It’s always great to hear from guests that are keen to share their experience at Londolozi and it’s even better when they have fantastic photographs to accompany their write up! Tony Goldman, who has been following and commenting on our blog for some time now, recently visited Londolozi and managed to capture some great shots, especially of the leopards of Londolozi. I was delighted when Tony sent us a portfolio of photographs that he took during his four night stay in Founders Camp and decided that there was no better way to share them than by dedicating a blog post to his stay with us. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us Tony and well done on some great images. We look forward to your return.
Tony’s trip report:
My wife and I have been to the Sabi Sand Game Reserve on more than 10 occasions and have stayed at many different properties. This was our second trip to Londolozi. In October 2011 we spent 4 nights in Varty Camp and in October this year, we spent 4 nights at Founders Camp.
My wife and I are ex South Africans and now live in Tampa, Florida. We travelled with another couple from our hometown, Dan and Adele Harlacher. This was our 4th African safari together.
This last trip at Londolozi was most definitely one of our best safaris, everything was just right. The managers, Phil and Cry, did a great job.
The rooms were spacious, clean, had lots of light and an excellent view of the Sand River. The outdoor shower and plunge pool were both private and open.
Sandros was our ranger and Lucky our tracker. Sandros was one of the best, if not the best, we have ever had and Lucky was great. Sandros, with 20 years of experience, was fabulous. He has an amazing sense of humour and his knowledge of the bush was encyclopedic. His vehicle positioning was great and he often changed positions to create the best camera angles without the need for prompting.
The weather was not ideal. There was a fair amount of rain and lots of grey skies, making photography challenging, but we managed to get out on all the drives. The cooler weather seemed to increase the animal activity and created great game viewing.
We were very fortunate to see a male cheetah on 3 of the days, with 2 of these being spectacular sightings of him on a termite mound.
One of the other highlights was an interaction of the Tsalala pride females and cub with the Majingilane males. We first found the females and cub (belonging to the original tailless female). The cub was very active and put on a show for us. It was interesting to watch the reaction of the females when they saw the males approaching. The events of the next hour were fascinating, as the Tsalala pride approached the males very slowly with the 2 sub adults at the back. The cub, however, made the first contact.
The cub of the original tailless female from the Tsalala pride.
One of the Majingilane males watches as the cub approaches him.
The cub calls out for its mother.
The leopard viewing was quite spectacular. We were lucky enough to see 10 different leopards, of which I managed to get good photos of 6. The leopard highlights were the classic leopard lazing in a tree and the pre-mating ritual of the Marthly male and the Maxabene female.
The Tamboti female leopard.
The Tutlwa female.
The Maxabene female.
The Mashaba female patrols her territory.
The Mashaba female perched in a tree.
The Camp Pan male obscured in the dense undergrowth.
The birds were also great and I counted just over 100 species in 4 days. There was general game everywhere and we seldom experienced long periods of seeing ‘nothing’. The rhino viewing was exceptional. We saw at least one rhino everyday and on one day we managed to see 12. The elephants were great too.
Lilac breasted roller.
Brown snake eagle.
Saddle billed stork.
We are currently planning a return visit in August 2013 and I can`t wait.
Written and photographed by: Tony Goldman (Londolozi Guest)
Tony: I enjoyed all of your shots but especially the birds. Such great close ups. You can see every detail. Thanks for sharing. I would love to know if you used some kind of tripod. Birds are a challenge to photograph in my opinion.
Leslie,thanks for the comments, i used a canon 7d and a canon 500mm lens for most of the bird shots occasionallya 1.4x extender as well, no tripod, all hand held or a sandbag on the landrover
Thanks Tony, you must have a very steady hand!
Wonderful pictures. I’m envious of your talent and that you get to return to my favorite place so soon.
Tony’s pictures are great, I always look forward to viewing them on Face Book. I too often visit the game reserve and enjoy taking photos, although not in the same league as Tony.
Magnificent!
Such fabulous photos Tony – thank you so much. I never, ever tire of reading about others adventures. We are hoping to be back again in January and hope to see as much as you did!
Wonderful photographs Tony! what photo gear are you using for those bird shots? cheers, Fred
Fred ,most of my bird shots were taken with a canon 7d and a cannon 500mm lens and occasionally added a 1.4x extender,all hand held ,no tripod used and used a sand bag sometimes on the landrover
Absolutely exquisite Tony!!!! Outstanding job!!!! I miss hearing about your adventures! Will continue to view them here!
Amazing Photography!
Thanks everyone for the kind comments
What marvellous photography – especially the birds! Can;’t wait to get to Londolozi to see it all. Viv
Tony, I’m drooling over all your pictures. My fav is the lilac breast roller