I had travelled to Kruger with one aim in mind – to photograph big cats. Top of my wish list was a leopard, which I have never seen in the wild, but I would have been happy with a pride of lions. Just one lion even, I mused as the last day in Kruger dawned and the heat and humidity hit me like a brick wall as I headed to an early breakfast.
Hoping for a better vantage point without having to jostle for place with my travelling companions in the overland truck, I joined driver extraordinaire, Frank Molata up front. Together we searched like forensic scientists. We scoured every single tree, riverbed, embankment, gully, stormwater culvert and shady spot visible on the road heading from Nkambeni Safari Camp, out of the park towards Malelane in Eswantini (formerly Swaziland).
Not a single cat to be seen. Zero. Zip. Nada. I was horribly disappointed, but also ever so grateful to Frank for manouvering that beast of a truck so effortlessly to make the following photos possible. Siyabonga kakhulu Frank! 
Earth Under My Feet 
I remember on my overland trip that we became obsessed with finding an elephant! A German guy had brilliant eyesight and often rode on top of the truck surveilling the land. I was totally blown away with the wildlife we saw in Africa.
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There is such a wealth of animal life wherever you go in southern Africa, even with all the poaching. We often take it for granted. Unfortuantely Kruger was so hot and so green and overgrown because they had good rains before I travelled, so I saw a fraction of the reality. Elephants remain my favourite animals but after being so up close and personal in Addo the December before, I was focussed on photographing big cats and the lesser known mammals.
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