A leopard sat in the road about 1 km from the Skukuza gate in broad daylight! This was followed by sightings of cheetah, lion and wild dog!

The ellies & buffalo did not want to be no-shows, so they also pitched in to enthrall our guests even further!

The rhino were a bit sneaky, but Moss found our guests a rhino right on the road on the day they were leaving the park!

Join us on our 13 day Kruger Park Photographic Workshop & Safari!

Day 1 – 25th August
Arriving in Johannesburg you will be met by a representative from the Outlook Lodge, who will then transfer you to Outlook Lodge, where you will spend this night.

This evening everyone will come together to meet both your guide and your photographic leader for the safari and to discuss the days that lie ahead. There will be a chance for questions and answers during the evening.
Dinner included

Day 2 - 26th August
With an early start we have breakfast at 07h00 and depart at 07h30 to start the journey to the Kruger Park. We arrive at the park entrance just before lunch and spend a moment on the bridge crossing the Crocodile River enjoying the views, birdlife and any mammals that may be down at the river’s edge for a drink.

We then continue to our camp situated in the south western corner of the park, where we will spend the next 2 nights. Berg en Dal Camp is situated in a prime wildlife area and here we hope to find the first of the Big 5 along with Giraffe, Zebra, Impala and many more.

We will spend the afternoon settling into our open game viewing vehicle, getting all camera gear setup and enjoying the nature and all it has to offer.

Return to camp before the gates close and enjoy a meal prepared by the guide, while your photographic leader spends time with you going through your photos and giving advice for the next outing.

Breakfast and Dinner included

Day 3 - 27th August
With an early start we make our way out of camp with the hope of getting some good photographic opportunities during that golden hour. We will stop off at a local picnic site for breakfast, before returning to camp to enjoy a break during the midday heat. The afternoon will once again be spent maximising photographic opportunities.

Enjoy the evening under the stars and discussing the day’s events.

Breakfast and Dinner included

Day 4 - 28th August
This morning we make our way north to Skukuza Camp. Our goal today is to spend some time at the Lake Panic Hide (Blind). This is one of the best photographic spots in the park, with good birds and mammals to be seen. You will once again have some time to relax during the heat of the day, or you may prefer to work through your photos from the morning.

Breakfast and Dinner included

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Day 5 - 29th August
Continuing north through the park we make our way to Satara Camp. The area around Satara is well known for its large cat sightings and this will be our focus over the next two days. Time permitting we may also spend some time at the Sweni Hide(Blind).

Dinner will once again be enjoyed while discussing the day’s events and the photography opportunities had.

Breakfast and Dinner included

Day 6 - 30th August
Spending two nights in Satara allows us the opportunity at exploring different regions and maximising our photographic opportunities. We may on this day do the 4×4 trail available from Satara Camp – (not guaranteed, but depends on conditions at the time)

Enjoy midday back at camp, before heading out on another afternoon game drive.

Breakfast and Dinner included

Day 7 & 8 - 31st August and 1st September
From Satara Camp we have a fairly short drive to our next camp called Olifants Camp. Olifants Camp is situated on a hill overlooking the Olifants River and offers spectacular views of the river and various animals and birds that come down to the river for a drink.

Enjoy the midday heat sitting at the viewpoint, catching up on some sleep or going through photos.

Both afternoons will be spent out exploring the surrounding areas and improving on photos already taken. The 1st will be our last night in the Kruger and spending some time in the camp photographing birds attracted by the flowering Aloes is a highlight. More time on game drives will be enjoyed.

Breakfast and Dinner provided on both nights

Day 9 – 11 - 2nd to 4th September
Packing up we head out of the park to the adjoining Sabi Sands Game Reserve. We will spend our next three nights in a lodge bordering the Kruger Park. This will be an exclusive experience at a luxury lodge and a good way to end off the photographic safari.

The next 3 days will be spent doing early morning game drives and afternoon game drives that extend into night drives.

The Sabi Sands is especially well known for its sightings of leopards, but sightings of the Big 5 happen frequently.

