When it comes to planning holidays far from home, I am the kind of person who firmly believes that the world is large enough that you shouldn’t go back to the same place you already went to. And yet, when planning my 50th birthday trip (that actually took place when I turned 52, but you know what happened in the meantime), there was not a split-second hesitation that I would take my family back to Londolozi for the 3rd time. The reasons are multiple and let me try and list but a few.
The Connection with the Wilderness
We live in Paris, a large city, but I have always felt very connected with nature. My first name means “from the woods” in French, this must be the reason. I am always fascinated by the beauty, the resilience, and the variety of wildlife, from the largest mammals to the smallest plants, without forgetting insects and birds.
An Orb-web spider feasting shortly after having caught a butterfly in its web.
The bright colours of many of the birds always fascinate me and this Woodland Kingfisher is a perfect example of this.
They form an equilibrium, they all interact, and they live and die in a constant cycle that places like Londolozi contribute to safeguard and allow us to witness. What is most important for me is that the Londolozi team plays the role of intermediary between us and nature. They give us access to great sightings but without taking them for granted. They keep the subtle balance between habituating animals without influencing them. They preserve the art of tracking, all this allows us to connect with the wilderness in a sustainable way that wouldn’t be possible without them.
The Good Memories
Having lived in South Africa for 15 months in 1995, I had been able to go on a few safaris and grew a fondness for the country, the bush and the animals, among which leopards always held a special place. This dates back to my first very short encounter with a female leopard in the Sabi Sand area. One night, this strong and peaceful animal walked alongside the Land Rover, so close that I could almost touch her, it was a thrilling moment.
A single cub of the Ximungwe Female's second litter. Initially rather skittish but is very relaxed now. Birth mark in his left eye.
And then I bought the book “The Leopards of Londolozi” and promised myself that I would come here one day.
This finally happened in 2017 and again in 2018 and those stays provided another set of amazing memories.
The Friendliness
There is this magical thing with people at Londolozi. The encounters we make and the relationships we manage to create in a very short period of time are simply amazing. Before coming this year, we were remembering with great fondness our time with our rangers Callum and Alex and our trackers Freddy and Lucky. We were saying to ourselves that it would be difficult to match them. And then came Kyle, Prof, Amber and Will who not only were incredibly nice and friendly but with their time, special attention and dedication managed to make our stay unforgettable once more.
Seeing a pangolin is incredibly rare at the best of times, here we climbed out of the vehicle to have a closer look.
Photography
Londolozi is obviously a place where one can learn and improve one’s wildlife photographic skills to a completely different level. All the conditions are met to come back home with the most amazing photographs: the landscapes, the access and proximity to animals without impacting their behaviour, the huge variety of subjects and the great advice from rangers. This year again, resulted in very rewarding pictures:
The large Senegal Bush Male Leopard locks eyes with us while feeding on an impala carcass that he had hoisted up into a marula tree.
Initially seen as a young male in 2016, this leopard only properly established territory on Londolozi in mid-2019
A group of male giraffes huddle closer together as they attempt to work out the pecking order amongst themselves.
The next two pictures have a special history. It was a miserable afternoon, the drizzle turned into the rain with heavy wind and no matter how quick we were to jump into the ponchos provided by Kyle and Prof, the water kept dripping inside and we were soon soaked to the bone. Kyle, probably thanks to some African wizardry, carried on driving pretty much unperturbed. I eventually let my wife and son go back to camp but being the game-drive zealot that I am, I decided to continue until dinner time, in the hope that the rain would stop.
It eventually did when night fell and then I said to Kyle and Prof, half-jokingly:
Now you have to find me a chameleon!
It wasn’t 10 minutes before the spotlight of Prof caught had locked onto one, amazing! And then I thought I’d give them another challenge, even more tricky this time:
Why don’t we try and find a bush baby?
Believe it or not, the bush baby was served less than 10 minutes later, and was well behaved enough to let itself be photographed, crazy!
Sure enough, Prof found us a chameleon.
To top that off, here is the photo of a lesser bushbaby.
A few other exciting nocturnal animals included this white-tailed mongoose, that held still long enough for a photo of it exposed in amongst some grass.
During our stay, a large giraffe had slipped and fallen on a rocky section of the Sand River and sadly had died. This provided a pretty hefty meal for a large crocodile who seemed to be the only one on the scene.
The milky way (a patchwork of 5 photos and a special tribute to Alex Jordan who inspired me in trying pictures of the milky way. Mine is not as accomplished as his though…)
Special Moments
Probably the most important reason why Londolozi keeps acting like a magnet to me is its ability to create the most incredible moments. This year there were many and particularly on our last day (my birthday) with an unforgettable and truly emotional evening. But the most unique one was this 1-hour that will probably remain in my memory as one of the most intense ones I ever experienced.
