The Big Cats of the Kgalagadi

Big Cat Heaven

While there are many places on our planet to see big cats, Africa remains a hotspot. This is probably because of the sheer number of larger feline species that exist. Many big cats are on the endangered list and struggling to keep up with the pressures that man place on their territories. Thankfully there are great National Parks on the continent where they can continue in much the same way they have done for thousands of years.

One of the main reasons I made the journey to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa was for the chance to get photos of Africa’s big cats out in the open. I managed to get fantastic images of the Kalahari black-maned lions and cheetahs, but the leopards, however, didn’t play ball. I only had one sighting in the twenty-one days I was there. Nevertheless, just being out in the wild and seeing them in their natural environment quickly swept away any feeling of regret at missing out on a few photos.

I will undoubtedly be returning someday to see if I can spot more leopard but will have to make do with chasing them in Sri Lanka later this year.

Here are some of the images that I managed to get.

Female leopard eyeing up lunch

Two Brothers

Cheetah heaven

While the main attraction was the lions, I did not expect to see the sheer number of cheetahs that I saw on this trip. I have a few other blog posts about the Kgalagadi, but Here is one about one of the cheetah hunts I witnessed, and there were a few by these big cats.

Plan your visit

If you can get out to South Africa at any time, try to build a visit into your itinerary. It’s an African paradise for all things predators. If you are into birding or bird photography, it is a special place too. Packed with birds of prey of all sizes, especially owl. Saw five species of owl in my stay and countless kites, eagles, falcons and kestrels. HERE are some Bird of Prey photos from the trip

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