Rwanda has a dark history with a civil war in 1991 and the tragedy of the 1994 genocide. Despite this, Rwanda appears to be a country that is turning itself around. There is certainly a conscious move within the country towards conservation and as a result tourism. Rwanda has a zero tolerance on plastic bags and is considered to be one of the cleanest, if not, the cleanest country in Africa. The world could learn a lot from this small land locked African country. Akagera Nati

It was a frosty early morning and the sun was yet to peek its head above the the Waterberg mountains. We left Marataba Safari Lodge wrapped in thick blankets, full of anticipation as to what the day would bring. There were fresh lion tracks close to the river, so fresh they were still wet from the lions crossing the water. As I rounded the corner I found two lionesses and their four cubs in the middle of the road! The cubs were full of life; chasing each other and pouncing o

I’ve always thought Disney’s portrayal of Pumba in “The Lion King” is the epitome of a warthog. Working as a field guide I am fortunate enough to see these funny characters on a daily basis. To me they are quite possibly the most comical of Africa’s mammals. Inquisitive in nature, warthogs typically stare at you curiously as you approach them. This is usually followed by a short loud snort as they turn on their heels and run away with their tails pointing straight up. Forget

There are few countries that will overload your senses and pull at your heartstrings in quite the way India does. The colours, the food, the people, the architecture, the wildlife, the list is endless. A visit certainly teaches you a few life lessons, tests your patience and, for most, has you leaving lighter than when you arrived. I spent six weeks in India, travelling with a friend. We visited Assam, Kolkata, Nagpur and the infamous 'Golden Triangle' of Jaipur, Agra and Del

Australia is well known for it's weird and wonderful wildlife. As a wildlife fanatic I found myself paging through travel guides and internet sites searching for the best possible places to see some of Australia's iconic wildlife. I get a thrill from finding and photographing animals in their natural environment . Of course, finding animals in the wild is often easier said than done and requires above all else patience. Australia is massive and with time and budget constraint

Kaziranga, Assam India, is home to two thirds of the world's Greater One-horned rhinos. This fact alone had us travelling on a train for 9 hours followed by a five hour bus ride. Kaziranga is split into four zones: The Eastern range, the Western range, the Central range and the Burapahar Range We did three game drives at Kaziranga. Two in the Eastern range and one in the Central range. The Central and Western ranges tend to be more crowded with vehicles as they are closer to

December and January are famous in the South African bush for the birthing period. Impala, wildebeest, hartebeest and warthogs are just a handful of the herbivores that give birth at this time of year. This baby boom period is how the herbivores ensure their success. Over 50% of the young will fall prey to predators. Recently I drove to an open plains and stopped, taking in the magnificent scene. Zebra, impala, blue wildebeest and warthogs all with their young grazing on the

Poachers often target female rhinos as they tend to have larger horns than males (males wear their horns down when fighting). The majority of the time an adult female has a dependant calf with her and if she is killed the calf will not survive without her. The Rhino Orphanage in Limpopo, South Africa, is the world’s first centre dedicated solely to rhinos. Arrie and Marietjie Van Deventer were the driving force behind this non-profit company. Their love and passion for this c

It was late afternoon and I had been catching glimpses of a mother leopard and her three cubs in the long reeds for about 20 minutes. My patience paid off and I was rewarded with a beautiful sighting of four leopards in a clearing. Slowly they made their way into the tree line and began to play. I watched in awe as they tumbled over one another. Suddenly the mother began to stalk. A herd of impala made their way through the clearing towards the tree line. I watched as the cub

It has now been six months since we started working to familiarise a female leopard and her 3 cubs with game drive vehicles. All three cubs are still alive and doing well; two males and a female. Their mother has done a fantastic job in rearing, feeding and protecting them. I have been fortunate to have spent a great deal of time with the four of them and have watched the cubs grow and develop unique personalities. At first the female seemed to use a handful of den sites (we

Much to the rangers’ dismay the lion sightings had been very quiet for several days. Some nights we would hear them calling close to the lodge but come the morning they had disappeared into the thick bush. In the mornings we were taunted by tracks all over the roads but no lions. It was my guests’ first time in Africa and understandably they wanted to see lions. We were on the sixth game drive out of eight and I was silently starting to panic that we may not find any. Between

The Waterberg, South Africa, is not famous for leopard sightings. Sightings are generally few and even then are generally just a blur of yellow and spots. Before working in the Marekele National Park I worked for two and a half years on another reserve in the Waterberg. During that time I saw two leopards dashing across the road. We are very lucky in the Marakele to have a handful of leopards that are relaxed around the vehicles. About three months ago a tiny leopard cub was

The Kruger National Park, South Africa, is the size of Switzerland. The majority of roads are tarred and any member of the public can drive around looking for animals. The big five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo) are on everyone’s checklist. It was early morning in December and we were on the look out for a leopard. December is a special time of the year in the African bush. Many animals give birth at this time of year as the rains bring lush grass to eat. This