One of my favorite animals to photograph is the leopard. In the presence of the leopard, you feel so privileged as you have now entered a group that has seen an animal not easily spotted on Safari.
Leopards are elusiveness; they hide up in the trees, in the cracks of kopjes, and because they are usually solitary animals, searching for them is that much trickier and the excitement level high. Our guides will be finding subtle clues; the birds call, the shake of a branch, the handing leg of a recent kill - a good guide is a must on Safari.
When you do see one, especially up-close, you can’t help but have your hair rise because you can see the powerfulness of this predator and if your eyes meet, you can see through their soul.
Photographing them has been a goal on every Safari of mine because every encounter solidifies my love for these beautiful predators. I have been lucky to see them on most of my Safaris. Some from really far away and others really close. I remember seeing one really far away in Ruaha National Park, Southern Tanzania. We were on the hunt for this leopard called Onca - names because it’s spots were really dark like the jaguars in the Amazon forest. Well, we did not see Onca but we did see a silhouette of the leopard from far away.
The closest I have been was in Botswana. We were on an early morning game drive from Machaba Camp when our guide got a call to come quick. We held on to our seats and boom - wild dogs and two leopards. A mama and young leopard perched on a tree limb, looking at the beautiful sunrise. Magic moments on Safari.
Leopards can be spotted in all the parks in Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, and South Africa.
Where will you be on Safari to see your leopard?
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