Chad Cocking and his team recently had a stunning sighting of lions restoring order and claiming their rank from the hyena clans, proving just how formidable they can be.
Category Archives: South Africa
Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains declared World Heritage Site
The Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains in Mpumalanga, South Africa, have been officially added to the World Heritage Site List, alongside three other sites in Mexico, China and France.
Video: Battle of the boars
A field guide in the Kruger National Park witnesses an epic battle between to warthog boars.
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.
Video: Chad and the black mamba
A game ranger received quite an unexpected surprise when he found a near three-metre black mamba underneath his bed.
Guarding Limpopo National Park’s carnivores
A new carnivore protection ranger force, the Limpopo Lion Protection Team, has been trained and deployed – specifically assigned to support the Greater Limpopo Carnivore Programme and tasked with securing known lion ranges from targeted lion poaching.
Travel: July safari in Africa
Interested in going on an African safari in July? Then have a look at our recommendations for the best wildlife-viewing destinations for that month.
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 […]
Video: Cheetah conservation in KwaZulu-Natal
As part of their ongoing conservation initiatives, a new female cheetah has been relocated to Manyoni Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal.
Video: Black rhino bulls fight in the deep end
A visitor to Pilanesberg Game Reserve witnesses an epic battle between two territorial black rhino bulls who ended up deep in a waterhole.
Travel: June safari in Africa
Interested in going on an African safari in June? Then have a look at our recommendations for the best wildlife-viewing destinations for that month.
Is it safe to visit South Africa as a tourist?
The number one concern of many people who are considering a South African safari is the threat of crime. The crime statistics in South Africa are indeed unsettling, and there is no doubt that the crime rate is high. But how often are tourists affected? This is the key question to ask from a tourist’s point of view.
The Karoo Ridge Conservancy: New beginnings
Set in the upper Karoo on the edge of the Great Escarpment, the Karoo Ridge Conservancy is a 5,000 hectare private conservancy founded to restore, protect and safeguard the diverse wildlife, landscape and natural resources of the region.
Our day watching Kruger’s wild dogs
A pack of wild dogs provide a whole day’s worth of entertainment for a photographer in the Kruger National Park.
Southern ground-hornbill feasts on hare
A southern ground-hornbill in the Kruger finds a rare treat in the form of a juvenile hare.
Video: Eland to the rescue for the endangered Cape Flats vegetation
The Gantouw Project aims to restore eland on the remaining natural areas on the Cape Flats in South Africa.
The Kruger – a photographer’s dream safari
South Africa’s Kruger National Park is one of the largest conservation areas in the world. For budding and professional wildlife photographers, or ‘wildographers’, as they are becoming commonly known, it’s a much-prized destination.
Wildlife wrestling: Ground squirrels
The ground squirrels at Mata-Mata Rest Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa provided endless hours of amusement with their antics – from acrobatics, to wrestling to rugby moves!
Inquisitive leopard braves the heat to hunt birds
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park offers a great sighting of a leopard trying to hunt birds in the heat of the day.
Manyeleti: The Place of Stars
Manyeleti is a bit of an open secret amongst those in the know. But the secret details depend on who you speak to. Jaundiced, local Kruger National Park die-hards have either never heard of it, or write the reserve off as not worthy of their holiday time (most never having been there). Others with more […]
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.
Make your safari count – limited space on this dream experience
Imagine being able to enjoy an African safari experience while contributing to conservation solutions for the continent at the same time.
Bush tales: Half-blind lioness and cubs update
One of the best parts about being a field guide is that you can follow the stories of animals, you can watch cubs grow up and witness the change in dynamics within herds. Yet, as always within nature, there are moments of pure joy but also of great tragedy.
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
Every year, the Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year competition showcases a plethora of phenomenal photos from around Africa by professional and amateur photographers, alike. The lucky winners are awarded incredible prizes that reflect their talent. Wildlife photographer Willem Kruger won first place in the ‘travel’ category in 2017 and enjoyed a memorable trip to the […]
Gory splendour: Lion cub and buffalo carcass
A greedy lion cub wants the buffalo carcass all to itself!
Patience is a virtue for cheetahs on the prowl
The patience of three cheetahs is incredible as they go on the prowl for three hours, stalking an impala herd in the hopes of making a kill.
Baboons: The least loved primate
When you take a road trip in South Africa you are bound to get to see a troop of baboons at some point. I am thrilled at every sighting, but realise that my reaction towards seeing baboons is out of the ordinary. For most people the baboons evoke very different feelings: to some they are the witches funny flying monkeys, while others harbour a more intense dislike for them, usually over a past picnic invasion.
