Articles on Africa, wildlife and photography
Elephants at Kanga Pan Our first sight of Kanga Pan did not fill us with optimism. What we saw was a lot of mud, with a few small pools full of stagnant green water and it certainly bore little resemblance to the year round waterhole we’d been expecting. Appearances can be deceptive though, and over the course of the 2[…]
Read moreto read the previous chapter of our Safari Diary An elephant named Boswell, Wild Dogs and a Leopard click here 26 September 2014 The topic of conversation when we gathered for our morning drive was noises that had entertained us during the night. I’d heard hyaenas and lions but apparently at about 5am 2 wild dogs had run through camp[…]
Read moreThis follows the previous chapter in our latest safari diary – Matusadona, a birding paradise on the shores of Lake Kariba 25 September 2104 Mana Pools here we come Our flight to Mana Pools was booked for 9 o’clock, so we had to make an early start. Our stay at Rhino Safari Camp was much too brief (much much too[…]
Read moreThe 9th installment of our latest Safari Diary follows on from – Cheetahs and vultures on our last morning in Hwange Matusadona National Park As we come into land the first plane is sitting waiting to take off again and no sooner have we taxied off the runway than it roars off kicking up another dust storm. We disentangle ourselves[…]
Read moreThis is the 8th installment of our Zimbabwe safari diary and follows on from – Game Driving in Hwange National Park 23 September 2014 Our last morning at Bomani. On our way to the gate we spot a pair of Yellow Billed Kites in a tree above us, they’ve got some fresh meat. No idea what it might be though.[…]
Read moreThis is part 7 of the Chobe and Zimbabwe Safari Diary and follows on from – Elephants, more elephants and a lion 22 September 2014 One of the things that I’d been asked to arrange for this group was a visit to a local school. They had brought with them some children’s clothes and boxes of school materials (books, pens[…]
Read moreThis is the 6th installment of my Safari Diary and follows on directly from Elusive Sable and idle Cheetahs – Hwange NP Elephants everywhere Some time ago the folks at Bomani installed something that they call the ‘Look Up’. A shipping contained was buried in the ground beside one of the waterholes and converted into an underground hide or blind.[…]
Read morePart 5 of my Safari Diary and follows on directly from my previous post – Victoria Falls – so much more than just a waterfall Bomani Tented Lodge – Hwange NP As we pulled in to Bomani all the staff came out to greet us and we were led in to the large communal building that houses the bar, lounge[…]
Read morePart 4 of my latest Safari Diary this follows on from my previous post – The Chobe River – A Birdwatcher’s Paradise A game drive in the Stanley & Livingstone Private Reserve Mike told us that of the 8 rhinos that needed to be caught and treated they had managed to entice all but one. This lone renegade was a[…]
Read moreChobe NP Safari Diary – Part 3 This follows on from the previous part of our Safari Diary – Another great day in Chobe – Safari Diary part 2 18 September 2014 For our last morning in Chobe we’d arranged to take a boat trip on the Chobe river. Needing to be in Kasane by 8 o’clock we had an[…]
Read moreFollowing on from our great afternoon in Chobe yesterday (On safari in Chobe NP, Botswana) I had high expectations for our second day. 17 September 2014 The night turned out to be pretty quiet. I heard lions in the distance and some hyaena noises, but nothing that sounded close to camp. Shame really as I love it when animals come[…]
Read moreI’m finally back in the UK after an outstanding safari that took me and a group of wildlife enthusiasts to some of the best parks in Africa. The first on our itinerary was Chobe NP in northeast Botswana. 15 September 2014 I’m not a fan of airports, but Kasane is the kind of airport I love. Small enough that you[…]
Read moreLike many wildlife photographers, when I travel I find that my camera bag usually weighs more than my check in luggage. This is largely due to the need to carry long lenses. I try to keep up to date with the lenses that are available for my camera and when I get back from safari – if I haven’t had[…]
Read moreVibration Reduction (VR) or Image Stabilisation (IS) has become a standard feature on modern zoom and telephoto lenses. They are lauded by many for allowing photographers to keep shooting in poorer light conditions by using technology to reduce the image blur caused by camera shake. If used correctly this feature can undoubtedly be a great help, but used incorrectly it[…]
Read moreThe recent death of up to 600 vultures after feeding on a poisoned elephant carcass near Namibia’s Bwabwata National Park in July confirms that the indiscriminate use of poison is one of the major causes of the ongoing decline in vulture populations across most of Africa. This is particularly evident in West Africa where an average decline of 42%[…]
Read moreBy popular demand, 2014 sees Wildlife Photography Africa re-introduce a small selection escorted group departures designed for wildlife and photography enthusiasts. Offering photographers the chance to travel with a small group of like-minded individuals our groups have a maximum of 6 participants and are escorted by Africa expert and experienced wildlife photographer Martin Dunn. Working closely with our Tanzanian guides[…]
Read more3 great safari itineraries for 2015 with Wildlife Photography Africa and Lemala Camps Lemala Camps operate some of Tanzania’s premier camps in the best locations for viewing wildlife. We’ve worked closely with Lemala to create 3 safari itineraries for 2015 – each designed to put you in the right camp at the right time. Our dates have been chosen to[…]
Read moreWitfontein. A small slice of heaven in the Klein Karoo. Witfontein and the Swartberg Mountains If anyone is visiting, or planning to visit South Africa, then consider this for inclusion in your travel plans. Witfontein is a lovingly restored Cape Dutch farmhouse located on a private game farm in the Klein Karoo with panoramic views of the majestic Swartberg Mountains.[…]
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