RIP Kisaru

Early this morning, I heard the bad news that female cheetah Kisaru, resident in the Mara North Conservancy of Kenya, has been tragically killed by lions.

Portrait of Kisaru

We were privileged to experience a fantastic sighting of Kisaru during our Mara trip in 2019.

At the time, she was heavily pregnant, and she raised a litter of six cubs.  She later raised more litters, and was a very successful hunter and mother.

Kisaru was the a star during that trip.

It is always distressing to learn of the loss of a special animal such as Kisaru.

The life of a wild cheetah is never easy, and each day of survival is a win.  Unfortunately, the world is now a lesser place for this loss of this magnificent cheetah.

RIP, Kisaru.

What Makes a Great Wildlife Image?

Introduction

In my last article, I discussed what makes a great safari.

In this article, I will discuss what makes a great wildlife image.

Firstly, as I discussed in my last article, you need to be in the right place at the right time, which comes down to a combination of planning and sheer luck.

To me, there are four kinds of great wildlife images:

1. a frame-filling, up-close facial portrait of an animal;
2. an image of an animal doing something interesting, in its natural habitat;
3. a combination of a clean portrait and a story; and
4. an artistic image.

The four types of images are very different, and have their own strengths.

When I started with African wildlife photography, I wanted the frame-filling portraits, and I captured a few very pleasing images that show a tremendous amount of detail about the animal‘s face, with a smooth, creamy background.

I use a 300mm f/2.8 lens and a 400mm f/2.8 lens for wildlife photography.  The long focal lengths and wide apertures allow me to fill the frame with the subject, and blur the background — sometimes almost out of existence.

Combined with the 1.4x and 2x extenders that I have, I can achieve focal lengths of 420mm, 560mm, 600mm and 800mm, and I have used all of these focal lengths for my wildlife images.

The longest focal lengths of 600mm and 800mm have allowed me to achieved some very pleasing images, both by closing the distance and blurring the background.

With birds in particular, I tend to favour the longest focal lengths that I have, as even at short distances, such focal lengths are needed to fill the frame with a small subject.

While I love these kinds of images, they can have their limitations.

The reality is that some images like that could have been captured in zoos.  I know this, because I have captured frame-filling portraits in zoos, as well as in the wild.  My images captured in the wild could have been captured in zoos, and my images captured in zoos could have been captured in the wild.

There is no context; there is no environment in which the animal is depicted.

The main difference, which is typically seen in images of lions, is that wild lions are not perfect.  They engage in battles and permanently carry injuries as a result of their conflicts.  Animals that were born in captivity and never had to fight for food, mating rights or territory are picture-perfect and unblemished.

The other difference is that some animals are not found in zoos.

Animal Portraits

I love portraits of wild animals, shot tightly with long focal lengths, filling the subject with the frame, obscuring or obliterating the background, and showing the fine details of the animal‘s face.

One of my favourite animal portraits is this image of the late male lion, Ximpoko.

The King’s Face

I captured this image of Ximpoko during our first safari in Africa, back in 2012.  He was also the first male lions that we saw in the wild.  He was a very large, heavy lion, and was reputedly the largest male lions in the Timbavati at the time.

This image depicts his detail-laden face, shows his age and experience, and allows the viewer to look right into his intense eyes.  We have a large print of this image on our lounge room wall.

Could this image have been captured in a zoo?  No.  It is clear from Ximpoko‘s injuries that he had encountered numerous battles in his time, and that he was a wild lion rather than a lion in captivity.

Another favourite portrait image was this image of female cheetah Kisaru, captured in the Mara North Conservancy of Kenya during our 2019 trip.

Portrait of Kisaru

In this image, Kisaru dominates the frame, and the soft, late afternoon light accentuates the rich colour of her eyes.

Kisaru was perched on a mound at the time, and the combination of a long 600mm focal length, relatively wide aperture and subject distance allowed for nice background blur.

Could this image have been captured in a zoo?  Possibly.  Some zoos have cheetahs, but capturing an image like this, depicting a captive cheetah, is not as easy to achieve, given that man-made objects are in abundance at zoos, and lighting conditions such as this are typically not experienced during zoo operating hours.

Another pleasing animal portrait that I captured, again during our first safari, was female leopard Rockfig Jr.

Observation

This is a profile portrait, shot tightly using a 300mm lens wide-open at f/2.8.  The relatively long focal length, wide aperture of f/2.8, short subject distance of 7.37m and longer distance between Rockfig Jr and the background allowed me to achieve a very smooth, creamy background, which isolates Rockfig Jr‘s face and eliminates all distracting subject matter in the background.

One of my more recent animal portraits was captured during our most recent trip, in Sabi Sand Wildtuin, South Africa.

It was a very wet morning, and we headed out despite the inclement weather.  We spotted several nyalas in the scrub to the side of the road, and I wanted to photograph them.

This is one of the images that I captured:

Nyala in the Rain

I like this animal portrait because not only does the nyala fill the frame, but it is shot in flat, even lighting, has a relatively clean, blurred background, and also shows the relentless rain that we had encountered during that morning.

A particularly pleasing image that I captured our first trip to Kenya in 2015 was this image of a lilac-breasted roller:

Lilac-Breasted Roller

It was late in the afternoon and the light was warm.  The subject was perched on a branch, and the rich green colour of the grass in the background was appealing, forming a striking contrast against the subject.  Using the 800mm focal length, I was able to achieve a very clean, frame-filling portrait of the lilac-breasted roller.

I have many more animal portraits, but these examples demonstrate the qualities that I like about such images, and make them visually strong and striking.

What they do not do, however, is tell much of a story, or necessarily portray the animals in their natural habitats.

This brings me to the next type of great wildlife image: the story shot.

Story Shots

In as much as I love the clean, frame-filling portraits that I have just discussed, over the years, I learned to capture the story shots.  These are the images in which a wild animal is doing something interesting, and in which the animal‘s natural environment is depicted for context.

For a photographer such as myself, who seeks clean images free of distracting or displeasing subject matter, capturing story shots is somewhat harder, because the environment in which something interesting is taking place is not always aesthetically pleasing.

Some of the issues with which to contend are bright areas, messy foliage, branches or leaves obscuring some of the animal, or even random subject matter such as logs, rocks and bushes on the ground, all of which can detract from an image.

It is to be remembered that wildlife photography takes place in nature; the ‘perfection’ and precise control over the scene and lighting, which are easily achieved in a studio environment, simply do not exist in nature.

One must work with what is there, and try to manage it as best as possible by changing positions, focal lengths or composition.

Story shots are far more interesting than portraits, for the obvious reason that they tell a story.

Here are some examples of my story shots in the African wilderness.

During our first trip to Kenya in 2015, we had encountered a large herd of Cape buffalo.  I was trying to isolate one buffalo within the herd, which itself was difficult.

What I did not realise while shooting at that sighting in the Mara North Conservancy is that I had captured an interesting image which told a story.  I only discovered the image several days later.

Lift Off

I had managed to isolate a buffalo, but I also captured a very interesting moment.

It is a story shot, as it depicts a grumpy-looking buffalo (these animals are very grumpy and very aggressive) which is being constantly pestered by flies and other insects, immersed in a crowd of other grumpy bovines, but most interestingly, with an oxpecker having just launched into flight from the top of the buffalo‘s head.

It is a busy scene, and there are flies everywhere; but it still tells a story of a Cape buffalo‘s existence.

During our first trip to Africa, I was fortunate enough to capture a moment in which two impala bucks were sparring.   Impala bucks will engage in battles for dominance and mating rights.

In this image, I captured the clashing of heads.

Headbangers

These two impalas were not engaged in serious battle, but were play-fighting, sizing each other up.

