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WILDLIFE BLOG

Skills: Photographing a leopard climbing a tree

Leopards in trees are one of safari's highlights. But, perhaps even better, is the chance to watch and photograph a leopard as it climbs. The power that is shown during this process is phenomenal, whether or not they are carrying a prey prize twice their weight! Creating great images of this moment is not easy; several key elements need to come together. Firstly the guide must choose where to place his guests to watch; ideally, [...]

Trip Report: Bespoke Ndutu & Serengeti | Olakira & Namiri Plains | Mar 2024

The Serengeti holds lots of meaning for me; it featured in Willard Price's books about Hal & Roger Hunt which I read when I was young; it is also famous as one of the world's great wildlife areas, and the concept of Serengeti has even become part of English language to describe something rich and buzzing with life; it's known for the endless herds and the dramatic river crossings that draw in over 300,000 visitors [...]

Skills: Use the back screen

For some time, dSLR cameras have been able to display the image from the sensor onto the rear screen. Canon & Nikon called it LiveView. At first it was clunky, with very slow (or non-existent) autofocus capabilities and slow operation. But over time, the rear screen became more useful, allowing decent functionality without needing to place your eye to the viewfinder. When the screen was flush with the back of the camera, operation was straightforward [...]

Travel to Botswana – December 2024

I have 1 space on a custom tour to Botswana from 30 November to 12 December 2024. The tour is going ahead with the 3 current guests so it is a guaranteed departure and it's the last space on any of my tours for 2024. The tour is timed to enjoy the early part of the green season, when the rains have started to fall, the grass is short and green and wildlife numbers remain concentrated. [...]

Life in the Bush: Nyika Plateau National Park

Nyika National Park is just 250kms from the northern boundary of the South Luangwa National Park. But its position on the edge of the rift valley and its elevation (most of the plateau is above 2,200m) means that it's hard to believe they are on the same continent. The few similarities include the presence of zebra and roan antelope grazing the plains, but there the comparisons end. The route up to the plateau follows the road [...]

Trip Report: Bespoke Pan Luangwa | Chindeni, Kaingo & Nsefu Camps | Oct 2023

October is always considered to be the peak safari month in South Luangwa. It's hot, dry and there is a fantastic concentration of game along the river banks. It's a time for safari purists who seek the greatest interaction of species, the best chances for sightings such as lions hunting buffalo, and don't mind the early mornings and hot days that are required to achieve it. It's elite safari. I was excited to get started on [...]

Trip Report: Two Valley Special | Lion Camp & Anabezi Camp | Sep 2023

Two new guests, David & Cindy, joined two repeat guests, Paul and Debbie, for a late-dry-season safari in the South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi National Parks. When I was selecting the images for this write-up, I had to remind myself that this was just a 9-night tour....it's extraordinary what we saw in that time. Such is the richness of these two wildlife areas, and the quality of experience on offer at Lion Camp and Anabezi Camp. [...]

Trip Report: Bespoke Two Valleys | Classic Zambia, Nsefu & Lion Camp | Aug 2023

It's a huge honour to welcome back guests on repeat visits. It indicates that they enjoy the way that I run my safaris and, more importantly, that they have loved Zambia's wildlife and wilderness. So when Don & Kathy and Kathy & Gordon arrived in Lusaka, it was for their 5th and 4th safaris with me respectively! This is not an accolade that I take lightly; there's no resting on any laurels and it means that [...]

Trip Report: Exclusive Luangwa | Nsefu Camp & Lion Camp | Aug 2023

We had been planning this trip for over a year by the time Denise, Gerrie, Cathy and Austen arrived in Mfuwe ready to start 10 days on my Exclusive Luangwa Tour. "Exclusive" is perhaps an overused word in the safari world; I keep it to mean a safari that is private in experience and allows us the very best safari time. Our plans can be entirely our own and we rarely, if ever, have to accommodate [...]

Guest Report: Kathy Phipps | Pan-Zambia Safari | Classic Zambia, Nsefu & Lion Camp | Aug 2023

Kathy joined me on a photo safari with husband Gordon and two friends. This was her 4th safari with me and, once again, this kind of repeat custom is something that I value very highly, and am thankful for. Thank you to Kathy & Gordon, and all my other guests who have travelled with me many times, for being great supporters and for sharing my love of Zambia and all that it offers. Kathy has written [...]

Guest Report: Ann Brownlee | Pan-Zambia Safari | Anabezi, Lion Camp & Busanga | Jul 2023

It is the greatest accolade for a guide to have repeat guests and it is not something that I ever take lightly. Ann is unusual in that she is not a photographer and has, even so, now travelled twice with me. (We are planning our third trip for next year at the moment!) She joined my Pan-Zambia safari in July with her husband and two other guests. We had a fantastic time, and I'm really grateful [...]

Trip Report: Bespoke Two Valleys | Jul/Aug 2023

I was excited to lead this predator-focused safari during the dry months which is the best predator time in Zambia. We chose 3 camps in two national parks, hoping that the extended time would yield great rewards. Read on to see how it went! Below is a photo-based account of the trip, separated into the 3 areas that we visited. If you want to see more 'behind the scenes' you can catch up with my daily [...]

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