Auditrails

The Kruger National game Park (“Kruger”) as it is known by everyone is an icon in world wild life conservation and tourist experience.

I was a late visitor to Kruger as I actually only went there in 1977 on honeymoon. Although we loved it we also had other things on our mind…

We did not really attend to much to wild life or saw much of game reserves as we had to deal with building a career and a family. Over the years we did however learn to start enjoying the outdoors especially as most construction sites were out in the wild or at least remote. The Ellisras Mogol project was notable for this. In the mid seventies this was still a very wild area with lots of wild life and poaching!

We always had a love for the sea so I guess starting to love nature on land follows logically albeit with a slow transition process.

I had a boss and friend, Johan Bellingan at a small bank in Johannesburg and he was a keen hunter and nature lover. He took us to Pilanesburg and a few other reserves and I picked up quite a bit of information and love from him as he was a very knowledgeable. Sadly he died hunting buffalo in northern Zimbabwe in 1992. (RIP Johan I think of you long time)

We visited Kruger again after 14 years in 1991 with my father and brother and law and families. We stayed at Lower Sabie for four nights. We sadly had no serious cameras only a few “mik and druks”. I briefly visited Skukuza in 1993 as part of a low veld golf trip where we payed the wild Skukuza nine. Little game viewing except during play! It was a golf trip after all!

In May 1994 after our first free election we had a great few days on the Park with Sue;s brother and family. The two families stayed at a resort near Skukuza for a few days with daily trips into the park and then made an epic trip from Skukuza up to Punda Maria in one day. We had the most amazing sightings that day and famously had to be let in five minutes late. What a day. My next and last visit to Kruger proper was in 1995 when I actually ran in the famous Skukuza half marathon. We stayed at Pretoriuskop camp and was luck to see wild dog kill.

Sue and I also visited Mala Mala in 1992 after Johan’s sad passing and I guess the intimate and famous Mala Mala experience did it for us finally. We also visited Nottens in 1997 as part of a Fieldstone off-site and I also spent a weekend with my brother at Dulini in the same area i.e. the famous Sabie-Sand private game reserve. These visits only reinforced my growing appreciation and love or nature. I will never forget the Dulini trip, we saw a pride of lions and two mating early in the drive. We had the traditional drinks sun-downer and one of the guests asked if the lions we saw might be near. The guide confidently said no but a a while later we noticed that the pride in fact had quietly surrounded us. That was quickest land cruiser alighting flight I have seen in my life.

So from 2000 we started diving seriously and very seldom visited game reserves except notable visits to Phinda in 2003, Madikwe in 2007, Nottens again in 2008, Motswari and Kapama in the Timbavati in 2011. As you can see despite the diving we could not stay out of the bush.

In 2012 we went on the epic “Sidney tour” of Botswana with my brother Marius and sister Estelle and their families and Sue and also visited Etosha. Both these trips I have described fully earlier. The bush now started to take over from diving but we still had not not returned to Kruger proper at that time..

In 2013 we did a trip to the Richtersveld and again to a new favourite, Kasane on the Chobe river. I also visited the lammergeier hide at Giants Castle, The Kalaghadi followed in 2014 and in 2015 we did a Namibian and the Masai Mara. In 2016 we again visited Kasane, Gogho hills and Kalizo, the latter for the carmine bee-eaters. The next up was South Luanga in 2017. Again all the tours have been described earlier.

Finally in 2018 we opted to visit Kruger proper as we decided to go local before planned trip to Masai Mara. We booked three nights at Mopani and three nights at Satara. Both venues were most enjoyable and the viewing excellent. I attach some photos below.

South Luanga in Zambia is not as well known as some of the iconic East African destinations like the Mara and Serengetti or even our own Kruger Park.

In 2017 I was fortunate to visit South Luanga and was very pleasantly surprised. We flew into Lusaka ( just under two hours) and then onto Mfefu airport another 90 odd minutes. After landing we travelled by bus to Flatdogs camp. (Flatdogs are crocodiles if you have not guessed it ).

The Luanga river is a major tributary of the Zambezi joining actually below Kariba Dam. The Luanga river is famous for its long horse shoes that annually overflows roughly between January and June rendering most camps not usable for about six months. In the remaining dry season there are large lagoons of water that nurtures fabulous wild life. There is both a South and North Park.

We were hosted on photographic safari by Ed Selfe who knows the area like the back of his hand. After an early morning game drive at Flatdogs, he picked us up around 12pm and we had a 45 minute game drive to Zikomo Safari Camp in the Nsefu conservancy where we stayed the next seven days. I attach a map of the area below. We spent the next days at the camp that is only open for about six months due to the annual flooding as it is right on the Luanga river.

The bungalows are a good walk from the dining and bar area and in the evenings one do require guides to walk with you back in the dark as the camp is not enclosed and many hippos, lion and others roam freely. One night my wife opened the front door with pride of lions passing by! During the day a couple of elephants came for the maroelas daily around the office area and sometimes restricted movement for guests.

