Show us your African rivers...

[KaingU Lodge]

One more early morning Kafue shot. August 2014

 

 

[ZaminOz]

The Kafue is one of my all time favourite rivers!

[KaingU Lodge]

The Kafue is one of my all time favourite rivers!

 

Me too @@ZaminOz!

 

This thread got me fired up to go out on a boat for an hour last night, so Kafue river 16/1/14

 

 

[Game Warden]

Wish I could just zip out for an hour and take some photos on safari...

[graceland]

Elies snorkeling the Chobe River

 

[Chobe Clive]

The Chobe River and the Savute Channel (photos from 2014)

[graceland]

The Chobe River and the Savute Channel (photos from 2014)

I loved Chobe and your shots qualify that statement!

Superb...

[KaingU Lodge]

Waiting for guests on a usual sundowner spot. Aug 2014 Kafue

 

 

[Caracal]

@@KaingU Lodge

 

The Kafue is a favourite of mine too and your photos are bringing back memories of a great stay in September and a lovely sunset dinner by the rapids.

 

Looks different again with the light and clouds of the rainy season but still beautiful.

[JRAGUJEROS]

spectacular view of Victoria Falls fron helicopter. It was an unforgettable trip .

[KaingU Lodge]

An area known as 'the tunnels'. The Kafue funnels through about 7 of these amazing channels. I Can't wait to get some footage in March when the water is high!

 

[Tom Kellie]

 

~ Adamson's Falls on the Tana River, Kenya, photographed from Mwingi National Reserve with Meru National Park on the opposite side of the river.

 

Photographed on 25 January, 2015 at 1:23 pm with an EOS 1D X camera and an EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II super telephoto lens.

 

ISO 320, 1/1250 sec., f/8, 400mm focal length, handheld Manual exposure while standing on exposed rocks beside the river.

 

The Tana River is Kenya's longest river, which at this spot wends through Bisandi National Reserve, Meru National Park, Mwingi National Reserve and Kora National Park.

 

Adamson's Falls is named for George Adamson, who is buried in Kora National Park.

 

Swallows flew their circuits near the falls and several dragonfly and butterfly species perched on rocks or around shallow pools beside the riverbank.

 

The silt-laden river was odorless, with no discernible trash. A substantial rock hyrax colony fled at my approach, as if I were a predator on the prowl.

 

 

[Seniortraveller]

The Limpopo River from Mapungubwe Park, 2015.

[Tom Kellie]

~ Hello, @@Seniortraveller!

 

Really like your Limpopo river image, as the rich blue reflected on the water surface is so peaceful.

You've shown me that Rudyard Kipling's Kolokolo Bird was colorblind when it said: “Go to the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, and find out.”

So much for “grey-green”.

Thanks for the nice Limpopo image.

Tom K.

Edited March 29, 2015 by Tom Kellie

[Tom Kellie]

 

~ @graceland:

 

Really like this image, which stood out to me when I first saw it, yesterday.

When you're as green as I am, relative to African wildlife behavior, nearly every Safaritalk photo category is an education.

Until seeing your nice image of “Elies snorkeling the Chobe River”, I had no idea that this was even possible, let alone that it actually occurred.

They look as though they're submarines with periscopes up for fresh air. So cool!

BTW: After returning to your photograph to enjoy it again, it struck me that this must be ‘Chobe River Day” for me. I'd never heard of the Chobe River until I looked at the fine Chobe River bird images which @@theplainswanderer posted today.

Tom K.

[graceland]

@@Tom Kellie

 

Thank you for your comments. We never knew either - until we were on the boat on our very first safari ever, and seeing those elies - hundreds swimming was forever etched in my mind...

 

therefore I knew I had to continue to return to a place I loved.

 

And I did not know of Safaritalk at the time, so you are wise to begin your education reading here! There are so many excellent and knowledegable safari goers.

[graceland]

The low but lovely river in Ruaha, TZ. I walked many miles along side, as well as in the river; never tiring of its' beauty.

 

 

 

(

[Tom Kellie]

 

~ @graceland:

 

What richly saturated deep blue in the foreground.

Sometimes there are colors which jazz my mind. Don't know why...they just resonate with me.

The blue in the lower third of the image is what respond to.

Funny how rivers needn't be deep to be memorable. That gives hope to me.

Such beauty and the life along it must have made your Ruaha river walk a joy.

Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

BTW: Your comments about the Chobe River elephants are so interesting. One has to wonder what they're feeling while doing their own version of scuba diving.

Safaritalk is a great resource for learning from the adventures — and occasional misadventures — of others. The accumulation of their collective experiences amounts to wisdom.

And to think that it's available gratis!

