This is the 5th installment of An African Journey by Yusuf Hashim, a co-owner of PhotoSafari.com.my. Yusuf Hashim has been traveling around the world in a 4×4 for more than 12 years. This is one of his episodes of his travels in Africa. It will give an insight on what to expect when you travel in Africa.

Yusuf is now planning to organize a PhotoSafari for photographers to Africa soon. So stay tuned.

An African Journey by Yusuf Hashim – Part 5

This is Big Jack, an old giant Baobab Tree that has been living just outside the Makadikgadi Salt Pan in Northeastern Botswana for the last 1200 years. The diameter of its trunk is more than 10 meters, and the circumference is at least 25 meters. I’m in the picture to provide an impression of scale as to how large the trunk is. The Baobab is often called the Tree of Life because it can provide food, water and shelter. Baobabs can be hollowed out, to provide shelter and living space for humans . The leaves can be used for medicines and flavouring for food. The fruit can be eaten and is called monkey bread. Its Vitamin C content is higher than that of oranges, and calcium content higher than in cow’s milk. The tree can store thousands of litres of water in its cork-like bark, which can be tapped in dry periods. Fibre from the bark can also be woven into cloth and rope. So the Baobab is certainly an amazing tree.

 

This was the biggest elephant that I’ve ever seen. He came to our campsite and everyone ran helter skelter. I hid behind some trees to try and shoot him from the front, downwind from him and I thought it was quite safe. But I peed in my pants when he came towards where I was hiding behind little trees like those in this picture. However, the man upstairs must have decreed that I should live a little longer. The big bull elephant stopped advancing towards me just as I felt I was going to sh*t in my pants, in addition to peeing. He came to within 20 meters of where I was, and nonchalantly turned around, showed me his backside, and walked away from me. Boy, that was close. The adrenalin rush was almost orgasmic, and I couldn’t help shooting his huge backside as he walked away from me.

 

Here’s what it looks like in the Ngorongoro Crater. Elephants are feeding on grass and shrubs under an acacia tree, wildebeest, impalas and zebras are hanging around to the left of my frame, and occasionally a couple of hyenas can be seen as well. Warthogs are quite common, and up in the sky a long way away, vultures are circling over a recent kill by a predator. Cheetahs are very shy, but they occasionally jump up on an anthill or a large rock, to survey the area. On the ground there are quite a number of yellow billed hornbills, with crowned cranes proudly strutting around, showing off their plumes.

 

In the afternoon, after brunch, lions are simply sleeping around.

 

 

And Zebra Crossing takes on a literal meaning in the Serengeti…

Here’s the sort of terrain we often have to drive through, from the very, very wet…….

To the very, very hot and dry. Its great fun.

 

In Aswan, after an overnight ferry ride from Wadi Haifa in Sudan, across lake Nasser to Aswan, I took a relaxing ride on a Felluca across the Nile, just to enjoy the breeze and to shoot some Nile-scapes.

 

Stay tuned for the 6th part of this series where Yusuf visits Mt. Kilimanjaro and Cape of Good Hope