South Africa 2017

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Let me tell you about the Great Migration in Africa. Not the Widebeeest and Zebras of the Serengeti but the tourists from the Americas, Europe and Asia. They come by the thousands with bucket lists, cameras and great curiosity. They want to know if it is true that it is still possible to see lions and leopards hunting impala and kudu. More importantly, they come with cash and a powerful reason for the people of Africa to protect and preserve the magnificent resource these animals represent. It was inspiring to me to see that there is great effort being made to preserve natural habitat for these animals, many of which are only found in Africa, and protect the animals, many of which are endangered.
My travels were limited to a portion of South Africa and Swaziland, which are small countries on the southern tip of a huge and diverse continent. But the experience of sitting in an open vehicle, out in the veldt, and having a leopard walk out of the brush less than five feet from me, or having 3500 pounds of rhinoceros walk up close enough to be petted (their skin looks rough but is quite soft) makes me want to go back and see more.
Most of my time in Africa was spent in national parks and private game reserves so I didn't get much time for interaction with the native people. My cameras and I were focused on getting images of animals in the wild. I apologize that my images don't truly do the spectacular area justice.
I have tried to limit the length and quality of the "slideshow" option for each of these galleries to be competitive with the cute-kitten-action videos on YouTube.
If you want to share my wild Africa experience start with the "African Wildlife Favorites" gallery.
If you have a bit more time and want to see a bit of the "human" side of the trip take a look at the "African Tour Experience".
Most of the wildlife images in the first gallery were my choice versus others of similar quality. If you still want to see more, and make your own decision about which were the best, try the "African Bonus Pack" gallery.
One of the common questions I have been asked is "Would you go back?" and the answer gets a bit complex. The simple answer is, I would love to go back. But, one of the things I am learning in my pursuit of really unique and interesting wildlife images is that I need to spend time in one place and learn the critters habits and routines. That would be very difficult because of the arduous travel to Africa. My time would be best spent working on the many local opportunities. That said, would I suggest others take a wildlife safari trip to Africa? You bet!