Due to late summer rains, the area was lush with green grasses and flowers and this is what attracts thousands of zebra from over 300 miles away to trek from as far away as the Okavango Delta and Namibia. As soon as the grasses die and the water evaporates they will trek back to where they came from. This is the African bush that I have come to love and in this remote corner of Botswana I felt connected to the wonderful web of life.
Rain was predicted during my entire trip to Leadwood Lodge in the Sabi Sands (a private concession adjacent to the Kruger National Park). Normally this would elicit a bit of dread, but given that South Africa is gripped by the worst drought in over 100 years, rain was a welcome prediction. A few drops of rain in no way impacted our leopard sightings and leopards were the reason why I was here.
On the odd weekend I am in Johannesburg, I usually spend Saturday working which explains why it has taken me so long to to visit the highly recommended Neighbourgoods Market. This is the kind of hip place where friends gather on a Saturday for good food, conversation, and day drinking.
Numerous travel articles and blog posts extol the virtues of solo travel or offer (rather unhelpful) tips to combat the inevitable sense of loneliness that creeps in during sojourns for one. If you travel solo, you will be beset by moments of loneliness and at the risk of sounding obvious, being alone can reinforce that you are indeed alone.
With a conservation mission to restore the Kalahari Desert to itself, the land at Tswalu is being converted from cattle farms to a place teeming with wildlife. And, Tswalu delivered exceptional wildlife moments as if they were safari norm, instead of the exception. But the remarkable did not stop at wildlife sightings, but extended to the food, nothing is too much service, and range of activities.
This is my number 1 safari photo tip. Switch to back button autofocus. I only recently discovered this customized camera setting, but I wish I had enabled this function when I first started photographing wildlife on safari.