Deon Kelbrick | Wildlife Photographer

Recently we had the privilege of having Deon Kelbrick say with us, a renowned guide at Mala Mala in South Africa. An accomplished guide himself he is also a wonderful photographer and swapped the plains of the Sabi Sands in the Kruger conservancies for the wild woods of Zambia! The fight for the number one spot to see leopards is a fierce one between Sabi Sands and South Luangwa and we were intrigued to see just what a guide makes of it! Deon is not the only Mala Mala guide to visit nor the only one we can draw comparison from, so I do invite you all to give us your thoughts!!

Deon had a private vehicle, a lovely add on for $100 a day that facilitates a private guide and vehicle, essential for photographers as it allows them the freedom to look for what you want, move around the car without other guests in the way, set the times of the drives and stay at sightings for as long as you want rather than the group desires of a car.

Whilst for most of us it is lovely to meet fellow bush enthusiasts and chat about the sightings at drinks stops for those that want to do something specific like only birding, only the carmine bee-eaters or only the cats etc. having your own vehicle can allow you the freedom to do so! It also allows you uninterrupted views of the sighting without the off pesky arm or head coming into the viewfinder. For photographers or for those that prefer drives done in a specific way this is such a nice add on. You can have a PV for a few days or your entire stay it is entirely up to you. To add on from the PV you can also add in a whole day game drive. We have written about these before lasting from 6am to almost 6pm you have breakfast and lunch on the go and head up north to find some incredible ebony and winterthorn forests as well as the famous cats from all the documentaries filed in the area, another shot at dogs and elusive hartebeests and wildebeest.

The overall feeling at the end of the trip was that whilst wildlife was prolific in both areas and leopards abundant, he was impressed by the diversity of landscapes and the relaxed nature of the animals here. The calmness of the leopards, lounging in the sausage trees, the light filtering through the magical ebony forests, the lionesses who walked peacefully by the vehicles giving you full frame portraits and eye contact. It is not to say you do not get fantastic shots in SA, you can check out his Instagram @deon_wildlifephotography, to see for yourself. However often getting lost in the wild, untamed bush of South Luangwa can give you a fresh zest for new photographic angles and he chance to see species which are common or endemic here missing from the bush at home! For example, the ground hornbill is a rare bird in South Africa but numerous in South Luangwa, as are the puku and endemic Thornicroft giraffe. We lack the rhino and the nyala antelope, however the beaches of the Luangwa provide excellent hunting grounds for the wild dogs and the river itself gives a beautiful back drop for the elephant and giraffe crossings. And the backdrops of the alternating landscapes were what sold it for Deon
It is safe to say all bush is good bush but we are really happy Deon enjoyed our slice of paradise and look forward to having him back soon. If you would like to come to experience the magic of Msandile just get in touch! [email protected]

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