For those that wish to do so, there will be the opportunity of doing a short morning walk after returning from the morning game drive. There is a swimming pool to cool down in during the heat of the day, and ample great photographic opportunities.

Three meals per day are included while in the Sabi Sands

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Day 12 - 5th September
This morning we enjoy a sleep-in before packing up and making our way out of the Sabi Sands and back to Johannesburg. En-route we will stop at the Blyde River Canyon (3rd largest canyon in the world), a waterfall and then return to Johannesburg by the late afternoon to spend our last night together at Outlook Lodge.

Breakfast and Dinner included

Price Includes

• Accommodation for 11 nights as specified in the itinerary
• Airport transfer to and from the Outlook Lodge
• Meals as stipulated in the itinerary
• Water during game drives and wine with dinner while in the Kruger Park
• Entrance and daily conservation fees
• Extensive game drives in open safari vehicles
• Professional photographer advice, guidance and tutoring
• Professional Field Guide
• 3 nights at a luxury lodge in the Sabi Sands
• Night drives while in the Sabi Sands
• Optional morning bush walks while in the Sabi Sands
• Panorama Route en-route back to Johannesburg

Price Excludes

• Flights to and from Johannesburg
• Photographic equipment
• Lunches except while in the Sabi Sands
• Drinks
• Additional activities
• Items of a personal nature
• Gratuities

What to expect
Accommodation will be en-suite, with air-conditioning where possible.

Camps as stated in the itinerary are subject to change depending on availability. At all times the best available option will be selected.

A maximum of 6 guests will be booked for this safari and availability is on a first come first serve basis.

A professional photographer and field guide will be available for the duration of the safari. Please see both the photographer and guide’s profile below.

Mornings and afternoons will be dedicated to being out in the bush, game viewing and photographing what can be found. The professional photographer will be there to give guidance on photography while the field guide will be sharing information on the wildlife/nature seen.

Midday’s will be spent back at camp. You will have this time to yourself. Lunch can be enjoyed at the camp cafeteria or restaurant. Catch up on some sleep or swim at camps where there are swimming pools.

Evenings everyone will get together for dinner as well as to discuss the photographic work from the day and to discuss the following day’s itinerary.

Weather
August is the last winter month in South Africa and may be the coolest month.

No rain is usually expected for this time period, and days are generally cool to warm with clear skies.

Temperatures range from around 0C to 5C at night and 20C to 28C during the day.

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What to bring

• Binoculars
• Camera with a lens, preferably, with at least 400mm reach
• Laptop/notebook for working on photos
• Sun block, insect repellent
• Malaria prophylactics optional (see general)
• Hat or cap
• Warm fleece/jacket for morning and evening game drives
• Woollen hat/bini
• Comfortable shoes for day to day activities. Sandals are also fine.

General
The Kruger Park along with the Sabi Sands which forms part of the Greater Kruger Park is one of Africa’s most well know National Parks, and there are few parks where the Big 5 can be seen as easily and few parks that offer the diversity of species one can find here.

The Kruger Park is within a malaria area, and malaria prophylactics are advised. It has however over the years become a low risk area for malaria and August is not a good month to contract the virus due to limited mosquito activity. It is therefore each person’s decision whether to take the prophylactics or not.

Guests of all ages are welcome.

Both experienced and novice photographers are welcome.
Megan Lorenz – Professional Photographer

Based in Toronto, Megan Lorenz is a professional photographer with a lifelong passion for wildlife and nature. She is self-taught and has a distinctive style which makes her photographs instantly recognizable.

Megan leads workshops and enjoys teaching others how to make the most of every opportunity they have the privilege of witnessing. She believes that intensive knowledge of a species behaviour, traits and habitat is paramount to successful wildlife photography and has an unending amount of patience which helps her in the field waiting for the perfect moment. She believes in providing a comfortable learning environment where anyone of any skill level is free to ask questions and she will work with you individually to help develop your photography style so you come home with images you are proud of. Her group sizes are kept small to afford everyone this individual attention. Months of planning are put into these workshops and safari’s to put you in the best places to view wildlife and scenery and every detail is carefully planned.

