“I was proud of this one. The Nhlanguleni Female walks in our direction with her tail erect and focused glance, in response to the incessant chanting and alarming bark of a herd of impalas after they spotted her on approach. Being able to capture the intense gaze of a female leopard on a mission with her tail curled up.”

“I wouldn’t have thought a buffalo would fall within my top 3 images for this year, but this one has found its way there, and the approx. 45 oxpeckers were the star of the show. There’s nothing better than watching a herd of buffalo approach water, your vehicle becoming one with the herd and your senses overwhelmed as there’s something going on everywhere you look.”

“Right place at the right time. As we drove around a water hole in search of a leopard in the area, we couldn’t help but marvel at the commotion in Shingi Dam. Two male hippos asserting dominance was a scene to behold, and not one regularly encountered. It’s always fascinating to witness the sheer strength and size of hippos when we so often see only glimpses of them submerged under the water.”

“This is one of my favourites, the young Xinkhova Female was lying out in the open almost at eye level with us allowing me to capture an intimate moment when she locked eyes with my camera lens.”

“Seeing lion cubs is amazing and here we were fortunate to watch the Tsalala Female’s cubs playing about on the rocks at an epic den.”

“I love this photo because I was actually able to share this moment with my parents who had come to visit. My mum’s favourite animal is the elephant, and although this looks like a lone elephant bull, it was part of a huge herd slowly ambling through a clearing. So sharing this special sighting with special people makes it that much more meaningful.”

“I was very lucky to capture this! Being there in the right moment, with the right settings and it all coming together was amazing. Watching the playful nature of a mother leopard and her cub while highlighting the agility and athleticism at the same time was remarkable.”

“It is always a highlight to capture animals moving through water and with there being so much going on before the sun had even come up, we were pleasantly surprised when as we rounded the corner, the Ntsevu Breakaway Female came walking straight towards us about to cross through the pool of water at Marthly Pools.”

“Finding the pack of wild dogs all spread out on the airstrip was awesome, especially since we could park at a distance and have them almost eye level. My fascination and love for wild dogs as you never quite know what is going to happen. ‘Agents of chaos’ as Robbie once described them as, so it was really cool to capture them out in the open like this.”

“Not only was this the first time that I had ever seen a mother leopard with three tiny cubs, but what made this sighting that much more special was that Tracker Dorence and I had tracked and found this den ourselves.”

“I know this is not necessarily the greatest photo I have taken, but I thoroughly enjoyed this action-packed sighting of the hyena trying its best to fend off the vultures from this carcass without success.”

“Plaque Rock is an iconic place on Londolozi and this sighting of the Xinkhova Female yawning here just after sunset was only a matter of weeks after the Plaque Rock Female was killed by lions. Highlighting that the territory take over had already begun.”

“Despite the general feeling that the Ngungwe Female can be skittish, I fortunately have not experienced that and in fact have had some incredible sightings of her this year. I feel that she acts as a leopard should, reinforcing the mysterious and secretive lifestyle of a leopard.”

“I chose this baboon shot because I think it is great and funny and it makes me laugh. Sometimes I can definitely relate to this where I would quite enjoy a lazy day.”

“This was a really cool sighting of the two giraffe necking. Being low down and watching them go about their business allowed us to sit back and appreciate spending time with these amazing animals.”

“Two bush tanks battling it out at sunset. It is not often that we see an intense interaction between these amazing animals and this sighting was absolutely phenomenal. Late afternoon golden sun highlighting the plumes of parched midwinter’s earth thrown into the sky by these ancient warriors locked in combat, I mean who wouldn’t be enthralled by this scene?”

“The Sand River offers moments that take your breath away, but witnessing a herd of elephants crossing through this vast open section with the iconic Stwise Koppie as a backdrop is truly something extraordinary. This moment, where late afternoon light bathes the scene in golden hues as these magnificent animals cross through the river, is a sure standout for me.”

“Wild dogs- who doesn’t love spending time with wild dogs? This image has some sentimental value to it and is why I chose it as one of my favourites. Firstly, from the hours I spent sitting at the den hoping to eventually see the pups, to secondly, the journey that this pup and its siblings went through when we witnessed many unprecedented discoveries in wild dog behaviour.”

“This year we were blessed with the most incredible sightings of leopard cubs and this mostly was from spending time with the Nkoveni Female and her three cubs. This was one of the first sightings I had of the cubs and we had the one causally resting up in a tree.”

“I love the unique nature of this shot of a giraffe. A silhouetted shot of the giraffe and the setting sun was made that much more exciting with a Red-billed Oxpecker flying in and landing on the giraffe’s head.”

