The September “Big Cats of the Maasai Mara” departure was a great success with lovely clear weather and many great photo opportunities with the Big Cats. We split our 10 nights in the Mara into two different locations to make the most of different areas. Lions proved again to be the most regularly seen of the big cats and we saw a number of different prides, a group of sub adult males, males fighting with females, cubs, hunts, feeding and a young lioness killing a baboon. We had a great sighting of the 5 male Cheetahs taking down a young wildebeest, these five are such a dominant force at the moment within the Mara and it is...

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On this year's trip the mega herds were mostly in Northern Tanzania during the time of our visit, but there was excellent Cat action to be seen as well as two river crossings, mostly of Zebra. Crocodiles and Lions were at the crossing too, making it a very exciting photo opportunity. We were fortunate to see the 5 male Cheetah coalition that has become famous in the Mara in recent years. We had a number of good Lion sightings, mating, hunting and feeding. One special highlight was photographing a new born baby Giraffe as it struggled to get to its feet and finally suckle on its mother. We also photographed, Elephants, Eland Antelope,...

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Here is the trip report from our second Lions & Leopards of Kruger Photo Safari of 2018. Our stay at Jock Safari Lodge was very productive and we started with spending a full afternoon with the Lions of the Jock Pride complete with the two Thompson Male Lions. They had just finished an Impala and we caught one Lioness drinking from a pool in the Biyamiti River. The rest of the Lions moved off towards the main road and we followed the two Males as they scent marked on their way. We also had a great sighting of the same male Leopard we saw on our first trip in July. Other highlights were a massive herd...

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This was a 10 night custom photo safari spent at three locations in South Africa, namely the Kruger National Park, Mala Mala and Tswalu Kalahari. The tour began with the Kruger National Park where we had to endure some very unseasonal and cold weather. Some of our highlights in the Kruger were a pack of African Wilddogs, Elephant, Spotted Hyaena, Greater Kudu, a coalition of 4 male Lions and some great birds including the two smallest Owls, the Pearl Spotted and the African Barred. Next stop was three nights at Mala Mala, here we were lucky to see the Kambula Lioness that has small cubs, she crossed the Sand River for us. We saw 4 different Leopards, a...

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The first of our 2018 Lions & Leopards of Kruger photo safaris included stays at Indlovu River Lodge, Moholoholo Forest Camp, Jock Safari Lodge, the Kruger National Park and Mala Mala Game Reserve. First up was the fantastic eye level waterhole hide at Indlovu River Lodge in the Karongwe Game Reserve. This is a fantastic location which allowed our group to settle in and get warmed up with their camera settings and techniques. The hide itself is very comfortable and spacious and armed with a coffee, tea and cookie basket, we spent 4 sessions in the hide and were treated to some great photo opportunities with Baboons, Impala, Nyala, Zebra, Grey Go Away birds, Red Billed Ox...

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Our June “Best of Botswana” photo safari for 2018 has just ended and the sightings and photography was fantastic. It was quite a bit colder than the May safari and the warmth of the campfire at night was much appreciated and enjoyed ! After flying into the delta from Maun, we were met by our guides, Nkosi and Lucas, at the Xakanaxa airstrip. Our camp in Moremi was in a great location, but our first night was spent together with a resident troop of Baboons who decided to shelter in the large Jackalberry trees above our tents - needless to say it was not easy to fall asleep !!. Some highlights in Moremi were sightings of Tsessebe,...

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Our first “Best of Botswana” photo safari for 2018 has just ended and it was very interesting to see how the water level in the delta was much lower than last year at the same time, but the water in the Chobe River was the highest I have ever seen it. This is a very interesting water system and never fails to offer something new. We flew into the Okavango Delta from Maun and headed off to our campsite near third bridge. Moremi Game Reserve is a very big area and it always surprises us with some unusual sightings. One of the highlights from Moremi was watching the mating behaviour of the Impala. Although a...

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FOCUS ON KRUGER May 2018 Photos and text by Kosie Lategan The Kruger has always been a special place for me and even though I have worked at other private game reserves, coming into the park awakens a sense of excitement and anticipation. This time the Kruger definitely delivered.  We had some incredible sightings and we were treated to numerous big cat sightings as well as a big favourite for most people, the African Wild dog. My highlights were coming across a pair of mating lions just after sunrise while the light was just gorgeous. Finding a female cheetah with her four youngsters was a huge bonus.  Leopard sightings can be fleet and brief,...

