Kruger National Park – an extraordinary history through images from a bygone era, and looking forward to a promising future
Category Archives: Destinations
Video: Battle of the boars
A field guide in the Kruger National Park witnesses an epic battle between to warthog boars.
Botswana: My Dream Safari
Safari report back: My epic mobile tented adventure through the wildlife paradise of Botswana – Okavango, Khwai and Savute. By Ruzdi Ekenheim
Video: Lions make a comeback
With wild lions under pressure from so many threats, this is a wonderful story of lions being reintroduced to an area that used to have lions.
Lavish Livingstone
Livingstone is the Zambian gateway to Victoria Falls – the ‘smoke that thunders’ – a superb luxury safari haven
There’s a Leopard in my Garden
One of the most popular requests from safari tourists to their guides is to see leopards. This is a tough task, even for the most experienced of guides, due to the elusive and cunning nature of these big cats. But there is a town called Hoedspruit, near the Kruger National Park in the Limpopo Province …
The Ultimate Primate Experience
Safari report-back: Trekking for gorillas in Rwanda’s Volcanoes NP is the is the ultimate primate experience. By Björn Persson
Manyeleti: The Place of Stars
Manyeleti is Greater Kruger’s secret safari haven – undiscovered by most ardent travellers and yet brimming with Big 5 wildlife encounters
Art safari Q&A: What will I learn on my art safari?
Artist Alison Nicholls answers some frequently asked questions regarding the Africa Geographic Travel art safaris that she runs in the Kruger National Park and Madikwe in South Africa.
Ethiopia: The living churches of an ancient kingdom
It was early in the fourth century AD, under the reign of King Ezana, when the ancient Kingdom of Aksum (or Axum) – a major naval and trading nation that spanned a large portion of east Africa, including modern-day northern Ethiopia – embraced the Orthodox tradition of Christianity. The capital city of the empire was Aksum, and …
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Magical Maasai Mara
The fascination of Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve and its abundance of wildlife brings fond memories to many seasoned African safari travellers; I am no exception. In January this year, I was invited by some good friends from the USA to join them on a trip to this remarkable reserve. We departed from Wilson Airport in Nairobi, and …
Research: Are there too many elephants in Botswana?
Botswana’s researchers contribute to the debate surrounding large elephant populations and their impact on the environment in southern Africa.
Lion relocation success: Somkhanda lions reveal their cubs
Four cubs have been spotted recently, sticking closely to their mom, at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This is a true success story around wild lion and their translocation to one of the only community-owned reserves in the country.
Klaserie through the Lens
Safari trip report-back: at Klaserie in the Greater Kruger National Park is an epic destination for photographers. By Willem Kruger
Vibrant festivities at Sukuma weddings
A photographer is invited to be part of the vibrant festivities of a Sukuma wedding in Tanzania.
Gory splendour: Lion cub and buffalo carcass
A greedy lion cub wants the buffalo carcass all to itself!
16 days in Uganda
Uganda beckoned – and after 16 years of planning Gerhard Pretorius finally landed in the steamy city of Entebbe for the safari of his life
Nyiragongo: A hike to the centre of the Earth
Climbing Mount Nyiragongo in DR Congo was one of the highlights of my life – a safari report-back by award-winning photographer Björn Persson
Lamu Town: A place forgotten by time on Africa’s coast
The charming town of Lamu in Kenya is one of Africa’s oldest and most authentic places, and has so much to offer for the intrepid traveller.
Tantalising Tswalu: The Kalahari’s diamond in the rough
It was like a scene out of the movie Jurassic Park. You know, that adrenaline-fuelled, chaotic scene when the bad guys arrive on the island in their vehicles and speed through the bush while dinosaurs scatter out of their way as they hunt for the ultimate dinosaur trophy. Well, this was like that, except I …
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Pangolin research in the Kalahari
Little is known about how pangolins might cope with the direct and indirect effects of a changing climate. A PhD researcher is therefore investigating the body temperature, diet, and activity patterns of free-living ground pangolins in a semi-arid environment in South Africa.
Rediscovering Kruger
Living on the African continent, we have a vast array of protected areas to visit. Those of us with a travel-addiction and passion for wildlife endeavour to visit them all – the Okavango, Maasai Mara and Serengeti to mention just a few. However, we sometimes overlook what we have right on our doorstep, such as …
Harmless aardwolf killed: The need for education
An unfortunate incident of mistaken identity where an aardwolf was misidentified as a hyena highlights the need for wildlife education.
Riding in lion country
Equestrian types tend to come with a few traits that, while charming to fellow horsey folk, are unbearably irritating to those not of a horsey nature. One such quirk is the devout belief that having ridden one way, you probably know – better than most – how to ride another. We also have an unwavering …
The elephant orphans of Zambia
The Elephant Orphanage Project provides a sanctuary for defenceless elephant calves, who are the victims of poaching, human conflict or occasionally natural abandonment. Under the age of two, young elephants are extremely vulnerable and very dependent. Most will not survive without both their mother’s care and her nutrient-rich milk.
Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park: Protecting the “birthplace of rhino”
Over the past few months, Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park (HiP) in KwaZulu-Natal – managed by conservation agency Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife – has been hard hit by a significant escalation in rhino poaching. Ezemvelo has subsequently been hard at work developing more effective anti-poaching and resource management strategies. In support of this, Peace Parks Foundation has committed an additional R10,6 million towards the implementation of advanced technology solutions in this sacred rhino protection area.
Why the green season is the time to visit Botswana
Botswana’s green season, the months of November to March, is known by locals as the “secret season” – when you will have game drives to yourself, and enjoy amazing sighting
Land issues: The story of beauty and violence
Land, an emotive subject, a limited resource that builds nations or breaks them. Use it well and you thrive, use it unwisely and you will sink to the bottomless pit of chaos and poverty.
South Africa’s top tourist attractions
If there was a checklist for the perfect travel destination, South Africa would tick most of the boxes. Famed for its amazing wildlife and landscapes, superb local cuisine, warm hospitality and great weather, (plus the added bonus that its affordable) it’s easy to understand why tourism is so big in South Africa.
Video: Lots of gorillas, and luckily not much mist!
As part of our four-month trip around Africa, we decided to spend some of our time with the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.
Decoding Kruger’s ‘Elephant Management Plan’
The Kruger National Park is vast, at about 2 million hectares, and requires a thorough management strategy in order to ensure long term sustainability. Part of that strategy, The Elephant Management Plan – compiled by Kruger management and Scientific Service – is currently in force, and covers the period 2013 to 2022.
Delta Delight
This fantastic gallery of images by Hannes Lochner will have you booking your Okavango Delta (Botswana) safari with us and packing your bags
Opinion: Too many lions in Kunene
Whether tourism operators and armchair lion-lovers like it or not, there are now too many lions in some parts of the Kunene region. Trying to save the lions that are killing livestock, or harassing the farmers who kill them, including impounding their firearms, will not serve the interests of conservation in the region.
The chameleon the size of a house cat: 7 fascinating facts
The Parson’s chameleon is regarded as the largest chameleon in the world, found in the lush rainforests of eastern and northern Madagascar. Here are some fascinating facts about this giant creature of the forest.
Bamboo lemurs on the brink, driven by climate change
What do China’s giant pandas and Madagascan bamboo lemurs have in common, aside from their precarious conservation status?
Capturing the Nsefu area in South Luangwa
Safari report-back: South Luangwa in Zambia offers a wildlife-rich safari and fantastic photographic opportunities. By Edward Selfe
Video: Maasai coming of age ceremony
For the Maasai, the Emuratare is one of their most important ceremonies, and a life-changing milestone for the boys and girls who celebrate their transition into adulthood.
Rock-cut churches in Ethiopia to be documented
In Ethiopia, Christians are still today carving new, free-standing churches from solid rock faces, and now there is a project that is currently documenting this at-risk cultural practice.
Kwaai Khwai
Safari report-back: My epic adventure in Botswana’s Khwai – a wildlife-rich area near Okavango Delta, Botswana. By Simon Espley
Can carbon measuring save Tanzania’s forests?
Up until now I have never been involved in projects that mitigate climate change, however during my last expedition, I had the opportunity to spend some time exploring the greater Mahale ecosystem and Carbon Tanzania’s newest project site.
Kruger: Is this the technological future?
Presently, we are able to instantly globally share everything we see and hear in Kruger and just about every other destination on earth. Animal sightings and locations are given in real time and we are able to send photos and videos across a host of social media platforms.
Benny the elephant and Mike – a touching African story
When the dry season sets in and water is scarce, barriers blur and relationships are forged out of necessity. One such relationship is that of Benny the elephant and Mike the human.
Opinion: Are Maasai cattle to blame for overgrazing in Tanzania?
Living with the Maasai has taught me that conservation is not only about animals but is just as much about us humans; that to preserve any one place we have to be mindful of the local communities that live within it and try to understand the way they view the world to be able to work alongside them to protect mother nature.
My ‘Delta Detox’ mobile safari experience
Safari report-back: My tented mobile safari in the Okavango Delta, Botswana – an adventure I will never forget. By Carolien du Plessis
Kruger: Impact of social media and mobile phones – good or bad?
Technology and social media have shaped the Kruger experience into something radically different from what it was ten years ago.
Magnificent Madikwe
Safari report-back: My wife and I spent two unforgettable days in Madikwe – the variety of wildlife encounters blew our minds. By Anton Kruger
Understanding elephant movements across international borders
A transboundary elephant connectivity study has been launched in western Zambia with the fitting of satellite tracking collars to wild elephants to investigate their cross-border movements.
Moremi Magic
My Moremi glamping safari. There’s something immensely satisfying about discovering Africa on a mobile tented camp safari. G&T anyone?
Cape Town + bush safari combos
How does one exactly combine Cape Town’s summer splendours with a wild Big 5 bushveld safari? We provide four fantastic summer/autumn combos!
My Nsefu, Luangwa Valley photo safari
A photographic celebration of another successful Africa Geographic safari for clients in the Nsefu Sector of South Luangwa NP, Zambia