Sun Destinations Blog - Page 16 of 116 - Sun Destinations Safari

Kruger Walking Safaris : Tales and Tails from Trails

He puts on his trusty taupe colour veldskoen (“desert shoes” for the English folk), ties his shoelaces with the finesse of an African fish eagle in flight, grabs his walking gear and crunches his way across the open tented camp to wake-up his Danish guests. The Danes sense of” Hygge” is interrupted when they’re urged to rise at the cockerel hour of 5:30 to embark on a walking trail in the Maseke Balule Game Reserve. But don’t worry, when the Danes return there’ll be a campfire, drink and food to welcome them back home. And once again, the Hygge is restored!

Trails guide Luan possesses arsenal of bushveld knowledge – his experience is as old as his trusty veldskoene (the same ones from the intro paragraph). Having grown-up in the bushveld and guided many wilderness trails, Luan is certainly the perfect candidate to lead Kruger walking safaris. Not only did his Danish guests learn about the surrounding flora and fauna, but they were also captivated by his stories of mind-blowing things that happen in the wild.

Local photographer – Em Gatland – joined the Danish family on trails. Her mission was simply to photograph the Wilderness Trails experience and deliver any news of epic on-foot sightings.

Trails guide Luan likes to cover all bases, so after a day of traipsing and fighting through heavy green vegetation (summer trails), he normally takes guests on an evening game drive to seek out nocturnal predators. It’s always quite nice to discover the tracks on foot during the day, learn about the “owners” whereabouts and locate them at night !

On foot we discover and learn about a delightful terrestrial world often ignored while in a game viewer. In our game viewer we get up close to predators and can cover a fair bit of ground.

Africa on Foot Wilderness Trails is the best of both worlds and offers a completely immersive wild experience in the Kruger’s back country.

We got hold of Em to ask her about the walking safari. She said, “We had quite a few sightings of elephants but they were mainly in the distance. The bush is so green and lush at the moment, so at times we really had to fight through some vegetation.

This meant that we had to keep our eyes peeled for game possibly hiding in the thickets. The landscape really is beautiful in the summer ! The normal suspects were seen while on foot : giraffe, small critters and a monitor lizard hiding out in a tree. A highlight was tracking the African wild dogs on foot, and then finding them later on during the game drive. Their tails were spotted first and then the unmistakable dancing and prancing of dogs happened right in front of us.”

All in all, it was yet another successful Trails expedition under our belts. Each trail holds something different when it comes to sightings, and the colours of landscapes are forever shifting when a new season emerges.

* Creative license : The bit about Luan’s veldskoen might have been embellished. We cannot confirm nor deny how the age of his vellies. It’s also to be noted that photographer Em also owns a pair of Hoedspruit-must-have-veldskoen, but they’re not from a bygone era. They also served her well on trails.

The Week in Pictures : Summer Backdrops and Crimson Kills

When we head out on game drive during the summer season, it’s similar to stepping straight inside an emerald gemstone. The various shades and hues of green provide such a spectacular backdrop for our photographers. So much is happening at our Kruger camps and we’ve enjoyed an array of reports of unique sightings across the board. Our two favourites are the ferocious and bloodthirsty Vuyelas tucking into a recent kill, and an African Rock python suffocating a little scrub hare. Plenty of crimson flesh flying around with all of these kills being conducted.

What’s New? Each “Week in Pictures” we are going to announce our camp and associated guide of the week in a series called #FieldGuideFeature. This guide’s images will be featured on the Sun Destinations Instagram account in our stories. Their images are recent, taken over the weeks prior to “Week in Pictures”. Our first camp is Umkumbe Safari Lodge, featuring guide Shaun Atkinson. Shaun is new to Umkumbe but clearly has a talent for photography. He has also sent through numerous updates over the past few weeks, with a few of our favourite ones being that of the lion cubs on a kill.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

Umkumbe is fairly consistent with its stream of leopard and big cat sightings. Recent guests enjoyed a sighting of a massive leopard carrying its kill across the plains. But the sighting of the week has to be the sighting of an African rock python suffocating a scrub hare. Tanya’s image really evoked so many emotions, and is definitely our wildlife image of the week.

Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp

The Klaserie teams enjoyed an endearing sighting of jackal pups, which Rogan managed to capture on camera. However, the most enthralling sighting was seeing the Vuyela coalition in action. The lions ripped into their young wildebeest kill, shredding the carcass with such vigour. Crimson flesh was flying and tufts of hair were ruthlessly torn apart.

