The Art in Safari

Going on Safari is on many peoples bucket lists, and is one of their ‘one day’ dreams, but what about the people who who have already been on safari? In my nearly twenty years on safari, I have met very few people (less than ten) who weren’t bitten by the safari bug. The large majority of people find that their senses are awakened, their busy city minds truly relax, often for the first time in years, and at the end of each day there is an easy conversation that doesn’t involve politics, crime, or the economy.

It can be very easy to assume you have ‘done’ safari after one visit, especially if you have some great luck and spot a good number of species (it usually comes down to your big cat sightings), but there is a serious argument both for coming back to the same place, and for trying something new.

Great Migration Safari, FiveZero Safaris

As an example, you can never compare East Africa with Southern Africa; they are completely different and should be counted as two separate safari experiences, so trying a whole new geographical area opens up a whole new world of safari to you. If you narrow it down a little, and try to compare Botswana with South Africa, you might argue that they are somewhat similar, and to a degree you are right, with  many of the species being the same, but the setting, the vegetation, the light, the smells and most importantly the way the animals interact with each other are all vastly different. You might not see it in the brochures, but I assure you, just on the transfer from the airstrip to the lodge, you will already have seen what I am talking about: totally different, and exciting in a whole new way.

Great Migration Safari, FiveZero Safaris

Once you understand that no two safaris are ever the same, you can see a new benefit to returning to the same place over and again. We have been running The Great Migration Safari since 2012,  and I continually come back with new images. The wildebeest crossings are well documented, and have been well photographed over recent years, but there is always a new way to tell the story. What I have tried here is to go for something a little more abstract, and using the black-and-white conversions, trying to get an ‘old school’ feel for the images. Putting a collection like this together in one safari is going to be extremely difficult, and you will need to cash in all your lucky chips, but if you return year after year, or even every few years, you will build up a collection of images that allow you to better tell the story.

 

The Great Migration Safari: Day 10 with Amboseli extension

We woke up on our final day of this amazing safari with a brilliant view of Mount Kilimanjaro. The lodge we were staying at is set perfectly on a small hill, to give you the best possible view of the famous mountain from the Kenyan side. The morning safari was filled with large herds of elephants, and several buffalo dotted here and there. Many general game species can also be found in Amboseli, and we had some wonderful photographic opportunities with a very obliging journey of giraffe. The afternoon safari had a little treat in store for us. We managed to find a pride of 8 lions, which is always nice, but these lions were milling around in front of Mount Kilimanjaro, giving us 2 of Africas icons together in one photograph! As if that wasn’t enough, several elephants left the swamp and also meandered in front of the mountain – photographic heaven! It was a great end to a great safari!

Major sighting of the day:

4 male buffalo

Many different herds of elephants

Several male elephants

Herd of buffalo

Pride of 8 lions

Spotted hyena

Mount Kilimanjaro

To join us on safari, click here!

The Great Migration Safari: Day 9 with Amboseli extension

It was our final day in the Masai Mara, and it didn’t disappoint!  After all the crossing action we have had over the first few days, it didn’t even cross our mind to see what the wildebeest were up to, so the wildebeest came to us.  After seeing one of the biggest herds of elephants I have ever seen in the Mara, over 100 individuals, and spending some quality time with a female leopard, we made our way to the airstrip for our onward flight to Amboseli.  As luck would have it, the plane was delayed a little in Nairobi, and thousands of wildebeest wanted to cross the Mara River only a few minutes from the airstrip.  With all our gear in the back, we made a quick dash down to the river, and saw a crossing filled with excitement.  As always, we had our cameras handy for just such an occurrence, and enjoyed a full photo shoot.  Only after the last wildebeest had made its way out of the river, did the plane fly above us signalling the end.

Heading into Amboseli is always fun, because as you approach, you fly over the few marsh areas they have, and spotting the animals is quite easy.  On safari in Amboseli, there are a lot of elephants, and we enjoyed their company for the entire afternoon.  It was awesome, and the cameras had a field day.  Loads of little ele’s were running around, giving us a great show.

Major sightings of the day:

Hyena den with 3 cubs and 1 adult

Several sightings of hyenas

Female leopard in a tree

Many sightings of buffalo

Large herd of elephants, over 100 animals

River crossing

Many different herds of elephants

To join us on safari, click here!

The Great Migration Safari: Day 7

Although the big cats were out and about, the famous river crossings were the highlight in a day filled with amazing sightings.  We saw three different crossings, and during one of these crossings a young zebra got caught by a huge crocodile. The crocodile quickly swam away with its prize, so we followed to see if there would be any feeding action to photograph.  That turned out to be the right decision, because in no time at all, several monster crocodiles were involved in a feeding frenzy that needed to be seen to be believed.  What a scene to witness and photograph!

Throughout the rest of the day, the cameras were kept busy by a host of other species, but a family of 5 cheetah were particularly special.  We also managed to find the big male lion we saw on day 5, and he made for good images as well.  The real surprise of this years Great Migration Safari, has been the number of hyenas we have seen.  We saw another den site with 7 adults and 1 little baby, and continuous sightings of them throughout the day.

Major sightings of the day:

Hyena den site with 7 adults and 1 little cub

Several sightings of spotted hyena

Several sightings of elephants

3 female lions and 1 male lion

3 river crossings

crocodile kill and feeding on zebra

1 female and 4 sub-adult cheetah

fighting elephants

To join us on safari, click here!

The Great Migration Safari: Day 5

An amazing day on safari – this is why I love the Great Migration Safari!  We started with a new hyena den close to the camp, quickly followed by a female leopard crossing the road in front of us.  The hyenas kept appearing throughout the day, as did the elephants and buffalo, but there were 4 hyenas in particular that put on an amazing show for us.  They spent the better part of an hour playing in a small stream, running in and out of the water, jumping on each other, and even playing with each other underwater!  The resolve of the cameras was put to the test on that one, and came out winning. Immediately after the hyena fun, we found a lioness lying on her own, with 3 large buffalos nearby, but she took the safe option, and slipped away past them unnoticed.  This was followed by a seriously large and impressive male lion dragging his wildebeest kill through the clearing to the relative shade of a small tree. It was photographically wonderful!  As if we had not yet seen enough or photographed enough, 2 more lions appeared, eating another unlucky wildebeest.

All this turned out only to set the tone for the rest of the day!  When you join the Great Migration safari, you hope to see and photograph the famous river crossings.  We were lucky enough to be at 3 different crossings with a front row seat to all the action. On one of the crossings, a crocodile made an appearance, and caught one of the younger wildebeest.  It is always sad to see the little ones get taken, but equally amazing to see those massive crocs in action.  On the way back from the crossings, we lucked out even further by spotting a lioness in a tree, and 4 cheetah resting on a termite mound.  I have to say it again, what an amazing day on safari!

Major sightings of the day:

Spotted hyena den site with 5 hyenas

Female leopard

Many herds of elephants

Many buffalo

4 hyenas playing in the water

Lioness

Male lion dragging a wildebeest kill

2 female lions eating a wildebeest

3 different river crossings

Crocodile kill

Lioness in a tree

4 cheetah

To join us on safari, click here!