Tom K.

[graceland]

post-5364-0-20624000-1427631747.jpg

 

~ @graceland:

 

What richly saturated deep blue in the foreground.

Sometimes there are colors which jazz my mind. Don't know why...they just resonate with me.

The blue in the lower third of the image is what respond to.

Funny how rivers needn't be deep to be memorable. That gives hope to me.

Such beauty and the life along it must have made your Ruaha river walk a joy.

Thanks so much for sharing it with us.

BTW: Your comments about the Chobe River elephants are so interesting. One has to wonder what they're feeling while doing their own version of scuba diving.

Safaritalk is a great resource for learning from the adventures — and occasional misadventures — of others. The accumulation of their collective experiences amounts to wisdom.

And to think that it's available gratis!

Tom K.

Thank you @@Tom Kellie for your very kind words. Indeed walking in Ruaha was a very special safari.

 

I can see we have a new Africa Addict, reading Safaritalk feeds that addiction so beautifully!

 

You will be planning your own adventure i am sure; and we will be anxious for you to share it with the forum members.

 

Warmly,

Graceland

[Tom Kellie]

 

~ Photographed midstream in the Rojewero River, Meru National Park, Kenya, with a Sony RX1 R camera on 25 January, 2015, at 12:33 pm.

 

ISO 200, 1/500 sec., f/8, 35mm focal length, handheld Manual exposure.

 

A quiet river along which George and Joy Adamson frequently camped. They saw abundant game drink from its waters including the rhinos no longer found in that area.

 

When I visited, a solitary Scopus umbretta, Hamerkop, 锤头鹳, was on a rock, as was a 1-meter long Varanus niloticus, Nile Monitor, 尼罗河巨蜥.

 

The dense vegetation, including palms supports a robust bird population.

 

Even a smaller African river has its secrets — a habitat for species familiar and seldom seen.

 

****************************************************************************

 

~ @@graceland, your Ruaha walk brought the much smaller Rojewero River to mind.

 

From the first taste of a safari in 2011, there have been seven safaris, each unlike the other, despite often being in the same territory.

 

This year's kick-off safari included time along the Rojewero, and a couple of hours later along the substantially larger Tana River.

 

The ticket's already been bought for the next safari, arriving in Nairobi on 1 May, returning to Beijing on 6 May.

 

A night at the Emakoko is planned, to experience firsthand what @@Game Warden and @@Kitsafari and others have praised.

 

Where is the brief safari headed? I have absolutely no idea.

 

I've told my genial and highly skilled friend and Guide, Anthony Gitau, and his lovely wife Maggie, that I leave the safari destination to their discretion. All that I mentioned is that a lodge safari might be best.

 

We've built up considerable trust over six private safaris — the first safari was a joining safari staying in a tented camp — such that their taste and judgment about what might be optimal in early May is good enough for me.

 

I'll pack safari shirts, safari vest, my trusty fountain pens and a small notebook, a couple of cameras and lenses and be good to go.

 

What Anthony and I share is a love of whatever appears and enthusiasm for the sheer beauty of creation.

 

I'm exactly twice his age, he's from Nyeri County, Kenya and I was born in Seattle, Washington, with my family later relocating to the North Shore of Kauai in Hawaii. What links Anthony and I is a passion for winged insects, wildflowers, birds, birds and more birds, and the bigger critters. We joke that he has “leopard eyes” and I seem to have “kudu eyes”, as that's what we both seem to spot, time and again.

 

Therefore I too look forward to finding out where the safari will go. For now, five weeks in advance, it's enough to know that I'll be there, breathing the fresh air I've grown to love.

 

In China there's a popular belief that 8 is a lucky number. As this will be my 8th safari, I have no great expectations, yet feel certain that there will be wonderful moments which I couldn't imagine tonight.

 

My only hope is that my camera and lens will be ready whenever unexpected beauty takes the stage.

 

Such are safaris, as the Safaritalk members know far more deeply than I do.

 

Reading trip reports and comments by such gifted, aware and passionate Safaritalk members as yourself, @@Kitsafari, @@SafariChick, @@wilddog, @@Safaridude, @@twaffle,  @@pault, @@TonyQ, @@JohnR, @@Peter Connan, @@COSMIC RHINO and @@Tdgraves has been exhilarating. Their breadth of experience, humor and gut wisdom about safaris and African wildlife is what I'd like to convey to my graduate and undergraduate students in the life sciences and ecology.

 

Again, many thanks for your very kind comment above.

 

Tom K.

[Sangeeta]

The amazing Runde river in Gonarezhou NP - at this time, the most charismatic river in Africa for me...