The game viewing was fabulous and variable with good bird life, all signs of a healthy Eco-systems. The only big five missing is the rhino. There are some wild dog but we did not see them neither did we see cheetah. We saw excellent elephant, lion and leopard. There also were some antelope species like the puku not found more south.

We were able to see some great river crossings by elephant and even giraffe. The camp was vert remote which meant we had the place almost to ourselves. With my wife having flu I was on the vehicle with Ed most of the time on our own so we could take our time and almost do what we want. We got out of the vehicle a few times and walked closer for different angles of view. We did that for both leopard and elephant which was a first for me.

A high point was a visit to a nearby hot water spring about an hour’s drive north on the “main road north”. This is a very sandy road with very few cars and actually more bicycles.

This was more savannah landscape with zebra and buffalo but the high point was the colony of crowned crane birds which actually arrived in a huge flock while we were there. A great way to experience one of my favourite and most beautiful birds.

We have been fortunate to have traveled the world in pursuit of work, wildlife and food. For many years I attended the annual African Energy Forum (“AEF”) conference as part of my work -the AEF as a subject is worth a a separate article. My wife Sue joined me on many of these outings and so did my chef son Marthinus both partners in our fine dining establishment DW Eleven-13 restaurant in Johannesburg-

https://www.dw11-13.co.za/

In 2017 AEF was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Sue and Marthinus joined me on the last day of the conference and we then proceeded to our Airbnb destination and for the next four days spent exploring Nordic cuisine. Although the famous Nobu was closed for renovations many other restaurants had followed in its food steps. I am not going to share the details of all our delightful meals save to say that we ate well and plenty. I found time to take some of my favourite “shots”, i.e. at night and that helped burn off some of the ample desserts.

Copenhagen in June was cold to mild with rain. I did do some cycling and did find some time for photos of the old city and market.

From Copenhagen we took a train over the famous Oresund bridge to Malmo. From there we took a train to Ysstad and then a bus to Skanes Tranas where we stayed over and ate at the famous local restaurant. My son booked all the eateries and I arranged the accommodation. Interesting we used Google to travel by train and bus and the departure times were on the minute even in the country. Believe me Skanas Tranas is in deep Swedish countryside.

Nordic crime noir is even more famous than its cuisine. Ysstad is also the resident town of fictional detective Kurt Wallender and Copenhagen and Malmo are the settings of the famous TV series, “The Bridge and The Killing” .

We left early the next morning via bus to the famous university town of Lund from where we took an express train, still taking another 5 hours to Stockholm, our home for the next four nights before we departed back to South Africa.

We visited most of the best restaurant and ate well as always. We also had time for seeing some of the main sights such as some palaces and the ABBA museum. I also went on a night shoot which was quite fund and exciting and I retraced my steps two mornings later.

On the way back there was a mistake with my ticket and I had to stay a day longer at the airport which was a schlepp. I also got another warning in Frankfurt because of visa expiry! Scandinavia is fun, safe and beautiful and I am sorry we did not add Norway on the trip. The Google map below assist to capture the trip better geographically.

https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d251178.00519895108!2d13.350996670997027!3d55.59987011021505!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x4652533c5c803d23%3A0x4dd7edde69467b8!2sCopenhagen%2C%20Denmark!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sza!4v1597763472360!5m2!1sen!2sza

I attach some photos of this trip below:

• Kalizo

We were a team of eight photographers including our hosts. We spent fours days at Kalizo lodge. The accommodation is basic and the food simple, but very tasty and well prepared with breakfast a daily highlight.

The trip is made special however by the (annual) visiting colony of breeding southern carmine bee-eaters. Thousands of these colourful birds congregate and make their nests in the soft riverine sand on the banks of the mighty Zambezi in this part of the (in)famous Caprivi strip about 20km east of Katima Mulilo.

We all try and capture the birds in action, in flight and hopefully in focus. This is not an easy task and it takes patience and some luck to “get it”. We do that every morning and in the afternoons we go an try for African skimmers and other water birds. We also shoot fish eagle action shots by strategically “dropping” some artificially  inflated fish with mixed results (for me at least). Sue gets some much better shots, but then she has always had the fastest finger in the family.

Altogether one to knock off your bucket list even if you are not an avid birder.

 

We discovered this gem in the Southern Chobe bordering the famous Savuti region. Perched on a granite hill amongst baobabs and other large trees the rooms and lounge/dining area provide a great view over a water hole and the surrounding kalahari bush. We had comfortable rooms and the fans assisted well with the heat. Yes, we visited in suicide month, so it was comfortably hot, thank you.

We were blessed during the visit with some wonderful sightings. We flew to Ghoha from Kasane along the Chobe, over the Linyanti and then onto the hills and Savuti. We had  a great flight despite the bad viz thanks to the smoke and dust in the air.

