Cheetahs are my favorite animal to see on safari and one of the best places to see them is at Phinda Private Game Reserve where a thriving cheetah population increases the likelihood of spotting this graceful cat. With under 1,000 wild cheetahs remaining in South Africa and just 10,000 left worldwide, these cats are increasingly under pressure and seeing them in their natural habitat is phenomenal.
I spotted a leopard! A year and a half after my first safari my eyes and ears have become better trained and I am only just now starting to pick up on bush clues that help in locating an animal. I am certain that my pride will be rewarded with an expertly spotted rock or tree stump next time, but for now I am enjoying my small moment. The only reason I spotted a leopard is because our experienced ranger and tracker at Phinda Game Reserve had already located the Menzi Male leopard in the area. Experienced rangers and trackers are an integral part to an amazing safari.
Given the expense and travel time needed to go on safari from the United States, visitors understandably want their safari holiday to be perfect. One of the first questions people planning their dream vacation is, “when is the best time to go on safari.” And my answer is, there is no best time of the year, but there are some real differences between the seasons.
As I was preparing to move to Johannesburg in the summer of 2013, many of my friends wistfully spoke about going on safari and sipping South African wines in Cape Town, but there was only one person who I knew (without a doubt) would make the long trek, my friend Kaycee. When she bought a plane ticket to Johannesburg with the request to see Victoria Falls and loads of elephants, I began planning another adventure.
I often get asked what I love about safari and besides being in nature away from the hectic pace of city life, I keep returning to the bush to witness the intricacies of animal behavior and learn more about the ingenious and multitude of ways birds, animals, trees, and insects have adapted to their natural surroundings. Londolozi is the first place that I went on a proper safari and I knew after my first visit that I would be back not only because of the superb tracking and guiding, but also because of the camps commitment to the surrounding community and conservation.
Whenever I have a spare couple of days, I escape to the bush to photograph wildlife and forget about the hectic pace of life in Jozi. I have accumulated thousands of photos – only a few of which I have posted on my blog. Recently I went back through all of my 2014 photos and selected a few favorites to post.