One of the highlights of our Maasai Mara safari in 2015 was the sighting of mating leopards.  It was a first-time experience for us, and during the encounter, I captured an image of the female in thick scrub as the male was making advances.

Growl of the Leopardess

This is definitely a story shot, as it depicts the displeased female snarling and showing aggression towards the advancing male.  It was not an easy image to capture, as the setting was dark, and the environment in which the female leopard was sheltered was messy and distracting.  However, it tells a story, and depicts a moment in time, and a moment in nature.

During our Maasai Mara trip in 2019, there was something in the air, as we saw lots of mating activity.

One particular sighting resulted in a pleasing image which tells a story.

Gimme Some Action

A particularly excited male wildebeest was running around, trying to mate with the females.  It was quite a funny sight, as he was all over the place, grunting and trying as best as he could to capture the interest of the resident females.

In this image, I captured him standing at attention on multiple counts!

While I used a 300mm lens for this image, the subject distance was sufficient for the environment to be depicted, with other wildebeest scattered around, and a view of the open plains of the Maasai Mara.

During our Maasai Mara trip in 2019, we were fortunate on one afternoon/evening game drive to have a lengthy and exclusive sighting of female cheetah Kisaru.

We were in the northern part of the Mara North Conservancy, close to the Mara River, and we were on our own, with no other safari vehicles in sight.

It is unusual not to encounter other safari vehicles at a cheetah sighting, but we were fortunate on that occasion.

Kisaru had been resting on a mound, and eventually decided to get up and stretch before moving on.

Evening Stretch

This is very typical cat behaviour, and by shooting an interesting moment with a wider focal length, I was able to place Kisaru in her environment doing what she naturally does.

Also during that same trip, we were very privileged on one morning to witness the Offbeat Pride lions feasting on a buffalo that was taken down earlier in the morning.

Table Manners

This image depicts the pride male and one of the pride’s females feasting on their kill, with other lions joining in the pandemonium.

While it is a tightly-framed image captured with the 600mm focal length, it tells the story of a lion pride feasting on a kill, with the male gorging himself and one of the females snarling, with her face messy from the savagery of her feasting.

During our most recent trip, on this occasion in Sabi Sand Wildtuin, we encountered two male zebras fighting.

I have not captured many photos of zebras during our trips to Africa, as while there are plenty of them, most of the time, they do not do anything interesting.

On this occasion, however, two male zebras got into a fierce fight.

Clash

Males fight for dominance and mating rights, and in this image, one of the zebras clearly has the upper hand.

The action was certainly noticed by the impala herd in the background.

I love the action in this image, and the story that it tells.  The fighting stallions are in their natural environment, which the image depicts; and the position of the zebras is perfect and visually appealing.  It is especially appealing to me because zebras generally do not do much of photographic interest, and I captured a moment that I had never seen before.

One of the most exciting sightings that we have experienced was that of female leopard Makhomsava, who had captured and killed a scrub hare and scrambled up a tree to protect herself and her kill from a hyena that was on the ground at the base of the tree.

Dinner Time

This image depicts a brief moment as Makhomsava, with her kill in her mouth, standing in the bough of a tree before she quickly climbed higher to safety and began to devour her meal.

The next type of wildlife image combines the qualities of a clean, frame-filling portrait and the story.

Combinations of Clean Portraits and the Story

To capture an image which ticks two proverbial boxes can take it to the next level, and I have been fortunate to have captured several images which exhibit the aesthetic appeal that I desire, as well as the story and the interest.

During an afternoon game drive on our Maasai Mara safari in 2015, we happened across a pied kingfisher bouncing up and down to the side of the road.  We stopped for only a very brief amount of time, and I fired the shutter release button on my camera only twice.  This was the result of one of those shutter releases:

Suspended

This image was the result of pure luck, and depicts the interesting behaviour of the pied kingfisher as it bobbed up and down in the air, whilst set against a clean background which isolates the subject.

Also during that same trip, we were privileged to spend some time with elephants, and I captured two of them engaging in ‘trunk wrestling’.

Trunk Wrestling

Using my 400mm f/2.8 lens wide-open, I was able to get right in close to the action, and capture the story of these two elephants engaging in bonding.

The background is nice and blurry, but it shows the vast plains of the Maasai Mara set against a rich blue sky, while the story of elephants playing and bonding is the dominant, frame-filling element.

One of the more unusual images that I captured was during a trip to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya during our 2019 trip.

Peekaboo

This image fills the frame with the subject, but most interestingly depicts unusual behaviour.  This hyena was hiding in the hollowed trunk of a large tree.

Hyenas are aggressive, dominant predators that rarely show signs of timidness and apprehension, and this particular hyena appears to be vulnerable and frightened, choosing to hide within the hollow tree trunk.

An image that I had long desired to capture was that of an African leopard posing beautifully on a mound in warm light, with a clean background.

It took ten years for me to land such a shot, but I achieved that goal during Sabi Sand Wildtuin trip in 2022.

The star of that safari was a female leopard called Tiyani.  As it turned out, we enjoyed five sightings of Tiyani over the seven-day trip, and on the fifth day, the opportunity for a long-desired image was finally realised.

Tiyani Surveying

Leopards love to rest of mounds, and cat, big and small, love height, as it allows them to survey their surroundings.

Tiyani had been located on a mound, and during the warm afternoon light, she posed beautifully on her mound, looking around, and occasionally looking at us.

Finally, I was able to capture an image of a leopard on a mound in warm light, with a clean background.

During the same Sabi Sand Wildtuin trip in 2022, we were privileged to experience several sightings of African wild dogs.  These are critically endangered, and we had never seen them in the wild until that trip.

During one great sighting at a dam, I landed this image of one of the African wild dogs of the Ottawa Sand Pack:

You Have My Attention

This image also illustrates the the combined qualities of a clean image with a story unfolding.

This African wild dog had lowered its head and was moving towards whatever captured its attention.  It shows the behaviour of African wild dogs that are in hunting mode, whilst being isolated against the background and shot from a low angle.

Artistic Images

The final type of image that I consider to be a great wildlife image is the artistic image.  Such images depict a strong subject in its natural environment, but take on a more artistic aesthetic.

In my experience, an affective way of achieving such an image is to depict the subject in silhouette.

During our Maasai Mara safari in 2015, we headed south to the Maasai Mara National Reserve.  On the way, early in the morning, we saw some distant giraffes.

We decided to capture what was unfolding in front of us.  A mother and her calf were strolling across the Mara plains, and rays of sunlight were streaming through the cloud-land sky.

Here is the image that I captured:

Wait for Me, Mum!

To me, this image has all of the elements of a great artistic wildlife image.  Furthermore, it combines a frame-filling subject, a great story, and an artistic aesthetic.

Several years later, back in the Mara, I again employed the use of silhouette to depict female cheetah Kisaru against the rich sky as the sun was setting.

Kisaru in Silhouette

Other Considerations

I have presented a range of my African wildlife images from what I consider to be the four categories of great wildlife images.

However, no matter what type of image is desired, there are various factors to take into consideration.

Firstly, there is the light.

The most appealing wildlife images are captured early in the morning, or late in the afternoon, which are the times during which the sun is low in the sky, resulting in warm, appealing light, and avoiding the glary, bleached conditions and harsh shadows of broad daylight.

The quality of light during the periods of twilight that begin and conclude the day also make for great wildlife images.

Not only are the early and late hours of the day the most visually appealing, but they are also the times during which animals tend to be more active.

The next consideration is angles.

Sometimes, it is literally a matter of inches between a good image and a great image.  Changing one’s position ever so slightly can really make a difference.

One of the most important angles is the vertical angle.  In safari vehicles, photographers are positioned higher, which means that most of the time, they are looking down on the animals.  A downward-facing angle is not very appealing, and the more pleasing wildlife images are captured from the animal‘s height.

