LIVE UPDATE from our #BigCatPhotoSafari to Sabi Sand, South Africa.

By Specialist Photographic Guide Lance van de Vyver.

Yesterday afternoon, we followed up on Tingana but we found him lying down in a drainage line and not very visible. So instead, we decided to look for the lions cubs and to get some more images of them. We headed north and after some tracking we managed to find them. They were playing, suckling and generally interacting, which gave everyone some fabulous photographic opportunities. We have been really blessed to spend some precious moments with these lion cubs and to get some great images of them too.

We then stopped for a final sundowner drink before making our way back to camp. On the way we found Tingana and managed to get one chance to photograph him as he walked-by the vehicle.

This morning we headed out and searched for leopard tracks. It had rained during the night and all tracks had been washed away and the ground compacted. This made tracking tough. We had a great sighting of a hyena, who we practiced some panning shots on, and then spent good time with three rhino before we headed back to camp for a final breakfast and farewell to this group of guests.

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By At Close Quarters April 17, 2019 Leave a comment

Author: At Close Quarters

We are a South African based photographic safari team. Our passion is creating tailor-made safari experiences to help you get your dream wildlife images. We love Africa and can’t wait to share it with you!

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Kristin Boggs (USA)

"I am not new to the safari experience, having been on many at different lodges and in different countries over the years. The At Close Quarters Big Cat Safari April 21-29, 2018 exceeded my expectations. The focus is on big cats, and I got to see EIGHT different individual leopards during my stay. There is no pressure to hurry from a sighting. If we were watching something and it was near a meal time or end of game drive…no problem, it was flexible. Being the only group at Vuyatela Lodge, we could simply call in late. You will not find this at any other lodge as they adhere strictly to game drive/meal times regardless of how great your sighting is. We got to practice night photography with lion and leopard, which was fantastic.

The photography instruction was very valuable to me. Villiers and Lance were excellent photography teachers, very knowledgeable and patient. You can get as much instruction as you need, regardless of the level of your experience. I left a better photographer and eager to continue learning.

Vuyatela is a lovely lodge, very comfortable and offering good game sightings on the premises. The food was delicious and the entire staff wonderfully accommodating. Extra thank you’s go out to Kirstin and Johan.

I will definitely be back for another trip!"

Deana Challis (USA)

"This was my first trip to South Africa, and first safari. I could not have chosen a better company! My guides, Villiers and Trevor were friendly, fun and informative. I was at Djuma Private Game Reserve, and loved my room, the lodge, and surrounding wildlife that came to visit. Meals were delicious and full of interesting conversation with the 12 guests. On each of my 16 game drives we saw at least one big cat, and had several 3 leopard sightings! Every day I didn't think it could get better, and then it would! I highly recommend this company, and can't wait to book with them again."

Rachelle Aikens (USA)

"My time with At Close Quarters in Sabi Sands, South Africa was NOT a once in a lifetime experience. It was a life-CHANGING and view-altering experience that you will want to repeat time and again. This trip is not only for adventurers, photographers, and nature lovers, it is for those that love to learn about the world around them and all it has to offer.

I had not traveled overseas previously, so to travel to South Africa from the U.S. by myself? Seems brave, right? Well, yes and no. From my first inquiry, the team at ACQ helped me every step of the way. From choosing an airline, deciding on a flight, working with some pretty intense dietary restrictions, arranging transport to and from the airport, and a million other things I wouldn’t have thought of, they were there to answer any questions I had. The weeks leading up to my trip, they kept in touch to confirm that I had everything needed for my trip, including sunscreen, layers, camera equipment, etc. and a long list of items that I definitely needed and wouldn’t’ve remembered.

The team is AMAZING! They work flawlessly together to make things appear effortless. The accommodations, the food, the game drives, the hospitality in general, was more than I could have hoped. We were treated like honored Guests and completely cared for. I left there with a ton of memories, pictures, experiences, but mostly…. friends, the lifetime kind.

The game drives were magical. The animals are definitely aware that they are not being threatened by the teams of ACQ, so they allowed us to get very close with the jeeps. A fair amount of the time, I didn’t even need a telephoto lens, except to get an up-close shot of their beautiful faces. I added over 10k to my shutter count, zero exaggeration.