Stompie, the inquisitive mouse
Fascinating interactions go down in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park involving a Cape cobra, mice, sociable weavers and fork-tailed drongos.
Cheeky: Black-backed jackal versus cheetah cub
A black-backed jackal gets a little too cheeky with a cheetah cub in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
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 […]
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.
5 Reasons why meerkats are awesome
Meerkats may be small, but they’re pretty tough when it comes to living rough. Able to withstand harsh environments like the desert, meerkats have developed unique ways in which they are able to adapt and thrive in such arid conditions. To put it simply: they’re incredibly fascinating (and hardcore!) creatures.
Opportunistic: Hyena steals cheetah kill
An opportunistic brown hyena helps itself to a cheetah kill in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 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 […]
Bush tales: Half-blind lioness takes down giraffe for cubs
A field guide shares his story of a lone, half-blind, lioness who took down a giraffe for her and her cubs to feast on in the Kruger.
Our quest for the elusive aardvark
Have you ever seen an aardvark? It’s a question I have asked African safari guides for decades. The response always seems the same: “they are here but you never see them.”
Unbelievable sighting: Eagle catches young impala
An incredible, almost unbelievable sighting as a Verreaux’s eagle catches a young impala and flies off with it in the Magaliesberg.
Special sighting: Playful lion pride
A brilliant photoseries of lion cubs and the rest of their pride play-fighting in Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa.
Ticking off the bucket list: Leopard cub
An incredible sighting of a leopard cub with its mother in Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana – one for the bucket list!
Birding in Kruger: Caution, it’s more addictive than you think
There are some 477 species of feathered friends on the official bird list of South Africa’s iconic Kruger National Park. However, some bird lists for the park include as many as 517 species, which includes some rare and unusual visitors.
Video: An elephant never forgets
While many people go on safaris with the hope of having some spectacular wildlife encounters, sightings can never be guaranteed and any encounter with the wilderness should be treated as a privilege in itself. However, if you’re lucky, nature may just treat you to something wonderful.
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.
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.
Incredible photos of November snowfall in the Drakensberg
November is usually a time of the year in South Africa and Lesotho where temperatures start warming up in preparation for the warm festive season of summer. However, every now and then the weather can throw a surprise curve ball, and one such example happened recently where heavy snowfall was reported falling in the Drakensberg, among other places.
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.
Travel: November safari in Africa
November is a great time for your African safari, because of several unique migrations at this time of year, lower prices and fewer tourists
Video: Elephant herd mock charges during game drive
It was on one particularly windy morning when we were out on a game drive, having just come from watching lions being chased by a young elephant bull, and I came around a corner and straight into an elephant breeding herd!
Video: The littlest of lion cubs
Seeing a lion cub on a game drive is a massive privilege. Seeing four tiny, fluffy six-week-old lion cubs is pretty much a safari miracle!
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.
Special sighting: Ground-hornbill versus snake
It was a weekend trip through the south of Kruger with friends and we had been lucky to see Big 5 on both days, but there’s always a rush of excitement when something crosses our path – like a southern ground-hornbill taking on a snake.
Grandmothers who harvest salt from river sand
The matriarchs of Baleni use an ancestral technique that has not changed for the last 2,000 years, turning the mineral-rich riverine deposits into ‘white gold’ – Baleni sacred salt.
Watch: Lions thrive after translocation
A pride of three lions are thriving in their new home, Somkhanda Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal, after a successful translocation.
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
Madikwe Game Reserve is an extraordinary place. It was established in 1991 on a tract of mismanaged farmland, where the land had been depleted of nearly all of its natural resources. Approximately 10,000 animals were relocated to the area in a project known as Operation Phoenix, over seven years. At the time, Operation Phoenix was […]
Celebrating big cats with our 2017 Photographer of the Year
John Vosloo shares with us his experience on a photographic safari – his prize for winning our 2017 Photographer of the Year competition.
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!
Free access for National Parks Week in South Africa
From the 18th to 22nd September, 2017, South African National Parks (SANParks) will be offering free access to most of the 21 national park in South Africa for day visitors.
How African animals prevent sunburn
As the days get hotter and the nights get shorter, we switch our heaters for aircons, and pack away all the winter woollies. However, many wild animals have other (far more sophisticated) ways to cope with the heat.
Spring safari in South Africa
September marks the beginning of spring, and the end of the country’s short-lived winter. While the dry, winter months may have the reputation of being the best time to go on safari, spring is also a wonderful time to be out in the wild.