Chacma Bush Camp

The African wild dogs have been the centre of attention at Chacma Bush Camp and they’re certainly enjoying the ready availability of prey sources. With so much greenery, it means that the herbivores are littering the landscape and there are plenty of young vulnerable individuals around.

Ezulwini Game Lodges

The Balule is – yet again – pumping with sightings. The Olifants River is in full flow because of the recent rains, bringing with it a flurry of birds and beasts. The Machaton lions were spotted, along with huge concentrations of elephant.

The Safari Lifestyle at Enchanting Ezulwini

The predators and big game of the Balule Nature Reserve provide fairly consistent and reliable sightings for our adventurous team of guides based at Ezulwini Game Lodges. But it’s the entire eco-system of this part of the world that opens up a world of wonder for first-time visitors. From the medicinal plants to the delicate flowers, armoured bugs and elegant antelope; there’s plenty of scope to learn about the often ignored elements of the bushveld. What we find delightfully enchanting about Ezulwini, is their appreciation for all things bushveld. Angele – lodge manager and guide – is passionate about photography, so we are often rewarded with a flow of images from week-to-week her time at the lodge.

After morning and evenings spent finding predators and learning about the biodiversity of the area; you are encouraged to make the most of your down time at the lodge. There are two lodge options – Billy’s and River, both with exquisite views. River Lodge is managed by Ange, who can probably help you out with your photography questions.

Located on the banks of the Olifants River, Ezulwini River Lodge feels like a riverfront hideaway. Perfectly placed in the midst of the riparian vegetation and designed to feel like a luxury extension of its environment, River Lodge is certainly a place of paradise.

The are 4 superior suites, each of which have large wooden decks, plunge pools, and views of the river beyond. These are our favourite suites and worth the extra cost.

The main areas include a bar, boma area, viewing deck and surrounding the convivial outdoor lounge. The elevated wooden deck under the canopy of trees is the perfect place to kick-back, relax and surround yourself with the choir of Kruger birdsong.

The safari lifestyle in the Balule Nature Reserve is absolute bliss. And game drives certainly never disappoint ! The below images are straight from Angele’s recent stint in the bushveld, which we’re more than happy to share.

Valentine’s Day : Meet a Few of Our Khaki-Clad Couples

The bushveld is a breeding ground for love : romantic love, love of the wild and love of landscapes. This Valentine’s Day we want you to find inspiration in nature and create space for love. Intuitively we all know that the great outdoors has the ability to strip us of our city slicker woes and help us in the quest to find inner peace. The bushveld is a primitive, rugged place that reminds us that love, harmony, kindness and synchronicity between body and earth is key to wellbeing. Find the realness within, and you’ll find a sense of connection. A few of our khaki-clad couples found developed a connection in the bushveld, and fell in love. Today we’re going to introduce these couples and find out their story. Remember…couples that play together, stay together !

Chacma Bush Camp

Brit and Jay manage Chacma Bush Camp. This is their story.

Brit says, ” Jay and I will be together for 5 years on the 5^th June 2020 and will be saying I do on the 6^th June 2020. We both have a passion for the bush and our passion brought us together. We met at a small lodge in the Northern Sabi Sands before moving to the Western sector of the Sands where we have spent the last four years together and have now just recently started at Chacma Bush Camp.

A bit of a cliché but our first date would have been the highlight of the rest of our lives together. Jason had prepared a small bush dinner for just the two of us around the fire in a dry riverbed. While we dinned around the fire, we had 2 Honey badger scurry past, a White Rhino and a Leopard vocalising only a few meters away. “

Africa on Foot

We’ve selected two couples from Africa on Foot that opted to be in our Valentine’s Day shoot. We do have other couples in the Klaserie, but these are the ones that don’t mind the spotlight.

AD and Cherie are the camp managers of Africa on Foot, and they are high school sweethearts.

Cherie says, “Ad and I both come from the same small town Kimberley. We were in the same primary school, high school and church. Our paths constantly crossed, yet we did not know each other. Until one Sunday morning I received a message from the 17 year old boy saying I looked very pretty at Sunday school. I was 15 years old, so clearly I had all the butterflies in the world when the cutest boy at church noticed me.We became the bestest of friends. Although we are COMPLETE opposites we have all the same interests. One of the main ones being the love for nature and the outdoors.

