From the majestic lions lazing about on the plains to the elusive leopards prowling through the landscape, this post is your sneak peek into the incredible animal kingdom that calls South Africa home.
Discover secrets of photographing the magnificent Big Five—lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalos, and leopards. Our expert tips and tricks will help you capture breathtaking shots that tell unforgettable stories. Whether you’re a seasoned wildlife photographer or an aspiring shutterbug, this blog post is your passport to unlocking South Africa’s natural wonders through your camera lens.
We are going back to Africa next year, in July, and we are excited! We last visited before COVID and made some amazing memories in this beautiful country. What an incredible adventure it was!
No. 12 – Impala
Impalas were so cool when we first started seeing them. Our fingers barely left the shutter button, depressing it over and over and over again to capture more images of these pretty grazing mammals. They look so delicate and graceful, with the wide eyes, long lashes and petite build. They are very used to vehicles and seemed unperturbed by our presence for the most part, turning to look as we drove by but not scattering at the first sign of humans. We saw them often in larger groups, sometimes with young, grazing in the tall grass and moving slowly through the countryside. They are easy to spot, and easy to photograph with a mid-range lens. The tall grass can get in the way sometimes, when shooting from a car, but a tall safari vehicle would overcome this issue easily, hence why when we hired our vehicle, it was a 4WD (Toyota Fortuner).
After about two days however, and several thousand frames, we found ourselves less likely to take the shot of these gentle, graceful creatures, as the overwhleming abundance of life in the region became apparent, and the space on our hard drive started to seem insufficient.
No. 11 – Zebra
Another hebivore founds in large numbers were the Zebra. With their bold stripes making them easy to spot in the tawny grasses, the zebra were one of the most prolific subjects we encountered. We were lucky that during the middle of the year that there were still a far few young ones to be seen. They start off fuzzy and more brown and white and eventually grow into their black and white colours. Often found in herds grazing close to the road, they were unconcerned with our presence and were highly tolerant of our attention. Often crossing right in front of our moving vehicle without a care in the world.
The younger animals as a rule seem to be more curious, so blowing raspberry sounds out the window can sometimes get a youngster to look up to try to find the source of the sound. At just such a moment, we were able to capture this image of this sweet little stripey face.
No. 10 – Giraffe
While not seen in as great numbers as zebra, there were plenty of giraffe subjects to photograph. One might think that being so tall they tower over the foliage and so are relatively easy to spot. This is true, however being in a car and not allowed to get out (rules of the parks) meant that if they are too close you’re shooting upward into their chins, or even worse still – up their bottoms!
The best chances was when they were in little clearings like below and a little bit more distance made for better angles for photos. They were also unconcerned with cars and people and sometimes were walking ahead of our car at a most leisurely pace, completely disregarding the danger of a moving vehicle behind them. Both youngsters and adults seem to move at a stately pace, allowing plenty of time and opportunity to try a few different angles and settings.
No 9 – Galago aka Bushbaby
Our accommodation in Marloth Park, just outside Kruger National Park had its resident population of these adorable, nocturnal bushbabies. The owner had been putting bananas out for them every night and they would emerge from their nest boxes at sundown, bright eyed and bushy-tailed, eager for a treat. They are such cute little creatures with those big ears and eyes. They are notoriously difficult to photograph. Firstly due to their sheer speed and agility, secondly because the lack of light meant flash was required. So to find a fraction of a second when they were still, and then train a light on them to focus and then to get the shot was no mean feat! Thankfully, we were there for a few nights and so could hone our technique to capture a number of images.
No. 8 – Hyena
Many people don’t like hyenas as they believe them to be are vicious, dirty scavengers and not thought of as well as their good looking predator cousins. The Lion King movie has a lot to answer for in this regard as hyenas were portrayed very negatively in the movie and that has remained in the psyche of people all over the world.
Despite apparently being Africa’s most common large carnivore, we didn’t really have many opportunities to photograph these amazing creatures. We saw them a few times at a distance while they loped through the veld on patrol perhaps. They were too far away for any great images, but we were happy we’d at least seen one. Then eventually a morning drive in Kruger ended up being very lucky for us, as we saw a few Spotted Hyena (the largest of the 3 species of Hyena) after a night’s hunt heading for cover.
Hyena are just incredible creatures, evolved so specifically over time for the role they play in the savannah. They are powerfully built around the head and neck, adept at hunting as well as scavenging. They live in clans headed by an alpha female and abide by a strict matriarchal social structure.
No 7. – Hippopotamus
We spent quite some time at Sunset Dam, not far from the Mug and Bean Cafe at Lower Sabie in Kruger National Park. The dam is a great spot to wait for any animal that chooses to drink from its water as five or six cars can easily fit along the open dirt road and offer unobstructed viewing opportunities. The best light is in the early mornings with the eastern sun coming over your shoulders. You are not allowed to exit the cars anywhere in Kruger with the exception of camps or community areas, and viewing hides.
We had initially stopped by the dam to photograph a small herd of elephant who had stopped by on the far side to drink in the sun. We noticed a few low-lying shapes in the water and were delighted to find these were actually hippos! There seemed to be a mixture of adults and young lazing about, and then for whatever reason, the younger hippos started acting up. Much like human children, they began to play-fight, coming right out of the water and given us a few seconds of opportunity each time. Watching them was utterly enthralling, as the youngsters splashed and scuffled, water glistening on their skin. There is something endearing about seeing young animals, and we always seize the opportunity to get as many shot as we can. What a privilege!
