Collected Moments of Survival

The fine water droplets gently caress my skin. I am ensconced in a waterproof envelope and my gear is buried in layers of waterproofing. I pull my hat down over my hair as we set off with dawn breaking on the horizon. Barely 100 meters outside the camp we stop at the waterhole. On a dead tree in the centre of the small dam are two Pied Kingfishers desperately feeding a screeching juvenile. In the background a Giant Kingfisher is also searching for its breakfast and off to one side a little Malachite Kingfisher flits to and fro. In the water we can see a small Crocodile patrolling his territory while a Hippo keeps surfacing with a short spray and snort before disappearing again. Sadly, the light is really so bad the best trade off is to simply sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Our next encounter is with a young male Hippo heading determinedly towards a very small mud pool. He approaches the pool and with a hefty slump he falls into the mud. It would seem that he has been ousted ...

It is raining. The rhythmic thud of the windscreen wipers across the dripping glass, are a sharp reminder that I am heading into yet another, soggy weekend. The tyres cut into the water on the tar sending a rooster spray into the air. Once we hit Nelspruit and leave the escarpment behind us, the rain will magically dissipate, and there will only be hot dry Lowveld air. Ha ha, of course, as Nelspruit emerges from the gloom of mist and rain it is confirmation that I am in for another WET safari. By now I am well prepared with wet gear protection so I refuse to feel discouraged. Photography with no light is by now no longer such a big challenge. I have had many opportunities in 2011 to adjust to this. However, I am in Africa, aren’t I? The excitement of spending a weekend at Londolozi in the Sabi Sands Reserve however is not dampened by any amount of rain. I am on my way to Star in My Own Safari – a competition run by the Safari Interactive Magazine in conjunction with L...

Early morning warm-up. It is 5.30am and the sun is edging its way onto the Eastern horizon of the Makgadigadi Pans. We do not have far to drive. Just a couple of kilometres from Jack’s Camp is a group of habituated Meerkats, the reason for the trip to Makgadigadi. Family Bonding time. Extravagantly indulgent, this trip is costing an arm and a leg, but is a 25 th Wedding Anniversary celebration and therefore cost can be (relatively speaking that is) ignored. Slow start on a warm day. Finding a Meerkat in the wilds of Africa, or more specifically, Southern Africa is not an easy task when time is limited and expectations are high. Certainly there are Meerkats spread all over the Western climes of Southern Africa but the crucial factor determining a trip dedicated to them is that they should at least sit still long enough to be photographed and not be hightailing it off in the opposite direction at the approach of a vehicle. The grasslands are waiting. E...

The blast of hot air hits me as I step off the plane onto the runway at Maun Airport. It is November and the African sun makes no compromise. Instinctively I pick up the pace and head for the Airport Buildings, but once inside, there is little relief. The air is thin on oxygen and breathing is a laborious affair. Eventually I make it through customs along with my bags and ironically, simply through another door, I am back where I started out, on the burning runway. This time though, in a smaller plane heading East towards the Makgadigadi Pans. Below, the earth looks scorched and barren. Viewed from the air the skeletal trees show no signs of life and an air of desolation accompanies the relentless sun. Fifty minutes later the Cessna 206 drops from the sky down to a seemingly deserted airstrip while the wind plays havoc with the landing. The air is now even thinner and hotter as we bump our way towards the camp. Stepping into the Mess Tent at Jack’s Camp one can be forgiven...

One of the greatest reasons for travel is to explore the new and undiscovered. However, of course today, there are very few completely undiscovered facts about our world but that does not take away the excitement of seeing something for the first time.   Armed with the Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Africa by Chris & Tilde Stuart research is an essential part of the Safari Experience. A quick glance through the pages and the years ahead seem hopelessly inadequate for one to catch a quick glimpse of all of Africa’s rarer species. So it is a race against time. South Luangwa is no slouch when it comes to providing the avid explorer with a different view and something else to see,   it was, therefore, with great anticipation that we boarded the plane at OR Tambo International and headed North. It is of course, one thing to know about the animals and an entirely different thing to get a good photograph without knowing too much about the specific animal’s behaviou...

Its early morning, the sun has not yet emerged and the stars are still gently flickering in the distance. Soon the inky skies softly turn Titian and expectantly we wait for that glorious break when the fireball emerges above the horizon. Today we wait in vain. A dense blanket obscures those wondrous rays and we are left with a soft subdued light that struggles to light the banks of the Luangwa River. Our destination is a dead Buffalo and a Lion pride. The headlamps of the vehicle throw harsh bands of light across the macabre scene where one life has been sacrificed for the benefit of others. The remains of the Buffalo exude a putrid stench that wafts in the air while the primary beneficiaries of this feast lie close by with their bellies distended by a night of gorging. Three heads turn instantly towards the noise of the vehicle as we approach and their disquieting glares remind us that we are in their domain. As we throw a spotlight over the scene we see the growing nu...