Capturing the Moment

  We had an incredible experience with this cheetah. We had spotted it the evening before, but from afar. This morning it was much closer, posed on a tree perch, and showed off her four cubs.     Amboseli National Park, located in southern Kenya near the border with Tanzania, is one of the most popular wildlife reserves in the country. Known for its stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the park offers a breathtaking backdrop for wildlife watching. The park covers approximately 392 square kilometers and is renowned for its large elephant herds, which are often seen roaming the plains with Kilimanjaro in the background. In addition to elephants, Amboseli is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including lions, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, and over 400 species of birds, making it a haven for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts.     We have two nights here in the park at the Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge. When we woke up this morning there was a large herd of impala g...

  I am on a very quick trip to Maui, Hawaii and I was eager to test out my new drone at some of my favorite photography spots. The closest beach to my condo is Sugar Beach, in North Kihei. It is a very long sandy beach, popular with locals. Imagine my surprise when I walk down to find a big shipwreck, cast ashore on the sand. The waves were hitting it and splashing up, but otherwise the wreck looked like it was in relatively good shape. I feel bad for the owner, but I wasn't going to pass the opportunity for a quick photo shoot. Morning at the wreck. It isn't the best lighting during sunrise here which is when I took this photo with my DJ Mini 4K drone. I planned to come back for sunset later. On my way to the wreck I had to stop and take a long exposure at this rocky outcropping. The beach is mostly sandy, so these rocks provided a very nice foreground subject while the sky looked afire in the background. A bit of a south swell was rocking the shoreline and crashing against th...

Just me and this turtle on our own Big Island beach   With another month of trips onboard the Safari Explorer with UnCruise Hawaii in store I managed to find a quick adventure in my remaining few hours before going onboard. After landing at the Kailua Kona airport on the Big Island where I will meet the ship, I grabbed a rental car and cruised a few minutes north on the highway to a turnoff for the lava rock coast. A long bumpy road ensued over the lava fields. Off in the distance and slowly coming closer into sight was a beautiful oasis of palm trees surrounded by the jet black lava rock.   The road to Kekaha Kai Beach park is not one for the faint of heart or cars with low clearance. However after seeing the secret beaches and beautiful coves from the plane as we descended made me have no doubt this adventure would be worth it. The close the park at 7pm, and the sun was already low on the horizon so I knew I had to act fast. Luckily I'm pretty adept at jumping from...

   Entering Samburu National Reserve The Ewaso Ng' iro River Everyone took a deep breath as we passed through the entry gate to Samburu National Reserve. This is our first wildlife stop on the trip. We arrived mid day and our wonderful guides took us towards Larsen's Luxury Tent Camp, our home for the next 2 nights. Our Safari Rides Samburu landscape    The environment around us is very dry, with lots of shrubs and acacia trees, but not much grass. It is home to many of the famous African animals like elephants, zebra, giraffe, lions, leopards, and hundreds of species of birds.  The dry landscape is pierced by a river who's waters provide the lifeblood of this area. Babies in tow Reticulated Giraffe       Because of the transition to this arid environment Samburu is a hot spot for those in the know looking for some of Kenya's rarer species. There are 5 big animals here in Samburu that you probably won...