A panoramic perspective leaving camp: the northern end of the airstrip is usually abundant with game, and being below eye level gives a beautiful perspective as the herds graze beneath a beautiful blue sky.

Getting out of the vehicle for photography is usual practice, but in certain situations can provide unique perspectives. The detail on the dung beetles ball caught my eye, yet I didn’t even notice the flies while taking the photo! It’s said that these incredible beetles can push up to 150 times their body weight!

On the southern side of the airstrip just an hour after the previous shot, a pack of Wild Dogs stood up at sunset and gazed to where the herds of Zebra and Impala were grazing earlier on.

The Makatini Family makes use of a slight vantage point at the last light before moving off. Not every day you get to see four cheetahs, let alone on the same tree, with an incredible sky in the background.

A flash of crimson against the sky. These migratory specialists rely heavily on healthy river and insect populations, and this is probably the last one I’ll see for the year as they fly back north with autumn in full swing.

Unfortunately, I can’t say for sure whether this cub was alive or not – and that would very much determine the caption as well as the narrative of this photo. Needless to say, with jaws designed for crushing bones, this female was remarkably gentle with her grip while carrying this cub.

The largest of the herons, the Goliath Heron, waits patiently in the swallows for unsuspecting prey. The reflection and golden backlight stopped us in our tracks.

A typical, yet beautiful sight this time of year. A herd of impala, in the long grass, slightly on edge.

Framed within the trees: the Nkoveni Female rests while the young male cub feeds on the remains of her impala kill down below.

On a territorial patrol, the golden light catches the Nkoveni Female’s eye as she walks toward our vehicle.

A match made in heaven: leopards and marula trees. Don’t let the blue skies and clouds fool you, we found the Xinkhova Female late one morning, and the sun was baking down. Luckily for us, the cool breeze and shade high up in the tree tops meant she was far more comfortable in the tree than in the long grass.

Shortly after finding the Ximungwe Female late one afternoon, she stood up, looked into the long grass and gave off a soft contact call – for her cub. Needless to say, the excitement levels skyrocketed.

The golden afternoon light catches the Ndzhenga Male’s mane as a yawn wakes him from an afternoon slumber.

A large elephant bull gains speed as he strolls down an open crest, a giant compared the zebra in front of him.

Creating angles in photography is important, and getting low (eye level) is probably the best. Here, a leopard tortoise walks slowly on the edge of the road, giving us a great portrait shot. I certainly have never seen their teeth before this.

Shooting up-close shots at wide apertures isn’t easy with wildlife, but this Kambula female walking down the road towards us provided an opportunity to try it out. She was looking for the rest of the pride after resting in the shade for the day.

An intense gaze from a sub-adult male in the Kambula pride. As their manes grow more and more each day, the inevitable shift into nomadic life is just around the corner- along with immense challenges. Hopefully, these brothers stick together and prove to be a force to be reckoned with.

Possibly the most photogenic of the storks- the Saddle-billed Stork. The yellow rings around the eyes are distinctive for females, and the golden hour light highlights her incredible markings.

The length of a leopard’s whiskers never ceases to amaze me. The Three Rivers Female paused as she walked into an open clearing, noticing the nyala off in the distance. Perhaps time to plan her hunt, or avoid detection.

The Wood Sandpiper, a long-distance migrant, undertakes an incredible journey each year, travelling from its breeding grounds in Europe and Asia. Often found in shallow wetlands, its slender legs and speckled plumage mirrored perfectly in the water’s reflection.

After finishing a zebra kill, the smaller of the two Ndzhenga Males headed straight for a small body of water to quench his thirst. Their ability to smell where the water is is quite remarkable.

Hidden in one of the multiple drainage lines that make up the Ximungwe Females territory, she led her cub to water in the last light of another incredible day.

Patterns and reflections.

The Xinzele Female gathers herself to leap into a beautiful jackalberry tree where she had stashed a young impala.

Her cub (the Xinzele female) tried to follow in his mother’s footsteps, but aborted the mission halfway up, realising just how big the tree really was.

An incredibly tender moment as the Xinzele Female called her rather shy cub out of the long grass to groom him before they both fed on the hoisted impala nearby.

Two very large elephant bulls jostled for dominance on the airstrip. While not 100% committed to the fight, when you have six tons of weight behind you, even a playful fight is an impressive display.

With the golden glow on the trees in the background, the Ngungwe Female surprised us by launching out of the tree seconds after lifting her head. Admittedly my settings weren’t the best for this shot – but I Still enjoy the colours and framing.

During some very challenging backlight, we still tried to grab a photo of the Ndhzenga Male as he walked through the long grass. Over-exposing in these situations can help somewhat.

The Nkoveni Female was only slightly frustrated with her adolescent male cub, showing her displeasure as he joined her on a dead marula tree that really only had space for one leopard.