Kaz and Rik's Photos - Welcome Page

Here you will find a list of our trips to Africa, along with some detail from each one and some other page descriptions.

To see the photos please go to the photo galleries indicated on the left. Just click on the thumbnails for a full size version which will open within the existing window. For best picture quality, view full in screen (PRESS F11, (and press it again to return to normal screen)).

Namibia 2003

This was our first truly independant trip, we just booked flights and hired a vehicle over the internet and set off on an itinerary worked out by Rik.

We landed in Windhoek, where we hired a 4x4 Toyota with a roof tent and all the camping gear and set off west visiting Daan Viljoen Game Park, then right across to the coast at Swakopmund, going north to Cape Cross Seal Reserve, before turning south and crossing (and staying in the middle of) the Namib Naukluft Desert on our way to the famous red sand dunes at Sossusvlei. We then travelled east to Hardap Dam Recreation Resort and Game Park and then north, back through Windhoek where we changed the vehicle for a small car and went north to stay with friends just north of Otavi for a couple of days, before heading into Etosha National Park for a week or so. We then travelled back to Windhoek for our flight home.

Kenya & Tanzania 2004

We returned to Kenya and Tanzania where our obsession with Africa all started in 1998.

This time we started by flying to Arusha in Tanzania and staying locally overnight before heading to Tarangerie National Park for a night, followed by a couple of nights at the Ngorongoro Crater. We then set off to the Serengeti National Park for five days, covering all corners of it. We stopped overnight again at the Ngorongoro Crater on the way back to Lake Manyara National Park. From here we took a local bus north into Kenya and on to Nairobi where we hired our own vehicle and set off for 4 days in Amboseli National Park before returning on the bus back to Arusha for our flight home.

Egypt 2004

The Tombs and Pyramids of Egypt had always been something that we intended to visit one day although we had no plans to do so. Then we decided we needed a break and just had a quick look for what might be available on cheap late deals. The following week we were heading off to Cairo to join a trip to the pyramids and a cruise down the nile to see the tombs and temples....

We have to say it was an excellent trip and highly recommended.

South Africa 2005

Again this was a truly independant trip. We hired a camper van in Johannesburg and set off south east towards Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park. We stayed in the area and visited the park for 3 days before heading north to Mkuzi Reserve, carrying on north through Swaziland staying at Mlilwane Reserve and further still north on into Kruger National Park. We travelled all over Kruger for a week going as far north as Letaba, before heading south again and then west back to Johannesburg.

Namibia 2006

This was our second independant trip to Namibia, we just booked flights and hired a vehicle over the internet and set off on an itinerary worked out by Rik again, taking in some of the stuff we'd done before and a little bit of what we missed.

We landed in Windhoek, where we hired a Toyota Condor along with a kitchen box (gas burner, pots & pans, cutlery and crockery etc, to enable us to feed ourselves although we were staying in B&B's and lodges rather than camping) and set off west to stay in the Gamsberg Pass in the mountains at a Guest Farm (which had an observatory on the roof complete with telescope and local expert), then right across the Namib Nakluft Desert to the coast at Walvis Bay and on up to Swakopmund. We went on a boat trip from Walvis Bay, and had Dolphins swimming alongside us and Seal's right up on board. In Swakopmund we hired a Dune Buggy and went on a tour (with Guide) out into the local Dunes, before heading north into Damaraland, visiting the Petrified Forest and Finger Rock (Vingerklip) before heading off into Etosha National Park for a 9 nights, staying at a mixture of all three rest camps. We then travelled back to Windhoek for our flight home.

Botswana 2007

This was a long awaited and excellent trip. It was a tour with Explore Worldwide, so we could just relax and let someone else worry about all the arrangements. There were 12 of us on the trip, which was mainly camping, with all the tents set up for us by a crew of two that accompanied us. We went to Nxai Pan, then north into Zambia to stay on a houseboat on the Zambezi for a couple on of nights before heading to Livingstone to visit Victoria Falls, including (as an extra), a fantastic Helicopter flight right over the falls. Then back into Botswana to visit Chobe and Moremi Game Reserves featuring both land and river Safari's. Finally from Maun we took a scenic flight over the Okavango Delta. It was a great trip with some outstanding sightings, especially a prolonged veiwing of a leopard, real close ups of Elephants and Elephants swimming underwater with their trunks becoming snorkels, all from the Chobe river. It was a good crowd and the tour leader 'Bibi' was excellent.

Congo & C.A.R. 2007

This was again a long awaited and absolutely amazing trip. It was an organised trip by an old freind of ours Will Bolsover, who used to be with Explore but now has his own set up - World Primate Safari's - who was our tour guide when we visited Gabon in 2001. This was a pioneering trip for his company so we new things could be a little different, but the end result was simply incredible. We new this was a trip into the very heart of nowhere, the middle of the Congo Rain Forest so we were prepared for anything. The trip started in Brazzaville after a day flight from the UK, the following morning we then flew north to Ouesso followed by the afternoon on a boat, well I say boat, a dug out canoe with motor is more accurate, a big one mind you it seated ten of us all sat in a row one behind the other, with all our luggage on the back as well. We stopped over night at Bomassa and the next day carried on in the 'boat' up the Sanga River all day to reach Doli Lodge, our base for the next 5 nights. From here we went Gorilla tracking, visiting Dzangha Bai and Hokou Bai, tracking Mangabey Monkeys and went net hunting with the local Ba'Aka tribe. We then headed south to Mbeli Camp for 4 nights, visiting Mbeli Bai each day. I do not have room here to write the words required to describe this trip. Excellent. Amazing. Wonderful. Exhilarating. Fantastic. Unbelievable. These words all go a small way to try to get my feelings across. My advice is, if you have the urge, aren't too worried about creature comforts and of course have the passion required, get on this trip now!