Unfortunately, this is not always possible; but depending on the environment, it may be possible to be positioned higher or lower, in line with the subject.

One way of achieving this is by using distance.  The greater the distance, the less pronounced is the height difference between the photographer and the subject.  Of course, a greater distance between the photographer and the subject means that longer focal lengths are needed in order to close the gap and make the subject more prominent.

Horizontal angles are important, too.  Consider the position of the sun.  Great wildlife images can be captured from various angles relative to the sun.  Shooting into the sun is one option, and can result in rim lighting around the subject.  Shooting into the sun also allows the subject to be depicted in silhouette.

Side lighting reveals shape and form and can make a three-dimensional subject actually look three-dimensional in a two-dimensional image.

The next consideration is focal length.

Various focal lengths from ultra-wide to very long telephoto can be used to great effect in wildlife images.

Wildlife photography is typically the domain of long lenses, with focal lengths from 300mm to 800mm.  Longer lenses are used primarily due to distances from the subjects.  Sometimes it is not possible to be close due to the wildlife being dangerous, skittish or otherwise impossible to be near due to environmental factors such as rugged terrain or water.  Some kinds of wildlife is small, and the difficulty is compounded by some small fauna being flighty.

Additionally, it is necessary to maintain a healthy distance out of respect for the wildlife.  While it may be possible to get close, it is not necessarily a good idea.

Other than the ability to close the distance between the subject and the photographer, the use of long focal lengths also allows the subject to occupy most or all of the frame.  I earlier discussed the kinds of frame-filling portraits that I like to capture, and these were all captured with longer focal lengths.

However, the use of long focal lengths can sometimes be a disadvantage.  If an animal is being photographed from a distance with a long focal length, and that animal decides to move towards the photographer, the opportunity for an image may be lost.

This has happened to me several times.

On one occasion, I was using my 400mm lens to photograph a lioness in the Mara North Conservancy of Kenya.  She was out in the open, and the warm sun was behind us.  The lioness saw an opportunity to seek some shade from our vehicle, and walked right towards us, stopping outside the 4WD, at which point she looked right at me.  My 400mm lens was quite useless at that point!

More recently, we were photographing a large elephant bull in the rain in Sabi Sand Wildtuin, South Africa.  While we had distance from the elephant, the elephant was constantly on the move, and kept closing the gap between us, which meant that I could not depict the whole elephant within the frame.  Consequently, we had to drive away and re-position ourselves so that the elephant was further away, giving us time to compose our images.

Wider focal lengths can be very handy when an animal is close, but wider focal lengths can also be used to great effect to position an animal in its natural habitat, which aids in telling the story.  Depicting an animal with less prominence in the frame, but within the context of its environment, can result in a stronger image.

In addition to focal length, the aperture of a lens is an important consideration.  Wide apertures have multiple benefits: they allow for subject isolation, smaller depth of field, shorter shutter speeds and easier composition and visibility before capturing the image.

As a lot of wildlife photography can be conducted in low light or other darker conditions, wide apertures are very beneficial.

Finally, an important consideration is shutter speed.

There is nothing more useless than a wildlife image in which the subject is unintentionally blurred.  A sufficiently fast shutter speed is necessary in order to ensure a sharp image, particularly when the light is low, or when the subject is moving, or worse: both.

The use of longer focal lengths, which magnify both subject and photographer movement, requires faster shutter speeds.  Combined with low light and subject movement, it may be necessary to increase the ISO rating of the camera so that a suitably fast shutter speed can be maintained for the conditions.

Light, angles, distances, focal lengths, apertures and shutter speeds can all be used, both singularly and in combination, to achieve great wildlife images.  Sometimes adjusting some or all of these attributes is necessary in order to overcome a technical challenge; and at other times, these attributes can be used creatively for a desired aesthetic or story-telling effect.

Conclusion

Throughout this article, I have outlined in words and images what I consider to be four kinds of great wildlife images.  In addition, I have outlined some other factors that need to be taken into consideration for creating great wildlife images.

For me, the never-ending pursuit of creating great wildlife images will continue, but not soon enough!

What Makes a Great Safari?

Introduction

After a long hiatus, and having recently resumed my series of articles covering each day of our last safari in Sabi Sand Wildtuin in October and November of 2022, Africa has occupied my mind again, and I am wanting to re-live it, and re-experience it.

In fact, we have already decided upon our next African trip, and have already spoken to our friend and chosen safari leader about it.  I will not say more about it for now, as it is early days; but it all starts with an ambition, which then forms a goal, which hopefully leads to the realisation of that goal.

During an early morning walk today, what came to me was the idea of outlining what makes a great safari.

Quite a lot, actually.

I have discussed in lengthy detail the adventures of our four African trips to date, but I have never discussed what it is about safaris that appeals to me; so firstly, here is the story of our safari journey.  Then, I will explore what makes a great safari.

There is no bad safari, really.  Being on an African safari is an experience that no words, images or videos can do any amount of justice.  It really is something that one must experience.  Documenting the safari, of course, is an important part of that; but that merely enhances the experience.

Our Story

I have been a photographer for many years now.  Until 2012, I was not, and did not consider myself to be, a wildlife photographer.  Sure, I had captured a few images of wildlife here and there, but that was merely dabbling, or opportunistic.

As a photographer, I had focused predominantly on shooting seascapes at dawn, and had been doing that for several years, plus a few other forms of photography.  Shooting seascapes was my main photographic interest, and I would frequently venture to the coast in the dark, pre-dawn hours on weekends in order to be there for first light.

In 2012, an unexpected event changed the course of my photography, and my own course, perhaps.

We were invited to a wedding.  Sure, plenty of people are invited to weddings, but the bride is a South African expatriate, and she decided to have her wedding in South Africa.

At the time, I had not ventured abroad since the year 2000, and the world had changed.  I was not across the ways of international travel, and in fact, I did not have a current passport at the time.

We were going to South Africa, a country that I had never visited, on a continent that I had never visited, and about which I knew very little.

When people think of travelling to Africa, the first thought that comes to mind is the quintessential African safari.  It is just what people do, so we decided that yes, we needed to go on a safari.

Knowing that we were going to South Africa, I took more notice of wildlife images, particularly on 500px, and I had been looking at the work of wildlife photographer and safari leader Mario Moreno of South Cape Images.  We contacted Mario, told him of our plans, and before we knew it, we had booked our first safari.

It was a short safari of three nights over four days, as we would be in South Africa for around two weeks, with the wedding being the reason for the trip.  We actually made three holidays of the one trip, with time in Cape Town and the Western Cape being the other chapter.

Our safari was in the Motswari Private Game Reserve, part of the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, which is distinctive for being the only wildlife environment in the world in which can be found the exceedingly rare white lions.  We did not see them — they are rare, after all.

Our guide at Motswari was Chad Cocking, an outstanding wildlife photographer and passionate field guide. Chad, on the other hand, has seen, and photographed, white lions.

Our first game drive of our first African safari brought us into the presence of a male leopard called Makepisi.  We experienced four days of magic, and like an addictive drug, we were hooked.

That was how it began.

Three years later, we re-united with Mario for our second trip to Africa, but this time, the destination was the Maasai Mara region of Kenya.  It was vastly different environment and a vastly different experience, but it was an incredible trip which brought us unforgettable sightings, experiences and images.

A long four years later, we returned to the Mara with Mario again, staying at the same luxury camp in the Mara North Conservancy, and going out again every day with Francis Koome, who had been our guide during our first Mara trip.

A few years later, the itch needed to be scratched again, and we were again in discussions with Mario on our next trip.  We chose South Africa, but the plan was to head to the premier destination of Sabi Sand Wildtuin, a fair way south of the Timbavati, and known for its leopard population and sightings.

