Nubians of Aswan

Aswan is the southernmost city in Egypt and a place where the Nile cataracts begin. Impossibly hot in summer and  pleasantly warm in winter. When I first visited Aswan I thought this place is magic! Now after a few years I still think the same. Whenever I am in Egypt I just can’t wait to relax on the felucca Nile cruise operated skillfully by a Nubian captain. Read more

On the Safari in East Africa – part II

Safari shots continuing. This is the second post on wildlife watching in East Africa. If you’ve missed the first one – here is the link.

The photo of the Flamingos was taken at Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. This is probably the most convenient place to see these incredible birds in huge numbers. When I first saw them I was surprised. I expected elegant, gentle birds in a tranquil environment, but  came across noisy, clumsy, smelly and funny looking fellows instead. The biggest fun was to watch them chase each other around the shores of the lake. They looked like a children at play. No sign of elegance that I expected. Read more

On the Safari in East Africa – part I?

East Africa is one of my favourite places I’ve ever been. Its wildlife, landscapes, people and pure wilderness itself gets under your skin and you can never forget this unique place on Earth. I’ve been there many times guiding safari expeditions and vacations on Zanzibar island. Read more

The smoke that thunders

The smoke that thunders or “Mosi-Oa-Tunya” is a local name for Victoria Falls. The Falls lie on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia and can be visited from both countries. I visited the Falls from Zimbabwean side, from the town Victoria Falls.
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Walvis bay – Mola Mola safari

On the way from Swakopmund to Sesriem we stopped at Walvis bay. The idea was to do the Mola Mola sea safari to watch the seals, pelicans, dolphins and other marine animals. The coast was misty and cold. Our skipper Eddie was a great guy with a great sense of humor. He was making jokes all the way and he was really knowledgeable. As soon as we left the harbour we got funny visitor – an adult seal named Saddam Husein (the photo above). He just sat at the back of the boat and waiting for  the fish.
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Namib-Naukluft National Park

Namib desert is probably number one attraction in Namibia. The red dunes are the subject on every tourist brochure photos and a visit is in every itinerary of Namibia that travel agencies offer. And I do not wonder why. I was admiring the photos myself and I hardly waited to get there. The Namib is the second largest desert in Africa and it is the part of Namib – Naukluft national park. Most popular place to visit in the park is Sesriem, which is a starting point to the Sossusvlei and Deadvlei areas.

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Welwitschia mirabilis

Welwitchia Mirabilis is an extraordinary plant. It can live for more than thousand years and some of them have their leaves several metres long and they never stop growing. The plant has actually only two leaves, but the wind and bad weather tear them apart into hundreds of stripes and it looks like there are several. Wikipedia has a nice article of Welwitchia if you are interested in more. Read more

Lady Africa

When i saw her I was enchanted by her beauty. She was selling the souvenirs – cute litte Herero dolls – by the road from Damaraland to Swakopmund. Her colourful dress is tipical for the Herero women and her brooch in a shape of Africa? I had to take a photo of her. Read more

Stripes in Etosha

Etosha is one of the most interesting national parks I have visited so far. The name itself means “The great white pan” after huge mineral pan that dominates the park. Etosha NP is huge – it is even bigger than my home country Slovenia.  For a visit of the park I would recommend you t least three nights in the park to cover the most interesting areas. Even if you do self driving it is not difficult to navigate and spot animals. The best scenario would be driving from one waterhole to another and then another… Waterholes usually attract a lot of wildlife and even if at the moment you get there there is no animals it is worth to stop. If you stop the car engine and just enjoy the quietness and wait for a while, animals will come. Read more

Cape Cross seal colony

Himba – the beautiful people.

I’ve returned from two week tour to Namibia. It was a great trip, Namibia is definitely one of the top countries I’ve visited until now. Its wildlife, countryside, its people! I visited also the Himba village near Opuwo. I spent about two hours with them and i can only wish it would be longer. At least a day or two.
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Maasai girl

Only one portrait this time. A Maasai girl.

It was after an exciting game drive at Tarangire national park in Tanzania. Late afternoon, the others went to the Curio shop or to the restrooms. I was resting by the car when she came by. Quietly, not saying a word, she was standing and watching me inquisitively. I gave her a pen i was just writing with. We were watching each other for a few moments, then I raised my camera slowly and waiting for her reaction. She did not move at all. I took a photograph, she smiled to me and walked away. A fair trade.

Following the steps of Moses

“In the third month,
when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt,
the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai…”
-Exodus, Chapter 19-

Sinai peninsula in Egypt is totally amazing place to visit! At a first glance it looks kind of dull – just rocks and sand – everywhere the same. But the longer you stay there the more it has to offer. Everybody finds something for himself – rich history, moon-like landscape with colourful canyons, religious experience, sun and sand holidays, local Bedouin culture experience, adrenaline sports or amazing underwater world. It pays to do a little bit of reading before you visit the peninsula. Even if you are not interested in history, it is not hard to imagine that this was the place where Pharaohs were passing when going to wars, where Moses was wandering with his nation and where he received the ten commandments. And recent history is turbulent as well – the building of Suez canal, the six-day war in 1967 and other more recent conflicts with Egypt’s strong neighbor. Read more

Sunset on the Nile

Felucca is cruising down the Nile while the sun sets over the western banks of the mighty river.

Sufi dancing in Cairo

Cairo, the capital city of Egypt is one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever been to. Chaos at its best; polluted air, traffic jams, rubbish everywhere, all the smells of the world, street touts – it all adds to the great atmosphere of the city. I really enjoyed Cairo this new year’s holidays and one of the things I liked the most was the Al Taura Troupe and their Sufi dance performance. Actually I’ve seen them couple of times before, but this time I had my camera with me, so I used the opportunity to make some shots.

Read on for more photos and information about the show.
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Photos from Southern Africa

Recently I returned from South Africa. I was leading a group of 22 Slovenian tourists and we visited Republic of South Africa, Swaziland and Victoria Falls from Zimbabwean side. We had a great time together and we were quite lucky with the weather. Since it was quite a long trip I took more than 1500 photos. Editing was hard, but rewarding. Here is just one photo, hope you like it. Some of the best are published in my personal galleries at Pbase. You can find them here: http://www.pbase.com/ratluk/rsa. I will appreciate any comments and if you find the photos beautiful, please share them with your friends. Thanks!

 

Baboons, baboons, baboons!

Baboons are one of my favourites subjects to photograph whenever I go for a safari. Always funny, especially young ones, very intelligent and they let you to get close to them. It is quite interesting to observe their behaviour, very social creatures with strict hierarchy in the troop. The best time to watch them is in the morning, soon after they get up, when a day is still fresh. The little ones are playing with each other, adults are grooming or even mating…

Morning grooming. Read more

African safari photo tips

One of my favourite travel destinations is definitely Africa. With the word Africa I do not mean the Mediterranean part of the continent, which reminds me more of a Middle East than real “black” Africa. It is hard to say what fascinates me more, the people, their music, unspoilt nature or unique wildlife? Probably the combination of all these things, but the biggest impression makes the savanna with its wilderness, beautiful and cruel at the same time.

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