INSIDERS’ PHOTOGRAPHS & STORIES FROM AFRICA: Bushtracks Travel Planners routinely visit Africa, and their travels help inspire and inform the custom safaris they design for our guests. Samantha is just about to embark on a Southern Africa safari, having already been to Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Since a picture speaks a thousand words, we asked Autumn, Anna, Lyn and Samantha to share their favorite safari photos and the stories behind them.
ANNA’S WARRIOR LION
“When a lion comes this close to you, it means something special. This lion definitely became my totem or spirit animal last year and stays with me still. I reach for him when I need strength knowing he’s a warrior and a survivor proven with the battle wounds on his face and in his eyes.” – Anna Kohtz. Desert & Delta Educational Safari. Botswana, October 2013. Photo by Debi Droke, South African Airways
AUTUMN’S ELEPHANT ENCOUNTER
“I couldn’t pick just one! My first favorite photo I took in Africa was of the Zimbabwe sunset (first photo shown above) that I took in the Hwange National Park. I just love the sheer beauty of the country and the region in general. My second favorite photo is my husband’s close encounter with an elephant. You can see James’ shoe, this is not zoomed in or anything. We were in awe being so very close to such a powerful creature…it was amazing!” – Autumn Erickson. Educational Recce Safari. Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, June 2010. Photo by Autumn Erickson
LYN’S NGORONGORO CRATER VIEW
“This is my favorite photo taken while on the Ngorongoro crater floor in Tanzania. I just really love the colors and the view of the mountains.” – Lyn Lavery. Agent Recce Safari. Tanzania, October 2013. Photo by Lyn Lavery
SAM’S LEOPARD HUNTRESS
“I love this photo because it reminds me that what we didn’t know when I took the shot was that this leopard had a cub hiding in a nearby tree. We all thought she was staring at us so intently because she had her kill, but really she was worried because our vehicle was parked right under the tree where her cub was hiding! Later, the cub surprised us all when he ran down the tree and bolted for safety at top speed.” – Samantha Barbitta. Southern part of the Serengeti in the Ndutu area, February, 2013. Photo by Samantha Barbitta
The first version of this article was posted on 30 Sep 2014 at 4:06 PM.