Trip Report: Kruger National Park & Sabi Sands - May 2025

South Africa: So Much More Than the Big 5 

South Africa is all about the “Big 5,” but by the end of the two most recent BCJ photography workshops I was honored to lead in South Africa this past June, the guests and I knew that was just clever marketing. Yes, we saw lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalo—often in ways that left us grinning like kids at the zoo for the first time—but there was so much more to our experience that made the trip unforgettable. The way early light spilled over the grasslands, the comical sprint of a warthog with its tail sticking straight up, the dust clouds curling behind a herd of elephants—it all felt like the bush was putting on a private show for us. From silhouettes of yawning Hippos at sunset and silhouetted Giraffes at sunrise, to playful elephant calves and the outrageous colors of the lilac-breasted roller, each day was an unfolding surprise. This wasn’t just about ticking species off a list—it was about chasing light, capturing moments, and sharing plenty of laughs along the way. 

On these inaugural BCJ trips, we spent our time at Kruger National Park and, Timbavati, and Sabi private reserves. The beauty of the National Park and these reserves is that no two drives are ever the same, and sightings are delightfully unpredictable. Some mornings began with a silhouette of a giraffe against a technicolored sky and in the evening ending in a leopard draped across an acacia branch, as if he’d been reading our wish list. Other mornings opened with wildebeest stampeding across the landscape, sending up clouds of dust while we debated whether they were running from something—or simply excited for the day to begin. 

Our game drive vehicles doubled as rolling classrooms. Between sightings, we talked about shutter speeds for birds in flight, slow pans for antelope and zebra, and the eternal challenge of focusing on a leopard or cheetah through a curtain of branches or grasses. We discussed scenes that might be ideal for processing in High Key or Low Key or Black and White conversions, as well as how to make silhouettes against cotton candy-colored skies. Good-natured teasing flowed freely—especially when it came to the “most impala photos” contest. What started as a joke quickly became a full-blown group rivalry, and by the end, we all had enough impala portraits to start our own field guide. 

Some moments were pure drama. In one shaded thicket, a pride of lions held our gaze and our cameras’ attention for countless minutes as they gorged on a fallen giraffe, or a leopard devouring a freshly killed impala. The beautifully posing lioness or leopard atop a termite mound offering our group the perfect portraits, or the Wild Dog den with pups that exceeded the cuteness factor, times ten. Others were pure comedy—young elephants mock-charging each other, warthogs darting away with their tails high, and the perfectly timed subject that we were photographing that secured a prime spot in what would become one couple’s personal “Animal Butt” calendar project. Soon, the whole group was contributing “butt shots” whenever the opportunity arose, and what might have been throwaway frames became treasured additions to the future Holiday masterpiece. 

Birdlife was another highlight for this trip. With over 850 species of birds in South Africa including, Kingfishers, Hornbills, Bee-eaters, Secretary Birds, to the largest flying bird in Africa, the Kori Bustard—and, of course, the star of South African color: the Lilac-Breasted Roller. Most of us could never get enough of them. But one guest insisted he already had plenty of roller shots. Every time we stopped for, yet another perfectly posed beauty, he’d put on his most exaggerated grin and announce, “Oh boy! Another Lilac-Breasted Roller!” It never failed to get a laugh, and by the end, even he admitted the bird might deserve its own photo book. 

When the wildlife took a break from the spotlight, the landscape stepped in. Distant cliffs and mountains cast long, sharp shadows as the sun dipped low. Rivers and waterholes mirrored animals as they came to drink, the reflections so perfect they looked painted on the water. These quiet scenes reminded us that a great photo doesn’t always need teeth or claws—it just needs presence.  

Breaks became quick review sessions. While we shared stories from the day and we sipped iced coffee at High Tea, laptops appeared, and the day’s captures were scrolled through. There were quiet nods for a perfectly timed lion yawn, groans over the branch that stole focus from a leopard, and plenty of laughter when the Animal Butt calendar got another “accidental” submission. The rollers snuck in too—whether our reluctant roller fan liked it or not. 

Evenings in camp were their own kind of magic. Cameras and batteries went on charge while we gathered around the fire and the dinner table, replaying the day in conversation rather than pixels. The soundtrack was the low rumble of distant lions, the soft whoop of hyenas, and the occasional pop of wood in the flames. 

By the end, the Big 5 had shown up in style, but the real treasures were the moments in between: elephants walking through golden dust, hornbill silhouettes against the morning light, and the easy camaraderie of a group that arrived as strangers and left as friends, as so many BCJ trips tend to facilitate.  

Because South Africa doesn’t just give you wildlife. It gives you stories, and, if you’re lucky, a year’s worth of Animal Butt calendar material and just a few more lilac-breasted rollers than you planned on.