This is Solomon, a charming elderly elephant who frequented our little island in the heart of the Okavango Delta. He especially liked when the Marula fruit were ripe. I had three Marula trees on three sides of my house so Solomon would often spend the night carefully collecting as many fallen Marula as possible. Then he would shake the trees for more and finally have a short nap leaning against a termite mound until the first lilac streaks of dawn stole across the sky 🖤

A deep belly roar echoes for kilometres across the bushveld. Another answering roar as they come together after a night on the hunt. Its daybreak and the lion pride is announcing their presence in the cool of dawn before they settle in a shady spot to rest away the day light hours. Another magical day begins in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve in the north west region of Mzansi 🖤

Nothing says Africa more than a leopard up an Acacia tree. This lovely she-leopard enjoying the sunset as the nearby baboon troop bark their annoyance and fear at her presence. She frequents our little island in the heart of the Okavango Delta. One evening we nearly ran into each other on the path from my house. We both stopped abruptly a few feet from each other, startled at this unexpected presence. A Heart moment passed and then she melted into the bush. Shoo… 🖤

Gemsbok or Oryx are enigmatic desert dwelling antelope. Quiet and regal with their rapier horns they amble through the red dunes of the Kgalagadi. As pink twilight descends across the stillness of the desert, they make their way to the waterhole. A quick drink before the night offers time to cool their high body temperature. Gemsbok don’t need to drink often getting the moisture they need from their food. The distinctive markings around their head, legs and belly is believed to have a cooling effect 🖤

A summer afternoon on the savanna. The sky begins to darken to a deep blue grey. The wind rises and air prickles with an impending thunderstorm. There is a very particular smell that washes across the grasslands as thunder rolls deeply in the distance. A clean, refreshing smell that speaks to the cleansing downpour to come. The dominant male of the lion pride sits in wait of this refreshing with all the promise the night may bring 🖤