Just before we started to pack up my tracker – Vusi heard something. He went off to investigate further as to what might have made the noticeable noise. With the biggest smile, I had ever seen on Vusi’s face, excitement bouncing off him Vusi motioned for us to come over. It seemed we were in for a surprise that I never would have expected.

Africa can be a harsh environment for animals. If there is little or limited rains, animals have to find a way to survive.

During these harsh times, animals need to discover ways to access as much water, nutrients and moisture as possible. Being out on a game drive can give you a front row seat to witness just how amazing nature can be! 

Almost everyone who has and will visit Kapama Private Game Reserve for a Big Five safari has a camera, whether it is an entry level DSLR, a smart phone, a bridge camera or a mirrorless system. Going on safari is an incredible experience and many of us want to document and remember it by taking photos. So, I decided to put together a small piece on the basics of wildlife photography for those of you who are new to the world of photography and want to leave Kapama with great memories.

From all my guest that I take on safari, one of the most asked question I get is:
Would it be possible to see the one eyed lion of Kapama?
There is no doubt that he is the most famous and an absolute icon – Our one-eyed lion. However, it’s extremely difficult to answer this question.

Of all the African animals, it seems the poor spotted hyena has the worst reputation. Various films and a place in the “Ugly 5” have only made this worse. One of the common defamations is that they are scavengers, stealing most of their food from more honourable species like Lions. Some claims have even been made that they dig up graves in search of human corpses. It’s high time someone stood up for these incredibly social and intelligent beings.

We moved into the area we thought the Impalas were making their distinctive alarm, in the hopes of catching a glimpse at what they themselves had caught sight of. They only alarm if they have seen a predator, so to see which direction they are looking will help us know which way to move forward on our drive. We didn’t see the Impala though. I became a bit worried that we had lost this opportunity.