Therefore, after 6 years we are extremely blessed that we get to call the bush our home – with wildlife on our doorsteps and a best friend to share this experience with. There is no better place in the world to fall in love.”

We have yet another couple from Africa on Foot, who’ve been a massive part of the Africa on Foot team for years ! It’s none other than Judy and Alfie, valuable employees of Africa on Foot.

Judy says, “Hello, I’m Judy Machaile from Mozambique. When I met Alfredo Cuambe at Chokwe it was 2002 -13 September. He is the 1 I call my husband today. We have 2 kids – we named them Suzan and Adele, a first and second born. God bless us with cute baby girls. My husband – we love each other and the memories that we have! My man, he’s a caring, sharing & loveable man. I adore him very much. We came here to South Africa to work but every time we go home to see our family members.”

Roam Private Game Reserve

Abi and Don have plenty of experience when it come managing luxury lodges. This power couple both possess an exceptional amount of knowledge about the wild and conservation. Here’s how they met…

Abi says that when she was based at Phinda, Don was a trainee guide and she worked at reception. Abi spotted him outside of the ranger’s room, and thought to herself, “Who on earth is this kid”? ! Both parties spent plenty of time together, learning about the grasses and the trees. They helped each other out. Their connection to the wild and each other grew. She said it wasn’t the most glamorous start to a relationship, but Don did something right – today they’re happily married with a beautiful son.

And their first date? Well, it’s not for everyone ! Their first date involved stripping and hacking up an impala carcass. their second date was a bit more romantic. Date number two involved taking the game viewer out to a local dam, where they ate pizza and watched elephants swimming. This was in 2007 and 2008 they formally started dating.

Ezulwini Game Lodges

Craig manages River Lodge with the support of his loving wife, Angele. So just how did these two meet? Interestingly enough, Facebook was responsible for this couple’s story. They meet through the “people you know” section and turns out that they had a similar circle of friends. They were like two ships passing in the night, until they eventually met up and the stars aligned.

Walkers Bush Villa

Charles and Shirell manage the exclusive Walkers Bush Villa in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve. Both parties are super efficient and come with a world of guiding, managing and business experience.

Here’s their story :

Shirell says, “Charles and I met in Pietermaritzburg, KZN in 2008. Charles was already guiding and I was finishing up my business degree. I joined Charles in the bush shortly after, and 12 years later we are happily married and still loving life in the bush.”

The Week in Pictures : Predators and Pretty Things

For this week’s “Week in Pictures”, we’re sharing a few recent predator images of big cats. Lions seem to be the theme for this week, leaving the leopards to slink away in the background. We’re offering a showcase of exceptional images from our photographers, highlighting a few of the sightings from the week.

In an effort to give our field guides and budding photographers more exposure, we’ve decide to launch a “Field Guide Feature”. Each week guides are encouraged to send through images of their week in the wild. From the pool of images that’s collated for our Week in Pictures, we’ll select one camp and associated guide to feature. The “Field Guide Feature” will happen after the Week in Pictures and will be a series of stories shared on Instagram. The individual and camp will be announced in Week in Pictures, and his/her images will be splashed across the ol’ Insta. The first Field Guide Feature will launch on 21 Feb.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

A highlight of the week for Umkumbe Safari Lodge was the sighting of the Mhangeni lionesses and ever powerful Othawa male lion. Jade captured an incredible image of the Mhangeni lions resting among the marula fruits and a beautiful side profile of a king, the Othawa male. There’s never a dull moment in the Sabi Sand !

Ezulwini Game Lodges

The elephant herds are loving the watery traverse around River Lodge. They seem to be in abundance at the moment, which would make sense given that summer is in full swing; which means there’s plenty of water around. Thunderstorms are expected in the next week, which means we’ll see an influx of water-loving giants to the area. The Kudyela Pride of lions continue to provide us with consistent sightings, ensuring that the Ezulwini team enjoys reliable lion sightings.

Angele says, “The Kudyela Pride of lions is growing in numbers and as such, there is a constant demand for a steady food supply. In the last month, we’ve witnessed different members of the pride feasting on adult & young giraffe as well kudu cows. More recently, the pride has been spotted in fragmented groupings. Only time will tell if this becomes a permanent split.”

Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp

We’ve just played catch-up with guide JC, who alerted us to the fact that team Klaserie have just enjoyed an African wild dog sighting. JC says that it’s the largest pack he’s ever seen in 2 years of guiding at Africa on Foot. The pack strutted across the heated landscape and headed straight for a cooling off session at the waterhole. In other predator news, the Vuyela lions were seen patrolling their territory, and an unknown leopard was spotted huddling a branch in the lofty treetops. The stream of unique sightings continues, and the elephants herds are just as present as they were last week.

#10GoodDeeds : Deed No.1 is the “Match of the Klaserie”

Today Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal battle it out on the courts of Cape Town in aid of charity (The Federer Foundation). The tickets for the match were sold out in 10 minutes (same amount of time it took McEnroe to lose his temper on court). We used the 10-minute-ticket-sell-out time as inspiration for our 10 good deeds for 2020. In sticking with the number 10, our aim for 2020 is to give back to our community in 10 different ways. For each charitable deed, we will do something fun to raise awareness about our chosen cause. Deed no.1 is the “Match of the Klaserie”, created in jest to mimic the highly acclaimed “Match in Africa” fundraiser. Instead of supporting the Federer Foundation in education, we chose to support local education initiatives in our community. We sponsor a young child’s school and education, and invite you to do the same. Like Federer, we believe education is key to a good future. You’ve no hope of being like Federer on the court, so why not be like him off the court? We’d love for you to get involved (As involved as Andy Murray’s mom during match play), so we’ll leave the ball in your court !

The Federer vs Nadal match is the talk of the town and is certainly the most anticipated match of the year. Not unlike the Klaserie match. The Rolex sponsored Federer Nadal match is called the “Match of Africa” and is the 6th match of its kind, but the first one to be held in Cape Town. The veldskoen sponsored Africa on Foot vs nThambo match was ALSO the first of its kind. And probably the last, given the evident lack of skill ! Federer and Nadal will continue their tennis careers, but the Klaserie team were encouraged to retire and continue their guiding careers.

All jokes aside, the bushveld tennis set-up proved to be a remarkable amount of fun. Our team donned the correct classic tennis attire – a dress code worthy of a conservative Wimbledon nod of approval. Oh I do say. Postcards were designed and printed with the reasoning behind the tennis match, and mini bushveld tennis scene was stylised at the mini Bush Bar. Champagne flowed like summer rains in the lowveld, and lashings of strawberries with cream were a gentle reminder of the snazzy pomp and ceremony lifestyle at Centre Court. Cucumber sandwiches, pinwheels and a fruity gin jelly adorned the table, just waiting to be devoured.

After wolfing down the snacks and engaging in a bit of merriment, a few friendly games of tennis were smashed. There were no winners, because we are all winners…Also, no egos were harmed during the “Match of the Klaserie”.

The tennis match was so much fun that we’ve decided to make it a weekend of tennis and charity. The Klaserie Camps are hosting a famous Bush Bar session, and each guest will receive one of our printed postcards detailing our #10GoodDeeds. The Bush Bar session is the after party for the Match of the Klaserie, and an opportunity for guests to revel in Federer’s win and learn more about our deeds.

For over 16 years the Roger Federer Foundation has been involved in charitable programs in Africa and Switzerland that aim to give children a good start in education. Over 1.5 million children have benefitted from the interventions ! The foundation only works with carefully selected local organisations in long‐term partnerships and seeks to bring about systemic change and have a sustainable impact. From our side, we have – over the years – supported a child during her school years and will continue to do so.

We would love others to come forward and support a child during their schooling years, a child that would benefit greatly from a proper education. Roger played a match for his foundation, so we mimicked him and played a match for our cause. Prior to the kick-off for the match, Trevor Noah and Bill Gates will have a celebrity match of their own. Our Klaserie match involved zero celebrities, but we did have a few elephants visit us !

We’d love for you to follow our 10 good deeds for the year and contribute to the charities associated with each deed, which we think are pretty ace ! Want to sponsor a child through their schooling career? Then please contact cecilia@sundestinations.co.za.

The Week in Pictures : Forget Summer in St Barts, Try a Summer in Kruger

A relaxing vacation in St Barts seems like a lovely idea during the summer months. But you know where else is equally as relaxing? The Kruger ! Don’t underestimate the daring delights that the summer season in the bushveld brings. Although not considered peak safari season, sightings of big game and predators certainly haven’t dwindled in this balmy weather. The vegetation bursts with green energy and the sky shifts gracefully from bright blues to textured grey horizons with rain clouds. There’s abundant water because of the rains, which means buffalo and elephant herds fill the dams with their presence. While St Barts has the beach for refreshing swim sessions, our lodges have swimming pools…And there’s nothing better than sitting around the splash pool while observing summer migrant birds flutter past.