Megan is supportive of conservation efforts to protect species and their natural environments and belongs to many groups which work to protect those interests. Her passion and love for the wildlife she photographs comes through in her photos which have appeared in publications including: Canadian Geographic, National Geographic, Audubon, Birder’s World, Nature’s Best Photography, Defenders Of Wildlife, National Wildlife Federation, Canadian Wildlife Federation, Photolife, Smithsonian, Readers Digest, various calendars, greeting cards and more.

When she isn’t searching for owls and other wildlife in Ontario or leading workshops in exciting destinations, she keeps busy with studio photography, portraiture & event photography.

Robert Wienand – Field Guide

Robert has been guiding tours and safaris throughout southern and East Africa for the past 17 years, and has an in-depth knowledge on the Kruger Park and its fauna and flora.

He is registered with the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa as a Level 3 guide and is also a registered specialist birding guide.

Robert is also the co-owner of Outlook Safaris and has a passion for being in the bush and showing visitors the beauty of South Africa and the natural heritage on offer.

His interest in photography has made him aware of light and angles and the best position to stop the vehicle in for successful photography.

Rate: US$5050 per person sharing or US$6000 per single

** Terms & Conditions apply **

Moss found these wild dog on the road to Phabeni

The next day, Joostie found them again, not far from there!

And Moss’s luck continues with this leopard showing off!

Francois added zebra & waterbuck to the shopping trip sightings!

Joostie also gave me some videos he took on his phone. You may need to convert them to a different format to view. You can download opensource converters at any-video-converter.com

hyena 1

hyena 2

hyena 3

lion

leopard

That however does not mean that other areas of the Park does not warrant a visit. Each area has its own charm and it is for this reason that we also offer Explorer safaris. These safaris by nature tend to be private safaris, staying at various rest camps within the Park and the guide cooking for guests. The game viewing also tends to be different with interesting things seen such as black backed jackal and the rare Secretary bird.

]]> http://blog.krugerwildlifesafaris.com/recent-sightings/kruger-sightings-1-7-april-2012/feed/ http://blog.krugerwildlifesafaris.com/recent-sightings/kruger-sightings-24-28-march-2012/ http://blog.krugerwildlifesafaris.com/recent-sightings/kruger-sightings-24-28-march-2012/#comments Sat, 21 Apr 2012 07:27:53 +0000 Outlook http://blog.krugerwildlifesafaris.com/?p=944 On the 24^th March, Robert Wienand and I set off with Susan and Richard Yow on a 5 day birding safari.

We headed east towards Kruger National Park, starting out at Malelane, one of the southern gates.  Before we entered the gate we stopped on the bridge crossing the Crocodile River and the amount of birds were great! We saw a Goliath Heron, Reed Cormorant, Wood Sand Piper, a Hamerkop as well as some hippos and a big crocodile eating a fish.

We then headed up towards Pretoriouskop. We had beautiful sightings of a Black-crowned Shrike and White-fronted Bee-eater who posed nicely for photos, as well as Grey Penduline Tits and Woodlands Kingfishers.

We stopped at Afsaal for lunch and had Yellow-billed Hornbills, Burchells Starlings and a Southern Scops Owlet.

On the second morning we left early and drove along the Sabie River. This was a treat for birds; we had a Lizard Buzzard, African Paradise Flycatchers, Yellow Throated Petronias and Lilac Breasted Rollers. We also had a very full male Cheetah just walking down the road with us. We then stopped at Lake Panic to add a few more species to the list such as the African Jacana, Blake Crake and Pied Kingfisher.

After checking in and having lunch we went out again and came across 5 very sleepy male lions. They didn’t lift their heads once. So we left them and went to spend a bit more time at Lake Panic.

The next morning we headed north to Satara. On the way we found a orange-breasted bushshrike and a bird that you struggle to see in Kruger, the Allen’s Gallinule.

The next day we headed out of Kruger and on the way out we found a huge herd of buffalo that we spent a lot of time with. We also saw a White-Headed Vulture, Double Banded Sandgrouse and Grey Hornbills.