Our guide this time was Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Harmer, and the trip brought us many incredible experiences and sightings, and many first-time experiences and sightings.

So, that is our story so far.

The Key Ingredients in a Great Safari

Now, what makes a great safari?

A lot goes into a great safari.

Firstly, there is the location.  Various parts of Africa are famous for their wildlife populations and scenery, and a great safari begins with the destination.

We have been to three of Africa‘s greatest wildlife sanctuaries, and captured the wildlife for which they are known; but there are so many other great locations, too.

A great safari leads a great safari leader — someone who knows Africa, who has experience, who has knowledge, who has the contacts, and who can arrange the entire safari and bring clients the best possible experience.

For us, that person is Mario Moreno.  Mario was born in South Africa, and his business is providing safaris for photographers.

Many people go on safaris, but many of them are tourists, or ‘bucket list’ tickers.  Of course, many are photographers, and Mario‘s business caters specifically for this type of safari-goer.

To us, Mario is a friend, not just a safari leader.  We have gone on four safaris with him, and we have got to know him well over the decade worth of safaris.

In addition to a great safari leader, a necessary ingredient is a great field guide; and we have been privileged to be with the best.

In the Timbavati, we had Chad Cocking, a great photographer and very experienced guide.

In the Mara, we had Francis Koome twice, and that man has forgotten more about the Mara than we have ever known.

In the Sabi, we had Gabe Harmer, with whom I am still frequently in contact even today.  He is passionate about wildlife, and has developed his wildlife photography in the process.

A good guide will find the wildlife and deliver the amazing experiences.

In South Africa, guides are accompanied by trackers, who sit on a small chair affixed to the front of the safari 4WDs.  The trackers literally track animals, and can quickly tell if a lion has been in the area recently.  The tracker is essential to the experience, and works closely with the guide.

In Kenya, the art of tracking is not used so much; instead, there are spotters.  In our case, Francis was both the guide and the spotter.  The Mara plains are vast and expansive, and finding wildlife is mostly a visual exercise.

Another part of the safari experience is the lodge.  We have mostly stayed at high-end safari lodges and camps within private concessions and conservancies.  These wildlife reserves, although unfenced and natural parts of the world, are privately managed, with conservation and research being fundamental to their existences as managed wildlife sanctuaries.

Unlike Kruger National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve, day-trippers cannot simply visit; in the private concessions, safari-goers are staying within one of the established lodges or camps.

These are expensive.  Even the lower-priced lodges and camps can approach $1,000 per night per person, and the ultra-high-end lodges can cost $3,000 to $4,000 per night per person.

These run on the concept of full board, which means that accommodation, all meals and two daily game drives are all included in the price.

Still, it is very expensive; but the benefits of staying in private reserves are significant, and in our experience, they are worth it.

Firstly, because these reserves are very carefully managed, the numbers of visitors, and therefore vehicles, are kept small.  This means that sightings are not crowded, and that the presence of humans and man-made vehicles are not disruptive to the wildlife.  The environmental impact is substantially smaller.

What private reserves also allow is off-road access.  In the public reserves, safari vehicles must stay on the established roads.  Deviating off-road can result in substantial fines and other penalties.  The sightings, while they can be great, are much less controlled and much less accessible.  If the action is happening 200 metres away from the road, then being close is not possible.

We have twice been in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which, while it is the same ecosystem as the Mara North Conservancy, has vastly different conditions, with many safari vehicles visiting, and great sightings statistically lower.  We have, however, had great sightings and captured great images in the Maasai Mara National Reserve; but in the Mara North Conservancy, the quality is much higher.

In private reserves, big cats walk right past the safari vehicles.  We have had cheetahs, leopards and lions all right outside our vehicles as they made their way to wherever they wanted to be.  That can and does happen in the public reserves, but the chances are much lower, and the crowds are much higher.

A crucial part of our safari experience has been our exclusive use of private 4WD vehicles.

The 4WDs belong to the lodges and camps.

These vehicles are equipped with three rows of seats, each accommodating three people.  There is also the front passenger seat.

What this means is that there can be ten guests in a vehicle, plus the guide and tracker on the front.

That comes with a lot of undesirable consequences.

Firstly, we carry a lot of bulky gear.  There is nowhere to store it when the vehicle is full of guests.  When we go out with Mario, we each have a row to ourselves, which allows plenty of room for big lenses, backpacks and whatever else we bring.

It also means that we can freely move around the vehicle. If the action is happening on one side of the vehicle, we can easily slide over to that side.  If two other people were there, they would be in the way, and our lenses would either be obstructed from seeing the action, or they would be bumping people’s heads.  Not good.

What the use of private vehicles also allows us is freedom.  We can head out earlier, come back later, and go wherever we want.  With six other people in the vehicle, each with their own wants and needs, we would not necessarily be able to capture the kinds of images that we want, or enjoy the kinds of sightings that we want.

We like to shoot landscape images, and that is a big part of our Mara trips.  In a vehicle full of people, that probably would not happen.  We were generally always the first to head out into the plains under the cover of darkness, which was before some guests were even up.  We would come back late, and on both Mara trips, we went much further south into the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which meant that it was an all-day trip.  We took food with us, and were away from camp until evening twilight.

We could not have visited the main reserve if we were in a vehicle full of people.

Even within the private reserves, we could take the road less travelled.  Tourists on safaris might want to see lions and that is it.  We want to see everything, and photograph everything.  Yes, the big cats are of significant interest, but I am happy to photograph birds, Cape buffalo and anything, really.

During our 2019 trip to the Mara, we were at a buffalo kill.  The Offbeat Pride had taken a large bovine in the darkness, and we were on the scene, along with three or four other safari vehicles, as the lions, including a large pride male, were feasting.

Mario and Francis, who know lion behaviour, recognised that the pride male was done, as he was showing signs that he was going to venture off for a drink and a rest in a thicket.

While the females and cubs were still feasting, we took off at seemingly the speed of light, but in reality, no more than 40km/h.  In the African wilderness, 40km/h is high speed.  I can only imagine that the other safari-goers in the other vehicles were dumbfounded at why we would suddenly evacuate the scene of a lion pride feasting.

What they did not know was what we were doing.  Francis knew where the pride male was heading, so we intercepted him by getting onto the other side of a creek and positioned ourselves to see the pride male descend the bank, have a drink, and climb up the opposite bank, right towards us!  We experienced the sighting, and landed the images that nobody else achieved on that morning.

It would not have been possible without our own vehicle.

Unfortunately, securing a private vehicle is either impossible or very expensive.  Many lodges in South African reserves no longer offer private vehicles, and the few that do will charge for every seat.  It is to be remembered that these vehicles are intended for ferrying a full load of paying guests around the reserves, not just the two of us plus Mario; so there is a financial impact to the lodge if the vehicle is not full.

To secure a private vehicle in Sabi Sand Wildtuin came at a cost of several thousand dollars.  That was on top of everything else.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! It drives up the cost substantially, but as I have outlined, it gives us exclusive access and sightings, experiences and images that others do not achieve, and we have the flexibility, space, time and freedom of choice.  It is priceless.

Part of the African safari experience is the lodge or camp life.  Staying at one of these eco-friendly lodges or camps is amazing and intense, with great food, surroundings and company.  While we enjoy all of that, the reality is that we are out in the field for most of our time.  The lodge or camp is where we eat, sleep, drink and do life maintenance.

For me, there is little rest during a safari, as I am on a constant high during the whole time.  I cannot just sit back in a deck chair and stare out into the plains; that is not me.  I am processing and publishing images, making multiple backups of our images, managing the gear and generally running around doing anything other than nothing.