Here is a brief update from the week, coupled with a few images from camp…and a few of our favourites from the week !

Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp

Reports from guide JC have come flooding in, and it appears that our herbivorous giants are taking advantage of the surrounding greenery. The water-loving pachyderms, bovids and plains game are – literally – littering the reserve ! With such a marked increase in the presence of these characters, means that the big cats are always around. JC has sent through some exceptional video clips of the summer landscapes dotted with elephants, buffalo and zebra. At one stage, the wild dogs made a grand entrance, enthralling their onlookers with their antics. While photographer Em Gatland was at camp, she spotted the Vuyela coalition while she was out on drive. The lions weren’t doing anything exciting, apart from making sure that everyone was aware of their presence.

Ezulwini Game Lodges

After receiving numerous photos from Angele’s safari collection, we approached her for the weekly update from the lodge. Ezulwini is never short of sightings, so we have plenty of fresh updates from camp.

The leopardess Faka Nchovela was seen on a steenbok kill together with her cub.
African wild dogs were spotted on an impala kill.
There have been a ton of elephant herd sightings.
Sable sightings were prominent.
Pods of hippo in the dams in front of River Lodge.
Sightings of the Machaton male lions. 1 Machaton is often seen alone, and the other 2 together.
The Kudyela Pride of lions was seen – they are now a pride of 30, which means plenty off split off groups. The young male cubs are now sub-adult males, so they will leave soon enough. The pride is still successfully hunting giraffe.

Chacma Bush Camp

This charming hideaway in the Maseke Balule Nature Reserve is famed for its superb views of wildlife while at camp. Brit (camp manager) said that the Maseke males and their pride were seen during the week. Then the team tracked and found a leopard patrolling and marking its territory !

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

Umkumbe Safari Lodge was gifted with a fantastic sighting of Ntsumi the leopard this week. We haven’t had a chance to catch up the guides, but we do know that there have been plenty of lion sightings over the past week or so. We decided to share a few images of Shaun’s from 2 weeks ago, because we haven’t actually got to sharing the below pics.

Walkers Bush Villa

From elephants to buffalo and lions, Walkers is certainly revelling in its location in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve. Recent guests enjoyed a five star dining experience at the villa, after the Timbavati treated them to plenty of predator sightings.

We Replaced Normal Crackers with Eco-Friendly Christmas Crackers

During the course of last year we realised that the much-loved tradition of snapping and cracking Christmas crackers is not particularly environmentally friendly. It’s always been at the back of our minds, but it came to the fore when research indicated that there is a 30% increase in waste over the Christmas period. The last thing we wanted to do was to contribute to clogging our already bursting-at-the-seams landfills. We needed to find a way of still cracking a couple of crackers without having to purchase boxes of mass produced Chinese toy crackers; so we handcrafted a few bushveld eco-crackers which proved to be very popular ! Both Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp are eco-friendly camps in Kruger, so it makes sense that we’d go the eco route.

When I say “we” made the crackers, I mean Gemma Thomas. She is our on the ground correspondent who eagerly leapt at Carolynne’s idea of eco-crackers (poor Gem) for the Klaserie Christmas shoot. From there, genius Gem built on the idea and spent nights crafting crackers for a few of the Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp staff. Crackers were made from recycled paper, toilet rolls and a bit of twine and leaves. Inside, the team were gifted with traditional bottles of mini-Amarula, homemade soaps and an encouraging saying relating to Africa. Unique, thoughtful and inspiring – far better than those silly jokes, plastic rings and useless tweezers that can’t even remove a plank form your leg, never mind splinter.

Christmas crackers contain microplastic glitter, cheap toys shipped over from China specifically for the festive period, and come in a box with a plastic window. Plenty of plastic in just one box of crackers !

If you’re mindful and creative, and favour traditions; then we encourage you to make your own eco-friendly Christmas Crackers for 2020! The eco-crackers have certainly encouraged a bit of creativity when it comes to finding eco-friendly alternatives to..well…just about anything. It was reported that 2020 is going to be the year of sustainability, charity, conservation and community – more so than ever before. In 2020 Sun Destinations have decided to become EVEN more involved in wildlife and charity initiatives.