We then headed up to the Blyde River Canyon, and on the way we stopped at the J.G Strydom tunnel and saw a Taita Falcon which is one part of only 6 breeding pairs in the country. When up at the canyon, not only where we spoilt with the stunning view, but also with Rock Kestrels and Amur Falcons.

Then it was off to the beautiful Lonecreek Falls. We saw a lot of birds all around there, like Forest and Brimstone Canaries, Cape Rock Thrush, Pin-tailed Whydahs and Drakensberg Prinias.

We spent that last night at the spectacular Mount Sheba in the Drakensberg Mountians. The last morning, we went on a 5km hike through the indigenious forest, in order to work off the fantastic meal the night before, and of course to look for those elusive forest birds, and we saw some amazing ones! The very first bird we saw was a Blue-Mantled Crested Flycatcher and then we saw a Chorister Robin-Chat, Olive Woodpecker, Orange Ground Thrush, Olive Thrush, Lemon Dove and White Starred Robin.

We left Mount Sheba and made our way to the Verloren Valei. There we saw some Gurneys Sugarbirds, Malachite Sunbirds feeding a fledgling, Buff Streaked Chat and Cape Longclaw.

We then started heading home, but made a quick stop at a roadside pan first. There we saw African Snipe, Red Knobbed Coot, Whiskered tern and Red Billed Teals.

With the last ones counted up we had a total of 208 different species! Yet another successful birding safari!

Written by Kylie Haslam

We had this brilliant sighting of a frolicking baby white rhino who clearly did not read the book that says he is supposed to stay close to his mom all the time! He ran up & down the road, away from his mom, giving everyone a scare when he ended up on one side of the vehicle, with mom on the other. Getting between a rhino & her calf is never a good idea!

Courtesy of Siphokazi Tinta

The rain nearly spoiled one of the drives, but Outlook has these brilliant comfimac ponchos, lined with fleece, so no more cold, wet drives!

Courtesy of Siphokazi Tinta

We had some really close encounters with hyena & giraffe.

Courtesy of Christel van der Merwe

Courtesy of Christel van der Merwe

This elephant bull taking a bath had all the guests running to Skukuza’s swimming pool after the game drive!

Courtesy of Willem Pieterse

A rare treat! Black rhino are not seen very often!

Courtesy of Willem Pieterse

These leopard cubs were the cherry on top!

Courtesy of Willem Pieterse

They saw these 3 cheetah’s sauntering along the road.

Courtesy of Willem Pieterse

The very endangered Ground Hornbills have been breeding and they spotted his youngster along Eloff street. It is great to see these birds, especially the youngsters!

Courtesy of Willem Pieterse

Warthog are always entertaining with the aerial like tails!

Courtesy of Willem Pieterse

Once again have been spoilt with the ‘big 5′, some even seeing leopard several times! We have had 9 lions on a giraffe kill, a very lucky but grumpy male lion with 3 females and 2 males that walked 2 meters away from our vehicle and decided our shade was where they were going to lie down! We’ve also had some very entertaining elephant sightings with them coming right up to the vehicle and playing with the bull bar. One was so close to a guests on the backseat that he could of put his hand out and touched his head.

We’ve also been privileged enough to see many white and black rhinos, some even with calves, including a male, female and baby black rhino together!

We also saw some different things lately, a bag worm crossing the road with his grass protective casing, a civet with 2 babies who crossed the road in front of us (a first for me), a cheetah and her cub walking down the road and then playing for about half an hour and the baby southern ground hornbill getting fed by its mother!

Shelly's Francolin

The birds are still giving us much to look at. Seen a pair of secretary birds, fiery necked nightjars, crested and swainsons spurfowls with tiny little babies, a shelleys francolin, lappet faced, white backed and hooded vultures, orange breasted bushshrikes, goliath heron and some african black ducks.

Also seen a lot of hippos out of the water, some small baby crocodiles, a serval, wild dogs that had just finished a kill, a lot of monitor lizards and some hyenas.

Birds wise, wooly-necked storks, wahlbergs eagles, giant kingfishers, southern ground hornbills including a chick in a nest calling for mom, pin tailed whydahs, bru-bru, fish eagles and sombre greenbuls.

Well done guys!