“Seeing leopards mate can be an intense and aggressive affair. So often when trying to photograph wildlife, you want to capture the action or showcase the animal in the environment. This sighting of the Maxim’s Male and Piccadilly Female was unbelievable and I managed to capture this aggressive dismount as the male backs away from the thrashing claws of the female.”

“As I know it has been mentioned before, but most of us have an intense desire to see a leopard in a dead leadwood. And so when Ross watched a Ntsevu Lioness chase the Plaque Rock Female Leopard up into this leadwood, we had to get ourselves there. And thankfully, this image turned out so well and is probably my favourite photo ever.”

“This image stands out to me as the Nkoveni Young Male is the lone survivor that managed to escape a pride of 18 lions. I wanted to capture his eyes because to me eyes tell a story and here you can see in his eyes he has the power he needs to be a dominant male one day.”

“A storm brewing- The two Ntsevu Males walk along a winding road as a storm approaches. There is a metaphor in this photo. These two males moving into their prime and the storm adds to the drama of this photo. The future of these two males is still unknown but it feels like a storm in the lion dynamics is coming.”

“Not an easy photo to capture but I was happy with the result. A hippo carcass drew in dozens of vultures from all corners of the reserve. We decided to pay it a visit as the sun was setting to watch the hyenas and vultures take their share of the free meal. While we sat there the full moon began to rise. Creating an eerie but beautiful scene in the tree tops.”

“As a guide who is privileged to have endless photographic opportunities, this was a moment I had always wanted to capture myself. After a quiet afternoon drive, I was heading back to camp when I encountered this herd of elephants crossing the river. The light was magical, and I took the opportunity to quietly climb out of my vehicle, sit on the river sand at a safe distance, and soak up every second with the herd. One of the highlights of my year in the bush.”

“Lift-off! White Fronted Bee-eaters have long been one of my favourite birds to watch. Their striking colours and busy habits make them both beautiful and entertaining to photograph. Late one afternoon, we rounded a corner and found a massive flock dust bathing in the track in front of us. Initially, I struggled to capture the essence of the moment until they suddenly all flushed into the skies and I managed to have my camera up in time. A unique photo that I really enjoy.”

“An absolutely insane display of power and persistence as we watched the Nweti Male dig at a termite mound for 45 minutes before erupting from the burrow with this massive warthog in his jaws. The cloud of dust surrounding them perfectly captured this incredible moment – raw strength and determination in action. Without a doubt my most incredible sighting of the year, and one that shows just how powerful these cats really are.”

“I absolutely love shooting silhouettes, and when you get a leopard in a dead leadwood against an August winter sunset, it just doesn’t get much better. The whole scene was incredible – the Nkuwa Female had just been chased up the tree by a male leopard who was still prowling around the base. What makes this even more special is that the sky really looked exactly like this – hardly any editing needed. These late winter sunsets are why August is my favourite time in the bush, and to have a leopard silhouetted against one of these dramatic skies was just perfect.”

“This is what I’d call a classic Londolozi moment – the Xinkhova Female in mid-leap over the causeway water, with Ross, Life and their guests in the vehicle beyond creating that perfect safari scene. The morning light was absolutely beautiful, and after taking a drink, she gave us this spectacular jump before disappearing. Getting any leopard mid-air is special, but having all these elements come together – the light, the setting, the other vehicle in the frame – made this moment that much more magical.”

“I love this photo because of where we were able to position the vehicle. The camber of the airstrip allowed us to position far enough away to get an awesome eye-level photo as they walked towards us. Like Reece, having these animals out in the open and on the airstrip is always great.”

“While following the mother cheetah and her three cubs through the long grass, our view of them had been limited and we desperately wanted them to find something to climb on for a better vantage point. This cub then ran up to and hopped onto this rock. I love the lichen on the rock before with the soft winter tones of the grass behind it.”

“This was one of the early times of us seeing the cub. We had searched long and hard to find them in the morning and it was only at the back end of the drive when we were heading back to camp did we manage to bump into the Three Rivers Female, not too long after she let off a soft contact call and out emerged the cub. So here, I love the brief intimate moment that the two had as they greeted one another.”

“I really like this one because of everything that built up to us getting the shot. We found this male but struggled to stay with him, almost getting stuck twice before we then got ourselves into this position to get him in mid-stride with amazing morning golden light shining on him. After he crossed through the water he then proceeded to walk towards us and right past the vehicle.”

“This shot of the Nkoveni Cubs playing was quite poignant, as it was a scene like this that many Londolozi guests got to see this year as the Nkoveni Trio navigated life in the wild. So for me, it was actually being able to capture the action of these two youngsters as they entertained us for hours that was such a highlight.”

“This year was the first time I got to see cheetah cubs and we got to see them fairly regularly. This particular shot was after a long hard search for them and we eventually spotted them in the distance. After following them for a short while they then climbed up on a mound and I could then capture all four of them together.”