Close to the main lodge is a second large water hole with an open hide. The hide is not ideal for photography as it is not placed sympathetic to the evening or morning light. Despite that there is some wonderful activity at this hole both in the morning and the afternoon. We spent four wonderful sessions there. Some of the activities are:

1. Tawny eagles and yellow billed kite targeting the many doves;
2. Roan antelope
3. Elephant,
4. Honey badger
5. Leopard
6. Pelican
7. Lion, including extensive mating session
8. Elephant
9. Buffalo
10. Giraffe
11. Eland
12. Zebra
13. Kudu and many other birds and smaller antelope

We took a trip to Savuti channel and had some good sightings but nothing to beat the resident hide.

Finally one cannot write about Ghoha and not mention the majestic baobabs near the lodge and vicinity. Last but not least one must mention Abraham and Nanette and their wonderful staff who went out of their way to make our trip and stay a memorable one. Food was great and accommodation luxurious with no detail to small. Ghoha Hills is definitely worth a visit if not only for that water hole!

The evening with the mating session was sublime as we had a tawny eagle kill, the long mating sessions, a wonderful sunset with a very large elephant herd and even a pelican! One of those wonderful moments you can only have id you get out there. To cherish for sure!

Bird Island

October definitely was a bird month as you will agree after my Cape Town visit described below. We travel to Mahe for ten says and we end up for tow days on one of my favourite places, Bird Island in the Seychelles with some old friends, Peter and Rene. We go back long time, too long to state publicly as then this may be classified as a museum piece. Peter’s family own Bird island so we are immediately more than welcome and at home.

This our third visit to Bird Island and as Seychelles islands go very manageable on most budgets. The family owners have now taken over the management and there is a distinct improvement in the food we discover that evening after some good “imported” wine.

We start the first day with a walk and discover that the sooty terns are still there albeit in lesser numbers. After breakfast we had long wonderful drift snorkel. We see many turtles, eagle rays and normal rays. We then wait for what I came for, the elusive long tail tropic bird! These beautiful creatures come out to fly and or feed their young every morning. Catching them in flight close-up is a challenge at the best of times and need a fast and sure trigger finger. Results are mixed and patience and much luck is needed. Some of my best ones are attached below.

In the afternoon I go and shoot the sooty terns and also the lesser and greater frigate birds. There is also some time to fit in some brown noddies and  Madagascar Fodies and I also find a blue breast pigeon and of course the ever present giant tortoises.

We try again the next day before we return and get some more shots. We also take the fairy terns who start flying a bit earlier than the tropic birds. They are a bit easier to take, but as colourful against the natural blue and green backdrop.

We leave and sadly this time we missed the turtle nesting season, but  we have some good footage from a previous visit.

Previous visit link:

Trips 2016

The last year has been a hectic year. I am supposed to be be retired, but what is that exactly supposed mean?  A figment of one’s imagination, a mirage! Thankfully, I am able to continue working in my investments at my pace and fortunately we had the time and resources to visit some exciting places. I have added some words, but the pictures tell the real story.

1. Mashatu: November 2015.

It is already a long time ago, but we visited Mashatu in the southeast corner of Botswana at the end of November 2015. This is a land of Baobabs and history as well as interesting geography.  This was the main route followed by the likes of Rhodes to his Utopia and there the Jameson raid came through here. The area  even had some skirmishes during the Boer war. Today three countries meet in a remote corner that is thankfully reserved mostly for game viewing and in the Tuli Block sadly some hunting.

We drove through the dry Limpopo and did not need to use the cable car. We arrived in heat of over 36 degrees Celsius and after lunch did our first delightful game drive. We saw some big trees and a lioness as well as a python! A first for me.

Overnight the weather changed and it was as cold as 16 degrees the following day. No game in the hides, or anywhere else. We end up shooting the huge colony of southern masked weavers building their nests and finding cover from the rain and cold….

The following day is more exciting as we find an elephant carcass with hyena, jackal and vultures. The elephant met his unknown final end and now provided a huge feast for the local scavenger community. We get some interesting shots despite bad overcast light. We also find a leopard with an aardvark in a tree. This is quite a unique case as it is almots looks human

We visit the elephant carcass the evening and at sunset one of the deceased elephants come and perform a vigil and touching tribute. All very riveting!

The next day we are on our way back, but we find a giraffe carcass and another group of hyena feasting. Mashatu is worth a visit for sure. We were in the good hands of a very capable C4 guide.

2. Seychelles

In December we spent time at out second home in Eden. We had two sets of guests. Firstly, son Fred and  his friend and their girl friends for two weeks. A good time was had by all.

This team was followed by Ronelle and Steve and the grandchildren, Chloe and Sebbie.

