Exceptional Lion Kill Footage

Taken by Brad on a recent safari in Botswana, we offer you a snippet of this footage showing the battle between a pride of lions and two buffalo.

Turn away if you're squeamish, but if you like to see the real life action of the bush, it's worth it!

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Close Call for Legadema

Brad recently returned from guiding a former US Ambassador and their friends on a safari to Botswana, Zambia and South Africa. The trip started in Cape Town and ended at Singita, with stops at Victoria Falls and Mombo Camp in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. The game-viewing was spectacular. Undoubted highlights were the West Pride at Mombo killing a buffalo and a couple of encounters with the legendary Nat Geo leopard, Legadema and her cubs. On one occasion Legadema and her cubs had a close call with a troop of baboons. She and the cubs took refuge in some dense bush and thereafter under one of the game-drive vehicles. This was a lucky escape as baboons have been known to kill leopard cubs when the opportunity presents.

Below is a small selection of pictures taken by one of the group, Ginny Edlavitch. These were taken with her small “point and shoot”. Talk about “up close and personal...”.

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Fantastic New Camp in Tanzania

Brad Horn has just returned from safari in Tanzania and Kenya. At the end of his travels he visited a fantastic new camp in Ruaha National Park which is due to open in the very near future. For those that don’t know, Ruaha is one of the jewels of East Africa. Located in the south of Tanzania, Ruaha is as far off the beaten track as it gets and superlatively wild. Indeed in Brad’s view it is one of Africa’s best kept secrets. Ruaha is a unique transition zone where East and Southern Africa species of fauna and flora meet against a dramatic topographical backdrop; massive granite outcrops, elephant-battered baobabs in prolific numbers, brilliant ochre-red earth, pale russet grasses and parched tentacles of wide sand rivers.

Kigelia Camp is a seasonal mobile camp ,aptly named for its situation among a grove of sausage tress (Kigelia Africana). Comprising 6 rustically elegant tents, the camp is situated on the Ifuguru sand river, at the heart of “game central”. Brad had lions kill a warthog one evening immediately behind his tent. Needless to say a very noisy night with the squabbling and roaring. Kigelia is a great addition to Ruaha which, up until now, has seen a dearth of upmarket options in the “game hotspot” of the park.

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Pregnant Cheetah Kill

Following his trip to the Ruaha, Rob made his way to Kenya and Tanzania with a New York family. They travelled to the Masai Mara, Ngorongoro Crater, Sasakwa Lodge Grumeti Reserves in the northern Serengeti, and then went on to Mnemba Island on Zanzibar.

In the Mara they witnessed the wilderbeest migration, by hot air balloon, as it started to head south into Tanzania to follow the rains. They also had an excellent sighting of a female white rhino and her calf.

One of the highlights of the trip, for both Rob and his clients, was being patient enough to wait and finally watch a heavily pregnant cheetah stalk and then kill a Thompsons Gazelle at Sasakwa. See below an image of her as she maintains the throat hold to kill the gazelle prior to quickly eating it before any other predators (lion or hyena) become aware of her presence and try to steal it away from her.

The other images were taken on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater where Rob was lucky enough to capture a flock of Crested Cranes as they took flight in the early morning against the dramatic back drop of the Crater wall. You will also note some flamingos and one lonely wilderbeest. The other photograph is of a line of zebra as they slowly and carefully came down towards a water hole to drink, stopping intermittently to test the air for lion. The Crater is certainly a special place for its concentrated wildlife, incredible scenery and light.

Best Lion Sighting - Ruaha, Tanzania

Rob Barbour, Epic's partner in East Africa, has just returned from four days in the Ruaha National Park, Tanzania – staying in the new Kigelia Camp. He had some fantastic game sightings, particularly in the early mornings. As the park becomes drier animals are moving towards the Greater Ruaha River in numbers. Rob's group saw herds of 20 elephant on a regular basis, lovely greater and lesser kudu, buffalo, plenty of plains game and fantastic lion sightings too. On one early morning game drive they came across six young lions drinking at the confluence of the Mwagusi Sand River and the Greater Ruaha. After watching them drink they drove on and heard a lot of roaring. They zeroed in on a large male trying not to share a young giraffe with six lionesses. As they watched, so did two black backed jackals. The large male then had to defend his carcass against another male who came close, a lioness and five 6 -7 month old cubs. Once they had left the kill site, they saw two other large male lions crossing the road, just 2 km away.

The following morning at dawn Rob came across six young cubs about 1 km from camp. They were on their own and were very playful in the early morning light as they waited for Mama to come back from her night’s hunting. According to Rob: "This would have to be my best lion sighting for a while."

