Serengeti Calving Season 2016 - By Andre Cloete

A selection of images by trip host Andre Cloete, from our first week of the Serengeti calving season safari 2016.

Some feedback from Andre, "Staying in our private camp set up just for our group of photographers, we were able to be right in amongst the migration herds. This meant full on calving action from early dawn light each day. It also meant predatory action with the predators coming into to catch the young wildebeest."

The trip was perfectly timed with the arrival of the wildebeest herds, making for an action packed first safari.

We are looking forward to seeing what next weeks Serengeti adventure bring...

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Guest Image Gallery, Iceland 2016 - By Anita Keet

Anita recently travelled with C4 Photo safaris to the wonderful wonderland of Iceland. Under the experienced landscape photographic guidance of tour hosts Isak Pretorius and Hougaard Mala, Anita and the rest of the group had the opportunity to capture the mythical landscapes of Iceland at its very best.

Here is a collection of fantastic images by Anita, her interpretations of Iceland’s endless beauty:

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Antarctica 2016 - By Shem Compion (Part 2 of 2)

Part 2, of Shem Compion’s Antarctica 2016 image gallery. If you would like to take photographic journey with us, take a look at our website for 2016 destinations!

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Antarctica 2016 - By Shem Compion (Part 1 of 2)

When you are surrounded by icebergs, glaciers and mountains that dwarf the size of any human built structure on earth you know you are in Antarctica. The sheer enormity of this wilderness prompts an immediate rethinking of your significance on this world.

Then to top it all you take the first cruise down the Lamaire channel for all boats this season on one of the most beautiful days I have ever witnessed in the Polar Regions and all you can do is gasp. Penguins on icebergs scaled by massive glaciers, refection’s so pure you can see your face in them and a sky so clear every photo has a beautiful sun burst in it. Antarctica is a place that never disappoints yet when the sun comes out it shows why it is one of the world’s most amazing destinations. It simply blows you away with its stellar beauty.

A visit to Antarctica would not be complete without visiting a penguin colony; a few times over. It is no secret that the Adelie penguins are my favourite. Their looks, antics and charisma make them perfect photo subjects. Fortunately we had some great opportunities with them and their chicks. Travelling later in the season meant we saw the birds later in the breeding season. The Adelie chicks were huge balls of fluff that were not interacting with the parents and made for some special images. It took a while, but eventually we got the perfect images of these birds and their chicks.

Coming back from Antarctica I have this sensation that the trip was not actually real. Civilisation hits you like a bolt from the blue and all of a sudden you are caught up in life. Yet every few minutes I think back to the dream that was Antarctica and smile inwardly, knowing it was not a dream, it was real.

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C4 Photo Hides October - By Trevor Kleyn

Recently, photo guide Trevor Kleyn spent some time manning the C4 Photo Hides. We have come to realise that October, being the buffer month between winter and summer, is the month that the wildlife pluck up the courage to get themselves properly involved at the waterholes. To escape the soaring temperatures of the day elephant, warthog and hyena spend  allot of their day submerged in the water, we also have unusual sightings such as monitor lizards and mongoose who eventually have to ditch their fear of being out in the open all for a sip of water.

Here are a few images from Trevor Kleyn of some of the interesting sightings he had from the hides over the 2 weeks he spent at Mashatu Game Reserve.

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Mount Mahale Magic

Africa has many beautiful places in it to visit that many people know about. Yet there are a few places in Africa that are extremely beautiful and offer brilliant wildlife encounters. Recently Shem Compion led a group of photographers into the Mahale Mountains to find wild chimpanzees in the forests and discovered a magical beach called Greystoke.

Situated on the shores of lake Tanganyika, Greystoke beach makes you feel as if you have found a lost treasure island. Clean white sand, deep blue water in the worlds second deepest freshwater lake and palm trees above instantly turn the hardest safari goers into a beach lover. The fact that there are chimps in the forests above you makes for a Jurassic park feel- their pant hoots booming through the foliage in the course of a day. It all adds to a tremendous sense of excitement when you have settled in and waiting to go trekking.

Once you are amongst the chimps the magic becomes a reality. These animals, totally habituated to humans move through the jungle forest with a grace and speed akin to a fish in water. Their expressions endear and their antics fill you with laughter. They are exceptionally charismatic and photogenic. The experience is 100% a natural history experience as well as being a 100% photographically rich one. There are very few places like that in the world.

Mahale has become my new favourite location in Africa. A 4-hour plane flight and 90 minutes boat cruise are now a joy to head towards to as I know that I am heading very far away from the rest of the tourist circuit and very close to the heart of Africa!

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Courageous Cub – By Loi Nguyen

 

A few days before my departure for a 4 night stay at Mashatu Game Reserve, I saw on a Facebook posting of this very special cheetah family with four sub adult cubs. The cubs where about 15 months old and looked healthy. I was so excited and hoped that they would stay around for my visit as part of a photography workshop led by Greg du Toit. As it turned out, we saw the family every single day, although they were mostly relaxing in the company of each other for the first two days. Not discouraged, we kept checking on them on the third day and witnessed a failed attempt of a hunt. Exhausted, Mama retreated to the shade of a bush and was comforted by her cubs.

We were about to leave them when a large troop of baboons began to come into view. The family hastily retreated and one of the cubs took off, but the remaining 3 cub’s buddle with their Mama at the base of the bush. We feared the worst.

 

Cheetah family surrounded by baboons.

 

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Intimate Namibia Landscapes 2016

Namibia is a massive, desolate landscape and boasts the title of the 4th least populated country in the world. With an average distance between towns of 200km, its endless vistas will be permanently etched into your soul. Namibia’s desert winds have sculpted the world’s highest dunes out of red sand and it is these dunes that make the Namibian landscape like no other on earth. In some places the dunes rise out of endless fields of grass and in others the dunes are as high as mountains. In a special place the sand cut off the water supply to a seasonal wetland and today the result is the petrified trees of Deadvlei. In the far South, fine silica sands are now reclaiming what was once the site of a great diamond rush - the ghost town of Kolmanskop. To the West, a special combination of rocky ground and hot, arid conditions have created one of the most alien plants on earth; the Quiver Tree. Where the Fish River flows over an ancient plateau, it has cut the 2nd largest canyon on earth into the rock. Join Namibia landscape specialists Hougaard Milan and award winning photographer Isak Pretorius for an opportunity to experience and photograph these one of a kind landscapes, from the ground, road and air.

For more info on this trips itinerary click on the link to our website below:

Intimate Namibia Landscapes 2016

A small photo gallery from our guides below, is just a glimpse to what photographs are possible to capture on this safari!

 

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Iceland Photo Safari 2016

Iceland is one of the world most popular landscape photography destinations, and for a very good reason! Situated in the icy North Atlantic, one is surrounded by frozen waterfalls, lagoons and beaches strewn with icebergs, glaciers, glacier caves and so much more. Perhaps the most magical attraction of this far north destination is having the opportunity to witness and photograph the Northern lights, one of the nature’s magnificent wonders.

The trip will be hosted by Iceland and landscape photography expert Hougaard Milan, and C4 Photo Safaris’ award winning photographer Isak Pretorius. Hougaard has previously spent time in Iceland, exploring and scouting out only the best photographic spots and accommodation the country has to offer. This photo safari is one of ultimate convenience, photographers will travel in comfort and the group size will be limited to 10 participants to allow for individual creative freedom.

Come and join us in the breathtaking landscapes of Iceland, and stand the possibility to capture some shots like these...

 For more information on this photo safari follow the link below:

Iceland Photo Safari 2016

 

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