For us, the accommodation is the least important part of the safari experience.  As I say, if the accommodation is important, book the penthouse in a high-end hotel and stay there for the whole time.  We want to be in the wilderness, surrounded by wildlife.

One more essential ingredient in a great safari is the timing.  The destination and the time go together.  Sure, in some places, wildlife can be spotted at any time of the year, but for events such as the Great Migration, it is all about the timing.  There is a natural cycle to the Great Migration, and one must be in the right place at the right time in order to witness it.

While we have not gone to the Maasai Mara specifically for that incredible event, we did witness the beginnings of it during our 2019 trip, when we saw a lot of plains game that had already crossed the Sand River into Kenya, from Tanzania to the south.

Conclusion

As this lengthy article has outlined, what makes a great safari is a combination of factors.

We have the location, the timing, the safari leader, the guide, the lodge, and, in our case, a differentiator: private 4WD vehicles.

Having the right people, and being in the right places at the right times, will result in the sightings, experiences and images that we want.

Along the way, there was much to be learned, and I have learned several important lessons in this last decade of safaris.

Firstly, as much as it is pleasing to capture a frame-filling portrait of a big cat set against a blurry background, it is important to tell a story.  Look for the ‘story shots’ that reveal the real African wilderness.  Place an animal in its environment, doing something interesting.  A photo of an antelope grazing is rather boring, but an image of fighting zebras, or lions feasting on a kill, or a bird in flight, is much more interesting.

Secondly, manage one’s expectations.  The amazing sightings, while they do come, do not always happen.  Sometimes what we want just does not happen.  On our last Mara trip in 2019, we did not see any leopards at all despite having seen leopards in the area previously; yet in Sabi Sand Wildtuin, we had leopard sightings on all seven days, featuring five unique leopards; and on one single day, we saw three of these leopards.

We have been out in the rain, and had slow days; but I took advantage of it and landed pleasing images, despite the conditions being unfavourable for us as well as the wildlife.

Just to be out there is great.  We love seeing everything.  If we do not see a big cat, we will still see plenty of other wildlife.  Take joy in everything that Africa has to offer.  Some of my favourite images are not of big cats, but rather, feature antelopes or birds.

Every day in Africa is different.  Every game drive is different.  Each drive is to be treasured, and even a ‘bad’ day on safari beats a good day at the office, hands down.

So, that, to me, is what makes a great safari.

Sabi Sand 2022: Day 5 of 7

It has been quite some time since I continued with my series of day-by-day articles, detailing our adventures during our epic time in Sabi Sand Wildtuin.

Precisely one year ago to this date, it was our seventh and final day in the bush for this particular trip.  However, this article is about day five, which was an incredible day that brought amazing sightings, long-desired images, and unforgettable memories.

The morning began with a dramatic start.

One of the joys of staying in the African bush is the sounds of wildlife in the darkness of night. I had not been sleeping well — often waking much earlier than necessary — and at one stage, I heard the distinctive calls of hyenas.  Judging by the volume of their vocalisations, they were not very far away.  I fell asleep again, and was again woken by the hyenas, but this time they were very close.

It was around 4:30am, and I had a look through the door of our rondavel, and spotted hyenas on the front lawn, just metres away.

There was a commotion!

During the small hours, an impala had been killed, and it was right on the lawn outside the rondavels, a mere ten metres from our front deck.

Hyenas had arrived at the scene, with several lurking in the bushes in the lodge’s grounds.  When it was safe, I proceeded outside and approached the deceased impala, capturing a photo of the hapless animal.

By now, Mario and several of the lodge’s guests had also congregated on one of the rondavel decks.

The hyenas were still lurking, and we were all amazed that such an event had taken place right on our doorsteps.

It is quite possible that a leopard had killed the impala.  If so, then the leopard would have evacuated the scene, as hyenas are natural enemies of leopards and are known for intimidating leopards and stealing their kills.

We can never know whether the impala was killed where it was found, or whether the predator dragged it there; but wildlife does enter the lodge grounds, and during our stay, we saw a few bushbuck on the grounds.  The leopard may well have chased this impala into the lodge, or otherwise stalked it.

Within a few minutes, one of the hyenas returned to the impala and dragged it away.  The show was over.

The sun had not yet risen, and the day was already full of adventure.

Over our brief coffee start at the lodge with the guides and guests, there was certainly something interesting to discuss.

We soon headed out for the morning drive.

Within the early minutes of the drive, we spotted greater blue-eared starlings, a grey duiker, Egyptian geese and impala, before encountering three white rhinos grazing, north of the lodge.

As it is always special to see a rhino, we stopped and captured images as these critically endangered creatures grazed away in the dense bush.

After we had finished photographing the rhinos, Gabe headed off, and we had sightings of an African harrier hawk, guineafowl, steenbok, impala, a lone hyena on Elephant Plains Airstrip, and an African hoopoe.

Gabe headed east, where we encountered elephants, and stopped for a coffee break at a rocky outcrop overlooking the dry Marikeni River, which runs in a north-south direction to the east of the lodge.

In the distance to the south, on the western side of the river, was a lone white rhino!

While it was good to stretch the legs and sip some hot coffee, the opportunity to photograph a white rhino in its natural habitat was too good to miss, so I grabbed my gear and began photographing the rhino.

Lone Grazer

After our time spent with the rhino and some nearby elephants at a picturesque coffee stop location, we all climbed back into the 4WD, and Gabe headed south.

It was only a short while before we encountered our third special sighting of the day: female leopard Makhomsava!

As I related in the previous article in this series, chronicling day four, we encountered Makhomsava at twilight, and heard her catch and kill a scrub hare before dragging it up a tree and devouring it right in front of us.

Now we had the privilege of seeing Makhomsava for the second occasion during the week.

She was on a mission, and was constantly on the move.  Photography was difficult as Makhomsava made her way through the dense bush on the eastern side of the dry Marikeni River, but I was fortunate to capture an image of her in the open, as she paused momentarily before continuing on her journey.

Makhomsava on a Mission

We spent over 30 minutes following and photographing Makhomsava before leaving her to it and heading back to the lodge.

Along the way, we spotted more elephants (including the Kruger research herd) and a black-headed heron, wading in a watering hole.

Back at the lodge, we all had breakfast, and I went through my usual routine of downloading and backing up our images from the morning drive.

While the day had been remarkable so far, there was more to come.  After some discussions, the plan after lunch was for the three of us to head out on another game drive with Gabe and the two other guides: Doctor Mbhanyisi and Nicholas Greeff.

The purpose of the game drive was for us to discuss wildlife photography with the other guides and give them tips about light, angles, distances, composition, and positioning the safari vehicle for optimum photography.

It was an excellent opportunity to participate in an extra game drive, spend some quality time with these fantastic people, see more wildlife and maybe land the odd image or two.  It was a special experience to be taken out for this unscheduled drive, purely because the other guides at Elephant Plains Game Lodge saw value in learning from us.

The shorter drive, during the intensity of the midday sun, brought us encounters with a large herd of breeding elephants at a watering hole, a tawny eagle and a water monitor.

While I have not published any images from that game drive yet, it looks like there may be some worth publishing.

After the drive, we returned to the lodge for some down time before the afternoon drive.

While the morning had been eventful, we had no idea what was in store for us for the afternoon.

Ready as always, we met Gabe at the front of the lodge, and climbed into the 4WD.  We set off, heading north-west, spotting more impalas and a Wahlberg’s eagle as we made our way through the bush.

The magic was soon to begin: before we knew it, we had encountered the Tortoise Pan male leopard!

This was our second encounter with Tortoise Pan, a large, experienced leopard who was born into the Londolozi Royal Family of leopards in 2016.  When we encountered him, he showed the signs of having been in a reasonably recent battle with possibly another leopard.

