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
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
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
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
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
Day 2, Etosha in Black & White: "Tusker"
A large bull elephant crossing the parched landscape of Etosha National Park (Namibia) in midday heat. A simple composition with a big sky suggests a sense of space while the single bush anchors the image behind the elephant, giving perspective and scale.
Thank you for following,
Colin
Please message me if you are interested in joining the October 2023 Namibia tour with Nat Expo Tours. For a list of all our upcoming tours, please visit our website: www.natexpotours.com
Elephants Galore!
This image was taken the same day that we drove through an elephant herd in the Kwando Core Area of Northeastern Namibia (see the video in my previous post). This herd numbered around 100 and crossed a road literally right behind an elephant crossing sign!
Once again, timing is everything...
Colin
The Elephant Gauntlet, Kwando Core Area, Namibia
While visiting the far northeastern reaches of Namibia, we had the opportunity, or rather the circumstance, of driving through a herd of elephants on a single track road with very soft sand. Getting stuck would have proven dangerous as getting out to push wasn't an option. Other than a curious few, most of the elephants paid us little attention but we still took our time navigating through the herd. We were planning the October 2022 Namibia Tour and will have the tour dates and details posted on our website in the coming weeks: https://naturalexposurestours.com/2022-namibia-tour/
Elephant Herd, Kwando Core Area, Namibia
Mature Bull Elephant, Etosha National Park, Namibia
After picking up additional external hard drives to transfer the mass of files I returned with, I'm getting around to editing through the images & videos from my first trip to Africa. This is one of the first and largest elephants we saw. I'll be sharing more in the days & weeks ahead and we will soon have the details posted for our October 2022 Namibia Tour at Nat Expo Tours so please check us out over there and share with your friends!
Thank you for following,
Colin
World Wildlife Day 2017
Happy World Wildlife Day 2017. On this date in 1973, representatives from 80 nations met in Washington D.C. to pass the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (https://cites.org/eng/disc/what.php) to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. The focus this year is on Asian and African Elephants. Here is a pair of baby Asian elephants in Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India, eating what is simply known as elephant grass. This year's theme is ‘The future of wildlife is in our hands’ and with elephant populations rapidly dwindling in parts of the world, it may be truer than ever. Find out how you can get involved: http://wildlifeday.org/
