Page 19 - Silver Lakes July 2021

LIFESTYLE

Male Cheetah Tree climbing lioness

return to the lodge to meet the rest of the friends. It was only then that we went to rest of the pride with some of the females
group. the second-floor balcony to photograph climbing trees!
the beautiful night skies with the iconic
Most of us had never actually met and breathtaking Hanglip mountain in the As this was an educational visit, we
each other before but by having the foreground. explored all the lodges and scenic spots
same photographic interests had often in the reserve, after breakfast. After our
commented on social media posts. From On Saturday morning, we were in the lunch in the Geelhout Kloof dotted with
the start, there was a comradery and very bush before sunrise, looking for some Yellowwoods and Eugene Marais cycads,
relaxed atmosphere in the group. That of the nocturnal animals on our way to we came across elephants and spent some
afternoon our group of eight were seated the location that we had chosen for our time in the company of the giants.
in two game drive vehicles. Once more sunrise photos. On the way, we found
the lions provided fantastic photographic some lion tracks. As it turned out, one of On our last day out, we focused on locating
opportunities! the male lions had chosen the same spot cheetahs. Before long, we ran into some
for his sunrise! He started moving off and lions again and spent time with them
Our first evening at the stunning lodge was we tried to follow. We spent the next hour before continuing with our search. It took
rounded off with a truly fantastic meal. We picking up tracks and trying to relocate the some time, but the search paid off. Our
ended up staying at the dining table until male or any of the other lions. This turned sighting was short but rewarding! We tried
well after 10pm, chatting like long lost out to be a good choice, as we found the to locate the cheetahs again but instead
managed to find an African Rock Python of
approximately 4m in length! This was very
rewarding as we could leave the vehicle
for some low angle shots.
Our weekend came to an end too quickly...
but it was a weekend worth remembering!
It is my experience that you can plan every
photographic safari from A to Z, however,
ultimately the bush will deliver what it
delivers, and no amount of scheduling
will tame it. You can plan meticulously and
diligently but ultimately the course of a
photographic safari is dictated by nature
and the sightings that she delivers; as well
as the guests that accompany you, as was
the case with this educational safari.

I met some fantastic people and
experienced exceptional sightings
in a remarkable game reserve with
phenomenal accommodation and food.
It was truly an exceptional experience – I
cannot wait for the next one!
Photographic Group

INTRA MUROS JULY 2021 17