isabel25

Hi all -- We just returned from our spectacular trip just over a week ago. Our itinerary included Phinda, Cape Town, Mala Mala, Kwetsani in the Okavango Delta, and San Camp in Magadikgadi Pans. Each place was unique and wonderful, but our favorite was Mala Mala, where the game viewing took our breath away.

I hope to put together a trip report shortly, but in the meantime I thought I'd share some photos. Here's a link to photos for the Mala Mala portion of our trip; I'm still working on the other parts.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristin...7606385306419/

The pictures are organized as an trip report in photos, or an annotated slide show, with captions and descriptions carrying over multiple images. If you'd like to view the pictures as a slide show (or in large size), click on the grey "slideshow" icon on the right portion of the screen below the search box. To view the captions on the slideshow, click on options in the right hand lower corner and choose the "show titles and descriptions" option. I hope this works; it is my first time posting pictures on the web.

Enjoy!

KayeN

Hi Isabel25

What wonderful photos! I did enjoy looking at them and of course, some of the viewings I also saw.

You did a wonderful job for your first time photos on the web.

Just a couple of tiny things, that you probably know but just made a little error. The Red-billed Hornbill is not the Ground Hornbill, which is a large bird. Also I am pretty sure the Styx Pride Lioness with two slightly larger cubs killed a young kudu bull.

I also only saw 6 smallish and 2 slightly larger Styx Pride cubs, but never together. Apparently another 3 small ones were there plus in the last few days, guests witnessed to some small degree the birth of more Styx Pride cubs. Don't know how many were born, and won't know for a while as they will not be viewed for at least a month. So lots of cubs at the moment.

Tell your daughter once again I am green with envy over your Wild Dog sighting. Even running away from you into Kruger, they looked absolutely beautiful.

Kind regards

Kaye

bobbieharv

I think that's the best trip report I've ever read/seen! We'll be at Mala Mala in mid-September, so I looked at every single picture. Can't wait to see the lion cubs!
Your pictures are so amazing. What kind of camera do you have!

rickmck

Beautiful pictures, Isabel25. I am partial to the leopards, but the many lion cubs were irresistable. You had good luck, I think, to find cheetahs and wild dogs. Wish I were there...

isabel25

Wow, thanks Kaye, Bobbieharv and Rickmck for the nice words! I have to admit that I was a bit nervous posting my photos here, so it was great to get the positive feedback!

Kaye -- More cubs, unbelievable! I truly can't wait to go back. And thanks for the little tips about the hornbill and the impala/kudu; you are absolutely right and I've corrected the errors. I'm sure there were others as well; for example, I couldn't remember whether the second cheetah was a male or female, etc., so I made my best guess.

Bobbieharv -- You are definitely too kind, but I sure appreciate your encouragement! I have a Canon 30D digital SLR with a 70-300mm IS lens. It was perfect for Mala Mala because we got so close to the animals. I'm a total novice when it comes to photography, so your kind words really mean a lot! You are going to love Mala Mala; feel free to post any questions and I'll chime in with my thoughts, although Kaye of course is the true expert! As for photography questions, this board was my main source of information; I found it really helpful!

Rickmck -- Thanks also for your nice words! Yeah, I fell head over heels with those little cubs, and the leopards too, for that matter. In some ways, the best part of the wild dog sighting was the high adrenaline ride in following them --they move so fast through the dense bush and Bens, our ranger, didn't let any obstacle stop him. The actual viewing was pretty limited, unfortunately -- we really only got fleeting views of them as they raced in and out of sight. On the other hand, we spent an very long time with the cheetahs (over an hour with the second one), with really extraordinary viewing.

Oh, and I just realized that I forgot to say that this was my first safari (but I've traveled extensively in other parts of the world in all sorts of different kinds of travel). After teasing Tom a bit about his quest for objectivity, I really did mean to make that clear in my post, but I forgot to put it in.

Dana_M

Great photos Isabel. I don't know why you were nervous about posting them. A picure tells a thousand words, and your photos tell a wonderful story. I can't wait for the rest. I love the format, with the photos and captions letting the trip unfold.

atravelynn

Great itinerary. When I click on the link, it says "this is a private page." I cannot get in.

cary999

isabel25 - your link into flickr does not work for me. It apparently requires me to have a flickr signin/account ?

regards - tom

ele13

I can't get in either! What is the secret? do I have to become a memgber of flickr? I am dying to see the photos as I want to go to Mala Mala in 2009 or 2010!!

atravelynn

I think I am a member even.

Ele, I really liked MM. If you travel alone, make arrangements directly or with an agent early on to get the No Single Supplement room. A great bargain.

isabel25

Oops, sorry, I accidentally changed the access permission when I uploaded some family stuff. I'm fixing it now, so please check them out! Still haven't gotten around to the rest of the report, but I'm planning to.

isabel25

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristin...85306419/show/

Okay, this should work now. So sorry about that! Let me know what you think. The photos are organized with captions as a slideshow; I think this link should get you directly to the slideshow page.

safarichuck

Wonderful images Isabel25. Good job.
Chuck

cary999

Good, link works fine now for photos. Lot of nice photos, thanks. A bit slow to download for me probably due to the rather largish file size of the images, 500 to 700 Kbytes each. Also I'm not seeing photo captions nor a trip report. Did I push a wrong button?

regards - tom

Lynneb

You photos are great and I agree with your Nicole Kidman comment! I'm off to Mala Mala at the beginning of September and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my sightings are as good as yours.

Tom - if you choose Options, you can switch on the comments.

atravelynn

Tom, you are ALWAYS pushing the wrong buttons. I'll be trying the new and improved link.

cary999

Story of my life, Lynn.

regards - tom

atravelynn

The link worked and what beautiful photos, starting with that bee.

Lucky cheetah sighting! Did you see any at Phinda? I can imagine the lion cub greetings would be amazing. Nice drinking giraffe. Mala Mala and you produced outstanding shots.

napamatt

Great pictures, glad you had such a good time.