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The 2018 WILD4 photo safari to Amboseli in Kenya and the Serengeti, Ndutu and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania produced some very different photo opportunities thanks to the unusual amount of rain that fell during the safari. Amboseli National Park in Kenya was our first stop and mother nature decided to open up the heavens on us !. An incredible amount of rain fell during our stay and the usually dry dust bowl that Amboseli is renowned for, turned into one massive lake. On numerous occasions, the road we were driving on ended abruptly at the edge of a massive expanse of water, forcing us to turn back the way we had come. As we...

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Not only did the wonderful Mara produce excellent Big Cat sightings which was our main aim on this photo safari, it also produced a number of other great photo opportunities, as it always does. The Maasai Mara is truly one of the very best wildlife photographic destinations in Africa ! We split our 10 nights in the Mara into two different locations to make the most of different areas of the Mara. Only a week before we arrived, it had been raining in the Mara (quite unseasonal for this time of year). Parts of the Mara had tall grass and the animals avoid these areas as they feel more comfortable grazing out in the open where...

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Unfortunately I was late in joining this photo safari due to my back giving out at the 10 pin bowling alley on Molly's 9th Birthday !! , I don't think I will be bowling again soon. However the team headed on to Samburu without me and were very well looked after by Julius and ably supported by his team mates, James and Tim. The short rains had begun early this year and Samburu was very wet and muddy, adding some extra excitement to the game drives. The Ewaso Nyiro River was flowing fast and had burst its banks just a few weeks before the trip started. There were still good sightings but due...

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Here are a few photos from a customised family safari to the Maasai Mara in Kenya. We had two vehicles on the safari which allowed for plenty of space and we also had the flexibility to go at our own pace, taking packed breakfasts with us out into the field allowing us to spend more time looking for wildlife. The guests enjoyed a variety of activities including photography, videography, game viewing and visits to two local schools. It was a very special trip for one family member, Ana, her very first time to Africa and she had a wonderful time. On many occasions her excellent spotting abilities ensured that she spotted animals before the...

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Our second Lions & Leopards of Kruger trip again took us to three very different, but all photo productive places, Ngala, Kruger National Park and Mala Mala, all in South Africa, Some of the highlights we managed to photograph, were a massive Bull Elephant with wonderful tusks in the Timbavati River, fantastic bird life, a young female Leopard in the Kruger National Park, excellent Elephant, Zebra, Giraffe, Impala and African Elephant sightings at all locations, two different packs of Cape Hunting Dogs and an amazing sighting involving the large 26 strong Lower Sabi Pride, chasing a Warthog, catching it and then having to endure the wrath of a huge herd of African Buffalo. Finally the Lions...

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Not only was this a very successful and productive migration photo safari, it was also a very speical trip for WILD4 as our newly refurbished photographic vehicle was put to the test on its first official safari. We were very pleased with how the photographic modifications performed and are looking forward to adding more vehicles to our fleet of uniquely designed photo safari vehicles, which offer a level of comfort to photographers unlike any other vehicle in East Africa. As with every Great Migration season, timing is everything, you need to be lucky and you need to be patient, this years trip was a lucky one as we managed to see 8 river crossings and there...

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FOCUS ON KRUGER August 2017 This FOCUS on KRUGER photo safari produced some really special sightings and photographic opportunities. The highlight during our stay at our first camp, Skukuza, was spending time with 4 Lion cubs. Their mother was probably out hunting, but the cubs were quite active playing around on the Granite Boulders of the Kopjie where their mother had left them. We went back to see the cubs the next morning and heard a soft contact call from a Lioness. The Lioness walked straight past us and joined her cubs who had been hiding in the Granite outcrops. Other highlights from the trip were photographing a spectacular Martial Eagle finishing off the remains...

