Under the black coral fan of the tree canopy we’re listening intently. As the darkness swells, the mind plays tricks. Although our game viewer is parked in thick bush, it feels more like we’re deep in the ocean. The fever trees all around us are a dense kelp forest. Bats and nightjars, flying up suddenly from the thorn bushes close by, swim through the night sky above like tiny, tropical fish. The strange, yet soothing sounds of the night-world build like waves. It’s our final afternoon game drive on Zimanga private game reserve and we’re forest-bathing; soaking up our African surroundings one last time and reflecting on a magical visit.

Was it really only yesterday we photographed her climbing restlessly around an ankle-thorn tree, just down the track from here; a young, almost fully-grown leopard trying out her independence?  We strain to catch a sound of her. Breaking a twig, swishing against the grasses perhaps. Her sinuous shape, proud, piercing eye, those sweeping white whiskers. We can make them out clearly in the branches against the inky sky.  In our mind’s eye. The forest is keeping its secrets close tonight.

Was it really just a few days ago we photographed her just after sundown in the lacework branches of a tall wisteria tree? Did we really stumble across her that one morning, draped nonchalantly on a dead tree stump, after being alerted to her presence by the alarm calls of a nervy impala ram? Did we really see and photograph all these things and so much more?

Everyone is quiet. Lost in thought. No-one wants to break the spell.

Of course it wasn’t only our wonderful leopard sightings that made this visit so memorable. Our 10 night stay on this small, unique South African photographic reserve – an 11 night safari in total, and our first photo trip with guests since the pandemic – had been filled with fascinating wildlife encounters on drives and during busy hide sessions. The late rain had not, after all, dampened activity at the water-dependent hides as we had feared, with only the Mkhombe small bird, reflection-pool hide performing poorly during our visit as a result. Sticking with the theme of spotted cats, we were fortunate to have some fabulous close encounters with a cheetah mum and her three almost fully-grown but still playful cubs during our visit. Photographing cheetahs off the vehicle on Zimanga, where possible, early and late in the day, allows us the chance to fully exploit dynamic low angles, the best light and great photographic locations on the reserve. On one occasion the cubs approached our photographers literally to within inches and posed perfectly for incredible wide angle shots by climbing on a low boulder they’d selected as a vantage point.

Our other group found the cheetah family late one afternoon resting on the top of a low dam, sitting proud from the background as the golden light bathed them while they preened themselves. Staying with them as the light levels fell we were able to move round to the other side and follow when they began to walk for some great silhouette images. Spending time with subjects provides us with the chance to try different techniques. In this instance experimenting with our white balance in-camera to intensify the blue-hour mood in our shots.

On night hide sessions both our groups were treated to some awesome breeding buffalo herd photography which was a first for us all. It’s always amazing seeing a curmudgeonly lone bull, or a small group of males with reflections at close range and at that angle in the dark, but to see as many as 40 or more of these massive, muscular beasts, plus small calves, jostling for position and kicking up dust at the water’s edge literally inches from your lens was something else. (There was even mating – you really could feel the earth move!) It was both a privilege and thrilling challenge, testing our composition skills, as we attempted to tease out images from among the shapes and shadows of the thronging herd. Other species of note seen at the night hides during hours of darkness on the trip included southern white rhinos, side-striped jackal, serval and porcupine.

And still the photo opportunities kept coming. A dawn stand-off between Zimanga’s lion pride and two white rhinos felt like living a clip from an Attenborough doc as we watched these two ‘big five’ species come face-to face. The lion cubs had ambitions well above their station and their antics and behaviour provided great shots and considerable amusement. Needless to say they were pretty thirsty after such early morning drama, gifting us some appealing drinking reflection shots of the young lions as they lapped eagerly from a rain puddle in the thornbush. Spotlighting the lions after dark was also an exciting first for the other group.

The cooler, June mornings in the picturesque Zululand Hills meant we had one or two misty starts as well as the stunning, nailed-on African sunrises. We made the most of these where possible by sitting by the main dam waiting for hippos to yawn, or going for some elegant ‘white on white’ high-key shots of egrets and spoonbills in Zimanga’s famous low-level waterbird, lagoon hide. A special moment here was photographing a beautiful giant kingfisher opening its wings in the delicate morning mist – another reserve first for us.

There was much, much more…but sadly we can’t stay here among the fever trees replaying it forever and waiting for our beautiful female leopard to return. Time now to get back to our exclusive-use lodge for dinner and ‘chew over’ another amazing day spent photographing in Africa…

Many thanks to the whole Zimanga team for welcoming us back on the reserve after the Covid break so fulsomely. Special mentions go to reserve owner Charl Senekal and his wife Mariska, to our guide and the reserve’s head ranger Calvin Kotze, to lodge manager Ester Kotze, and, last, but not least to Alice and Blessing (congrats again on your recent nuptials) and Bongi for the lovely food, excellent service, endless laughs and brilliant housekeeping.

Finally extra loud applause and cheers must go to our great gang of guests for all the fun as well as photography we shared along the way. That’s you JL, CEO of the new ‘Pocket-Biscuit Foundation’, you SV for every, wildlife ‘S-moment’ we experienced along with you, you EA, for gloriously, and hilariously, renaming oxpeckers, you SL for creating Zimanga’s latest photographic hide in your bathroom, you ML, for the driest wit and most perfect comic timing, and you JA for the best rendition of the theme song from ‘Gilligan’s Island’, in total, in a night hide – ever.

Shall we do it all again?