Edition 47: Summer 2009

Hannes Lochner, professional photographer and author of The Colours of Southern Africa, has travelled widely across Africa. Here are his five favourite haunts.

1 Makalai Private Game Reserve, South Africa
Close to South Africa’s renowned Kruger National Park, Makalai possesses a huge the diversity of flora and fauna. There are beautiful kopjes protruding into the skies, and everywhere you look are thick, overgrown vegetation and huge trees, which host prolific birdlife. As I watched some elephants in one of the riverbeds (their normal stomping grounds), I captured this lunar moth landing on the back of one. So rare a species, so rare an interaction, it had to be the cover of my book.

2 Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana
This is another part of the Kalahari Desert where predators rule. Finding three cheetahs in golden light with a pregnant springbok, steam rising from their bodies early in the morning on the open savannah, is not something you see often. Again, it is witnessing animals living their lives in such arid regions that I find so fascinating.

3 Kruger National Park, South Africa
Kruger has long been one of my favourite places. This is due to the diversity of animals it holds. If you spend enough time here you’ll be sure to see more than just the Big Five: the rivers and dams are always full of action – you just have to be prepared to be patient. As the Kruger stretches over hundreds of kilometres, the vegetation is nicely varied. I love the northern sections of the park, as there is less tourist traffic, giving me even greater chances of spotting something utterly beautiful.

4 Skeleton Coast National Park, Namibia
Deserts delight, and this dramatic strip of sand along Namibia’s northern coast is no exception. There, desert-adapted elephants can cross vast areas without so much as a drink of water. The harshness of the Skeleton Coast National Park’s environment is always plain to see, while encounters like this – captured as I crested a dune – are moments you can hardly believe. Thankfully, I have my images to remind me that it was all for real.

5 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, SA and Botswana
While I’ve always been in love with Africa’s desert areas, Kgalagadi holds a special place in my heart and is undoubtedly my favourite spot on the continent. Here in the Kalahari there are not only vast numbers of birds but also plenty of predators and prey. Having the chance to share this quiet moment alone with a leopard as it scented a tree is what this park is all about.