Bordering Etosha National Park in Namibia, the Onguma Private Game Reserve has a ground hide that offers an experience like no other. From the hide, your lens is level with the waterhole and gives you opportunities to safely view wildlife from a perspective that is unique and nearly impossible to duplicate without the use of a camera trap.
On my recent visit, we had three bull elephants visit the waterhole for nearly an hour, drinking and splashing, throwing mud across their backs to protect from the harsh Namibian sun. It certainly was one of my best days photographing elephants, and one of my most inspired moments of the 2024 Southern Africa Adventure with Nat Expo Tours.
Please message me if you are interested in joining us next year. Dates are Oct 19 - Nov 2, 2025, and we already have people on the roster. You can view the details on our site: https://natexpotours.com/
Cheers!
Colin
Giraffes in Bwabwata National Park, Namibia
The 2024 Southern Africa Adventure is drawing to a close. We added some new destinations to the itinerary this year and spent the past few days around Kasane, Botswana exploring Chobe National Park and today we visited Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
This photo was taken last week in the Zambezi Region of Namibia. Every year provides new experiences and opportunities to create unique images, even with familiar subjects and locations.
There will be much to share in the coming days, and tomorrow Mike and I are off to New Zealand to meet another group for a tour of that country.
We are working out the details for the 2025 Southern Africa tour and we already have people on board. Please email me if you are interested or visit our site: https://natexpotours.com/
As always, thank you for for following along!
Colin
Hidden Leopard
Another master of camouflage, the African leopard. It's easy to see how prey could walk under a tree completely unaware of the predator directly above, and leopards are known to jump down from a perch onto their prey.
In this case, the leopard had been resting in the branches when, in this moment, it took notice of an impala passing by. We watched it stealthily descend the tree and stalk the impala, crawling on its belly at times. They were both soon out of sight, so we do not know how it ended up for either of them...
November 2023, Kruger National Park, South Africa 🇿🇦
October 2024 Namibia Tour
Namibia just celebrated 34 years of independence and remains one of the best functioning democracies in all of Africa. With an array of beautiful scenery and wildlife, coastline, vibrant culture and more, it is one of my favorite destinations in the world.
I look forward to returning to Namibia this October, where Mike and I will be leading another tour with Nat Expo Tours. We still have a few spaces open, if you or anyone you know might be interested. We’ve added a few days to the itinerary this year to include the Caprivi Strip of northern Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls.
Dates are Oct 11-25, 2024. Cost is $7,895 per person and includes all transportation & lodging in Namibia and Botswana, breakfast & dinner every day, all locally guided tours & park fees, photographic instruction (for those who would like), and more!
Please contact me if you are interested or visit our site for more info and a detailed itinerary: https://natexpotours.com/2024-namibia/
Cheers!
Colin
Sossusvlei dry ancient lakebed, Namib-Naukluft National Park
Etosha National Park
Himba community
Flamingos in Walvis Bay
Elephant herd in the Caprivi Strip, northern Namibia
African Wild Dogs in the Rain, Kruger National Park
African wild dogs in the rain, Kruger National Park, SA.
This pack of wild dogs (painted dogs) had a litter of puppies and gave us some great photo ops. The falling rain added a nice element and made for great expressions on the dogs' faces. These are some of my favorite images of the endangered canines.
Have a great weekend out there. It looks like we might have a bit of aurora borealis - perfect timing for my aurora & nighttime photography class at the Eagle River Nature Center tomorrow night (Feb 20). I would have shared the registration link but the class literally filled overnight, before I had a chance to post it. I will look into offering another class in late March.
As always, thank you for following,
Colin
African Wild Dogs
The African wild dog, also called the painted dog, is one of the rarest mammals in Africa. We were fortunate to have wonderful encounters with three different packs in Kruger National park.
I'm getting back around to editing through my images from last year's trip Namibia and South Africa. I will have more to share in the coming days...