A good time was spent until tragedy struck when I slipped on a rock and had a very deep cut on my shin that needed 14 stitches! I had just arranged a dive for me and Steve and I decided to walk back along the rocks at the end of Beau Vallon beach. The bad part was not being able to swim for two weeks in the sweating heat and humidity, especially with grandchildren. No diving this time. Walking with crutches was also not pleasant ,but thankfully and thanks to the good doctors at Euroclinic the wound healed well with no nasty after effects.

Sue and I visit Seychelles again over Easter and this time we have time to dive. We do two wonderful dive sat Johnnies and Brizare. Conditions cannot be better and it reminds us why we love the underwater so much. We see some great sightings including dolphins and great white tip reef sharks.

In the meantime, we enjoy our second home on Eden Island which now has become a wonderful place to visit on its own. It has four beaches, three swimming pools, about eight restaurants, super market, micro brewery, gym and many fabulous shady walks and or bicycle lanes. Have I mentioned the snorkeling. Anse  Bernetier is to die for my man. World class!  Where can you snorkel and expect to see shark, turtle, barracuda, forty species of  fish including lion fish, squid etc., all within 50m from beach in  an exquisite environment.

3. Madikwe

Madikwe on the border of Botswana was established about forty years ago mostly from farmland. Today it hosts the big five and a multitude of upmarket lodges. We visited there the end of February for Sue’s Birthday.

Accommodation and viewing was fine and we saw the big five save for leopard. We did see some cheetah and the elephant bathing in front of our rooms were sublime. The vehicles sadly were not set up for photography, but we made a plan. Madikwe has good game but it is quite bushy making good sightings and photography a challenge. Nevertheless, we got good elephant, cheetah, lion and rhinoceros shots.

4. Zimanga

Zimanga is a private game farm near Mkhuzi. Sue and I know the area well as it is along the way to Sodwana, one of our favourite places. Zimanga is known for its wonderful and very comfortable reflection hides. It also has an overnight hide. The reserve boats the big five, but also is quite bushy so the hides are the best spots.

We visited Zimanga the end of May. Apart from the fabulous shots of birds taken in the hides, the highlight of the trip was the den of wild dogs with 13 puppies. This was a unique experience to savour with some memorable shots.

5. Giant’s Castle

Our trip to Giants Castle was mid July. We spent two days on the famous lammergeier hide. We took great shots of both the bearded vulture and the Cape (Griffen) vulture. This remains a uniquely initiate experience with two of our endangered large birds. No jackals this time!

The accommodation is adequate as is the food but the environment makes up for that. The scenes from the hide remain forever.

6. Steam Trains, Bi-planes, Vintage cars and Pretty Maidens

In Johannesburg we are fortunate to have some steam train fanatics known as Reefsteamers! They arrange various annual activities that involve trips to Irene and Magaliesberg. Some of these have old vintage cars and biplanes in attendance. They also arrange open days at their Germiston den and after an early (cold) morning start some models join in and the fun begins…..

7. Botswana and Namibia:

The trip planning started when we booked with Albert and Marietjie Froneman to visit Kalizo and the southern carmine bee-eater breeding colony. We decided we could not moss Kasane and also to add Savuti to the itinerary.

• Kasane

Kasane is my second favourite destination after Sodwana. The water mass and river boat rides getting you close to a variety of wildlife remains one of natures’ wonderful spectacles. We spend the weekend mostly on the water although I take a trip into the Chobe park. We find some lions and a few raptors, but that was the highlight. Results on the water was much better as saw the usual suspects and some good sunsets. The birdlife and game viewing superb as always. We did our trip with the friendly team from Pangolin. Photography only gets better when you and your camera with long lens is comfortably perched.

We stayed at Mowana lodge and also did two further activities after our return from Ghoha Hills described below. Accommodation can be described as fair.

• Ghoha Hills

We discovered this gem in the Southern Chobe bordering the famous Savuti region. Perched on a granite hill amongst baobabs and other large trees the rooms and lounge/dining area provide a great view over a water hole and the surrounding kalahari bush. We had comfortable rooms and the fans assisted well with the heat. Yes, we visited in suicide month, so it was comfortably hot, thank you.

We were blessed during the visit with some wonderful sightings. We flew to Ghoha from Kasane along the Chobe, over the Linyanti and then onto the hills and Savuti. We had  a great flight despite the bad viz thanks to the smoke and dust in the air.

Close to the main lodge is a second large water hole with an open hide. The hide is not ideal for photography as it is not placed sympathetic to the evening or morning light. Despite that there is some wonderful activity at this hole both in the morning and the afternoon. We spent four wonderful sessions there. Some of the activities are:

1. Tawny eagles and yellow billed kite targeting the many doves;
2. Roan antelope
3. Elephant,
4. Honey badger
5. Leopard
6. Pelican
7. Lion, including extensive mating session
8. Elephant
9. Buffalo
10. Giraffe
11. Eland
12. Zebra
13. Kudu and many other birds and smaller antelope

We took a trip to Savuti channel and had some good sightings but nothing to beat the resident hide.

