My interest in wildlife began as a child. Our family would always watch a television program called “Wild Kingdom”. The hosts of the show would highlight wildlife in their natural setting throughout the world, many times in Africa. I knew then that I would love to go to the African continent to see animals we don’t have in America and to see them in their native environment.
As a younger adult I was a hunter, and right at the beginning of the digital picture age, my wife bought me a set of binoculars that included a digital camera. As I hunted, I found myself more interested in the new binoculars than the hunting, and my love of photography was born. Those two interests intersected in late August of 2024 in Klaserie Private Nature Reserve in South Africa.
How it come about
Kay, (my wife) shares my love of wildlife. We had dreamed of a photo safari for many years, and finally found ourselves at a place in life where we could make that dream come true. Kay had a childhood friend that was a missionary to the South African people, and through Facebook, she saw that the friend she knew was friends with a guide named Ryan Johnston with Wandering Thru. Kay called her friend to ask about Ryan and he gave an excellent review of his character. That’s important as far as Kay and I are concerned. We certainly didn’t want to get connected with some “cookie cutter” tour company, that drove you around to crowded game sitings where you had to jockey for position in hopes of getting good photos. We wanted more than just the experience of seeing the animals. We want to journal our experience with photographs to be able to share with family and friends.
A dream becomes reality
We arrived in South Africa just before noon and Ryan met us at the airport and said we had plenty of time to get our first game drive in. We drove to Nzumba Lodge, got the camera gear out and hit the trail. The South African landscape was pretty much like I had pictured it in my mind with its rolling hills and dry arid climate. I now know why they call it “the bush” when referring to the outer reaches of city life. You are literally out there with nature, and you become part of it. You hear, see and smell your surroundings as you travel through the reserve.
Some folks have the misconception that the animals are tame and that the game reserve is a “high fence” area where animals can be seen at any time. Both of those could not be farther from the truth. There are no guarantees that you will see any animals when you get in the Land Cruiser for a game drive. Klaserie is 150,00 acres of dedicated area that has a “no fence border” with Kruger National Park which has 5.5 million acres. They don’t feed the animals or interfere with them in any way. As there is no fence, all of them can come and go as they please.
That’s why going on a photo safari there is special to me. I consider every shot I get of every animal I have never seen a privilege not be taken for granted. I feel fortunate to have seen them because of that “no guarantee” policy that I understood when I arrived. I’ve spent enough time in the woods to know you don’t always see what you hoped for.
Keen photographer
When Kay and I travel, I always take my camera gear, and we usually have certain things we want to see and hope to get a shot of. We have seen some amazing things in places like Yellowstone National Park where we saw a grizzly bear with two cubs, and Monterey Bay in California where we saw 20-ton humpback whale come completely out of the water. Those were singular events to point to during those trips.
This trip was jam packed with so many spectacular events that I’m certain that I can’t describe them all. Thank goodness for photos! I left there with no feelings of “it was great but…” Ryan along with his tracker, Thomas, worked hard in combining their skills to find the animals and then put us in a position to get “once in a lifetime” photos.
What a start!
On the very first drive, Ryan and Thomas located two male lions that had laid down before going out for their nighttime hunting. I was able to get spectacular shots of them. Heck, I could have gone back to the lodge right then and been completely happy, but Ryan had other ideas. We saw elephants and all different types of birds that I didn’t even know existed. On the way back to the lodge, Ryan & Thomas (Kay & I just happened to be sitting in the back seat) located a female leopard that had dragged an impala into a tree to keep her kill away from the hyenas. It was an awesome sight, but it got even better.
The next day we went back to that site to see it in daylight and get some good photos. When we arrived, we discovered a new bigger, stronger and faster male leopard in the tree with the kill he had stolen from the younger leopard who was laying at the bottom of the tree hoping for the male to leave so she could retake her prize! There was also a couple of hyenas at the bottom of the tree waiting on any scraps that may fall. Ryan believes the leopard thought the hyenas had left. When he discovered that they were still there, he quickly ran back up the tree carrying what was left of the carcass. So, I got to photograph a leopard running down and then back up a tree with a kill! That’s the right time at the right place that sometimes just happens.
Special sightings
We witnessed so many events like baby elephants splashing their trunks in the water and the adults throwing mud on themselves to cool off. There were occasions where we saw hyenas and their cubs playing with each other. Lion cubs tussling with themselves and with the other lions in the pride. Then there was the experience of viewing a large herd of cape buffalo and elephants. There were several times we stopped to watch the giraffes as they browsed from tree to tree. We paused from time to time as Ryan explained the different birds we would see.
It’s impossible to describe all that we saw on twelve different game drives covering seven days. I can tell you this though. If you are thinking of a photographic safari, hire Ryan Johnston as your guide. They guy is a “walking Google” when it comes to wildlife and his knowledge of birds is unbelievable. Also, if you want a great South African experience, Nzumba Lodge is highly recommended. The staff, setting and food was top shelf and well above our expectations. On a scale of one to ten, our entire experience was eleven!
Conclusion
My desire now is for my children and grandchildren to experience what Kay and I just had the gift of seeing. I knew it would be a fantastic bucket list trip but what I didn’t know is how hard it is to describe what the experience is like. It’s a good thing that a picture is worth a thousand words! Until I take my last breath, I’ll relish the fond memories that I carried “Out of Africa”.
