I am so excited to finally begin sharing some stories and photos from my recent adventure in Southern Africa! It’s taken quite a while to go through my catalogue of images and work out which ones are worthy of further review, but I am finally in a spot where I can begin the fun part of editing. I have decided to create posts highlighting some of the experiences at each of the areas I spent time in, and since starting at the beginning of the journey makes sense to my brain, that’s what I am going to do.
The first stop we had was at the Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp, a beautiful and very remote location in north western Namibia. I had anticipated amazing landscapes, and the area delivered that and then some, but I honestly didn’t anticipate the abundance of wildlife that we saw. We were lucky to arrive in Africa after a wet season that had provided much more rain than expected, and even in the desert, there was water to be found and amazing pockets of lush greenery amongst the sand and the rocks.
The camp was absolutely beautiful, and we were thrilled when we were told our guide would be Chris, and then realized that we had met him during our previous trip to Namibia, in Damaraland. During 3 nights at the camp, we had the opportunity to take a day trip to the coast and see the dunes and the seal colony, we spent time with the desert adapted elephants and we saw one of the few desert lions on a giraffe kill (amongst lots of other things!).
I hope you enjoy these first images from my time in Namibia. There will definitely be more of them to share in the future.
Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead.
A sandstorm blowing through an area near the camp. The days we were there, we had foggy mornings (that cleared very quickly), heat that built throughout the day, and then windy afternoons which brought up sandstorms. It made for some surreal and beautiful photo conditions.Desert-adapted elephants graze on devil’s thorn; a plant in bountiful supply after the rain the region experienced.A steenbok pauses with some rather barren looking desert in the background. But despite appearances, even in these areas, there is a lot of life to be found.On an early morning drive, I spotted this wild cat in the drive river bed. Given how far we were away, I was rather impressed with my spotting abilities.A pair of oryx graze on devil’s thorn alongside the road.Due to the heavy rains prior to our arrival, the normal driving route to the coast was closed, and we ended up taking a 20 minute flight to get there instead of driving. The landscape from the air is absolutely stunning.A small part of the seal colony along the atlantic coast. The smell in the area was pretty overwhelming, so we were all taking photos through the closed windows of the vehicle.We stopped for a photo op at the top of a large dune; mist from the ocean can be seen in the distance. I’m pretty sure my Dad and Chris were discussing something to do with the engine or 4-wheel drive capabilities of the vehicle.The desert provided the clear skies and unobstructed views necessary to try a bit of astro photography. I didn’t return home with many more night sky images, as most of the camps were in lush places without a clear view to the sky.Elephants heading out of the riverbed after a drink and a mud bath.Morning drama on a game drive. After spending a half hour or so following lion tracks through the desert, our guide Chris spotted a giraffe acting rather odd, walking in circles around a clump of bushes. When we drove closer, we could see the drag marks into the bushes, and a lioness feeding on a baby giraffe. From the tracks surrounding the bushes, the mother giraffe had attempted to charge the lioness several times, but it was too late to be of an help to her baby, which we found out was only a few days old.It is easy to feel badly for the mother giraffe in this situation, but the lions in the desert are in rather dire circumstances, and I was thankful even to have the opportunity to see one, let alone one on a kill. Several desert lions were shot or poisoned by a farmer in the last year, in retaliation for livestock being taken. Human-wildlife conflict is a complex subject, but it is especially tough to hear about animals, who’s populations have already dwindled substantially, taking a hit like that.A lovely sunset from a hilltop sundowner drinks stop. The wind was gusting incredibly, but I managed to get this shot while holding a glass of wine in one hand, camera in the other, all while being pelted by blowing sand. A rather fun evening!
I’ve only recently returned from a trip to southern Africa, and over the past month, I’ve seen so much it is almost tough to know where to begin. There were blooming deserts and blowing sandstorms.
There were watery playgrounds for the large and the small.
There were close encounters with wildlife, and close encounters with humans while tracking wildlife.
This and so much in between. So many stories, so many sightings, so many wonderful people and so many memories that will make my heart happy every time I think of them, for years to come.
My wanderlust keeps pulling me back to Africa, and I am hopeful that it won’t be long before I can return again.
There are loads more photos and lots of stories to come from my latest journey – stay posted!
I had the best of intentions this weekend to get back on track with the WordPress photo challenges and get lots of editing done, but somehow I got sidetracked by the sunshine and warm weather. Hopefully I can get myself organized this week and start sharing some images and stories from my recent travels.
I know I ended last week with elephants, but they seem like a good way to start the week as well. Especially since I am still in a bit of denial that I can’t just walk out my door and just see them. (Note to self, time to start planning the next adventure).
After a week at work, the commute home can feel especially long, like you’ll never arrive at your destination…
Elephant commute, complete with wildebeest traffic.
A mid day nap might be in order, after lots of early mornings and late nights…
Nap time for the elephants on the Amboseli Plains. No worries here about getting caught sleeping on the job.
And after a particularly trying day, a hug from a friend might be all that you need…
Elephant hugs – so sweet!
Happy Friday all! Wishing everyone a great weekend ahead.
Please visit: www.jennifersawickyphotography.com for wildlife, landscape and nature inspired artwork.
Last week I shared some images from my time in Ishasha, and this week, a mixed bag of images from my time in the Masai Mara region of Kenya.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead!
A zebra giving me a quick stare down. I find it is not too often that I get the opportunity to photograph a zebra straight on, as usually they turn away from the camera.A lion cub giving us the once over, before moving off to play with its sibling and a stick!A good 50% of the elephants that passed by our vehicle stopped and used this tree as a scratching post.Mama topi with a very small baby.A cheetah on a wildebeest kill. The weather was just calming after a torrential downpour, which might account for the miserable look on this cheetah’s face. That, or the vultures hanging around nearby.
The wildlife in the Masai Mara was just as amazing as it looks in all the nature programs that I watch. Here is a selection of images from my time there.
The chaos of a river crossing.Waiting somewhat patiently for the chance to move up the steep slope.As more an more animals moved up the banks, the ones that had slipped and fallen were stepped on.A sad group of wildebeest too weak or injured to get up the banks. We left shortly after this, so I don;t know if any of them found the strength to continue, or if they ended up as food for the crocs.A gazelle attempts the crossing.These are what were waiting for the gazelle…Thankfully this one made it back out alive. Of the five I saw try, only two made it out.Clean up crew on the plains.A topi with two little ones. They are a very stately looking antelope.A cheetah on the prowl.A lone wildebeest grazing.A group of mongoose that took over a termite mound.A rare photo (for me) of a wildebeest where you can actually see it’s eyes.A lone set of stripes amongst the wildebeest.Animals as far as the eye (and camera) could see.A kori bustard looking for breakfast.A pair of elephants checking out the vehicle.A beautiful Mara sunrise.