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Here is this years second trip report from the “Etosha and Secrets of the Kalahari” photo safari. The dry season in both Etosha and the Kalahari produced a great number of special sightings and photo opportunties, most of the animals seen and photographed on the first trip were again seen and photographed on this trip. These included: Greater Kudu, Zebra, Ostrich, Elephants, Lions, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe, Black Backed Jackal, Spotted Hyaena and African Wilddog, these dry environments offer a fantastic collection of less commonly photographed animals. We were very fortunate to see the Damara DikDik, Black faced Impala, Gemsbok (Oryx), Red Hartebeest, Springbok, Tsessebe, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope, Bat Eared fox,...

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We are pleased to release this photo trip report from our very first “Etosha and Secrets of the Kalahari” photo safari. The main aim of this trip was to spend time in two of Africa's dry environments, namely Etosha National Park in Namibia and the Kalahari in South Africa where a variety of very different species manage to eke out a living for themselves. Along with a number species seen in the other wildlife hotspots of Africa, such as Greater Kudu, Zebra, Ostrich, Elephants, Lions, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe, Black Backed Jackal, Spotted Hyaena and African Wilddog, these dry environments offer a fantastic collection of less commonly photographed animals. We were...

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The first “Lions & Leopards of Kruger” photo safari began with the clients arrival at Hoedspruit airport. Due to a delay in the flight arrival time, we headed off to Ngala and went straight out on our first afternoon game drive.  There is no better way to begin a 13 day photo safari than with a visit to one of the resident Ngala Lion prides known as the Birmingham pride. A few adult females with small cubs were in the group. The pride is suffering with a bit of Sarcoptic Mange, but they looked well fed having recently finished off a Buffalo kill. Our two night stay at Ngala offered another sighting of the...

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In June I went on a scouting trip to check out both East & West Tsavo National Parks in Kenya. These are just some of my thoughts on the two locations, and some photographs. I also stoppd at Amboseli for a couple of nights, staying at Amboseli Serena Lodge. Firstly Tsavo East - this I found to be a great park and I did get some great images here. It is very quiet on the tourist side so it has a wonderfu atmosphere of true adventure. We stuck to the rivers a lot as there are not that many game drive roads. All the general game species are there, but a great find was the...

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Our first Focus on the Kruger Photo Tour, led by our colleaugue, good friend and fellow guide, Stefan Viljoen, has just ended. This photo safari is a 10 night tour based entirely in South Africa's flagship National Park, the KRUGER. Stefan's trip report reveals just how special this reserve really is. TEXT & PHOTOS by Stefan Viljoen: On our recent photo safari to Kruger, we had many brilliant opportunities to photograph and spend time with the wildlife of Kruger. Having patience to wait for special moments is something I have learned from working in the African bush. When these moments do happen, one has to take full advantage of them to achieve great...

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Our second “Best of Botswana” photo safari for 2017 started only 3 days after the first trip and already there were changes in the water level, both in the Delta and at the Chobe River. The tour however stared with the optional extension to see the famous Victoria Falls on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. From a personal perspective, the falls is one of my favourite places in all of Africa, the sheer size and magnitude is amazing. We visited the falls at sunrise, in the afternoon, took a helicopter flight (the best way to see the whole falls) and for the first time, we visited the falls to try and photograph the Lunar Rainbow -...

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An unusually heavy rainy season has resulted in a lot of the Okavangao Delta being underwater. Moremi Game Reserve and the Khwai concession were very wet indeed and this meant that a lot of the the regular roads were unpassable which restricted our game drives to certain areas. However regardless of how wet the delta was, we still managed to find an abundance of photo opportunties with birds featuring high on the list. Water bird activity was of course very busy and we spent a lot fo time with Fish Eagles, Saddle Billed storks, Squacco herons, Cormoroants and King fishers. Our first three nights were spent in the Xini area of Moremi which has a...

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This years Namibia trip focussed on the Namib desert and its wonderful and unique landscapes, as well as the wildlife that amazingly manages to eke out an existence in this extreme environment. Kolmanskop Ghost Diamond mining town near Luderitz was our first stop and we enjoyed a sunrise and a sunset photo shoot in the town capturing the derelict houses in various degrees of collapse. The rooms, now filled with piles of sand offer lots of photo opportunities and this was a great way to get the tour started. Our next stop was a visit to the Namib Rand Nature Reserve, here we stayed at 3 different locations and were able to capture...

