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Back at the start of April I was privileged to be on the guiding team for the Wildlife Worldwide Festival of Wildlife to Tanzania. We took over the delightful Ndutu Safari Lodge for a week and enjoyed some absolutely amazing wildlife encounters and accompanying photography opportunities. I was lucky enough to join the pre-tour extension to the Ngorongoro crater, but to keep this blog as concise as I can, I will focus on the photographic highlights in and around Ndutu. It really kicked off with an incredible attempted lion hunt after the most incredible thunder and hail storm. A lioness walked within yards of my vehicle, before eventually trying to hunt a herd of wildebeest, albeit unsuccessfully.   It actually turned out to be a week of lions - we seemed to trip over them in each and every direction we travelled. What was great was that we actually were able to enjoy the lions being relatively active. This isn't typically the case with Africa's largest big cats, and so you have to make the most of these opportunities as and when they present themselves. What makes Ndutu such a fabulous place to base ourselves, was the wildlife that surrounds you while you're in camp. It's not always about the bigger things, sometimes it pays to sit in the comfort of the lodge and wait for the wildlife to come to you.    Of course, the smaller things were followed by some amazing male lions ...    For me, the absolute highlight of the trip was as we watched the sun set over Lake Ndutu. Giraffe were wading across the shallow water, while greater flamingoes sieved the rich waters through their beaks with the golden hues silhouetting them. Suddenly, someone spotted a cheetah and we were off, only for the cheetah to be immediately overshadowed by another shot. 'Caracal!' - I've been working in the safari industry for 14 years and this was my first every sighting of a caracal - just remarkable.  As well as the more obvious mammals, the plethora of birdlife was exceptional and as such the photography was incredible.      We timed our arrival perfectly, as the great migration was still in full swing. Although it's very hard to do it justice (photographically speaking) - unless you're in the air - it was a real privilege to see it out on the great plains.   Of course, to finish things off, we had to have some more lions. In all seriousness, I was blown away by the numbers of lion here. Having travelled a fair bit in eastern Africa, I think this must be among the highest density of lions around.    As I am sure you will agree, it was one heck of a trip. The Festivals are a real celebration of the wildlife, our wonderful clients and the team too. I won't be one of the leaders on the next iteration, but you can find out more about the trip to Falklands & South Georgia here.
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Those of you that have been following my blog for a while will understand just what Zambia means to me. Many years ago I was privileged enough to work in South Luangwa National Park and it stole a piece of my heart. With that in mind, it was an absolute delight to venture back to one of my favourite haunts and lead another dedicated photography tour for Wildlife Worldwide on their South Luangwa Photo Safari. The trip was incredibly successful and we were able to capture some truly remarkable moments. Rather than rabbit on too much, I will just jump straight to the images. Starting with some birds ...  African fish eagle  Little bee-eater  Southern carmine bee-eater As you can see, South Luangwa is an exceptional destination to photograph birds. However, the birdlife wasn't the primary focus for most of our group. The majority of people that join me on safari here are after the park's iconic mammals such as leopard, lion, elephant and African wild dog. There is of course a wide array of species that call the park home, including plenty of herbivores.  Waterbuck  Crawshay's zebra  African bush elephant And now for the species you really wanted to see ...  Leopard  Leopard resting in tree  African wild dog with Thornicroft's giraffe We were treated to some incredible encounters with African wild dogs throughout the safari. The afternoons were particularly fruitful as the dogs were choosing to rest on the sandy banks along the Luangwa River. As well as intimate portraits, we were able to capture some wonderful environmental scenes. For many, the main reason for coming to South Luangwa National Park is for leopard. For many years now, the park has gained a reputation as one of the best places in Africa to see leopard and we have were fortunate to have numerous encounters with a couple of different individuals. However, it was one evening where we heard baboon alarm calls that we were treated to a truly exceptional encounter.  Young leopard  Close encounter with the leopard As you can see, we positioned the vehicle in such a way to maximise the photography opportunities for the clients, all the while ensuring that the leopard wasn't disturbed by our presence. Working closely with my guide, and good friend Bwalya, we ascertained that she was likely to visit the drying lagoon for a drink and parked just along the pathway she was most likely to take. Our plan came to fruition and she walked within only a couple of metres from the vehicle, looking past us before continuing down towards the water.  Leopard drinking from lagoon It isn't often that everything comes together perfectly, but when it does you are left with a sense of pure joy. It was an encounter that will live long in the memory and I can't wait to head back to Zambia again later this year leading for Wildlife Worldwide.
It was my third week in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park and I was well and truly in the groove. Being in the African bush is where I feel most at home, it has a hold over me like nowhere else. It was now I really felt in tune with my surroundings and really in sync with the wildlife of this remarkable national park. It was my second tour of the season leading for Wildlife Worldwide and it was another delightful group of people. Our local guide was Bwalya, who's love of photography and wildlife was immediately apparent. This week turned out to be the week of leopards and lions. We were blessed with numerous encounters and sightings and rewarded with some fantastic photography opportunities. Once again, rather than going in to too much detail, I will simply let the pictures do the talking.            As you can see from all of the images, my group and I were blessed with some amazing sightings. In fact, for me South Luangwa offers such incredible variety and world-class photography opportunities. These are only a taster of what we were able to enjoy, but I hope it inspires you to join me in 2021 (there are still a few places remaining). You can book your place here.
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