As has been the case so far, the Sabi Sand leopards that we had encountered had all been on the move, which not only made photography difficult, but it had also made it difficult to keep up with the big cats.

Fortunately for us, Tortoise Pan did stop on occasion in open places, allowing us a brief window of time to capture images of him before he resumed moving throughout the bush.

Tortoise Pan Male Leopard

We only spent a few minutes with Tortoise Pan, as something special was happening nearby.

Perhaps only a hundred or so metres south, female leopard Tiyani was resting on a mound in the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Gabe took us to where Tiyani had been found, at which point we were amongst several other 4WD vehicles which had arrived for this special sighting.

To see a leopard resting on a mound in the open, set against a clean, distant background and bathed in the warmth of late afternoon light, is a delight for photographers who love to photograph leopards.  All of the ingredients are there:

1. a relaxed leopard who is not going anywhere, is not moving much, and is likely to look towards the camera;
2. extra subject height due to the mound, which is great for photographing the leopard at eye-level rather than looking down on it;
3. substantial distance between the leopard and the background, which allows for subject isolation and a clean backdrop; and
4. warm light, which can elevate any subject to another level.

We had it all.  It was the first time, in four trips to Africa, that I had the opportunity to capture the type of image that I wanted, and I achieved it.

Here is Tiyani, basking in the afternoon sun:

Tiyani Surveying

To say that our excitement level was high would be under-stating the matter somewhat.  This was an exceptional sighting, and everyone at the scene was treated to a real delight.

After spending some time photographing Tiyani from our initial position, Gabe decided to move the vehicle further around for a different angle.  This was the resulting view of this amazing leopard:

Leopard on a Mound

Tiyani spent time looking around, and periodically looked towards us.  As soon as a wild animal — especially a leopard — looks towards photographers, the rapid fire of camera shutters erupts.  Everyone wants the eye contact shot.

Intensity

We spent around 15 minutes at the scene, before Tiyani decided to move on.

What a sighting!

It was time for us to move on, too.  We headed south, encountering some hippos at a watering hole, before happening upon a red-billed hornbill south of the lodge.

I saw a fantastic opportunity, and I asked Gabe to stop.  To my surprise, I was the only one who wanted to capture images of the hornbill.

We spent literally a minute at the scene, as I fired off many shots of the hornbill, which was photogenically positioned amongst a clean setting.

This was the result:

Red-Billed Hornbill

I am sure glad that we stopped, as this is one of my favourite images of a wild bird.

After I had concluded, we departed, spotting some female waterbucks in the open, as well as zebras a wildebeest, impala bucks and a few other species of wildlife along the way for our sundowner.

The sky decided to put on a show, which made for a fantastic closure to yet another special day in Sabi Sand Wildtuin.

As we stopped for our sundowner, we all took in the splendour of the light show that was unfolding before our eyes.

Sundowner on Sabi Sand Wildtuin Safari Night 5

Look at those colours!

Magical Sabi Sunset

Our fifth day had been magical, with sightings of two species from the big five of Africa.  We had two encounters with the endangered white rhino; we encountered three unique leopards in Makhomsava (our second sighting), Tortoise Pan (also our second sighting) and Tiyani (our fifth sighting); we were treated to an extra game drive with Gabe, Doctor and Nick; we saw many species of African wildlife; I captured a very pleasing image of a red-billed hornbill; we finally landed the iconic ‘leopard on a mound’ image; and we closed off the afternoon drive with a spectacular sunset.

While it has taken a long time for me to sit down and tell the story of day five, stay tuned for our adventures on day six, which also brought us fantastic sightings and experiences.

Sabi Sand 2022: Day 4 of 7

It has been a while since I continued writing this day-by-day account of our time in Sabi Sand Wildtuin.  Indeed, much has happened since then, with another international trip and a domestic trip, as well as a return to routine and normality.

To re-cap our third day, it was one of highs and lows, with the low point being our sighting of a very unwell lion who likely did not survive, and the high point being the intensity of female leopard Makhomsava capturing, killing and devouring a scrub hare right in front of us.

As usual, the day began very early, and after a quick morning coffee and brief chat with Gabe and the other guides, we climbed into our 4WD and headed into the bush.

We headed west, past the lodge’s airstrip, and after a brief sighting of a steenbok, we ventured further westward to a hyena den which is located five minutes from the lodge.  While we had visited the den during the previous day, we did not capture any images, but during this visit, it was a more interesting experience, as the cubs were out and about, and there was some interesting interaction taking place.

One of the cubs was quite close, and I had to capture a tightly-framed image of the cub.

Youthful Innocence

While hyenas tend not to be most people’s favourite species of African wildlife, they are interesting, social creatures, as well as being feared apex predators.  It is worth spending time with them in order to watch them interacting, and they are especially active when hanging around other apex predators in order to steal a kill.

On this occasion, the hyenas were playful, and I witnessed and captured two hyenas interacting with each other.

Roadside Conversation

In this scene, an older hyena and a much smaller cub look like two men having a conversation at a bus stop.

We spent around ten minutes watching and photographing the hyenas before moving on in a southerly direction.

While driving along one of the roads in the reserve, Gabe spotted a grey penduline tit.  This is a very tiny, fast-moving, flighty bird, and Gabe was extremely excited to see one.  He wants to capture an image of one, but it is very challenging, and this particular bird was not interested in staying still for long enough.

I personally did not even try, as the light was dull and glary, the bird was tiny and flying all over the place, and the conditions were not favourable at all. Mario might have landed a reference shot, but such conditions do not make for great images.

After some joking around, once Gabe settled from his excitement, we moved on, spotting a squirrel and a grey duiker.  I have yet to capture an image of a duiker.  These small antelopes are also quite skittish, and suddenly reach great speeds as they escape a scene.

Around 45 minutes into the drive, we encountered a bateleur perched in the open on a bare tree branch.  While I captured some images, the low angle from which I was shooting, combined with the bright backlighting of the grey sky, again did not make for great photography.  Still, it was nice to see this medium-sized eagle out in the open.

After spending a few minutes with the bateleur, we continued, on, spotting a nyala, before encountering a Swainson’s spurfowl on a tree branch, not far from the Manyeleti River, and south-east of the lodge.  This species of bird was new to us, and I captured an image or two which might be worth publishing.

We headed east, spotting a male waterbuck, and then moved north-easterly, heading towards Arathusa Safari Lodge Airstrip, and spotting a female steenbok.  I captured some images of both antelopes, but the images were not fantastic.

What was fantastic was our encounter with a new (to us) male leopard called Tortoise Pan.  He is a large and imposing male, who was born into the Londolozi Royal Family of leopards in 2016, and when we found him, he was located just to the west of Arathusa Safari Lodge Airstrip.

Tortoise Pan was the third unique leopard that we had encountered in Sabi Sand Wildtuin, on what was now our sixth leopard sighting over four days, with at least one per day.  These were some impressive statistics so far!

As leopards tend to do, Tortoise Pan was quite active, and was moving around, so we had to follow him through some thick scrub, which two other vehicles were also trying to do.

Occasionally, he came out into the open, which for us, was always the prime opportunity to capture a more pleasing image without distracting branches in the way.  I managed to capture an image which shows how impressive and experienced he is.

Experienced

Even though Tortoise Pan was six years old at the time of our encounter with him, he has clearly seen some relatively recent battles, and as seen in this image, he has some injuries near his right eye.

At one point during our time with Tortoise Pan, a hyena materialised.  The hyena was probably hoping that Tortoise Pan would lead him to a kill, or make a kill which the hyena would attempt to steal.

I always find the differences between male and female leopards to be quite noticeable, with the males being larger, stockier, and having very thick necks. Tortoise Pan is certainly a big boy.

