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Imagine! Four nights Custom Luxury Safari at Thanda Safari – Day 4

Back on Thanda! Day 4 was another productive day with great sightings. The highlights of the day were two male Lions at sunrise on a newley burned area and a herd of more than 120 Cape Buffalo drinking at a waterhole as the sun set.

Feel free to ask any questions (as comments) or contact me at christian@sperka.com.

A Hyena greeted us at the start of our morning drive …
One of Thanda Safari’s Two Male Coalition …
A Kudu bull crossing the savanna…
A Lilac-breasted Roller on a power line …
Egyptian Geese in between Cape Buffalos …
Long neck …
Sunset …
Cape Buffalo …
At the waterhole …
Thanda Safari dinner entertainment …
Picture of the day: Male Lion on newly burned area …

Major sightings:

⁃ Spotted Hyena

⁃ Cape Buffalo

⁃ Lion

– Giraffe

⁃ … and many more mammal and bird species

Previous blogs:

https://sperka.info/2019/09/11/imagine-four-nights-custom-luxury-safari-at-thanda-safari-day-1/

https://sperka.info/2019/09/12/imagine-four-nights-at-thanda-safari-day-2/

https://sperka.info/2019/09/13/imagine-four-nights-custom-luxury-safari-at-thanda-safari-day-3/

This a series of posts to document all drives and excursions during a four day stay at Thanda Safari. I hosted two guests from Germany on a Private Photo Safari with me as the guide, Bheki as the tracker and the Green Mamba 1 as the Luxury Safari Vehicle.

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Imagine! Four nights Custom Luxury Safari at Thanda Safari – Day 3

For day 3 of our safari experience an all-day excursion into iSimangaliso Wetland Park was on the schedule. After a morning Hippo and Croc Cruise on Lake St.Lucia and lunch at the Ski-Boat-Club – overlooking the estuary and the sand-dunes of the Indian Ocean – we returned through the western shores part of the park to Thanda Safari.

Feel free to ask any questions (as comments) or contact me at christian@sperka.com.

A grazing Hippo at St.Lucia …
Hippo and Croc Cruise with Shakabarker – briefing before departure …
Hippos out of the water during the day – a rare sighting …
Coffee stop with Hippos …
Crocodiles and Mangroves …
African Fish Eagle …
A lunch with a view – Flamingos on the estuary and the Indian Ocean …

Uninvited lunch guest …

Lala palms and Giraffe …
Waterbucks on the western shores …
Bushbuck in the open …
Brown-hooded Snake Eagle …
The rain bird was calling – Burchell’s Coucal …
Saddle-billed Stork on the hunt …
Picture of the day – A yawning Hippo!

Major sightings:

⁃ Hippo

⁃ Crocodile

⁃ African Fish Eagle

⁃ Waterbuck

⁃ Reedbuck

⁃ Bushbuck

⁃ Giraffe

⁃ Kudu

⁃ Wildebeest

⁃ Zebra

⁃ Saddle-bilked Stork

⁃ Brown-headed Snake Eagle

⁃ Long-crested Eagle

⁃ Burchell’s Coucal

⁃ … and many more birds

Previous blogs:

https://sperka.info/2019/09/11/imagine-four-nights-custom-luxury-safari-at-thanda-safari-day-1/

https://sperka.info/2019/09/12/imagine-four-nights-at-thanda-safari-day-2/

This a series of posts to document all drives and excursions during a four day stay at Thanda Safari. I hosted two guests from Germany on a Private Photo Safari with me as the guide, Bheki as the tracker and the Green Mamba 1 as the Luxury Safari Vehicle.

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Imagine! Four nights at Thanda Safari – Day 2

Getting up at 5:30 is a bit hard if one is not used to it. But if the weather is good, the luck on one’s side, going on an early game drive is very rewarding.

Day 2 of our safari experience could be called the Elephant Day! We had two excellent sightings with two different herds. But many other species were seen as well!

Feel free to ask any questions (as comments) or contact me at christian@sperka.com.

Leaving the comfortable Tent at 5:30 is hard …
… but being rewarded with a White Rhino sighting after tracking them for a short while made it worth while.
A crash of Rhino in the morning light …
Encountering a female Cheetah hunting on the way to an Elephant sighting …
Smart phone distance!
A quick Kudu portrait photo shoot …
The first Elephant sighting of the day …
Giraffe and Oxpecker – a symbiotic relationship …
… same as for the Buffalo and Oxpecker.
There are no better Elephant sightings as when they are seen at a water hole.
A Scrub Hare sighting during the day is rather rare …
… and we ended the day as we followed two Lionesses on our way back to the Thanda Tented Camp
Picture of the day: Watching two small Elephants playing.

Major sightings:

⁃ Elephants

⁃ White Rhinos

⁃ Lionesses

⁃ Kudu

⁃ Cheetah female

⁃ Burchell’s Zebra

⁃ Red-billed Oxpecker

⁃ Scrub Hare

⁃ … and many more general game species and birds

This one of a series of posts to document all drives and excursions during a four day stay at Thanda Safari. I hosted two guests from Germany on a Private Photo Safari with me as the guide, Bheki as the tracker and the Green Mamba 1 as the Luxury Safari Vehicle.

See also the day 1 blog:

https://sperka.info/2019/09/11/imagine-four-nights-custom-luxury-safari-at-thanda-safari-day-1/

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Imagine! Four nights Custom Luxury Safari at Thanda Safari – Day 1

This is the start of a series of posts to document all drives and excursions during a four day stay at Thanda Safari. I hosted two guests from Germany on a Private Photo Safari with me as the guide, Bheki as the tracker and the Green Mamba 1 as the Luxury Safari Vehicle. The next five posts are a visual record of the great sightings and interesting experiences the guests had during their stay.