Finally one cannot write about Ghoha and not mention the majestic baobabs near the lodge and vicinity. Last but not least one must mention Abraham and Nanette and their wonderful staff who went out of their way to make our trip and stay a memorable one. Food was great and accommodation luxurious with no detail to small. Ghoha Hills is definitely worth a visit if not only for that water hole!

The evening with the mating session was sublime as we had a tawny eagle kill, the long mating sessions, a wonderful sunset with a very large elephant herd and even a pelican! One of those wonderful moments you can only have id you get out there. To cherish for sure!

• Kalizo

We were a team of eight photographers including our hosts. We spent fours days at Kalizo lodge. The accommodation is basic and the food simple, but very tasty and well prepared with breakfast a daily highlight.

The trip is made special however by the (annual) visiting colony of breeding southern carmine bee-eaters. Thousands of these colourful birds congregate and make their nests in the soft riverine sand on the banks of the mighty Zambezi in this part of the (in)famous Caprivi strip about 20km east of Katima Mulilo.

We all try and capture the birds in action, in flight and hopefully in focus. This is not an easy task and it takes patience and some luck to “get it”. We do that every morning and in the afternoons we go an try for African skimmers and other water birds. We also shoot fish eagle action shots by strategically “dropping” some artificially  inflated fish with mixed results (for me at least). Sue gets some much better shots, but then she has always had the fastest finger in the family.

Altogether one to knock off your bucket list even if you are not an avid birder.

8. Bird Island

October definitely was a bird month as you will agree after my Cape Town visit described below. We travel to Mahe for ten says and we end up for tow days on one of my favourite places, Bird Island in the Seychelles with some old friends, Peter and Rene. We go back long time, too long to state publicly as then this may be classified as a museum piece. Peter’s family own Bird island so we are immediately more than welcome and at home.

This our third visit to Bird Island and as Seychelles islands go very manageable on most budgets. The family owners have now taken over the management and there is a distinct improvement in the food we discover that evening after some good “imported” wine.

We start the first day with a walk and discover that the sooty terns are still there albeit in lesser numbers. After breakfast we had long wonderful drift snorkel. We see many turtles, eagle rays and normal rays. We then wait for what I came for, the elusive long tail tropic bird! These beautiful creatures come out to fly and or feed their young every morning. Catching them in flight close-up is a challenge at the best of times and need a fast and sure trigger finger. Results are mixed and patience and much luck is needed. Some of my best ones are attached below.

In the afternoon I go and shoot the sooty terns and also the lesser and greater frigate birds. There is also some time to fit in some brown noddies and  Madagascar Fodies and I also find a blue breast pigeon and of course the ever present giant tortoises.

We try again the next day before we return and get some more shots. We also take the fairy terns who start flying a bit earlier than the tropic birds. They are a bit easier to take, but as colourful against the natural blue and green backdrop.

We leave and sadly this time we missed the turtle nesting season, but  we have some good footage from a previous visit.

9. Cape Town

My wife had some family business in Cape Town and I also had some normal business the Monday so we left for Cape Town for a quick weekend. I decided to make a photographic weekend as described but also find time to have breakfast with my old friend Rod. I then go to Stoney Point and end up for lunch in Hermanus with my old school friend Bobby, described elsewhere. After that I drive back have fun with the family.

• Stoney Point

Stoney Point is one of the two colonies of endangered African Penguin on the continent. I end up visiting both in tow days to complete both a Bird Month and Penguin weekend.

The light is not great when I visit the colony just outside Betty’s Bay after a picturesque drive along Gorden’s Bay, Koeel Bay, Hangklip etc.  Jirre Marie Kaap bly Mooi!

The penguins are tame and apparently well protected. The colony looks to be in good shape and there are a number of tourists confirming the importance of protecting these delightful creatures. Against the large stony rocks and breaking waves with different flying and resting cormorant breeds the experience soothes the soul and calms the mind. Enjoy my images below depicting these sanguine moments.

• Boulders Beach

I leave after breakfast on my way to Boulders Beach. I have now definitely decided to do the second colony today as the weather she is fantastic and as well know Cape Town on a good day is unbeatable and Simons town was even better on this last weekend of October. Given the better light, the photos are better albeit that the light might have been a bit harsh s the photos were taken all after 11pm. After lunch I return for a quick rest before my next adventure.

• Bo-Kaap

I had decided to arrange a guided photographer as I have never taken good photos of Cape Town. I meet Rob mu guide at 3 and we start in the colorful historic Bo-Kaap. We spend the next two hours there enjoying the sublime colors, beautiful people and cultural atmosphere. Enjoy. Although not cheap it saves time and you get to places you probably will not get to on your own.

