When people come and interact with our Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins, they often say “WOW! You must have the best job in the world”. I mean what could possibly be better than swimming and SCUBA diving with dolphins for a living?
My partner Richard and myself have been visiting the bush every year since leaving South Africa back in 2008. An opportunity to work with dolphins abroad was simply too good to refuse and we launched ourselves into the adventure with great enthusiasm. The downside of living far from the African Bush is that you miss it with an intensity that can simply not be described.
Africa gets under your skin; her warmth imbues ones soul with a zest for life and etches an indelible mark in your heart. From the time we left our beloved Africa, we have been searching for our home from home and over the years have stayed at many of the lodges in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve. We were convinced we had found this home until we received the news that our favourite lodge was undergoing a complete renovation and would be closed during our annual vacation.
The always alert and very hardy klipspringer
The elegant Mashaba young female
Determined to find a suitable alternative, we decided to throw caution to the wind and stretch our budget in order to book four nights at Londolozi. From the moment we stepped foot on Londolozi soil we knew that we were home. There really are no words that are capable of communicating the magical essence that encapsulates this special place. From the genuine warmth and love being exuded by everyone at the lodge to the spectacular sightings of wildlife, we were completely overwhelmed and blown away.
A buffalo eyes us out…
An elephant comes closer to our vehicle out of curiosity.
Richard and I are complete opposites and our guide Simon and tracker Foster had to balance a voracious appetite for leopard with an obsessive-compulsive bird freak (who was also partial to these rosette cats). I had recently purchased my first DSLR and Simon was incredibly patient and helpful in ensuring I understood the settings and allowed time for me to fiddle in order to get some beautiful photos. Leopard highlights included an unknown male being diligently pursued by the Mashaba female, the daughter of Mashaba as well as the Marthly and Piva Males. Fortuitously we had a couple of cracking bird sightings of which the highlights included; dwarf bittern, black coucal and a great spotted cuckoo harassing its glossy starling mom for some grub. All in all an absolute triumph!
The Piva Male
A juvenile great spotted cuckoo
A great sighting of a black coucal
An angry snarl from a male leopard
Thankfully January appears to be a slower time of year to visit the bush and as a result we were able to spend as long as we wanted at some of the sightings. Sitting patiently observing the behaviour of the animals, noticing the smaller things and simply stopping to breathe in the magnificence of Mama Africa, enabled a grounding effect to take place. Balance, gratitude, faith, courage, grace, joy, strength, life and love are but a few of the things that floods ones senses and the result may only be described as the Londolozi effect – an intangible and magical experience that defies all known dictionaries.
Our time with the Londolozi team made us realise that perhaps there is an even better Best job in the World… and that is being a part of the Londolozi family. We are both filled with gratitude that we have found our home in the bush and have already booked for January 2016.
Written and Photographed by: Sean de la Harpe-Parker
Great sightings Sean. Awesome images of the spotted cuckoo and black coucal.
Thank you Marinda. I was astounded at the number of “special” birds we saw during this visit. As we crossed the Skukuza Low Water Bridge on our way to our Pick Up for Londolozi we managed Osprey and African Finfoot.
Great Post Sean, thank you for sharing the Londolozi’ effect’ with us! I hope to meet you on your next visit.
Thank you Kate and you are most welcome! We are counting the days to our next stay!
Beautifully said, Sean, a feeling many of us have experienced. This will be my 4th consecutive year returning to Londolozi, it becomes a part of ones soul.
Wow Evette and I am sure each time gets better! When you know what you love – you know what you love!
Beautiful images Sean, thanks for sharing! I understand the “Londolozi effect” completely and experienced all those emotions while at Londolozi. I can’t wait until I am able to return again.
Thank you and you are most welcome Jill, it was an honour and privilege. I wish I could put the words to paper that do it justice… One simply has to experience it!
Thanks Sean! Nice to see the rare birds too, but your pics are beautiful
You are welcome and thank you Wendy. The birds were an unexpected and complete delight – an absolute birding hot spot!
What a wonderful blog Sean, thank you so much for sharing your words and pictures. I cant believe you got to see black coucal and a greater spotted cuckoo. What camera and lens were you using as your pictures are fantastic.
Thank you Rich and I can honestly say that I was not expecting to see these birds. I have the Nikon D610 and used my Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 as well as my Nikkor 80-400 f/4.5-5.6. I cannot tell you how happy I am with the results. Simon played a huge role by assisting me with the settings.
Thats good to hear, its very worthwhile having a photographic guide assisting with advice and positioning of the vehicle. Those Nikkor lenses are both fantastic and I can see the quality and crispness of the images. Look forward to having you back with us and seeing more of your work.
I bought the 70-200 at the end of last especially for our Sabi Sands trips and got to use it during our visit to Rattrays on MalaMala in November 2014. To be honest, whilst the quality is superb, the 80-400 has been my go to lens. I feel the results are the same if not better and used it almost exclusivley now at Londolozi.
What a great post, Sean. It gave me goosebumps. Looking forward to meeting you in January next year!
Thank you Amanda! We cannot wait for our visit in January. Rich and I have been discussing a surprise quick stop before then – it will be a last minute decision so hoping you have space – inshallah!
You nailed it!! My daughter and I visited Londolozi in May and can not wait to return!!! It is truly a magical place!!