 

[Sangeeta]

An out of focus Ewaso Nyiro from Laikipia Wilderness Camp - a close second to the Runde...

 

[Sangeeta]

The Kafue is a close third, but Kaingu's photos on this thread are so lovely that it they say it all

[graceland]

On 3/29/2015 at 6:20 PM, Tom Kellie said:

Hamerkop in Rojewero River in Meru National Park.jpg

 

~ Photographed midstream in the Rojewero River, Meru National Park, Kenya, with a Sony RX1 R camera on 25 January, 2015, at 12:33 pm.

 

ISO 200, 1/500 sec., f/8, 35mm focal length, handheld Manual exposure.

 

A quiet river along which George and Joy Adamson frequently camped. They saw abundant game drink from its waters including the rhinos no longer found in that area.

 

When I visited, a solitary Scopus umbretta, Hamerkop, 锤头鹳, was on a rock, as was a 1-meter long Varanus niloticus, Nile Monitor, 尼罗河巨蜥.

 

The dense vegetation, including palms supports a robust bird population.

 

Even a smaller African river has its secrets — a habitat for species familiar and seldom seen.

 

****************************************************************************

 

~ @@graceland, your Ruaha walk brought the much smaller Rojewero River to mind.

 

From the first taste of a safari in 2011, there have been seven safaris, each unlike the other, despite often being in the same territory.

 

This year's kick-off safari included time along the Rojewero, and a couple of hours later along the substantially larger Tana River.

 

The ticket's already been bought for the next safari, arriving in Nairobi on 1 May, returning to Beijing on 6 May.

 

A night at the Emakoko is planned, to experience firsthand what @@Game Warden and @@Kitsafari and others have praised.

 

Where is the brief safari headed? I have absolutely no idea.

 

I've told my genial and highly skilled friend and Guide, Anthony Gitau, and his lovely wife Maggie, that I leave the safari destination to their discretion. All that I mentioned is that a lodge safari might be best.

 

We've built up considerable trust over six private safaris — the first safari was a joining safari staying in a tented camp — such that their taste and judgment about what might be optimal in early May is good enough for me.

 

I'll pack safari shirts, safari vest, my trusty fountain pens and a small notebook, a couple of cameras and lenses and be good to go.

 

What Anthony and I share is a love of whatever appears and enthusiasm for the sheer beauty of creation.

 

I'm exactly twice his age, he's from Nyeri County, Kenya and I was born in Seattle, Washington, with my family later relocating to the North Shore of Kauai in Hawaii. What links Anthony and I is a passion for winged insects, wildflowers, birds, birds and more birds, and the bigger critters. We joke that he has “leopard eyes” and I seem to have “kudu eyes”, as that's what we both seem to spot, time and again.

 

Therefore I too look forward to finding out where the safari will go. For now, five weeks in advance, it's enough to know that I'll be there, breathing the fresh air I've grown to love.

 

In China there's a popular belief that 8 is a lucky number. As this will be my 8th safari, I have no great expectations, yet feel certain that there will be wonderful moments which I couldn't imagine tonight.

 

My only hope is that my camera and lens will be ready whenever unexpected beauty takes the stage.

 

Such are safaris, as the Safaritalk members know far more deeply than I do.

 

Reading trip reports and comments by such gifted, aware and passionate Safaritalk members as yourself, @@Kitsafari, @@SafariChick, @@wilddog, @@Safaridude, @@twaffle, @@pault, @@TonyQ, @@JohnR, @@Peter Connan, @@COSMIC RHINO and @@Tdgraves has been exhilarating. Their breadth of experience, humor and gut wisdom about safaris and African wildlife is what I'd like to convey to my graduate and undergraduate students in the life sciences and ecology.

 

Again, many thanks for your very kind comment above.

 

Tom K.

@@Tom Kellie

 

I am happy to have stirred your imagination to post your own river pictures...

 

You have so much experience under your belt; I imagine more than a few safari talkers would love to hear more of your safaris. Perhaps you could do a general "trip report of where you've been" and give your overall thoughts on each area.

 

I know many people love Meru! Thank you for so telling us of your guide, how you choose where you go and your obvious expertise and love of Africa. Please share more stories and pictures! That is what we all love...

 

You leave in five weeks! We'd all also be interested in your itinerary. If you go to "Trip Planning," you can post it for us

and if you go to "Trip Reports" - you can give an overall of where you've been, I promise everyone will want to read it!!

We are happy another safari enthusiast is here. Everyones' stories are unique and very interesting to all!

[graceland]

The amazing Runde river in Gonarezhou NP - at this time, the most charismatic river in Africa for me...

 

So Beautiful, @Sangeeta; on Our list for sure!!