• Leeukop

After the Bo-Kaap we planned to go onto table mountain, but there was a cloud and we decided to go up Leeukop. I did not expect a climb, but we almost climbed to the top to a cave and took some photos from that unique vantage point.

10. Walter Sizulu

One of Johannesburg’s hidden gems is the Walter Sizulu Botanical Garden. I visited this spectacular garden Mid-November with brother Marius to shoot the main attraction, the Verreaux Eagle (Black eagle). Not the most spectacular shots, but I will go again.

11. Cape Town, Big Wheel

I love City Ferris wheels and always wanted to shoot the Cape waterfront wheel with Table Mountain as lighted backdrop. Sadly the mountain lights are not always on, but I got a few images just after sunset.

12. London

I almost forgot I also attended the African Energy Forum for the 17^th time in London this year. I took some time off during the long summer evenings to indulge in one of my passions, night photography. I took a guided tour on two occasions with Hairy Goat. The one was round Tower Bridge area and the other around London Eye and Westminister.

• Kasane

Kasane is my second favourite destination after Sodwana. The water mass and river boat rides getting you close to a variety of wildlife remains one of natures’ wonderful spectacles. We spend the weekend mostly on the water although I take a trip into the Chobe park. We find some lions and a few raptors, but that was the highlight. Results on the water was much better as saw the usual suspects and some good sunsets. The birdlife and game viewing superb as always. We did our trip with the friendly team from Pangolin. Photography only gets better when you and your camera with long lens is comfortably perched.

We stayed at Mowana lodge and also did two further activities after our return from Ghoha Hills described below. Accommodation can be described as fair.

A nice day today near Magaliesburg, A pre WW2 Tiger moth buzzed the Reefsteamer Janine. Some memories about times of yesteryear. Enjoy, no photoshop additions, event happened as adverstised.

28 August 2015 (07:55PM)

I left SA for Kenya on the 26th attending an energy conference in Nairobi. On the Friday afternoon colleague Jason and I went to the Karen Blixen museum in the Karen suburb only 12 km outside of Nairobi. It is quite interesting that a whole suburb remains named after someone that only stayed in the country for about 18 years.

Eighteen eventful years as part of the infamous Happy Valley set led by Lady Edina Sacksville, otherwise known as “the Bolter” famous for her five marriages and trend setting affairs.

It was quite refreshing to experience the blissful serenity on the farm after so many years:

“ I had  farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong hills.” On the face of it, little has changed and even Meryl Streep and Robert Redford’s clothes are still there….

In the appropriate  mood, I buy some local Maasai art and afterwards we enjoy a meal        (and some beers) at a nearby restaurant. I am winding down as I prepare to travel to El Donjo and Mara Toto for the next ten days, have cameras with me, so bliss is best.

29 August 2015 (08:52PM)

We travel to Great Plains, El Donjo Lodge in Chyulu Hills, next to Amboselli game reserve at the foot of majestic Kilimandjaro. We ( Wim van Heerden from ODP Safari’s, my host and I)  depart from Wilson’s airport Nairobi. It is a short 45 minute flight. We see little of the big K given the extensive cloud cover and sadly there is only a very small ice cap left. (They say the cap is bigger in January, but clearly global warming has reduced the cap that cam down almost halfway as alate as 1960!

After admiring the wonderful accommodation at this delectable resort and a lunch we depart on our first game drive. We see many new series of bird, we admire a trio of large tuskers ( the 100 pounders have made this area famous!) oryx, impala, Grants and Thompson gazelle. We also run into a rare striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) and spend most of the afternoon trying to get close to this very rare animal. I recently saw an aardwolf in Etosha and have now met the full family. I have previously met the brown and spotted hyena. This hyena is only present in the areas indicated in green on attached map.

At sunset we see a glimpse of the great one (Big K),  but that is all. We are rewarded with a wonderful full  (in fact)  blue moon!

We have a delightful intimate dinner with the few lodge guests. we all sit around the table. Wim and I renew our acquaintance as we recently also spent ten days in Namibia. Needless to say we enjoy some good wine.

30 August 2015 (08:26PM)

We get up very early. This is par for the course with Wim, but the idea is if you are not behind the camera you cannot get the shot.

We find some great early light on the plains. We shoot wildebeest and zebra before we have a drink on top of  a hill with a great vista of the Chyulu hills and surroundings

Our guide Jackson is also an avid photographer and we then spend the rest of the morning hunting for the shy geranuk ( Litocranius walleri, also known as the Waller’s gazelle). The gerunuk is difficult to spot in the thick bush but we do manage a few long distance ones. The geranuk is only found in East Africa, so this counts as  life sighting for me.

 

We return for lunch around 11 30 and a wee break but depart again around 3.