We were the first witnesses of the latest litter of the Nhlanguleni female leopard. These cubs were hardly older than a month and they moved away from their den on their feet (i.e. not carried by their mother) to discover the world. They were puzzled by water, playing in the long grass, climbing trees and hopping around under the reassuring supervision of their mother, who eventually led them to their next den. Those two fur balls were so curious about us, gazing in our direction but in a relaxed way, because their mother was completely relaxed – this was unbelievable. The only challenge was to select the best pictures afterwards… here are a few:
As their mother bent down to drink the cubs would circle around her perplexed by the water.
Initially skittish she spent a lot of time in the Sand River, now relaxed she makes up the majority of leopard viewing west of camp.
Climbing a few boulders the cubs seemed to be growing in confidence.
Practising climbing.
Finally, arriving at the new den the mother stops to groom the cubs.
So thank you Londolozi for all this and see you next time!
The Magic of Londolozi…….once you fall under the spell, you want to keep coming back! Wonderful photos and memories……
Great article on Londolozi. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos.
Sylvain, What a great depiction of Londolozi. Admittedly for all the reasons you stated plus many more it was, is and always will be the most memorable place I have visited. I follow the Blog daily and even though my last trip was late November 2017 I feel like it was yesterday. I hope to be back soon.
Well said, Sylvain! Your reasons for coming back to Londolozi again and again are like ours – and we just returned home from our 6th visit. It is a very special place and, despite having travelled the world, we keep coming back.
Sylvain, I concur wholeheartedly with your reasons as to why we keep going back to Londolozi. It is such a special place. It encompasses everything you want and need when going to Africa on safari: from the amazing wildlife you experience daily; the exceptionally knowledgeable guides and trackers; the gastronomic delights from the kitchen; the outstanding accommodation; the sense of safety and security you feel while there, and just the total ambience of the whole reserve or concession. Londolozi is a magical place where you feel a strong connection with nature and also yourself. Why would you go anywhere else?
Hello Sylvain! Thank you for your article about Londolozi. It was very nice to read. Beautiful pictures! We also had a lovely time when we visit Londolozi! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Sylvain! Your post and photos helped remind us of how much we have missed our time at Londolozi, and how we can’t wait to return! So glad you found the magic there too!
These are the same reasons (and almost the same circumstance. We lived in South Africa from 1981 to 1985.) that my heart rests at Londolozi. Every trip back since the 80s has been memorable even if it took 25 years for that first return trip. I yearn for the times we can return and enjoy the special pleasures of Londolozi (and that for me always includes Freddy as tracker.)
Well said, Sylvain, I couldn’t agree with you more….and your photos are terrific. Like you, I don’t normally go back to the same place, but Londolozi is my exception as every game drive is different (and I’m up to 138 now!) and I am just as excited before every drive. I had no idea on our 1st visit that I would come back a further 11 times! Just 4 months to my next visit…
Sylvian thank you for sharing your stunning foto’s and your own experience at Londolozi. The variety of foto’s is astounding. Londolozi is well known for their leopards. The Londolozi team go out of their way to make their guests feel at home, and always try and find the animals that the guests request to see.
We have just scheduled our 6th visit to Londolozi and continuously hear the questions from friends who cannot understand our travel plans. No 2 days are alike–never mind 2 visits. Having had a hectic career experience, I was amazed at how quickly I became so relaxed at our first visit and every visit thereafter. You have captured much of our reasoning. I have written to Dave Varty many times sharing that I thought no visit could ever top the previos one–and then it did.
Well done Sylvain! We COMPLETELY agree with everything you have said and would add that every ranger/guide team we have had at Londolozi has been the best ever! And Kyle & Prof are the top of the list. We’ll be with them next week again!!! Can’t wait!!! Cats & dogs, cubs & pups … here we come!
Thank you for sharing your experience and the wonderful pictures, also for adding the bush babies that are so cute. There surely are intriguing species that pop out at night… the Nhlanguleni female with her cubs are idyllic! It must be a real gift to be trusted by a leopard. A magical experience.
I appreciated your story and images. Like you, I know there are many choices of places to visit in the world that I’ve yet to explore, but once I discovered Londolozi, it became my #1 place to stay. It gives me just what I want, and more!
Sylvain, thank yo0u for sharing your wonderful stories about Londolozi.
What a great share! On one of our first dates , 12 years ago (my now husband) asked me, if I could go anywhere in the world where would I want to go. I said “ to Africa to see the animals”…. Needless to say, I fell in love with him that very moment and the very next day began planning our trip. Very good friends of ours lived in Capetown and had told us about Londolozi. The memories we came away with are life long. I think about them everyday… and hope to be back soon ❤️
A most fabulous birthday gift and Londolozi is indeed a spectacular place in which to enjoy that time. Thanks for sharing the photos which capture your experience.