Wildlife Photography Contest Pictures
The ASJ wildlife photography contest for 2007 is open for picture entries. The prize of this year's competition is a magnificent four-day walking safari in the world famous Kruger National Park situated in South Africa.
Seeing lions while on foot is a breathtaking experienceWe were driving along one of the dirt roads in the Kruger National Park when our guide heard lions roaring in the distance.
"Want to go find those lions?", he asked innocently.The whole group (eight people) answered yes immediately but as we started to get closer to the spot where we would have to get out of the vehicle and start looking for those roaring big cats on foot, the nerves began to set in.
With one rifle toting ranger in the front and another at the back to cover against any sneak attacks, we began tramping through the bush in search of the tawny felines. Suddenly the guide motioned for us to stop and pointed dead ahead to a spot in the undergrowth that began to move and take shape in the form of a lioness.
Now, your natural reaction when confronted with a lion is to go in the opposite direction as fast as you possibly can but the guide had warned us that would be the worst thing you can possibly do because a cats natural inclination is to chase a running object.
So we were rooted to the spot and watched her saunter away deeper into the undergrowth and then we found the male lion who only gave us a passing glance before following after the lioness.
This was an amazing experience to say the least, and one that I will always remember and cherish.
I hope that the person who wins the walking safari in this competition will be able to experience something like that too.
Bruce Whittaker
African Safari Journals Founder |
Wildlife Photography Contest Safari Itinerary
The ranger will meet you at one of the permanent camps in the Kruger Park in the afternoon of the first day of the trip. After loading all your luggage into the trailer you will take a drive out to the bush camp where you will spend the next few unforgettable days enjoying the isolation and beauty of your surroundings.
Accommodation is in a thatched, wooden A-frame dwelling with a verandah that overlooks the river and sleeps two people.You will be woken up early so that you can begin walking through the bush before the day begins to get too hot. The walk lasts for about four or five hours and you also stop for snacks like apples, biscuits, cold meats and biltong which the rangers magically produce from the daypacks that they carry.
After that you go back the the camp to enjoy a sumptous breakfast that is prepared for you by the camps resident cook who summons you to the open air dining area by beating a drum.
The rest of the day is yours to spend as you please in reading, sleeping or just generally lazing around relaxing. The afternoon walk is shorter but just as enjoyable as you go looking for wildlife and birdlife in their natural surroundings.
On return to the camp it will already be dark and after freshening up the now familiar drum beat will call you to dinner with a roaring fire close by. The ranger eats with you so you can ask him all sort of questions about his past experiences and learn about the Kruger National Park wildlife, birds and plants.
After dinner you can spend some time next to the fire chatting and enjoy some stargazing because they are as clear and as brilliant as you will ever see them here in the bush. You can stay up as long as you like but most people retire reasonably early in preperation for the early wake up call the next day.
How to Enter the Wildlife Photography Contest
All you need do to enter the photography
competition is subscribe to the Safari Track
newsletter below.
Then send
four of your best African safari wildlife pictures with a diary of the safari where these pictures were taken.
Take a look at an
