283 stories
There is a lot of really bad conservation news coming out of Africa these days. Most notably, surging demand for illegal wildlife products in Asian markets has created a devastating rhino and elephant poaching crisis across the continent.
One of the magical things about being on safari is that you can pretty much expect the unexpected to happen at any time. But few unexpected wildlife sightings can rival what Nick Kleer, a guide at South Africa’s Londolozi Pioneer Camp, saw on January 29th of this year.
The editors at Rough Guides recently shared their picks for the top travel destinations of 2015 and Johannesburg has claimed the number one spot in the top cities category.
This is a guest post by Julie Waggoner, Marketing Intern at Natural Habitat Adventures. No safari would be complete without a sighting of giraffes on the savanna, and there is more to these elegant creatures than you may realize.
Last month, Kathy Long was on safari in South Africa’s Mala Mala Private Game Reserve when she witnessed an incredible scene; an adult male lion attempting to kill a malnourished sub-adult female.
Have you ever dreamt of taking award-winning, National Geographic-style wildlife photos while on safari, yet have little interest in buying expensive photography equipment or spending hours and hours of your precious time learning how to use your camera? Well, unfortunately I can’t help you. No one can.
Gorillas and chimps have become Uganda’s star tourist attractions in recent years. So much so, in fact, that many people don’t really think of Uganda as true safari destination like Kenya, Tanzania or Botswana. This wasn’t always the case.
This photo of a terrapin hitching a ride on the back of a hippo was taken recently by Andrea Campbell in South Africa’s Londolozi Private Game Reserve. Hippos are notoriously fussy about their personal space, but apparently these two are friends.
It’s pretty cool, whether you’re a “bird person” or not, to catch a glimpse of a kingfisher. Maybe it’s because their outsized heads, squat bodies, stubby tails, and long, sharp bills lend them a whimsical Wind-in-the-Willows, storybook quality. Or maybe it’s that they don’t look like they should be very good at catching fish.
Leopards are, of course, among Africa’s fiercest and most cunning predators. On a typical day, a male leopard like the one in the video below might take down a big gazelle and haul it up a tree, tangle with a ferocious troupe of dagger-toothed baboons, and outmaneuver a cadre of conspiratorial hyenas.
This photo of a female leopard preparing to jump out of marula tree while a full, orange moon glows in the background was taken by guide James Tyrrell at South Africa’s Londolozi Private Game Reserve in July. Londolozi may be the most famous leopard viewing spot on the entire African continent.
The leopards of Londolozi may be the most famous leopards in the world. Their complex lineages have been carefully recorded and studied, they’ve been the focus of serious scientific inquiry, they’ve inspired documentary films and coffee table books, and they’ve thrilled thousands of guests of the private reserve over the decades.