Tortoise Pan was heading due east towards the airstrip, and Gabe took the opportunity to get ahead of him so that we could approach him possible entering the clearing.  We were in the open, but the leopard did stay close to cover.  We did manage to capture some images of him with the dense bush behind him.

Gabe decided that we should have a coffee break, so we headed a little south of the airstrip, and pulled up at a tree on the side of the road. Gabe and Colbert prepared the food and drinks, and we all stretched our legs after having experienced a fantastic sighting with an impressive male leopard.

After our break, we headed west, back towards the lodge, encountering an elephant, a wildebeest, and finally, a female yellow saddle-billed stork at a watering hole north of the lodge, and not far from the dry Manyeleti River.

We headed back to the lodge for breakfast and a few hours of downtime, lunch and more rest before afternoon drive.

Before we knew it, we were back out in the bush.  We did not know it at the time, but Gabe was on a mission, and not even eight minutes into the drive, we had yet another special encounter after briefly spotting an elephant.

We had been taken to see the critically endangered white rhinoceros!  These creatures are awesome to see, and it had been ten years since we last saw a wild rhino.

There are two species of African rhino: white and black.  Both species are actually not named after colours, as all rhinos are in fact grey.  In the case of the white rhino, the name originates with the Dutch word wijd, which means ‘wide’, and which was apparently mis-translated to English, sounding like ‘white’.  The white rhino is a grazer, and has a wider mouth which is suited for grazing.

Here we were, with a mother and a calf, seeing an impressive animal which is iconic.  I captured a few images, but have so far only published one.

The Balance of Nature

In this image, nature demonstrates its balance in the harmony that exists between the white rhino and the oxpecker.  Both benefit from each other’s existence, and in this image, a red-billed oxpecker flapped its wings as it hitched a ride.

What this image also shows is that this rhino does not have a horn.

Only in recent years in South Africa, has there been a de-horning project in operation to protect rhinos from poaching.

While it is a dreadful shame to see a rhino without its horn, it is far better than the alternative!

Having had another look through my images from this rhino sighting, there are several images worth publishing, and it would be nice to present a few more images of these special creatures.

The afternoon drive had started with a fantastic sighting (and a relatively rare one at that), but on top of that, we were treated to another great sighting: fighting zebras!

I do not have a lot of images of zebras, as they mostly stand around doing nothing interesting.  However, on this occasion, two males were fighting for dominance and mating rights, so I captured the action.

Fight for Dominance

This was a great sighting, and I am pleased to have captured zebras engaging in a battle.  I like this image, as it tells a story of what happens in the African wilderness.

Soon enough, it was time to move on.  Along the drive, we spotted a wildebeest and another hyena, before encountering a southern ground hornbill in the northern part of the reserve, about half way between Simbambili Game Lodge and Gowrie Gate.  To us, this was a new species, and this particular hornbill was out in the open, having captured a giant African snail.

The hornbill used its bill to puncture the snail’s shell, and with such force that we could hear the crunching sound from considerably further away.  It was an interesting encounter, and I captured a few reference shots, but something better was awaiting us.

Gabe headed north-east, through Gowrie Gate and towards Buffelshoek, for what would be our final special sighting of the day.

At the far northern part of the reserve, we had encountered the Imbali Pride of lions!

The Imbali Pride resides in Manyeleti Game Reserve, and on this occasion, the pride had entered our reserve.  This was our first encounter with lions during this safari, and there were

By now it was late in the afternoon, and the lions were on alert.

Here is one of the young males, who had stood up to investigate something that he had heard or seen in the distance.

Watching Intently

Soon, the lions began stalking.  We heard the distinct sound of distressed zebras loudly calling in the distance, and the lions were keen to move in for a potential meal.

They crossed our path and headed north into Manyeleti Game Reserve.  Unfortunately, this is where the adventure ended for us, as we did not have traversal rights in Manyeleti.

Once the Imbali Pride lions had departed the scene, Gabe drove a very short distance down the same road, and stopped at a dam for our sundowner.

We then headed south-west towards the lodge for dinner and drinks, encountering black-backed jackals, a grey duiker and a scrub hare along the way.

We had invited Gabe to have dinner with us.  At Elephant Plains Game Lodge, the guides usually do not eat dinner with the guests, as each set of guests has its own table, and the guides often have multiple parties on their game drives.

In our case, we had a 4WD for our exclusive use, so it was just Mario, Gabe, Colbert and us.  We could therefore have Gabe join us for dinner.  We wanted him to be involved in that part of the safari experience too, so he joined us.  He was also kind enough to bring his own bottle of Kanonkop Kadette 2020 to drink with us.

What a day this had been.  It had started with interesting and amusing hyena interactions, our first encounter with male leopard Tortoise Pan, a very special sighting of a mother rhino and her calf, the intensity of male zebras fighting for dominance, and finally, our first lion encounter of this trip.  Additionally, we had seen species of African wildlife that we had not encountered before, and we concluded the day over a meal with great food, wine and company.

Stay tuned for our adventures on day five, which was also abundant with great sightings and some very rewarding photography.

Sabi Sand 2022: Day 3 of 7

It was the beginning of a new day for us in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, and also the beginning of a new month.

By now, we were well into the rhythm of safari life at Elephant Plains Game Lodge, with another early rise being par for the course.  I find that by the third day of a safari, one is settled into the routine, and familiar with the itinerary, people and surroundings.

The weather had changed overnight, with some persistent rain falling.  Mario had been keeping a close eye on the weather, and we knew that it was going to be wet for a few days.

We headed from our rondavel to the main building for a quick coffee before we boarded the 4WD for our second morning drive.  It was decidedly miserable.  We had prepared the camera gear with rain covers, and we donned ponchos to keep our clothes dry.

The 4WDs are open-sided and open-topped, which means that when it rains, everything, and everyone, gets wet.

Despite the unappealing weather, we were going out anyway.  It was going to be wet and uncomfortable.  It was going to be a challenge to photograph in the rain, with protection of the gear being on our minds.  That aside, out we went, as a bad day of game driving would still be better than a good day in the office!

Day two had been very exciting, with two sightings of African wild dogs and three sightings of Tiyani leopardess.  Could our third day be any better?  With the inclement weather, I was not so sure.

When on safari, every drive, and every day must be treated as its own entity.  It is best to go out without any expectations, and it is best not to assume anything, as the African bush is full of surprises.

Gabe decided to head south for this morning’s drive.  Shortly into the drive after spotting some impalas, we encountered a breeding herd of elephants.  We had to stop while they crossed the road in front of us.  That is my kind of traffic jam.  It was raining quite solidly, and the elephants were enjoying it.  Us, not so much.

Soon enough, we continued on, swinging by the hyena den only a few minutes from the lodge.  We spotted one of the hyenas but did not stop for photography.

A short time later, we encountered some male nyalas in the bush on the side of the road just south of Silvan Safari.  I wanted to photograph them, so we stopped.

Many people visit Africa in order to see the ‘Big Five‘ (buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhino), or more specifically, the big cats.  Sabi Sand Wildtuin is well known for its population of leopards, and it is the best place in the world in which to see one.

However, I love to photograph the antelopes of Africa.  We are definitely cat people, and we love all kinds of cats; but there is so much more to the African wilderness than just the cats.  My view is that antelopes are very under-rated, and very photogenic; so when the opportunity presents itself, I tend to take it.

I am glad that I did take this opportunity, as I was able to photograph an impressive male nyala in the persistent rain.

Nyala in the Rain

I like the fact that the raindrops can be seen in this image.  The nyala did not mind it, but it was becoming less comfortable for us.

We continued on, spotting a waterbuck, hippo, female kudu and greater blue-eared starling at various points, but it was decided that this game drive would be shortened, as the weather was miserable, and not much was happening.  Gabe headed back to the lodge, where we could dry off and have a bit more downtime before breakfast.

