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I was concerned about going with my family to Africa in November 2014. Our relatives also were concerned about our safety. This was the time the spread of ebola was peaking. There was also civil unrest in some African nations. So it was with great relief and surprise that we came away from our visit to South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Botswana feeling so fortunate to have had the opportunity to encounter the warm-hearted people and breath-taking places. I had been lugging around a heavy 100-400 mm zoom telephoto lens in my luggage for four months through Europe when we arrived in Africa. I had done this with an eye toward the opportunities to photograph wildlife that I had fantasized about. I was not at all disappointed. In fact, reality exceeded my expectations.
The first country we visited was South Africa. We did a self-guided 10-day journey from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town by van along a scenic corridor known as "The Garden Route." It parallels the cape of Africa where the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean merge. This can be a violently stormy coast, and many shipwrecks have been recorded along the cape. While we witnessed some of the storm potential for this region, most of our time was accompanied by great weather for travel, wildlife and landscape photography. The fishing village of Arniston, near the southernmost point of the African continent, and the scenic town of Wilderness and the countryside outside of Hermanus were highlights of our visit to South Africa.
By the end of our African adventure, it was clear that lugging around that big lenses well worth the effort, as it became my go-to lens for wildlife in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and the famed Okavango Delta of Botswana. This gallery focuses on just the South African portion of our journey. Enjoy.