Week in Pictures: A Little Slice of Heaven

We’ve spent the week cruising through the waterways of the Delta, bumbling over the rocky terrain of the Balule Nature Reserve, accelerated through the thick sand of Botswana, and sailed across the plains of the Sabi Sand and the sandy riverbeds in the Klaserie. We’ve seen the beginnings of rain add touches of green to the tree tops, and the brightly coloured blossom of the wild pomegranate transform the drought-stricken landscape. The week’s wildlife sightings have, once again, impressed the judges and we find ourselves celebrating a Friday afternoon with the weekly recap of the photographic winners! Highlights from the camps include the following:

Tuskers Bush Camp: Dining under a 1000 year old baobab, illuminated in the spotlight of the full moon.

Ezulwini Game Lodges: Romance is in the air!

Africa on Foot & nThambo Tree Camp: Hyena and lion interaction at a buffalo kill in Klaserie.

Umkumbe Safari Lodge: Catching up with Mxabene, leopard legend of the southern Sabi Sand.

Now take a look at the best of them all with the Week in Pictures: A Little Slice of Heaven!

nThambo Tree Camp, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

About half a tonne of one of the Kruger's most indomitable animals

Southern ground hornbills take safety in a tree, displaying the rarely seen white plumage in their flight feathers

A young male lion from the Dundee Pride stretches his jaws in a classic, 'King of the Jungle'-type manner

A buffalo bull paces slowly through the dusk under the golden glow of the sunset

Africa on Foot, Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

A young African wild dog bathing in the morning's first light

The Ross Breakaway lionesses rest under the outstanding blossom of the wild pomegranate tree

A journey of giraffe depicted just as the collective noun intended

A buffalo bull's lonely journey into the sunset

Umkumbe Safari Lodge, Sabi Sand Wildtuin, Greater Kruger Park

The magnificent Mambiri male leopard looking content in his new neighbourhood

A giraffe is dwarfed by a tall marula tree, which is blooming into its vibrant summer colours

Those ears twitch to pick up seemingly inaudible sound in the secretive and wild bushveld.

A look of caution betrays this wild dog's otherwise relaxed demeanour. There is no room for complacency in the wild.

Ezulwini Game Lodges, Balule Nature Reserve, Greater Kruger Park

Spotlit in sunlight, an elephant basks in the rays of the rising sun

A giraffe takes a bow. It's a long way down!

A tender moment between a mother hippo and her calf in the Olifants River. This youngster will follow in its mother's footsteps and become one of the most formidable mammals in Africa.

A dwarf mongoose freezes in its tracks to check for potential danger before darting across an opening in the veld and diving for cover on the other side.

Wildside Africa: Tuskers Bush Camp & Xobega Island Camp, Botswana

Contemplating life's many mysteries from the comfort of a fallen tree on Xobega Island in the Okavango Delta

A dagha boy carries his heavy head close to the ground, but it would be foolish to think that an old bull like this can't act with quick flick of his deadly horns... One of Africa's most dangerous animals.

Fine sand and dust fill the crevices in the skin of an elephant, protecting it from the sun, as well as unwanted parasites. A magnificent display to watch, the elephant dust bath.

A velvet ant, which is in fact a female wasp, packs quite a sting, and should be admired from afar rather than handled.