So far, it had not been a great start due to the rain, but I had landed one pleasing image.  The day was not over yet, as we still had the afternoon drive.

Later in the morning while we were at breakfast, a herd of elephants — possibly the same herd that we had encountered a few hours earlier — had arrived in the open area across the dry Manyeleti riverbed due east of the lodge.  The deck and dining hall offers a fine view of this beautiful part of the reserve, and we were all treated to a sighting of elephants, during which one elephant was trying to help a calf up a steep bank.

A few of us had ventured outside onto the pool deck.  We had all made the mistake of taking our camera gear back to the rondavels, but I wanted to photograph this great spectacle in the distance in front of us, so I ran back to our rondavel to grab my gear.  Unfortunately, the good part of the show was over by the time I returned, so I did not capture the images that I had wanted.

Lesson learned: keep the cameras nearby!

After some time spent back at the lodge, soon enough it was time to head out to the 4WD to meet Gabe and Colbert for afternoon drive.

The inclement weather had continued in patches throughout the day, but by the time we headed out into the bush again, the rain had stopped for a while.

Gabe headed north-east, and we passed Gowrie Gate on our way to the northern part of the reserve.

About half-way between Gowrie Gate and Jacana Private Game Lodge, we spotted a few giraffes grazing in the lush vegetation.  Naturally, I wanted to photograph them, so we stopped for a few minutes while I snapped away.

Tall and Gentle

This was the first of only three sightings of giraffes during our seven-day safari in Sabi Sand Wildtuin, and giraffes are magnificent creatures which deserve to be photographed, as there is very little that is more quintessentially African than a giraffe.

Soon enough, we continued on.  At one point, Gabe stoped the 4WD.  Colbert had spotted tracks that indicated recent lion activity.  Gabe and Colbert disembarked and headed into the bush, looking for lions (as one does).  They must have been gone for a good 15 or 20 minutes, and we had no idea where they were; but they eventually returned, without having found the lions.

After that, we headed towards Jacana Private Game Lodge, where we found a large, single-tusked elephant bull on the large patch of open savannah on the north-eastern side of the lodge.

Early into the sighting, the elephant was very close, and decided to drink from a small watering hole just outside the lodge.

Me Too

He was joined by a smaller elephant, who in this image is extending his trunk as if to say “me too”.

The elephant bull started to move south-east, so we wanted to position ourselves for more photography.

Despite the open area, photographing this elephant was challenging, as he was constantly moving, and before we knew it, he was too large to fit within the frame of our lenses!  Gabe had to constantly race ahead so that we could gain enough distance and the right position and angle for the elephant to walk towards us and be suitably sized within the frame.

By now the weather had deteriorated, and it was drizzling.  It made for some very atmospheric conditions, and within a short time Gabe had positioned the 4WD so that the elephant was walking towards us with darker trees in the distance behind him.

Strolling in the Rain

This is an impressive elephant.  It is a shame that he has lost one tusk, which perhaps may have been the result of a fight with another bull.

Throughout the afternoon drive, we had brief sightings of many species of wildlife, including impalas,  kudus, elephants, a steenbok, Egyptian geese, blue wildebeest, waterbucks, a southern ground hornbill, dwarf mongooses, hippos out of the water, a Wahlberg’s eagle, a lilac-breasted roller, a warthog, a grey duiker, a pearl-spotted owlette and a hyena.

It was quite a rich drive in terms of the variety of fauna.

We eventually started heading south, and found ourselves west of the Arathusa Safari Lodge Airstrip.  We had no idea of what we were about to see.

By this time, it was neatly 6:30pm, and darkness was intensifying.

We had arrived at a leopard sighting!  Several vehicles were already on the scene, as a resident female leopard called Makhomsava had been located.

The name Makhomsava means “mother Earth” in the Shangaan dialect of the Tsonga language.  She was the second unique leopard that we had encountered, and so far, we had experienced leopard sightings on three consecutive days.

As it was fairly dark, the trackers were using spotlights to provide visibility of Makhomsava.  I captured this image of her walking along a clearing:

Night Prowler

It was a euphoric experience to see a leopard, and seeing one is always the highlight of an African safari.  What makes any leopard sighting special is the elusive nature of these incredible big cats.  When they do not want to be found, they generally succeed.

While leopards are known for their ability to climb trees and hoist up a carcass of its own weight, leopards spend most of their time on the ground.  In four trips to Africa, most of the leopards that we have seen were not in trees (of course, some were).

Literally a minute after I captured this image, all of a sudden, there was a mighty commotion. Makhomsava sprinted ten metres into the bush, confusing everyone on the site as the trackers frantically tried to shine a light on her.  High-pitched screams echoed throughout the night, simultaneously terrifying and exciting everyone.

Makhomsava had caught and killed a large scrub hare right in front of us!

To even capture an image of her at this time was going to be a tough gig, but by sheer luck I managed to photograph her with the now-deceased scrub hare in her mouth.

Caught

A mere one minute and 21 seconds had elapsed between our first images of Makhomsava and the utterly intense experience of witnessing this leopard making a kill.  Of course, we did not see the kill, but we heard it and we saw the result.

The excitement and drama was far from over, however, for a hyena was already on the scene before Makhomsava had caught the scrub hare, and she needed to protect her kill from the intimidating and dangerous hyena, which would have easily relieved Makhomsava of her meal.

We knew what was going to happen, and we captured it.

Makhomsava scrambled up a nearby tree with her kill, narrowly avoiding the excited hyena.

Dinner Time

The excitement was intense, and the only thing louder than the sounds of the African bush at night was the sounds of camera shutters in rapid-fire mode.

I had photographed a leopard, in a tree, with a kill in her mouth.  This stuff happens in split seconds.  In this image, Makhomsava was in a lower bough, but very soon thereafter, she climbed higher into the safety of the tree.

For the next twenty minutes or more, we watched, and heard, Makhomsava devouring her meal.  She plucked the scrub hare’s fur, and then proceeded to eat the hare in its entirety, head first!

Here is a view of Makhomsava as she paused momentarily during her meal time.

Makhomsava and Her Meal

This was intense and special.  There is no predicting this kind of action.  The guides from Elephant Plains and surrounding lodges knew of Makhomsava‘s presence, but nobody could have predicted what would happen, and we were privileged to witness one of the most exciting moments in the African bush story.

It was a first-time experience for us.

After Makhomsava had consumed her meal, she cautiously peeked around a trunk in order to survey her surroundings and determine whether it was safe to descend.  I was able to capture a view of her intense expression.

Cautious

What an incredible sighting.  It had so far been the most exciting experience that we had ever encountered in Africa.  Moments like this happen often, but they are witnessed, and photographed, far less frequently.  We were privileged to have witnessed it and recorded it.  Even writing about this experience now is exciting and emotional.

What a game drive!  It is hard to believe what we had experienced.  We unfortunately had to leave the scene and head back to the lodge, but along the way, there was more drama.

Gabe had found a solitary elder male lion, who was very thin and weak, and who was apparently injured.  He was in the open, and was in very bad shape.  We knew that this once-powerful male lion was rapidly reaching the end of his life, and that he may not have seen daybreak.

Our mood of excitement and elation suddenly was overshadowed by sadness.  Thinking about this lion even now is hard, as his demise was certain.  I hope that he went peacefully, as he was extremely vulnerable and could not have fought to defend himself, or escape from any other predators.

It was with mixed emotion that we returned to the lodge for drinks and dinner.

What an intense day it had been, on both ends of the emotional spectrum.  We got to witness high moments and low moments of nature, not only in one day, but in one drive.

Stay tuned for our adventures on day four, which was rich with amazing sightings and some rewarding photography.