The afternoon we take some shots of the Van der Decker Hornbill and other birds. We try and get some predator, but to no avail. At dusk we hear from a passing ranger that the local biggest  tusker, One Ton and his “askaris” are nearby . We find the awesome big one in fast fading light, but not too late to sneak in some great shots even with flash. A fabulous end to the day, which we celebrate again in good spirits.

31 August 2015 (09:33AM)

We leave early again. It is quite a long way to go as we are hunting lesser kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis) today. It is a similar experience as the gerunuk (in fact we find a few of these as well). It is harder work though as these guys are really shy! We manage to find then, but the rams are very shy. As we can see from map, the animals are not found behind any bush!

After lunch we spend most of the afternoon at the local lodge water hole with some great elephant interaction. We try and find One Tonne again, but no luck. We do find a giraffe that gives us some sort of dreamt of  sunset.

We have a great final evening at El Donjo and I finally get to sleep outside on the roof. Unforgettable sounds and experience under open skies, except for Big K still under wraps.

1 September 2015 (10:06AM)

We get up not so early as we are off to the airport this morning after breakfast. Jackson says good bye in full Masai regalia. We are very much honoured Jackson!

We have a brief stop at Amboselli and then we touch down at Wilson’s airport afterwards where we touch base with the new arrivals from South Africa. Wife Sue and three fellow photographers, one missed his flight.

We finally head to the Masai Mara where we are met by the Mara Toto team and taken to our tent camp. After a briefing we have lunch and head for the Mara and maybe a crossing.

We see a small crossing and we see enough to wet our appetite.

We arrive back after 7pm. In time for food and liquids.

2 September 2015 (10:14AM)

We try for a crossing today. We leave around 6 am after a 5 am wake up call!  Early morning we see a leopard as we leave the camp. We also see some lion and the evidence (vulture activity) of a feast on the plains as the migration provide welcome opportunity to the various lion prides, a number cheetahs with cubs, the odd leopard and scores of hyena.

We see at least five vulture species. (White backed, lappet face, Ruppelli gryphon, white headed and hooded ) The so-called  soap of the savannah make the best of the migration as it hits the Mara plains. Carcasses both fresh and old abound as evidence of the conveyer belt feeding, sushi style.

Apart from the circa 2 million wildebeest on the move there also are herds of zebra and topi the fleet-footed cousins of the tsesebe and the red hartbeest. On the plains there are also giraffe, buffaloe, eland and both Grant and Thompson’s gazelle. The latter is the main diet of the leopard and cheetah.

At the fast flowing Mara river we wait with many others to witness an iconic wildebeest crossing. Also in waiting lurk  many crocodiles with scores of hippo as spectators. We sadly wait in vain but not without reward.

We are able to shoot some landscapes and sunsets on the way back as we arrive back after 7. We settle for a good dinner, the obligatory red wine and we get to bed after 11…

   

3 September 2015 (05:28PM)

We are off early as usual at 6pm under the guidance of our driver Duncan. We again hope for a crossing.

We have a busy morning with lion! We first hit a male with some great shots against the horizon at sun rise. We also find a female and shoot her too bits!

We then find a herd of giraffe before we finally get to a leopard again, getting only fleeting shots. A bit further we get to two lionesses on a kill, all good stuff. we finally get to the river and wait. We see many wildebeest, but very few wildebeest crossing that is, nada!

In between I have forgotten to mention that we get served full english breakfast out on the plains and the same exercise is repeated at lunch time. That allows us to make it during the 13 arduous but enjoyable hours every day. Duncan is in radio contact with his team and we just suddenly find a land cruiser market under a wild date tree, complete with table. The cumberland sausages and crispy bacon has become a hit and we all pine for it before the day gets very old.

Sadly we return having seen the migration, but still no crossing. All happy as the lion experiences were divine.

4 September 2015 (05:53PM)

Today we decide to rush to river, no stopping for trivial lion or other interesting subjects. We just have to get a crossing….

We get to the Mara and find the usual spots shy of activity. Duncan takes us to a new spot and there appears to be build up. We find some more lion and baboon as well  some great topi shots on the way to what promises to be our first crossing…

We spend most of the morning in unsuccessful animated anticipation as we watch a heavy buildup all morning before breakfast  and afterwards. The main spoilers are the crocodiles waiting in the shoot as well as the mass of vehicles waiting to get a shot. One stampede fades quickly when two  crocodiles get over active. We wait and wait wait while we tell some jokes and stories..

We again have to be happy with great lion shots and the usual sights of the migration and  sunset. Tonight we are with a male and two female lions when the evening rain hits us. We take some fantastic shots of the male in the rain sucking water. Some of us even get the sake of the water soaked main (sadly not me). I do get the rainbow and the lion as the pot of gold. The male seems to be very happy with his females tonight.

We arrive back home tired, gutted but happy that we still had the opportunity to see some wonderful animal activity. We end the day as usual with some good food and wine…

5 September 2015 (06:38PM)

We decide to abort spending time at crossings and rather find some good game.

