When I was 12 my grandfather died. Not the usual start to one of my blog posts is it! However, it is very relevant, because he left a small amount of money to my mum, and she decided to take the family on an exotic holiday. Up to that point, the only other holiday I remember is going to a […]
Another enjoyable 24 hours camping at Klaserie Game Reserve a couple of weeks ago. It was a little marred by the fact that the two cubs that I wrote about in my first ‘camping’ post, were killed the day before 🙁 The two lionesses were feeding on a Zebra kill, and another pride came by – the cubs were […]
10 minutes into Klaserie with Africa On Foot – I’ve never seen so many buffalo at a dam! As Impala definitely do not climb trees, this can only mean one thing……… We searched and searched for the leopard but couldn’t find it.However, at dusk we heard over the radio that it had been spotted, and we raced back towards the […]
One of my current photography volunteers had found a company near to us who offer hot air balloon flights near Kruger National park, so 6 of us left Dumela Lodge at 3.50 a.m. last Saturday to go to the take-off site. I love how it’s dark one minute, and light about 15 minutes later. Whilst the balloon was being inflated […]
I really dislike all the pre-Christmas hype that we can’t escape in the UK. As soon as the schools start again in September, the shops start displaying Christmas goods. Before I left to come here, our local supermarket had tins of Roses and Quality Street piled up just inside the entrance. Being in Africa at this time of year is […]
Earlier this week the photographers visited the local rubbish dump! On the African Impact photography project there is so much more than just taking photos of wildlife. There were a couple of reasons for going; The first was to take photographs that highlight just how much rubbish is created by us humans, so that we can make more impact when […]
Most weeks we go camping in Klaserie Game Reserve, next to the Kruger Park, which is about 40 minutes drive from our lodge. Two person tents are permanently set up with mattresses, duvets and pillows, and with a ’mess’ tent, toilet & shower tents nearby. There is a bore hole that feeds a water tank to flush the loo, wash […]
African Impact works closely with the local community. We have relationships with several schools, and we have been making an impact at one of them by helping to create a vegetable garden. This was started in June, and is already well established. The school is part of an ‘eco-training’ partnership. Our initial job was to finish some fencing. For this, […]
This week we visited a Reptile centre for some great photographic opportunities and to learn more about these creatures. We were lucky enough to have our own private session, so not long after arriving, we found ourselves all lying on the ground photographing a hooded cobra. (From a suitable distance and with long lenses of course!) This was followed by […]
Morning trip to a canyon. I wondered why we don’t have canyons in England. I have Cheddar Gorge nearby, but what’s the difference between a gorge and a canyon? Is it the area, the depth, or how it was formed? I had to google it, even with the slow internet connection, and according to National Geographic “A canyon is a […]