Kenya Februay 2008

Our 10th Wedding Aniversary Trip. On Feb 11th we celebrated our Anniversary by going back to Kenya, where we honeymooned in '98. We didn't go to the same lodges, but were as least just down the road. Great trip if somewhat quiet in terms of visitors, due to the Election violence a couple of months previously. Had an amazing 'calculated' sighting of a waking Leopard, amongst plenty of other sightings.

Kenya August 2008

February was so good we decided this would be a good year to try and catch the Wilebeest and Zebra migration crossing the Mara River.. We were very fortunate and encountered roughly 3 to 3¹/₂ thousand animals on the bank one morning, to then have them all cross over about an hour or so later.

Svalbard 2009

A trip to the cold!. Just by way of a change from the heat of Africa, we decided to go north, very north, 78^o north, only 800 miles from the north pole! Had an excellent short trip to the 24^hr Sun light and deep cover of snow, enjoying an almost contant temperature of about -20^o. Really enjoyed a day and a half Snow Mobiling up to a glacier for lunch etc. Plenty of Seal's and Raindeer, but alas no Polar bears. Dog Sleding was also excellent.

England 2004 onwards

Here you will find photos taken by Kaz and Rik from our garden and the surrounding countryside. Well you have to practice somewhere! Seriously though we have some great stuff of our own, and we have some good shots of it, especially some excellent macro shots by Kaz.

Our Pets

Here are some pics of our little (and not so little) loved ones. The two dogs (Django and Phaser), three cats (Gizzy, Kracker and Heidi), two tortoises (Lobo and Mara), the three rats (Asia, Africa and India) and the spider (Rosie).

Ocean & Strider

This Page is devoted to our two new arrivals, Ocean and Strider. Unfortunately we lost Django in 2007 and Phaser in 2008. We got Ocean in February 2008 and had him and Phaser for about 5 months before Phaser went. We then got Strider in October 2008.

Contact Form

Just an easy way to contact us. Just fill in the form and it will be emailed straight to us.

Guest Book

Please feel free to leave us any comments you wish to make or to read comments left by others.

Photographic Equipment

Just a note as we are often asked about the camera and lenses used. All photos from Africa, from 2003 onwards, were taken using the following:-

Rik uses:-

Canon EOS D60 6.3 megapixel Digital Camera Body.

Canon EF 28 - 80mm zoom lens.

Canon EF 75 - 300mm telephoto zoom lens.

Sigma EX 50 - 500mm supertelephoto zoom lens.

Kenko MC7 2x converter.

Sigma EX 105mm macro lens.

Canon EX550 Speedlite flash.

Manfotto tripod.

Velbon up-4000 monopod.

Bean bag.

All phots after South Africa 2005 were taken using my new lenses (which replaced those above in red):-

Canon EF 100 - 400mm IS telephoto zoom lens.

Canon EF 28 - 135mm IS zoom lens.

Canon EF 1.4x mkll converter.

And from April 15th 2006, I will also being using the new Canon EOS 30D 8.2 megapixel body in conjunction with the D60.

UPDATE:

From October 10th 2007 I will be using my new Canon EOS 1D MKIII body in conjunction with the EOS 30D.

Kaz uses:-

Pentax Optio 30 (3.2 megapixel compact) for all shots, mostly all the macro shots are taken by Kaz.

UPDATE:

From Dec '07, Kaz will be using her new camera, Canon G9 (advanced) 12 megapixcel compact.

Other Trips to Africa

The trips listed above with accompanying photos, are only the trips we have been on since our photography went Digital. We had seven trips before that:-

Kenya and Tanzania '98, our first trip to Africa, when we spent a week on Safari mainly in Tanzania and a week at the beach, then we got married up a tree in the rain forest at Shimba Lodge, then spent another week at the beach.

Kenya '99, we went back just to make sure we liked it and spent our time going north to Samburu and the Aberdares as well as the Masai Mara.

Kenya '00, there was just nowhere else we wanted to go! so we covered other parts of Kenya including the Lake's Bogoria and Baringo.

Uganda '01, to see the magnificent mountain Gorilla's - highly recommended! We also visited Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctury as well as tracking chimps in the wild and visiting several other parks.

Zambia '01, including Zimbabwe and Malawi. This trip was mixed with the awesome event of a Total Eclipse of the Sun as well as visiting the fantastic Zambezi and South Luangwa Game Parks.

Gabon '01, this was a trip to see the elusive Western Lowland Golrilla's, which were very elusive!, but a few days in the jungle was amazing in itself and we spent a few days in Lope National Park.

South Africa '02, this was when we spent a month getting qualified as Game Rangers at EcoTraining, which involved a walk in the bush every morning and a game drive every afternoon as well as lectures and studying every day with tests at the end and a short foray into Kruger Park on the way home.