A trip of a lifetime on the wild side

Written by Ruben Clinton on behalf of Annemarie Clinton APSNZ

Everything in Africa bites; however, it is the Safari bug that bites the hardest of all. It’s a continent with 54 countries nestled within, from lush rainforests to vast deserts, coastal lowlands, to extraordinary highlands. And nestled at the southernmost point is a land that has all of this and more: South Africa, a country with a complicated past and turbulent political sphere dominated by corruption and violence. Located within its borders are nineteen South African National Parks (SANParks), covering a total of four million hectares, the equivalent land area of over 2.5 New Zealand’s. Of the nineteen, you have one of the most famous national parks in the world, and the prized jewel of SANParks, Kruger National Park.

Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s largest game reserves, encompassing nearly two million hectares. It was proclaimed a national park in 1898 by the then President of the Transvaal Republic, Paul Kruger. This man had a mere three months of formal education and grew up with a deep connection with and love for the natural world in Southern Africa. At the urging of early conservationists who were alarmed at the scale of uncontrolled hunting in the Lowveld region, he made an incredible mark in history by proclaiming an expansive area that would be allocated to protect South Africa’s wild animals.

This beautiful game park is the part of South Africa that my husband and I love showing to our photographic clients. There is a network of some 1800 kilometres of well-maintained roads, 21 rest camps, two private lodge concessions, and 15 private safari lodges!

The park is home to 336 tree species, 49 fish species, 34 amphibian species, 114 reptile species, 550 bird and 147 mammal species. The KNP lies in a subtropical zone where summer days are hot and humid, with temperatures often reaching 40 degrees. It is a summer rainfall area with the rainy season lasting from September to May. The driest period lasts from August to October and is considered to be the best game viewing time as the grass is thin and short, with trees devoid of leaves. What could be better than escaping the cold, wet winter of New Zealand and spending time in the dry, moderate temperatures of the Kruger capturing its bounty?

...A Trip of a Lifetime on the Wild Side

Written by Ruben Clinton on behalf of Annemarie Clinton APSNZ

Having immigrated to New Zealand in 2008 and sharing stories of the beautiful wilderness areas we used to call home; Paul and I decided to take the opportunity to take some of our friends on a guided tour of the very best nature parks Southern Africa has to offer. In doing this, Wild Shutter Safaris came to be, sharing our vast knowledge of the bush and wildlife with clients who would otherwise never get the opportunity to experience South Africa as a tourist with the guidance and reassurance of being privately guided by locals.

Avid photographers ourselves, Paul and I are well equipped to help you experience South Africa to the fullest in search of that dream shot. Even though KNP does not require a 4x4 vehicle, we have our trusty Land Cruiser, as the other Southern African safaris require a 4-wheel drive.

Paul’s favourite combination is his Canon 1D-X Mark III paired with the Canon EF200-400mm f4L IS USM EXT lens. His focus is primarily on birds and wildlife. I recently changed my set-up to a Canon R5 paired with an RF100500 f4.5-7.1L IS USM lens, but my bag also contains a 100mm macro lens and a versatile 24-105mm lens, Benro filters, spare batteries and plenty of SD & CF cards.

Wild Shutter Safaris takes care of all booking and travel arrangements, and you are provided with some of the very best accommodation and locations KNP has to offer, without the hassle of being rushed by game rangers trying to satisfy other clients. We do this to share our love and knowledge of Southern Africa with our clients, to see their faces when they see one of, if not all of the “Big 5” for the first time. Our joy comes from seeing our clients making and capturing memories that will last a lifetime.

The Big 5 was the collective term given by hunters to five of the most dangerous animals to hunt on foot. With hunting now strictly prohibited in the park, the Big 5 is a tourism term that attracts animal enthusiasts to the park. The Big 5 includes elephants, the Transvaal lion, the Cape buffalo, the rhino and the leopard. All five species are endangered to some extent and under threat of extinction from rampant poaching that continues despite earnest anti-poaching programmes set in place.

It is important to know that there is an element of luck involved in photographing the birds and animals of the park as they are wild and free-roaming within the two million hectare reserve. Even though this is a well-populated park, it is still huge; it requires patience and many hours spent looking for animals and birds.

If you have hopes and dreams of capturing some of the most beautiful creatures on earth but don’t really know how, make contact with me or Paul at Wild Shutter Safaris. We would love to speak to you about how we could help you. Until then, happy snapping.