The morning starts with a good hyena kill followed by you guessed it lion…

We take good landscapes of the migration mostly wildebeest with some zebra. We see some good vultures, topi, ostrich, giraffe necking and finally we hit zebra crossing, voila, we know theses animals can cross rivers.

We end the day with great lion sighting and even a buffalo chasing a lion as well as usual great sunset. We make it in time or our usual final daily dosage of food and wine.

6 September 2015 (07:08PM)

Today Duncan takes us to look for cheetah. We first get possibly the best sunrise of the trip. We find a female with three cubs in the conservancy area. There are too many vehicles and we move on to find other sightings.

We are fortunate to find another female with four cubs close to some tommies. (Thompson gazelles). we stay frosty but despite that some of us miss the wonderful charge over about 600m as the cheetah female chases the tommy and finally overhauls it for a spectacular kill. Sadly I am not well positioned and miss the charge, damnit…

The cheetah lies with its kill exhausted but able to call her cubs who are over 500 away. The small foursome make their way to mommy whom has provided food today and defended her family from hunger, well done mommy.

Over lunch we spot a martial eagle, we also see a tawny and another eagle,  gymnogene!

On the way back we witness our first big wildebeest crossing alas not over the Mara but one of its tributaries. Finally we have something. We can return safely and happy after the busy day.

7 September 2015 (07:29PM)

Today the schedule changes for some of us, the four of us that go on the hot air baloon ride.

We get picked up at 5 after a 4 am wake up, eina! We have a trip of 45 minutes to the launch site.  My driver and I while our time exchanging cultural titbits. He was amazed that our President Zuma has five wives and planning for a sixth. That is what he aspires to do as well in typical Masai culture. I leave the discussion there noting the clear wide difference with my own…

We have an hour flight over the migration. We see most of the animals including lion, hyena and vultures. we see great wildebeest, buffalo and zebra. We finish with breakfast noting the awkward landing in the gathering breeze.

After breakfast we get taken to meet up with rest of our team who in the meantime had gone on a normal game drive. We find them in the middle of a potential lion kill! They are in fact three hours invested in the hunt.

The lone lioness lies behind a boulder near the road chute in the river bed. Although the wind is not in her favour it is a great ambush site as wildebeest and zebra are very prescient. We remain “frosty”.

Two large zebra make it down to the water for a drink a mere five metres away from the lurking female. She makes an important decision- i.e. not to attack- as she is aware of the greater danger taking on a large zebra on her own.

In the meantime some wildebeest start crossing upstream. Our huntress make her way along the river abutment and disappears out of site. we see wildebeest running everywhere. We reposition our vehicles anticipating a miss. In stead we find that our huntress has made a hit and was busy suffocating the unlucky wildebeest to death. After about ten minutes she starts dragging the wildebeest to a spot about 100m away that is more protected and where she can enjoy her kill in privacy. we leave her and go for lunch at nearby Mara Toto base camp.

After lunch we go on anther drive and soon find ourselves in an interesting position with pride of eight lions in a river bed. We went down into the river bed to shoot the pride lying under a wild fig tree.  Driving down into the riverbed we suddenly saw another lion looking into the river and then saw that a crocodile was busy with the carcass of a wildebeest. The lion was figuring out how to wrestle it from the croc. The croc was also fighting off another croc while some hippos also were watching the drama. There we were about 40m from the croc/lion interaction  and only  about 20m from the pride.

In the meantime two of the lions joined the one with the crocs but they came second as the crocs was in their territory and we all know cats are reluctant swimmers. looking down the river we were also being joined by two buffaloes and upstream an elephant was approaching meandering up the river. We had three of the big five in a  very intimate encounter. (I was in fact checking for exits in case of  unexpected events)  Thankfully the need for such action never arose as there were none!

The pride had clearly had too much to eat and was not interested despite the good hunting conditions.

In the meantime the migration was passing on top of the river embankment and the light was the golden light photographers crave. We enjoyed the occasion  and then went to look for a good tree and perhaps some elephant or giraffe. We found a good tree, had our best sunset and low and behold found a buffalo grazing nearby as well after we almost shot the poor wild fig tree to death, it was that pretty.

8 September 2015 (09:28PM)

We get up early for the last time for an early morning quick. A quick game drive before we fly off back to Nairobi.

There is some lion and elephant interplay, some final migraine scenes and for the first time we also see the wattled crane. The two hours fly by and we get back in time for breakfast and the departure for the local Mara airport.

An hour later we are in Kenya where we spend some extra time at the giraffe centre. After a lunch at a curio shop we depart for airport and wait and reflect on a very intense wild life experience. Mara forever. I leave some fond memories on these pages as well as the some crazy signs. Enjoy! Thank you also to ODP that made it all possible.