Dec 24

Greetings and happy holidays from sunny South Africa

I hope you are all well and enjoying the holidays with family and friends, all the while taking things easy. Here is my short, overdue end of year newsletter I am sneaking in before Xmas to wish you all happy holidays and festive seasons greetings.

What a crazy year 2024 was! As i reflect on my second half of the year I realise I was away from home pretty much the whole of July, August, September and November! This included 2x 3 week trips to East Africa, a wine a stars private trip to the Swartland and Sutherland, Victoria Falls, Chobe and Cape Town, Kruger and then finishing up visiting the Caprivi strip in Northern Namibia, follwed by a private birding trip around some of South Africas best forests, bushveld, mountains and grassland.

I have included some of my favourite pics below of these trips. 

East Africa (below)- as photographic and inspiration as always.
 

My 2 trips to Kenya and Tanzania were pretty epic and eventful. We visited Nairobi, Lake Elementaita, the Masai Mara, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Amboseli National Park before heading back to Nairobi.

Highlights included 2 Mara river crossings Wildebeeste crossings, Balloon rides over the Serengeti, lots of dust and bumpy roads, a cheetah kill, almost a lost passports and lions hunting buffalo - never had a dull moment in Africa!

Above- High key Hippos, Wide open plains, The Warriors Face and Flamingoes from above
Below- Large Tuskers of Amboseli, Lions in the Serengeti, and fighting zebra stallions below

Images from my November birding trip - firstly to Northern Namibia to look for the special birds found there, and then I had a private 17 day long trip with a keen photographer that has been photographing birds for 40 years in Southern Africa.

Below are some bird pics from my Nov trip - my first multi day bird guiding trip. After over 10 000kms and 18 different beds - I personally managed to add over 50 new birds to my life list!

Below are the Bearded Vulture of the high Drakensberg Mountains, A Beatiful Carmine Bee-eater, and Black-faced Babbler and a White- fronted Bee-eater.

The last bit of news I have is that next year I am giving up the tour managing and am off to go work with my partner and my brother to run a lodge in the Greater Kruger in the Klasserie Game Reserve. I will be managing the lodge and doing some nature guiding as well. This has been a massive step and I look forward to a new challenge with a lot less travel and more time spent with Adri.

All my best wishes - please take care and stay in touch!!
Ian