In the Mara my favourite antelope is the Eland. Here in South Luangwa it is the Kudu. It is large and muscular with beautiful markings and amazing horns that curve. They are a little bit skittish so I was delighted to have a chance to get full on pictures, Seen from the side it is…
This pair of lions are resting between mating sessions and there is something almost tender about their pose. I have watched mating lions often and in different settings but the action and interactions always grab my attention. This peaceful pair are well Into a mating ritual that will last several days. They may stay in…
This was my first evening drive on this trip. Late in the season, the river was low so as we drove along the bank this large group of crocodiles caught our eye. The wrestling and splashing suggested they had a kill but it was not immediately obvious. The evening light was ideal, catching both their…
It was a quiet afternoon after such a full morning! It is often like that. You can drive around for a couple of hours and really not see anything very much. It isn’t a zoo so the animals could be anywhere in a huge area. You pick a route and see what crosses your path….
The morning of the 24th October had so far been totally amazing. We’d seen cheetahs playing,leopard chasing cheetah and cheetah chasing a leopard, lots of plains animals, touching moments, birds and banded mongoose. But the morning wasn’t over yet! As we moved on we found a delightful cheetah family – mother and 3 really young…
It had already been an amazing morning – with the confrontation between the leopard and cheetahs. There were plenty of other animals around us. Looking through the other photos for that day, I was struck by some of photos that didn’t make my first cut. When you take so many photos on a trip you…
When we set out the next morning we passed the tree we had staked out the previous day. There were vehicles already there so we checked it out. It was likely the leopard was there since she had a kill stached in the tree. She was hidden in a similar position to the previous day….
We were on our way back to camp for lunch when we saw a group of vehicles lined up by a tree. Worth a look – and sure enough there was a leopard up the tree. This particular tree stands in a vast open area. Just like with the lions you need to look really…
OK not both at the same time but on the same morning! Elephants out on the Mara plain are easier to spot than lions but at a distance, especially if they are stationary and partly obscured by bushes or scrub you can mistake them for hippos or rhino or at a push large buffalo! If…
It isn’t always easy to spot a lion especially when they are in the distance. Any game drive finds lots of ‘wood’ lions or ‘stone and rock’ lions! The guides’ familiarity with the landscape means that they notice when the profile of a rock, bush or tree has changed. For me , even with days…