Western Australia - Kimberley

Pedro O’Connor, Epic’s Australian Inbound Manager, has just returned awe struck after 11 days in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. The Kimberley is the size of California and has a population of only 38,000 people with one sealed road that traverses this expansive wilderness area.

Out there everything is BIG – the distances, the endless night skies, the massive Boab trees, the ancient granite gorges, the prehistoric crocodiles and best of all the fair dinkum Outback personalities. The extreme nature of the climate and countryside has honed characters as tough as an Argyle Diamond. Fortunately these folks have opened their doors to discerning travellers wanting to obtain a feel for life in the Australian bush.

The choice of experiences is varied depending on your specific interest. A great introduction to this vast wilderness is a half million acre cattle ranch where you can catch a prize fighting barramundi, watch saltwater crocodiles lazing on sandbars and observe mobs of kangaroos grazing - all simultaneously. This is nature at its finest. If it is remoteness you seek then a ‘far away’ bay where there are no roads may fit the bill. A low level flight over the endless river deltas before joining the sculptured coastline makes one realize that you have removed yourself from modern day society. The 17,000 year old Bradshaw (aboriginal) rock paintings will also help to emphasize this fact.

Thankfully you do not compromise on the modern day trappings of a comfortable bed, superb dining and wines accompanied by a large helping of mind blowing scenery. The exclusivity and stunning colours of the sunsets over this ancient land are just a taste of the indelible experiences you take away from an Epic journey into this region. Hopefully the photos will whet your appetite to visit this area before Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia” which was set here, causes a gold rush.

Please contact Pedro for more details.

Botswana Safari

Brad Horn and Ian Johnson have just completed a fantastic safari guiding an extended family of clients to Vumbura Plains and Mombo Camps in the Okavango Delta (Botswana). These are two of THE most sought after camps in Africa; the game-viewing is second to none and the camps themselves the epitomy of luxury in the wilderness. On top of that the camps are located in private concessions enabling an exclusive experience.

A vast array of game was encountered, ranging from lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, rhino, hippo, giraffe and a host of other plainsgame species. In all they saw in excess of 60 different lions throughout their stay, the bulk being at Mombo where three sizeable prides reside in the area. One of these, the Western Pride, took up residence close to camp for the duration of the stay. They watched it in action on a number of occasions hunting zebra and impala. On the second night the pride was actually resident in camp. Brad and Ian could see the eyes of the lions reflecting from their torches while walking to their tent after dinner. The lions then proceeded to harrass a herd of buffalo in between the main area and tent one. Although unsuccessful in their endeavours the presence of the lions made for an action packed night. On dawn they took up a chorus to notate their territory in front of tent two. Needless to say a wake-up call was not required that morning!

The other highlight of the trip was seeing a mother leopard and her two cubs on a number of occasions just north of camp. The mother, known as Lagadema, has been the subject of a National Geographic documentary "The Eye of the Leopard" shot by noted wildlife filmakers Deryck and Beverly Joubert. On the last day Lagadema killed an impala and hoisted it in a tree. She and her cubs then proceded to feed throughout the afternoon.

Below are a few photos that Ian took. Enjoy!

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Tanzanian Family Adventure

Ian Johnson, prior to joining Brad in Botswana, completed a safari to Tanzania with a family of Bostonians. This trip touched on all the icons including Lake Natron, Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti, the Selous Game Reserve and the idyllic island of Mnemba off Zanzibar. It provided a wonderful mix of habitats, game and culture. An undoubted highlight, amongst the many, was the Maasai experience in the Natron area. Here we visited a Maasai manyatta way off the beaten track. This experience is a far cry from the normal contrived encounter that the ordinary tourist undertakes. Another obvious highlight was the migration in the Serengeti. The luxury mobile camp was expertly situated amidst the central body of the migrating wildebeest.

See below a selection of Ian's photos.

Kokoda Trail

In April, Brad Horn undertook a crossing of the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea. A superb trek into the heartland of New Guinea, the trail holds a very special place in Australian military history. This is where the Japanese drive south was halted in 1942 and the myth of Japanese invincibility obliterated. Covering 96 kilometres of pristine rainforest, the track covers arguably some of the most rugged and wild jungle in the world. It is a demanding endeavour with, in excess of, 10,000 metres of uphill. The group covered the track in quicker than usual time taking five and a half days, as opposed to the normal eight. What struck Brad most, apart from the military significance, was the pristine nature of the rainforest and the incredible culture encountered. New Guinea of course is a treasure trove of ancient culture. The natives that inhabit the track are living the subsistence existence of their forebears. The location of some of the villages on the track is incredible. Perched high on hillsides they offer magnificent views over deep re-entrants and valleys below.

Kokoda is very much recommended for those wanting to experience something totally different and test their physical limits at the same time.