Micato Safaris Photo Contest Winners, Winter 2016

From a mischievous baby elephant to an elegant centenarian on safari, our Photo Contest winners capture some wonderful African moments. We’d like to expand our contest, open it up a little, make it more of a richly interactive part of our blog.  So please deluge us with your best pictures, tell us the stories behind them (in not much more than 50 words, if you don’t mind).

Each of the monthly winners will receive a credit worth $250 from Micato’s Safari Shop.

“We came upon this cheeky lilac-breasted roller while on safari in Serengeti National Park,” Douglas writes. “With the Serengeti’s rich diversity of species, each bird sighting was an exciting peek into the microcosm of the sprawling Plains. This particular roller was repeatedly pitching the nut in the air—an avian attempt at cracking its shell to reap its bounty.”

“The early morning was full of exciting animal sightings. Then we came upon a mother elephant and her spunky baby, which kept trying to out-maneuver Mom and go off on her own. Finally the baby trotted off very quickly and landed in front of our vehicle. One could just see its excitement at finally getting free of Mom’s loving supervision. That baby elephant actually pranced! Mom rejoined her rambunctious child and I do believe she issued some motherly advice.”

“This scene was a rather lucky catch at the end of an already action-packed day at Lake Ndutu. The four cubs and a lioness had just spotted another lioness emerging from the bush after a failed hunt on the other side of our Micato safari vehicle. Because of our driver’s skill, we were fortunate to find perfect light to capture this remarkable ‘Lion Family Tree,’ and to witness a joyous family reunion at the foot of the tree moments later. Another indelible memory from my first-ever visit to Africa.”

“We came upon these lions near sunset.  They were huddled together on what was probably an old ant hill.  After observing them for awhile, we started to leave.  As we pulled away, the sun shone sunbeams on the horizon.  We stopped for a photo and I used a wide angle lens to capture the vast landscape, including the lions sleeping on the mound.  It was a magical scene.”

“We had been parked in front of these lions for 15 minutes, watching the sunset. As we started to leave, I saw them pop their heads up and all look in the same direction.  The driver stopped for us and I was able to quickly grab this shot. ”

“We were on the Micato Grand Safari in the Amboseli National Park, with my 102-year old grandmother Carlotta Niles. We were visiting a Maasai village in the park and the tribe came out to welcome us with a song and dance. When Benson, our Maasai guide, learned of Carlotta’s age he arranged a meeting with the tribe’s elder chief, who was 98. Carlotta was overwhelmed by the attention and honored by the gift of a special necklace. She sat for photos and enjoyed her elder status with incredible dignity. Carlotta has traveled the world for most of her life and she claims that her traveling days have come to an end, but that this trip was truly the best of the best! Thank you Micato for taking such good care of my beloved grandmother!”