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This years photo safari to Amboseli in Kenya and the Serengeti, Ndutu and the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania has just ended. These locations always provide a multitude of photo opportunities and great experiences. An image of snow capped Kilimanjaro with Elephants in the foreground is a classic and iconic photo, sadly, for the first time on our trips to Amboseli, Kilimanjaro was shrouded in a cloudy haze for our entire stay and we were unable to achieve this photo. However the other opportunties we had more than made up for this and on our first game drive, a Lioness chased and caught a baby Wildebeest, only to have it stolen by a male Lion....

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The November “Best of Kenya” photo safari always produces a lot of excellent photo opportunities and experiences, and this years trip was no different. The rains were late this year and Samburu and the Mara were quite dry compared with last years trip. Samburu was our first destination and some of the special highlights were the Lions (including 2 males with their unusual short manes), a beautiful young male Leopard with a Waterbuck kill, a female Cheetah with 2 cubs, excellent Elephants, the unusual Gerenuk, Grevy's Zebra, Beisa Oryx, Martial Eagles, Reticulated Giraffe, a Palmnut Vulture and the beautiful Rosy-breasted Bushshrike.  On our way out of Samburu we were treated to a very clear view...

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Kruger this year has been feeling the effects of quite a severe drought and the park was looking very dry. There was very little grass cover evident throughout the park and of course there was a shortage of water. The Hippo population has been particuarly badly hit and we saw many Hippo carcasses on our journey from the North of the park to the South. However despite the drough the bird encounters remained very good with a total of 185 species seen and photographed. Northern Kruger again provided some special sightings and we got to see and photograph the Meve's Starling, Trumpeter Hornbill at a nest site and the unusual looking Crested Guineafowl,...

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This is a collection of photos taken on a 6 day scouting trip I recently completed. I spent 3 nights in the west and 3 nights in the east of Etosha National Park in Namibia to get a better feel of the park and to scout some of the better waterholes that offer photographic opportunties. Highlights were a Leopard at Olifant Bad waterhole, a male Cheetah, Lions at Okondekka, my first sighting of a Ludwig's Bustard, lots of Giraffe, Red Hartebeest, Gemsbok and Springbok, Elephants and a fantastic martial Eagle. These are the kind of images we can expect to achieve on next years “ETOSHA & SECRETS of the KALAHARI DESERT” photo safari, which will be focussing...

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This year's “GREAT MIGRATION” photographic safari to Kenya's Maasai Mara offered a great variety of photographic opportunities. The mega herds of Wildebeest were on the Mara Triangle side of the Mara River and in total we saw 5 river crossings. The best crossings took place at the “Main crossing” point just below Serena and there were a number of crocodile attacks. Other highlights apart from the migration animals and the crossings were excellent Lion sightings which included cubs, mating Lions and a dispute between the resident males of the Musiara Pride and a new arrival who who had sneaked into their territory and was subsequently chased off. The Hyaena den near Serena was very...

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Here are the trip report photos from the second of our 2016 “Lions & Leopards of Kruger” Photo Safari. We also did the 4 night pre-tour extension for Vultures, Reptiles and the photo hides at Ndlovu River Lodge. The Vulture shoot offered the perfect wind conditions and great light and we photographed two of the 5 vulture species at the feed. We then spent a full day at the Kinyonga Reptile Park where we photographed Green & Black Mambas, Snouted Cobra, Scorpions, Baboon Spiders, Boomslang and Geckos. Next stop was our 2 night stay at the Indlovu River Lodge in Karongwe Game Reserve. Here we spent 4 sessions in the specially built and very comfortable photo hides. Baboons, Nyala,...

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Here are the trip report photos from the Lions & Leopards of Kruger Photo Safari as well as some images from the African Reptile workshop and Photo Hides at Indlovu River Lodge. Altogether we visited 5 different locations on this photo safari which offers the best variety that the Kruger area can offer. The trip started off with the Vulture photo shoot at Moholoholo and a good number of birds responded despite all the food that is currently available for them in the Kruger National Park as a result of the drought that the park has been experiencing. We then spent a full day at the Kinyonga Reptile Park where we photographed Green & Black...

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