The camera settings and Adobe Lightroom classes were a complete bonus to the trip! I learned so much! Anyone would benefit from them, even if they worked in Lightroom before. The guides/instructors helped me take my photos from okay to awesome with their skills as teachers.

Do yourself a huge favor and book a trip as soon as you can. They fill up fast, but more importantly, it is an experience that you are missing out on the longer you wait. And who knows? Maybe I will see you there!"

Len Webb (RSA)

"We have been on four dedicated photographic trips before, but this ranks very high up with us due to the hosts, accommodation, sightings and food.
We will definitely be like the Terminator and Be Back."

Kristin Boggs (USA)
"I am not new to the safari experience, having been on many at different lodges and in different countries over the years. The At Close Quarters Big Cat Safari April 21-29, 2018 exceeded my expectations. The focus is on big cats, and I got to see EIGHT different individual leopards during my stay. There is no pressure to hurry from a sighting. If we were watching something and it was near a meal time or end of game drive…no problem, it was flexible. Being the only group at Vuyatela Lodge, we could simply call in late. You will not find this at any other lodge as they adhere strictly to game drive/meal times regardless of how great your sighting is. We got to practice night photography with lion and leopard, which was fantastic.

The photography instruction was very valuable to me. Villiers and Lance were excellent photography teachers, very knowledgeable and patient. You can get as much instruction as you need, regardless of the level of your experience. I left a better photographer and eager to continue learning.

Vuyatela is a lovely lodge, very comfortable and offering good game sightings on the premises. The food was delicious and the entire staff wonderfully accommodating. Extra thank you’s go out to Kirstin and Johan.

I will definitely be back for another trip!"
Rachelle Aikens (USA)
"My time with At Close Quarters in Sabi Sands, South Africa was NOT a once in a lifetime experience. It was a life-CHANGING and view-altering experience that you will want to repeat time and again. This trip is not only for adventurers, photographers, and nature lovers, it is for those that love to learn about the world around them and all it has to offer.

I had not traveled overseas previously, so to travel to South Africa from the U.S. by myself? Seems brave, right? Well, yes and no. From my first inquiry, the team at ACQ helped me every step of the way. From choosing an airline, deciding on a flight, working with some pretty intense dietary restrictions, arranging transport to and from the airport, and a million other things I wouldn’t have thought of, they were there to answer any questions I had. The weeks leading up to my trip, they kept in touch to confirm that I had everything needed for my trip, including sunscreen, layers, camera equipment, etc. and a long list of items that I definitely needed and wouldn’t’ve remembered.

The team is AMAZING! They work flawlessly together to make things appear effortless. The accommodations, the food, the game drives, the hospitality in general, was more than I could have hoped. We were treated like honored Guests and completely cared for. I left there with a ton of memories, pictures, experiences, but mostly…. friends, the lifetime kind.

The game drives were magical. The animals are definitely aware that they are not being threatened by the teams of ACQ, so they allowed us to get very close with the jeeps. A fair amount of the time, I didn’t even need a telephoto lens, except to get an up-close shot of their beautiful faces. I added over 10k to my shutter count, zero exaggeration.

The camera settings and Adobe Lightroom classes were a complete bonus to the trip! I learned so much! Anyone would benefit from them, even if they worked in Lightroom before. The guides/instructors helped me take my photos from okay to awesome with their skills as teachers.

Do yourself a huge favor and book a trip as soon as you can. They fill up fast, but more importantly, it is an experience that you are missing out on the longer you wait. And who knows? Maybe I will see you there!"
Len Webb (RSA)
"We have been on four dedicated photographic trips before, but this ranks very high up with us due to the hosts, accommodation, sightings and food.
We will definitely be like the Terminator and Be Back."
Deana Challis (USA)
"This was my first trip to South Africa, and first safari. I could not have chosen a better company! My guides, Villiers and Trevor were friendly, fun and informative. I was at Djuma Private Game Reserve, and loved my room, the lodge, and surrounding wildlife that came to visit. Meals were delicious and full of interesting conversation with the 12 guests. On each of my 16 game drives we saw at least one big cat, and had several 3 leopard sightings! Every day I didn't think it could get better, and then it would! I highly recommend this company, and can't wait to book with them again."

LIVE UPDATE from our #BigCatPhotoSafari to Sabi Sand, South Africa.

Join us on #BigCatPhotoSafari

Sign-up for our monthly newsletter!

Author: At Close Quarters

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