No 6. – Elephant
At the same time as the Hippos were playing in the water, a small herd of around 10 elephants had stopped by to slake their thist. July seems to be a great time of year to spot younger animals, as this heard also had a couple of youngsters in their midst. They are fiercely protected by the herd and it was difficult to get a clear shot with the younger elephants always flanked by the older members of the herd.
Elephant, though seemingly slow-moving can travel at great speed and are one of the most intelligent animals on our planet. They have a matriarchal society, and can communicate over long distances by sound vibrations that they can sense through the soles of their feet. Seeing them use their trunks to pick small tufts of grass and then also to drink left us in awe of the complexity of the apendage. Just remarkable!
No 5. – African Buffalo
One of the ‘Big 5’ in Africa, the buffalo is known as “the Black Death” or “the widowmaker,” and is widely regarded as a very dangerous animal. According to some estimates, it gores and kills over 200 people every year.
We were very lucky to come across a heard grazing right by the side of the road, along the S137, close to Duke Waterhole, in Kruger National Park. We were very wary, knowing how dangerous and unpredictable they can be. They are known to charge for no apparent reason, so being on the ball was paramount. The last thing we wanted was to get caught up in those horns!
The herd was very peaceful, lifting their heads from grazing to stare at us curiously while chewing. The sunrise behind them made for some lovely images, with the light hitting the fringes on their ears and also the thousands of insects disturbed by their movement in the tall grass.
No. 4 – Lion
It is an indication of just how incredible the wildlife in southern africa really is, that the mighty lion, sits in fourth place for us on this list. We had a fair few opportunities to photograph these animals, but to be honest, most of the time they were lazing in the grass, sleeping in the grass, or hiding in the grass. The lioness below was part of a pride resting in the dewy grass one chilly morning, not far from the S28 (one of the main roads from the Crocodile Bridge entrance towards Lower Sabie. As we were waiting in the hope that they would move, the entire pride became alert.
We realised that thet were watching a small heard of antelope approaching. We were near breathless with anticipation, thinking that this was an incredible opportunity to see a pride hunting before our very eyes. But alas, they must not have been hungry, as they watched their prey for ages, and then turned as a group and wandered down the hill away from the impala. That was disappointing, but one can’t expect wild animals to perform on cue.
You can see from the image how well they blend into the colours of the grass in the veld. They are really difficult to spot!
No. 3 – Cheetah
We were incredible lucky to photograph 2 young male cheetahs one day in the full midday sun – which was not ideal, but hey – we took the shots anyway! They seemed to be focussed on something in the grass that we were unable to see, and we spent a fair bit of time driving alongside them as they walked along the plains. At one point, one of the brothers climbed onto a rock within 5m of the car window to gain a better vantage point to scan the open grassland.
We were in awe of these lithe creatures, the dark fur descending from their inner eyes making it look like they were perpetually crying, giving them a solemn appearance.
The boys eventually flopped down in the dappled shade and we were lucky to have the opportunity to get some lovely portaits. With the heart-shaped noses, and golden eyes, they certainly are one of the handsomest big cats in our opinion.
No 2 – Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros were high on our list of animals to see and photograph in our time in South Africa. While not abundant in numbers, they are so large and darkly coloured, it makes them relatively easy to spot in the creamy coloured grass.
Late one afternoon, we came across 4 at a shallow watering hole. The light was fading fast and coming from behind them, making it a little challenging to capture a truly great image.
Having said that, when this younster came up alongside its mother who was already drinking at the edge, it was a pose that we couldn’t resist and this ended up being one of our favourite images of our trip.
Rhino horns, made of keratin like our fingernails, are sometimes removed by park authorities in order to keep the animals safe from poachers. So it was special indeed to see one with a full horn intact.
No 1. – Leopard
There can be no other animal to sit at our #1 spot than the majestic leopard. We embarked on that trip knowing in our hearts that to NOT see one, or even better photograph one, would leave us with a tinge of diappointment.
But we were incredibly lucky. We had so many people tell us that they had visited the park numerous time, over years, and never seen a leopard. We were blessed indeed to see one, in the open, on our first day at Pilanesberg.
The leopards in the park are monitored via a the primarily citizen science initiative which tracks the animals through photographs taken by rangers and the general public. Leopards are named and identifying marks and spot patterns are catalogued, which is how we worked out that this was Clover.
Clover, is a well-known adult male Leopard in the east of Pilanesberg National Park. As we turned a corner in our 4WD vehicle, he just appeared on the dirt road and started to make his way over a small bridge. Our guide David carefully drove alongside Clover (I could have touched him from my window) and we drove well past. Then David turned the car perpendicular to the roadway and we could shoot straight up the road at the incoming mammal. Clover was very obliging, marking his bushes along the way and finally disappering into the tall grass.
The entire encounter lasted only minutes. A delay up the road would have meant we missed this incredible opportunity. We were laughing, shaking, hearts pounding and almost breathless with adrenaline after this incredible sighting. What a high! There is truly nothing like it!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this ‘virtual safari’ of sorts, as we reminisce about our favourite images from our epic time photographing wildlife in Southern Africa.
Is this something on your bucket list? If so, click the link below and come with us in 2024 when we do it all over again!