Cheers!
Colin
Leopard in a Tree, Kruger National Park
Spotted leopard, Kruger NP, South Africa. This was probably my favorite sighting in Africa last year.
I was really hoping to see a leopard in a tree and toward the end of our week in Kruger, my wish came true. We watched this beautiful cat as it napped in the branches and then stealthily descended the tree to stalk an impala.
I still have a lot of images and videos to edit through, so stay tuned for more...
Cheers!
Colin
Sleepy Lion
Waking up after guiding an all-night aurora tour like....
The lights were elusive in Southcentral Alaska last night but the guests enjoyed themselves nonetheless.
Male lion, Kruger National Park, South Africa, October 2023.
Colin
Male Lion, Kruger National Park
Male lion, Kruger National Park, South Africa. This was taken our first day in the park. It was late afternoon and the grass was blowing in the breeze, as was his mane.
I hope everyone had a nice holiday with family and friends.
I would like to send a big thank you Odd Man Rush Brewing in Eagle River for hosting my final book signing of the year last Friday. It was a very successful night, after a couple big days for orders following the book review in Anchorage Daily News last week. Click here to read ADN’s review.
I am still taking orders for signed copies of my book, "Seasons of the Nature Center," on my site. As of now, well over half have been sold: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store
Thank you for following and all the best for 2024 and beyond!
Colin
Giraffe Color Patterns
Like the spots of a leopard or the stripes of a zebra, giraffes have color patterns that are unique to each individual. These patches also provide camouflage that helps them to blend in with the trees and savannah.
Details for the October 2024 Namibia Tour with Nat Expo Tours are on our website: www.natexpotours.com and it looks like we are already half full...
Please message me if you are interested in joining!
Colin
Sparring Bull Elephants, Kruger National Park
Sparring bulls, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
This was one of our last wildlife sightings in Kruger, taken on our last morning in the park. We'd seen countless elephants throughout the week, but this was the first time we witnessed intense rivalry between bulls.
Stay tuned for more, including the big cats...
Cheers!
Colin
My First Meerkat Encounter
This year marked my third visit to Namibia, and my first encounter with meerkats ("Timon" from the Lion King).
Before we began our October Namibia tour, Mike and I drove to a game park south of Windhoek for a few days in hopes of finding them, but they proved to be elusive. Lo and behold, when we arrived at our first destination with the tour, Neura’s Winery Estate, our guide pointed to an area on the lodge grounds and said, "Oh yeah, there are meerkats right over there." Sure enough, they emerged from their burrows just before sunset...
We've got the dates & details for our October 2024 Namibia Tour with Nat Expo Tours, please visit our site or message me if you are interested in joining us: https://natexpotours.com/2024-namibia/
Cheers!
Colin
Cape Buffalo in the Rain
The cape buffalo, one of Africa's "Big Five" species, taken on our third day in Kruger National Park and one of my favorite photos from the trip.
I was happy to see the rain and cooler temps during our first few days in Kruger. Rather than seeking shade from the midday sun, wildlife was active and moving about. A shutter speed of 1/400" accentuated the falling rain in this image and an aperture of f/10 rendered the buffalo's face sharp from its snout past the rain-slicked horns.
Hope you enjoy, and thank you for following along!
Colin
The Dry Season in Etosha
At the end of the dry season in Etosha National Park, it is common to see hundreds of individual animals congregate at the remaining waterholes, with several different species all vying for their share of hydration. The scene is chaotic as zebras fight amongst themselves or chase off the impala, giraffes extend their legs laterally to carefully lower their necks, always looking side to side out of caution before vulnerably taking a drink, and prey is ever wary of lions. The elephants are clearly dominant, and always shown deference.
I often prefer monochromatic images when shooting in Namibia's harsh midday sun, and here I employed a panning technique to accentuate the movement and convey the chaos that ensues at the waterholes.
