LIONS and LEOPARDS of KRUGER photo safari trip report - August 2016
Posted by Wild4 Photo Safaris on 19th Aug 2016
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, Kudu and a number of birds were photographed all at eye level with the water and in great lighting conditions. The Baboons were particularly good this time round as well as a nice group of Common Waterbuck.
Ngala Private Reserve was next on the itinerary for a 3 night stay and highlights were seeing the young female Leopard we saw on the first trip as well as the young male we saw on the first trip who had been feeding on the remains of a young Waterbuck. On this trip we were treated to the sighting of a lifetime when we saw this same male Leopard bring down an adult female Warthog right next to our safari vehicle. Other highlights were a great Verreaux's Eagle Owl, a big herd of African Buffalo and a large number of Giraffe.
We met the Wild4 support team at Orpen Gate where we transferred into the Open Safari Vehicle and headed off into the Kruger National Park where we spent 6 nights split between Satara camp in central Kruger and Lower Sabie in the South. Highlights in Kruger were excellent sightings of Zebra, Greater Kudu, Giraffe, Impala, Nyala, Bushbuck, Steenbok, Elephants, 2 male Cheetahs hunting Zebra and Reedbuck, Vultures & Hyaenas on a fresh Buffalo carcass, Southern Ground Hornbills, Lions, 6 different Leopards, a variety of birdlife and 4 different Honey Badgers !!
Final stop on the trip was a 3 night stay at Mala Mala Private Game reserve. On our first game drive we photographed the Male cub of the Kikilezi female Leopard as well as the Kikilezi female herself. The female cub was also present so for now the two cubs are doing well. We then spent some time on our night drive with the Eyrefield Lion Pride.
Over the next two days we spent time with the Styx Lions as well as the Marthly Lions, the "Bike" male Leopard, an unknown Leopard cub, the Wilddog pack with their puppies and a wilddog kill. Elephant numbers were excellent in the Sand River and perhaps one of the main highlights was spending two sessions with a mating pair of Leopards, the "Tamboti" female and the "Tree House" male that were around the airstrip.
Many thanks to all the lodge staff that looked after us at each location and also to our rangers, Bertjan at Moholoholo, Stefan at Indlovu River Lodge, Garth & Thomas at Ngala and Fritz at Mala Mala. Thanks also to the Wild4 back up team who looked after us in the Kruger National Park.
Finally, thank you to the participants, Barbara, Peter and Jody, it was great travelling with Barbara for the 9th time ! and to have met Peter & Jody for the first time 😊, we certainly did share some great experiences and photographic opportunities.
Enjoy some of the photos below.
Best wishes
Stu
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Kruger North to South 16 days of photo safari gone off like a wink of an eye especially when it was fun and memorable. Like an aciton-packed movie, the opening scene at the Skukuza Airport reception by Wild4 Team : Stefan and Sandrine was delightful and the afternoon game drive was filled with excitements with shots of wildlife encountered as we travelled to our first camp in Satara. The numerous sightings we experienced over the next two weeks were nothing less than thrilling and of course capturing the Big 5 was fulfilling. The teamwork of Stefan and Sandrine was excellent giving the traveling photographers absolutely nothing to worry except to be trigger happy. Each day I shot approximately 1,500 images as each day bought new surprises. As a photographer I used the Sony A9 with the 2x teleconverter on the 100-400mm G Master zoom for distant & fast-moving subjects like eagles' flights, lions, leopards, rhinos and the smaller birds in flights while my Leica SL on a APO Vario Elmarit 90-280mm zoom for intermediate distance subjects like elephants, hippos, zebras, Impalas, Kudus and various animals within close quarters of the vehicle, and finally my Leica Q for the panoramic shots of landscape and daily point and shoot. A memorable trip ending with almost 4 TB of mobile hard disk storage. I will re-live my memories when I sort out the images and I look forward to my next trip with Stu on the Tanzania & Elephants of Amboseli and many other trips with Wild4.
Clifford Yap, Singapore
As a return customer I can't recommend enough the experience of these trips as well as photographic opportunities that surpass all expectations.
In addition I have now visited the reptile centre, as part of the extension, twice. Both times I have been delighted with the skill and expertise of the rangers there.
The opportunities set up for photography are exceptional and that coupled with Stu's masterclass in close up and macro provides a day to remember.
If you get the opportunity to do the extension, take it as it's worth every minute.
Sharron Franks, UK