On our latest trip to the Kruger I was lucky enough to have some close encounters with the resident birdlife. Below you can see a white-browed robin-chat, a Cape glossy starling and a crested barbet.
On my latest trip I had the privilege to see an African rock python lazing below a bridge.
African rock pythons are Africa’s largest species; on average, their length ranges from 3 to 3.5m.
The Kruger’s Wilderness Trails include a daily morning hike and a shorter evening walk or sundowner. After a tiring morning, our group opted for sundowners the first evening. Our guides drove us to a tranquil viewpoint, from which we could enjoy the sunset over one of the few rivers which have survived the drought.
In September we visited the Nyalaland Wilderness Trail, an isolated tented camp near Punda Maria Rest Camp in the Kruger National Park. The camp was in a beautiful and serene setting, overlooking a lovely river. A must-do for any reasonably fit nature lovers… who don’t mind a couple of days without electricity or running water!
On New Years’ Eve, I flew down to Cape Town. Luckily I managed to get a window seat, so I spent part of the flight taking photos of the scenery out the window.
And when the clouds cleared, fields and roads on the earth below made for gorgeous abstracts.
Over the Christmas holidays, my family (my parents, 2 guinea pigs, and 3 beagles) and I stayed for a few nights at Saamrus Guest Farm in Magaliesburg.
The countryside around Saamrus is full of wonderful little critters. These vibrant locusts were everywhere, leaping from blade to blade:
At first sight, this locust might look far more prosaic than the above; but up close, it appeared to be carved from speckled marble. I photographed him inside our cottage, against a cream wall, with both my on-camera and off-camera flash.
This is the last of my images from our trip to Saamrus Guest Farm. If you’ve kept up with my posts from the trip, thank you – if not, you can see them here:
Over the Christmas holidays, my family (my parents, 2 guinea pigs, and 3 beagles) and I stayed for a few nights at Saamrus Guest Farm in Magaliesburg.
Even the guinea pigs enjoyed the fresh country air! I shot these while the dogs were out for a walk – the guinea pigs sat on the table, and I fired my flash through an umbrella from camera-left.
Don’t miss my previous posts from the trip:
Over the Christmas holidays, my family (my parents, 2 guinea pigs, and 3 beagles) and I stayed for a few nights at Saamrus Guest Farm in Magaliesburg.
At the start of one of the walking trails, there is a broken piece of fence which we had to hop over. All three beagles were happy to oblige, especially if they got a treat on the other side!
Have a look at my previous images from our trip:
Over the Christmas holidays, my family (my parents, 2 guinea pigs, and 3 beagles) and I stayed for a few nights at Saamrus Guest Farm in Magaliesburg.
One of the best things about the trip was the open farmland which stretched behind the cottages. Every day we would go for two or three lengthy walks along the trails traversing the countryside. There were no roads or farm animals nearby, so the dogs were allowed to run freely – something they took full advantage of!
Don’t miss my previous posts from the trip:
Over the Christmas holidays, my family (my parents, 2 guinea pigs, and 3 beagles) and I stayed for a few nights at Saamrus Guest Farm in Magaliesburg.
I took these sunset / blue hour shots from the balcony of our cottage. We had a stunning view over the sun catching the clouds at sunset every evening.
If you missed my first post from our trip, you can see it here.
Through the Viewfinder 