bkellycs

[bkellycs]

So it appears that Autodesk did a thing.

Go nuts, my friends.

[bkellycs]

#ZambeziExpeditions has an absolutely stunning view across the #Zambezi river. #africanbushcamps #Zimbabwe #safari #Africa #manapools (at Zambezi Expeditions, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe)

[bkellycs]

This beautiful female African elephant gave us quite the adrenaline rush. When we pulled up she gave us a mock charge as a warning to not come too close. We soon discovered that we had inadvertently gotten in the middle of her herd as several younger elephants were noticeable in the bush to our right. We couldn't back up as more of the herd was emerging but in pulling forwards she rammed our vehicle three times to push us away from her herd. This wasn't an act of aggression. If she had wanted to, she could easily have tossed our vehicle - we had gotten too close to her young and she just wanted us out of there so she chased us off. A magnificent, if hair raising, experience. #africanbushcamps #Zimbabwe #safari #Africa #manapools #elephant (at Mana Pools National Park)

[bkellycs]

Long Lake is another one of the four pools that give Mana Pools it's name. At the height of the rainy season, the pool can be as long as 7km, but even in the dry season it rarely drops below 4km long. #africanbushcamps #Zimbabwe #safari #Africa #manapools (at Mana Pools National Park)

[bkellycs]

"Mana" means four in Shona, and Green Pool is one of the pools that gives Mana Pools it's name. They were originally part of the Zambezi river but are now oxbow lakes that are seasonally full of water and both a much needed drinking point and a respite for the hippos and other water wildlife. #africanbushcamps #Zimbabwe #safari #Africa #manapools (at Mana Pools National Park)

[bkellycs]

This monstrosity is a water scorpion, and this particular individual was a good 12cm (5") long. Despite their name, they're insects, not scorpions, and despite their fearsome appearance they're quite harmless. They live in bodies of water where they prey on other insects. They rarely leave the water but they can fly - though they are not very agile at all. #waterscorpion #insect #KangaCamp #africanbushcamps #Zimbabwe #safari #Africa #manapools (at Kanga Camp, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe)

[bkellycs]

I still haven't found a baboon spider in the wild, but I did find a few of their close cousins in the tree at Kanga Camp. This is an African Sheet-web Spider (sometimes also called a curtain-web due to the webs it spins looking like drapes). These little spiders are the ultimate couch potatoes, they'll sit in their web and just wait for their prey to come to them, dashing forward and grabbing it the moment they sense vibrations on their web. They'll happily to months without eating as they use so little energy. #KangaCamp #africanbushcamps #Zimbabwe #safari #Africa #manapools (at Kanga Camp, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe)

[bkellycs]

I made a new friend. #africanbushcamps #Zimbabwe #safari #Africa #manapools #KangaCamp (at Kanga Camp, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe)

[bkellycs]

Here at #KangaCamp there's an incredible waterhole right in front of the camp. In the dry season it's home to the armchair safari - the joke is that you shouldn't go on game drives, you might miss the wildlife! #africanbushcamps #Zimbabwe #safari #Africa #manapools (at Kanga Camp, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe)

[bkellycs]

Literally as we came off Dandawa Airstrip we spotted a breeding pair of lions resting under a bush. What a welcome! #ManaPools #lion #safari #Zimbabwe #Africa #africanbushcamps (at Kanga Camp, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe)

[bkellycs]

This weekend I was in #ManaPools National Park. We landed at Mana Main Airstrip for a few moments for Kieras pickup before moving me on to Dandawa Airstrip. #Zimbabwe #safari #Africa (at Mana Pools National Park)

[bkellycs]

The top picture was Friday evening. The bottom was Saturday morning. We had one heck of a downpour. What had been dry and sandy plains one day had turned into wide flooded wetlands the next. #Hwange #Zimbabwe #Africa #safari #wildernesssafaris (at Hwange National Park)

[bkellycs]

We pulled up at a beautiful pan for sundowner drinks, where we were eventually joined by two elephant herds. #sundowner #sunset #Zimbabwe #Africa #Hwange #safari #wildernesssafaris (at Hwange National Park)

[bkellycs]

Just an idea of how close to the Painted Dog pack we were, and they were utterly indifferent to our presence. #painteddog #Hwange #wildernesssafaris #safari #Zimbabwe #Africa (at Hwange National Park)

[bkellycs]

You can always rely on Hwange National Park to give you extraordinary elephant sightings. There's over 44,000 of them in the park. #elephant #Hwange #wildernesssafaris #safari #wildlife #Zimbabwe #Africa (at Hwange National Park)

[bkellycs]

Near the pack of Painted Dog were herds of sable and elephant. #sable #wildlife #wildernesssafaris #Hwange #Zimbabwe #safari #Africa #antelope (at Hwange National Park)

[bkellycs]

This was my first ever sighting of Painted Dog (Lycaon pictis) in the wild, a pack of 21 relaxing next to a watering hole at Three Pans. These beautiful creatures are an endangered species and fascinating animals. They're a species of their own, not just a wild dog. #painteddog #wildlife #wildernesssafaris #Zimbabwe #Hwange #safari #Africa (at Hwange National Park)