Wildlife Trips Archives - ETB Travel Photography

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park…what a find!! The park is only 13 miles south of Gainesville and 29 miles north of Ocala. It was a perfect getaway for me and my dog Annie in between horse shows at the World Equestrian Center.

I typically don’t visit state parks because unlike National Forests, dogs have to be on a leash and there is an entrance fee. At Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, the fee was only $4. I couldn’t believe it! I am so glad I visited this 22,000 acre wilderness over two days.

HAPPY HIKING!

Komodo Island’s Komodo Dragons

After three days in Singapore and three days in Bali, we finally boarded our dive boat to explore the waters of Indonesia on the way to Komodo Island and back. I’m embarrassed to admit that on our 7 day dive-centric trip, I was most excited about potentially seeing a Komodo dragon! That statement probably sounds like blasphemy to my fellow SCUBA divers, but I had never seen one of these endangered creatures.

The Komodo dragon, the largest lizard in the world, may only be found in the wild in Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is comprised of three large islands in Indonesia’s Lesser Sundra Archipelago: Komodo, Padar, and Rinca, as well as many smaller ones.

GO KOMODO!

Culture in the Amazon

For our fifth day cruising the Peruvian Amazon with G Adventures, we continued along the Marañón River and its tributaries which flow into the Amazon near Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. It was a day of culture in the Amazon including meeting a Shaman and a mayor, having lunch in an Amazon community, learning to dye materials with resources from the Amazon, and enjoying music of the Amazon.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!

The Marañon River in the Amazon

For our fourth day on our river cruise by G Adventures in the Peruvian Amazon, we began with an early morning skiff ride down the Nahuapa River, a tributary of the Marañon River. The plan was to enjoy a box breakfast on the skiff while watching the dolphins. Unfortunately, they didn’t show, but we still got to enjoy the surrounding nature along the way. It’s about the journey, not the destination, right?

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!

Peruvian Amazon: Part I

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. That’s what it takes to get to the Amazon. Just kidding! I like that movie title, and the title does imply that it takes some effort to get to the Peruvian Amazon, which it does. But more accurately, it takes planes, buses, and boats!

From Dallas, we flew to Lima via Miami and stayed the night before hopping on a plane to Iquitos, Peru. For those who imagine the Amazon is in the middle of the jungle, you might be surprised to learn that Iquitos, the gateway to the Peruvian Amazon, has a population of 500,000!

Iquitos, the 4^th largest city in Peru and the capital of the Loreto Region, boasts an international airport and may only be accessed internationally by plane or boat. As a result, it is one of the most expensive cities in the world because everything has to be flown in! For example, strawberries in Iquitos cost 35 soles or almost 10 USD!

While there is one road between Iquitos and Nauta, another city in the Peruvian Amazon, it does not extend further. I was amazed by the size of Iquitos given its relative inaccessibilty in the jungle!

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!

Colleyville Nature Center

The Colleyville Nature Center is owned and operated by the City of Colleyville Parks and Recreation. This 46-acre refuge which features nine ponds and 3.5 miles of trails is a nature lovers paradise located right in the middle of a neighborhood!

I learned of this pocket of paradise, just 20 minutes from my house, through a group called Hiker Babes. The group is global, and it has both a North Texas Chapter and a DFW Chapter which posts events on Facebook regularly. It was my first time joining them for an activity, and me and my friend Laura had a nice time. And Laura even walked away with a backpack giveaway! Lucky winner!!

GET NEXT TO NATURE!

The Monarch Butterfly Migration

I’m not sure how I originally heard of the Monarch butterfly migration. All I knew was that a bunch of monarchs cluster on trees in Mexico during the winter, and I thought it would be cool to photograph. Well, I got so much more than I bargained for and learned a ton. What a special experience!

Before I delve into the details, I have two major tips for seeing the monarch butterfly migration in Mexico.

Unless you are fluent in Spanish, read the book Bicycling with Butterflies by Sara Dykman, as the guides don’t speak English. While she pushes her agenda on occasion, she provides a wealth of knowledge about the monarchs I wish I had known prior to visiting. I ended up listening to the entire book on my extended travels home from Mexico. It made what we watched that much more fascinating. I have a renewed appreciation of the monarch butterfly.
If you only have time to visit one Sanctuary, make sure it is El Rosario and go on a weekday. DO NOT go to any sanctuary on a weekend. They get way too crowded.

FLY WITH THE BUTTERFLIES!

Day 8 – Final Drive of Botswana Safari

Well, the time has come to say good-bye to beautiful Botswana. What an amazing trip we took! Many thanks go out to our handler, Kelvin, who organizes trips for us around Africa. My next stop will likely be South Africa. I know it will be amazing too!

Botswana Wildlife

The magnificent sunrise treated us to more spectacular scenery. A solitary female lion laid in wait of a hunt while tsessebe grazed on the golden grazes. Baboons darted from one tree to another. Fighting for territory, one baboon tried to shake another off the swaying tree limb! The babies just clung to their moms.

VISIT BOTSWANA

Day 7 – Botswana Safari Pom Pom

Our seventh day in Botswana was our last full day on safari. By this point, we had seen so much, we were riding in the tracker seat, stopping to look at flowers, and generally taking a moment to enjoy all of Pom Pom’s nature rather than doing the typical wildlife tracking.

And as usual we experienced more amazing things, starting with the fog covered delta at sunrise. Africa just doesn’t disappoint!

GO ON SAFARI

Day 6 – Botswana Safari in Sango and Pom Pom

We spent our final morning at Sango Safari Camp before flying out to Pom Pom in the Okavango Delta. We paid for six activities, and we were supposed to have one more safari drive in Moremi Game Reserve, but the bush airlines scheduled us for an early departure.

At first, Sango wasn’t going to provide a morning drive due to limited time. But Mack Air and Moremi Air fly in and out of the Khwai Concession bush airport, which means there is only a runway…no buildings, no bathrooms, no control towers, no security. So, we pretty much only needed to show up a few minutes before departure time.

As a result, I countered, “You can give us ½ a drive or return our money.” We promptly had a drive scheduled with our awesome guide, July!

I’m noting this for beginner safari goers because flights take place all day and passengers can be moved around (which happened when left Pom Pom for our international flight). So be sure to notify the camp staff the day before departure so adjustments can be made. While Botswana was my fourth safari, it was my first as the organizer working with the handler and camp personnel who always go above and beyond.

TAKE A SAFARI