Feel free to ask any questions (as comments) or contact me at christian@sperka.com.

Enjoy the images!

Day 1 – Arrival and Frist Game Drive

The Green Mamba 1 – ready for work …
A young Kudu bull – the first sighting …
Lions on a Wildebeest kill – very exciting for a first safari …
Patience – A White-backed Vulture is waiting for the left overs …
As the sun sets an Elephant bull appears – magical …
Impressive – One of the two largest bulls on Thanda Safari …
Red Wine and G&T – The perfect drink stop just after sunset …
The Zulu Mamas were entertaining the guests at the Tented Camp – what a surprise …
Picture of the day – A Lioness just after she had her supper …

Major sightings:

⁃ Kudu

⁃ Lion (on a kill)

⁃ Elephant

⁃ Vultures

⁃ … and many more general game species and birds

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A GOPRO INSIDE A LIONS MOUTH!

Hard to belief but my GoPro survived a Lion attack!

Yesterday at Thanda Safari we released two male Lions onto the reserve.

As always I was ready to take picture of the whole procedure.

I had also mounted my GoPro with velcro on top of a plastic box to set it up opposite the boma gate where the Lions would step out into freedom.

This is the most amazing GoPro video and audio footage of one of the two Lions taking my GoPro into his mouth, chewing on it and then demolishing the attached plastic box.

The GoPro survived the ordeal, the plastic box was not so lucky.

And I got the most amazing footage from INSIDE A LIONS MOUTH!

I have added my video frame screen shots at the end of video clip as these amazing images ‘fly by’ rather fast in the video itself.

Please share the story if you find it as incredible as I do. Thanks

#lion #lionmouth #liongopro #gopro #goprolion #amazinggoprostories

📷 #christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography

#thandasafari @thandasafari

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It has been a while …

It has been a while since I wrote my last blog post. As some of you know I was in Europe for a few weeks – for my dad’s 80th birthday – and when I returned I was very busy with one of my Custom Luxury Tours. On Friday, 28 June 2019, I got the very welcome news that my permanent residence permit for South Africa was granted. The message reached me just as I took this picture of a Kudu bull posing in front of the setting sun. I will never forget that moment!

Now I am home on Thanda and back at blogging …

I thought you might also enjoy some of my favorite pictures I took since my last post in May.

A Madagascar Day Gecko at the Zurich Zoo …
A Jellyfish at the Basel Zoo Aquarium …
Young idiots providing enrichment for the Lions at Basel Zoo …
My American friend’s first ride on Pakamisa …
A Pakamisa baby Giraffe having a drink …
A Thanda Elephant getting the best out of a branch …
Two of my best friends got married at Thanda Safari on 19 June (also my birthday 🙂 – It was a dream wedding on a beautiful winter day.
Imaging you walking down the road and this is your oncoming traffic …
Being part of a Rhino de-horning operation on Thanda as wedding present? It works if the bride is a veterinarian 🙂
A rare daytime sighting at iSimangaliso Wetland Park: A Black Rhino …
Grey-headed Gulls at Cape Vidal …
Beach ride at St.Lucia …
An Indian Ocean sunrise at St.Lucia …
A Livingstone’s Turaco at the broad walk on iSimangaliso West …
Spotted from my dinner table at a restaurant in St.Lucia – Hippos roam the streets for the little two every night …
And last but not least one of my favorite images of the bride and the groom enjoying an African sunset during the creative photo shoot after the wedding ceremony …

http://www.sperka.com

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Kingfisher Week

I am featuring a species or family of species per week on my social media channels. Here is a summary of the last week’s posts (and some blog bonus images). I hope you enjoy some of my favorite Kingfisher pictures :-).

Malachite Kingfisher
Striped Kingfisher
Woodland Kingfisher
Brown-hooded Kingfisher
8 of 10 South African Kingfisher species
Giant Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Mangrove Kingfisher
Malachite Kingfisher

Pygmy Kingfisher

Sunrise …
A little bath …

Note:

Grey-headed Kingfisher and Half-collared Kingfisher are the two South African Kingfisher species which I have no pictures of.

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography

http://www.sperka.com

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WHITE RHINO WEEK

I am featuring a species per week on my social media channels. Here is a summary of the last week’s posts (and some blog bonus images). I hope you will enjoy some of my favorite White Rhino (Square-lipped Rhinoceros) pictures :-).

Mud …
Mother and Daughter …
Please …
Half an hour …
Crash …
Heavy and cute …
Rest …
Sunset …
Important …
Watch me …
Mist …
It’s a boy …

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography

http://www.sperka.com

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WILD DOG WEEK

I am featuring a species per week on my social media channels. Here is a summary of the last week’s posts (and some blog bonus images). I hope you enjoy some of my favorite African Wild Dog pictures :-).

Out of the way …
Puppies …
Play hard …
Night …
Please …
A bit early …
Puppies …
Pack …
Speed ….
Mine …

Kill …
Argument …
Jump …

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography

http://www.sperka.com

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LION WEEK

I am featuring a species per week on my social media channels. Here is a summary of the last week’s posts (and some blog bonus images). I hope you enjoy some of my favorite Lion pictures :-).

Family life …
Spotlight …
Stand-off …
Hunting …
The kill …
White …
Hanky Panky ..,
Bloddy …
Dominance …
Roar …
Surprise …
Nightcap …
Morning …

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography

http://www.sperka.com