We've got the details posted for next year's Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours on our website (Oct 11-25, 2024): https://natexpotours.com/2024-namibia/
Please message me if you are interested in joining us and feel free to share.
Cheers!
Colin
Cool & Rainy Kruger NP
Our first few days in Kruger National Park were cool and rainy, a nice respite from the heat in Namibia. This allowed the wildlife to be more active during the day, and the overcast skies created a nice mood for black & white images.
The dates are set for our 2024 Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours (Oct 11-25, 2024). Please message me if you are interested…: https://natexpotours.com/2024-namibia/
Cheers!
Colin
Eye of the Elephant
Here's looking at you!
We had a numerous elephant sightings this year, both in Namibia and Kruger National Park, South Africa. When given the opportunity, I enjoyed focusing on closer details like skin textures, eyes & ears, trunks, and feet.
Have a great weekend and thank you for following along! If you are interested in joining the October 2024 Namibia Tour with Nat Expo Tours, please email me or visit our site: https://natexpotours.com/. We've added a couple days to include a visit to Victoria Falls.
Cheers!
Colin
Lion Eyes
🎶"You can't hide,
your lion eyes..." 🎶🦁
On the drive from Johannesburg to Kruger National Park, SA, we heard the Eagles song "Lyin' Eyes" and I guess it stuck with me. It's been playing in my head over & over, and seems fitting for this image taken on our second day in the park. We had the good fortune of seeing lions every day in Kruger, including several large males like this handsome beast.
I've still got thousands of images to edit through and I look forward to sharing more moments like this one. Have a great Monday out there and thank you for following!
Colin
PS - we've got the dates & details for the October 2024 Namibia tour posted on the Nat Expo Tours website and it looks like we're close to half full already. Please contact me if you are interested in joining us: www.natexpotours.com
The Oryx
The oryx has become one of my favorite animals in Namibia. Their signature face mask and unique markings together with spiraled horns give them an appearance unlike any other subspecies of antelope, and their ability to go a month without drinking water demonstrates their adaptability to this extreme environment. It is also this vast, dry environment that makes for stunning photos, showcasing the scale and barren landscape in which the oryx and other species have thrived, whereas most life forms would quickly perish.
I've got a lot to share from my three weeks in southern Africa, both from Namibia with Nat Expo Tours and Kruger National Park, SA, so please stay tuned...
Cheers!
Colin
www.colintyler.com
www.natexpotours.com
Elephants of Namibia
I returned from southern Africa on Sunday after leading our second tour of Namibia with Nat Expo Tours followed by a week in Kruger National Park, South Africa. This was my third trip to the continent and each time is a little different; this year bringing us several opportunities to view and photograph elephants engaged in different behaviors.
After visiting two cultural sites near Twyvelfontein (Namibia) on Day 6, our drivers took us on an adventure to find a herd of local elephants. We drove up a dry riverbed, past two small villages, and located the herd after an hour of bumpy backcountry travel. Here are a few of my favorites from that day.
I'm currently in Minnesota adjusting to time & temperature changes while editing through 1,000's of images. I have a lot to share from my time in both countries, so please stay tuned for more...
As always, thank you for following.
Colin
Off to Namibia...
Today begins the long flight to southern Africa. I look forward to what Namibia has to offer this year, as well as my first visit to Kruger National Park, SA. This is our second tour of Namibia with Nat Expo Tours (https://natexpotours.com/) and we are already making reservations for next year's trip, which is going to include a visit to the famous Victoria Falls. Please message me if you are interested.
And it is official, I am sold out of my "Seasons of the Nature Center" 2024 calendars. 500 went pretty quickly, so I plan to print more 2025 calendars. Stay tuned for details...
Cheers!
Colin
PS - I still have "Seasons of the Nature Center" books available. All orders will be fulfilled when I return in November: https://www.colintyler.com/online-store...
Lions in Etosha National Park
Oryx in the Namib Desert
A Himba village in northern Namibia
