Living Life, Arms Wide Open
I normally shoot with my tried and true Canon 70-200mm lens but after getting the opportunity to use the Canon 100-400mm lens last week in Botswana, I have a new love!
WOW! I was so impressed with the sharpness of this lens. My only complaint is that… when the leopard, the lion
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Our dependable sources for photos supplies: B&H Photo and Amazon
Perched on a freshly cleared pile of vines on the side of a mountain in Uganda, I peered down into a small hollow and made my first eye contact with the Mountain Gorilla. At 35 years of age, she was the oldest female in the family group, and was feeding a short distance away from the rest of her family. Her face was soft and gentle, and her eyes seemed to reveal a cautious tolerance of our presence. She ate slowly, clearly choosing her favorites and seeming to savor each bite of vine, leaf, or twig. Occasionally she spit out a small lump of chewed plant matter, having been unsatisfied with some aspect of the bite. Looking into her eyes, I felt that she was wise, and had a sense that she had lived through many difficult and beautiful moments in her 35 years of life in the jungle.
At a time when news is all too often about shrinking habitats and decreasing wildlife numbers, we are thrilled to share news of areas opening up and providing greater movement for wildlife. In and around the Makgadikgadi National Park in Botswana, fences are coming down and old migration routes are being rejuvenated. This is a gorgeous area and with the wildlife increasing, it’s one to put on your list.
Kuddos to all of those behind this project!
If you seek wildlife viewing in remote and untrodden locales, add Kidepo to your list! Why we love it:
Madagascar is remote, rugged and untrodden. It’s like no place else on earth. In fact, it barely qualifies as part of Africa: the two are separated by hundreds of kilometers of sea and 165 million years of evolution – long enough for Madagascar’s plants and animals to evolve into some of the most unusual forms on the planet. Together we visited some of the most interesting and off the beaten path places in this unique destination… Continue reading “Madagascar Adventuring”
The biggest question for a Gorilla Trekking trip is … What do I bring? While much of what you’ll want to have with you is on our Packing List_2018, there are some special considerations that we have included here when preparing for your gorilla trek. Here’s our list of what to bring and a little bit about what to expect. From there, you’ll be able to determine what is important to you to keep you comfortable. Continue reading “Gorilla Trekking…What to bring?”
This is a picture of elephant dung that I came upon during a recent walk in the bush. Ah, the sad woes of plastic bags in wildlife areas. The damage that plastic can cause is life threatening to animals.
Plastic refuse has become so common around wildlife areas. We are so encouraged by those areas/countries that have taken action to reduce it. Rwanda and Kenya now ban plastic bags from being brought into their countries! It is a step in the right direction.
If you would like to make a difference, please leave the plastic bags at home – pack with durable travel bags that go home with you.
Meet Shorai Matambanadzo – Conserving wildlife and empowering girls through art
I am an ecological artist. My responsibility is to make residents in a cluster of villages where I work outside Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, aware of the connection between art and conservation. One place I do this is Rise and Shine Girls Club sponsored by Global Sojourns Giving Circle.
The 35 girls in the club have grown up seeing their male relatives chop down trees, carve small animals to sell to tourists and ferry the curios to market. This tourism-based art model threatens the once-plentiful hardwood forests of Southern Africa, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. Erosion and other impacts of deforestation are made worse by the erratic climate.
The perfect solution to those light aircraft luggage restrictions
If your safari includes traveling between camps in light aircraft, you’ll need to use luggage that works within the airlines’ requirements. The luggage compartments of these planes are limited in space and thus the need to have soft sided luggage. While some of the companies will let us get by with our beloved 22″ bags with 3 soft sides, most require that the bags be soft-sided all around and no wheels. When wheels aren’t allowed, I’ve found Eagle Creek’s Load Hauler to be the perfect solution. It offers the space of a duffel while providing the option of carrying it as backpack which lightens the load while traveling through airports.