderness Safaris has bravely ventured to encourage tourism to the area which will help protect the endangered Western Lowland Gorillas and provide much needed employment for the local villagers.
During our stay at Lango Camp we walked ancient elephant pathways, viewed forest buffalo on foot, birded the Lekoli River by boat and spent hours wandering through massive tracts of pristine rainforest.
At Ngaga camp we tracked and spent time with the endangered gorillas. Gorilla researcher and expert Dr Magda Bermejo was on hand to interpret the interesting behavior which we witnessed whilst out in the field. Whist out walking we also heard the excited calls of wild chimpanzees as they engulfed the ripened fruits of nearby tree unfortunately we didn’t get to see them.
Then we were off to Tswalu Kalahari, which couldn’t be more contrasting with wide open spaces, red sand, starry nights and a cool winter dryness. Winter is a fantastic time to visit the Kalahari, spending time with aardvark on foot and with the habituated meerkat groups is a truly unforgettable experience. Thanks to the team at Tarkuni Villa who made our stay extra special we couldn’t have asked for more.
We spent a morning on a boat cruising the Lekoli River which is a great way to see birds and animals. This forest buffalo allowed us to get a few photos before moving off.
A small herd of the colourful forest buffalo on the edge of the Lango Bai. It is always a good idea to have some distance between yourself and the animals you are viewing.
Walking the elephant boulevard, at Lango Camp with our guide Karl Diakite. This ancient trail is still followed by elephants today to get to the saline bai right in front of the camp.
This Western Lowland Gorilla was just hanging a round on a small branch above our heads.
It is not always easy to get a good sighting of the lowland gorillas, after hours of tracking and some patience we got to see some incredible interaction between these two individuals.
One of the most unique activities that is best done in the South African winter is to spend time on foot with an aardvark as he goes about his search for food in the early afternoons.
Its one of those creatures you hear about but most people never get to see. We were extremely fortunate and special thanks to the team work from the guides at Tswalu to make this dream a reality. What an amazing animal!!!
This incredible little gem, a Marico Sunbird was photographed outside The Motse lodge on Tswalu Kalahari.
We watched a small group of wildebeest come down to drink at a small waterhole. It was a windy day and a gust of wind spooked them and they ran right through the water.
One of my favourite things to do at Tswalu is spend time with these magnificent little creatures. The habituated groups of meerkats provide hours of entertainment and a brilliant photographic opportunity.