The eco-crackers was a mere pebble drop in the water that has caused a ripple effect. Director Cecilia Blunden made a decision that our company would conduct 10 good deeds (#10GoodDeeds) for the year, with each deed having some kind of event or fun activity to highlight the cause. In due course, you will find out what these deeds are, together with their corresponding charity.

It’s going to be anything from taking local kids on game drives, to visiting schools and just generally creating awareness. Each deed you’ll find out how to contribute to that particular charity. Our first good deed kicks off on the 7 Feb…We cannot wait to launch the visuals from our talented and quirky media team.

2020 is the year of sustainability, community and kindness – more so than previous years. We’re involved, are you? In the coming months, search for #10GoodDeeds online and see how you can help.

21 Lions and Cubs. The Kambula Pride Seen at Umkumbe.

The Kambula Pride of lions have quite a tattered ancestry fraught with warfare and complex dynamics, one that we’re not going to drill down into at length in this blog. But we are going to give you a little bit of background information about this popular lion pride in the Sabi Sand. Complexity is a word commonly bounced around when talking about pride dynamics. When a pride has such a strong history with big numbers, so intertwined in a reserve, we don’t expect smooth sailing in terms of dynamics. Understanding the origins of splintered prides, small groups, breakaways, and coalitions is all part of the fun!

So, let’s get down to business. There are 6 females that make up the Kambula Pride and their parents are none other than the marauding Majingilane males and the well-known Mhangeni/Tsalala Breakaways. With mega-prides there are often breakaway groups, lone rangers and splinter prides. The Kambula’s history is far more deep than is necessary for the sake of this blog, but we thought we’d at least give you a bit of background info before delving straight into Umkumbe’s most recent lion pride sighting.

Now that you’re armed with information about the Kambula’s bloodline, let’s take a peek into the current pride numbers of the Kambulas. There are 6 adults in the Kambula pride and they’ve given birth to two litters of cubs, which has boosted their numbers. We understand that there are over 20 lions in the mega-pride, but Umkumbe guide Shaun counted 21 during this latest sighting of the Kambulas on a kill. So, let’s break down these numbers.

The 5 of the 6 females gave birth to two litters of cubs, the first batch of 11 cubs were born roughly 2 years ago. These killing machines are happy, healthy and thriving in their territory. Despite the high mortality rate in the wild, it’s clear that the genetics of these cubs carry a survival gene inherited from a powerful dynasty of lions! Recently, the Kambulas gave birth to yet another litter of cubs who are currently a few months old. And just who sired this kingdom of cubs? None other than the ever famous Birmingham/Gowrie boys!

So let’s get back to the reason for this blog, which is mainly designed to share Shaun Atkinson’s images and updates of a recent sighting while out on drive at Umkumbe Safari Lodge.

Shaun says, “At the start of game drive, I drove into the clearing and then heard the blue wildebeest alarm calling, so decided to drive a bit further. We then saw 21 lions lying together ! There was 1 Birmingham male, and 6 with their previous litter of cubs with the new cubs. There appeared to be pieces of a wildebeest lying around, evidence of a recent kill that probably happened in the early hours of the morning. There was only the legs and head left. The lions eventually moved off in search of water, so we followed them to the waterhole and took a few photos. This was a really cool sighting !

Yet another fantastic sighting for Umkumbe Safari Lodge !

The Week in Pictures 2020 : The Top Wildlife Images of 2019

Trawling through a year’s worth of our photographer’s top notch Kruger images was a fairly arduous task, but one that was worth doing. Our photog’s images deserve recognition, so we’ve done our best to select the cream-of-the-crop images from 2019. There were hundreds of images showcasing the beauty of the Greater Kruger, but we narrowed it down to a maximum 10 from each of our contributing camps. A real pick-and-mix of photos, some that you’ve seen before and others that have remained in the archives. A huge thanks to our guides and photographers for their contributions over the years – you guys are the champions of the wild.

Keep checking the Facebook pages for wildlife videos and safari updates; and do check-in on a Friday for our recap of the week combined with images taken during the week.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge

Africa on Foot

Walkers Bush Villa

nThambo Tree Camp

Ezulwini Game Lodges

Nsala Safari Camp

Chacma Bush Camp

Africa on Foot Wilderness Trails