There are few places on this earth that entice wildlife photographers more than Africa. The staggering amount of animals that call this place home is almost unthinkable. For a photographer looking to develop their wildlife skills, there is no better training ground. From elephants to hyenas, there is a seemingly never-ending parade of animals in front of your lens. For most photographers, the pinnacle of African wildlife photography is the big cat. Lions, leopards, and cheetahs are some of the most beautiful subjects anywhere in the world. While these cats can be seen all across Africa, Botswana provides an excellent landscape for near-daily sightings, making it the perfect location for our Big Cats of Africa trip.

Our trip started in the bustling airport of Johannesburg, South Africa where I met four guests eager for the opportunity to photograph these iconic animals in their natural environment. As we left the city behind, we watched as the landscape transformed around us further into the bush we traveled. When we arrived at the border between South Africa and Botswana, all that stood in our way was the large Limpopo River. Thankfully there is a cable car for crossing the river. This is either an authentic African adventure or reminiscent of the final scene of Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom depending on your point of view. Either way, all of us and our luggage made it across the river where we were met by our outstanding guide and tracker Thato and BT.

When we arrived at camp, we were greeted by luxury accommodations and smiling faces. We had finally made it and couldn’t have been more excited. After settling in, we took off on our first safari drive getting a taste of what would be in store. We traveled in a classic Toyota Landcruiser, the toughest and most capable vehicle in Africa. Throughout the week I was continuously impressed by our driver and the vehicle’s ability to climb any hill, traverse the deepest sand, and pull us through the bushes. This is exactly what we need as photographers when following a leopard through challenging terrain.

We had made it approximately 15 seconds from the camp before we were on our first sighting: a few klipspringers wandering around the rocks. From there we were off; photographing animals left and right. Elephants, giraffes, impalas, jackals, zebra, and more. We had to stop every couple of minutes for our next photo opportunity. It doesn’t get any better than that! As the evening came to a close, we found ourselves at a high point overlooking the vast landscape enjoying a beverage of choice. These “sundowners” would come to be a highlight for us every night.

The next few days we settled into the rhythm of being on safari. We had many excellent opportunities with baboons, wildebeests, warthogs, and a whole host of bird life. We even got lucky with an excellent sighting of a mother cheetah with three young cubs. It was an incredibly productive sighting for us as we were able to stay with them for a while observing different behaviors. Our group was on cloud nine at brunch!

One of the highlights of this entire trip is our sessions at the elephant hide. This photo hide is built from a couple of shipping containers buried half underground next to a watering hole. This gives us the opportunity to photograph animals from ground level with wide-angle lenses. It is a different style of photography than a normal vehicle safari, but we all found it to be incredibly fun and productive. Once inside, we would quietly wait and watch as animals approached for a drink. Some animals, like elephants, are confident and stride right in drinking, splashing, and rolling in the water. Others, like impala or zebra, are really timid, carefully scanning for predators before going for a drink. Not only did this provide us with unique photo opportunities, but it was fascinating to see this type of behavior not normally seen from a vehicle. Life is hard in the bush for the prey.

I often remind myself that the best way to approach wildlife photography is to just be open and ready for whatever happens. You never know what you're going to come across, and if you have an open mind on species and situations, you are going to be more productive. This lesson was learned again as we were on our way back to the lodge one morning. We had a good morning but still hadn’t seen lions or leopards. We were resigned to trying again in the afternoon when we got a radio call that there had been a small pride of lions found. We raced over to see a mother with two small cubs eating freshly killed warthog. There were another four juvenile lions waiting their turn in the nearby bushes. We sat there photographing them from several angles when someone noticed something moving far away down in the dry river bed. A leopard!

We briefly watched the small cat wander up the banks and into the bushes and returned our attention to the lions. After we had our shots, our guide suggested we go look for the leopard. I was sure it was gone and it would be a futile effort, but we figured we should try. To my surprise, as we drove up the riverbed, the leopard was laying right there where we had last seen it. We were able to photograph it in several nice positions before it got up and left for good. Talk about a two-cats-for-one opportunity!

Like with all great trips, this one was over before we knew it. In the end, we had accomplished what we set out to do, filling our memory cards with photos of as many animals as we could. As we began our long journey home, we had time to reflect on what a great experience this was. You can leave Africa, but the best parts of Africa don’t leave you. The memories and experiences are seared into your mind, a constant reminder of a wild and beautiful place. Thank you to the guests that made this trip so exceptional, I cannot wait for the next one!

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AUTHOR

Grant Ordelheide

Grant Ordelheide is a Montana-based outdoor and adventure photographer. Growing up in the Colorado Rockies, in a family that explored and played in the outdoors at every opportunity, instilled in him a profound reverence for the landscape. Grant’s love of nature and wild places preceded his love of photography, which emerged as a natural extension and by-product of his adventures in the mountains as an avid backpacker, climber, and snowboarder.

Following his passion, Grant earned a Bachelor’s degree in photography with an emphasis in business from Pacific Union College in California’s Napa Valley. In 2016, Grant was a recipient of the Art Wolfe Next Generation Photographer Grant organized by Luminous Landscape. His work has won numerous awards, including one of the top honors in the U.S. Landscape Photographer of the Year contest. His photos have been published in National Geographic Traveler, Backpacker, Outside, Climbing, The New York Times, The Yosemite Journal, and many other print and online publications. Grant’s fine art prints hang in gallery, corporate, and private collections across the country.

For several years, Grant has shared his eye, expertise, and contagious passion for photographing the outdoors, teaching photography workshops throughout the country. Grant currently resides in Columbia Falls, Montana with his wife Alexis. His work can be viewed at grantordelheide.com

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Trip Report: Big Cats of Africa - July 2023

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