There are no other places (curious vervet),
that have African faces (smiling impala).
The animals you see here (Confident Southern Yellow Billed Hornbill)
are full of the joy (Square Lipped White Rhino)
of being free (African Elephant).
Much more free (Kudu)
than you and me (waterbuck).
Wild zebra send cheers to you from the still remaining free creatures of Africa~
These are such great photos and Ty for sharing.
Lovely to see such healthy, wild and free creatures. Happy you enjoyed them!
Great pics Cindy…it’s as if they’re posing for you 🙂
I thought that was especially polite of them! 😉
Oh..oh..oh! it’s after midnight here, and your post just came in. I think I will be dreaming about these beautiful creatures tonight. Fabulous photography!
Oh, I know they were beautiful dreams and I hope to see a poem from them!!! No pressure, just know the beauty your dreams turn into~
I’m swooning. I wanna go there. It must be magical! Awesome! Breathtaking! to see all those magnificent animals in their natural habitat. And to be able to get such fabulous photos of them!
Alison
Hmmmmm, I can already see Alison & Don’s next trip in the formative stages!!!! 😉
Wonderful set of photos!
Thanks much my friend~
Beautiful pictures Cindy.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
Hugs back at you David~
Can I stow away in your baggage? Beautiful, Cindy.
Yes, please!! I love traveling with you~
Cindy, these photos are all exquisite; showing these unique animals, and bird, from their best aspect. ‘All things bright and beautiful’ comes to mind! 🙂
The eyes of these wild African animals were bright, alive, beautiful and happy. Much different then the depressed eyes we see in captivity.
‘Pawsome’ photos! ლ(¬ᴥ¬)ლ
The critters were just naturally photogenic. They required no touch ups like movie stars!!! 😉 😉
I love these faces! Beautiful pics. 🙂
So glad you do Laura & cheers too~
Such familiar animals to us Africans but always oh so special and beautiful.
Thank you, sometimes the everyday animals photograph more beautifully than the more exotic~
Excellent, Cindy!
Mil grazi~
So good. I feel I am there with you.
I wish you were Anne!
Sehr schöne Fotos !!!
Vielen danke mein Freund~
Great pictures !!!!! Well done 🙂
Merci beaucoup!
Gorgeous animals! I love each and every one of them! Hugz Lisa and Bear
I loved how they looked me in the eye!
Such special creatures – all of them.
Wonderful photos, Cindy <3
Very happy you like them!
Great shot, Ms Knoke. I remember being in Africa and you can tend to get a bit blase. ‘Oh look, there’s yet another herd of zebra.’ Then you go, ‘Bloody hell! There’s another herd of zebra! Where do they all come from?’
Yes, laughing, and you can’t resist taking photos of them all!! Wonderful to hear from you and hope all is well. Heading over to your blog to see what’s up with you~
Nothing up, but I still have fun. A lot.
Liebe Cindy das sind einfach wunderschöne Fotos super danke dir für die schönen Fotos sei ganz lieb gegrüßt in Freundschaft Klaus
Guten Tag un vielen danke Klaus! <3
Oh yes, nothing makes my day like seeing images of animals who’re content in their freedom! They all have such a serene expression. All adorable! Thank you for this treat Cindy! <3 ~Lynn
The expressions really impressed me. They looked so much brighter and happier than zoo animals and they looked me in the eye!
The photographs of the different animals are attractive.. 🙂
Happy you enjoyed Ranu~
Beautiful pictures! 🙂
Thanks much & cheers to you~
Thank you very much, Cindy! :*
Great photos. Looks like you are having a great time.
I get along great where the wild things are!!
This does my heart good! What a great way to start my Friday morning. Thank you!
Awww, your comment made my heart feel good! <3
xo
Love the pictures Cindy, especially the smiling impala and the elephant…and the vervet is amazing.
Ron
I saw a vervet nip a lady in the rump (not hard) just enough to get her to drop her sandwich!!!
wonderful photos!
So pleased you enjoyed!
My first vacation out of Europe was to Africa. You just brought back wonderful memories. Great pictures of the wildlife. Thank you. Africa is so beautiful.
What a great first trip! You Europeans are so lucky, it’s only an eleven hour flight. For me, two flights, 11 hours each and I’ve done it for two trips. I can’t get enough of the wild things!
I was born in Europe, at the border between Austria and Italy, came here to the US over 30 years ago. You know I haven’t really figured it out yet, so I just ask. Where are you from? Or what do you call home?
Those are good neutral questions! We drove from Austria into Italy, the beautiful Alps region. I just consider many bloggers to be citizens of the world because we have global perspectives……
Beautiful animals, wild and free. Well captured, Cindy. Have been to Tanzania, but not SA.
Ohhh, I hear Tanzania is stunning!
Nicely captured portraits of such majesty…
Awww, thank you Sally!
You captured the majesty of these animals. These photos bring tears in my eyes… Thank you so much for posting while you are traveling.
Thank you more for traveling with me and sending me such nice thoughts! <3 <3
<3 xo
Wow – such interesting faces and characters. Beautifully capture Cindy!
Merci beaucoup mon ami!
Great captures and most of them were looking at you. “Here’s looking at you kid” 🙂
I’ve noticed that wild animals usually look me in the eye. Zoo animals avoid eye contact. Maybe they’ve had their fill of humans. Who can blame them~
Great photos, I love the zebras!
Aren’t they beautiful creatures and the herds mix with other grazers!
Beautiful photos….feels like I’m right there.
So truly wonderful. Really…I love these photographs and the thoughts behind them. Thank you.
Making you happy makes my day! <3
Beautifully captured Cindy!!
Thanks & cheers Maria!
Just wonderful pix, Cindy. Though they make me ‘homesick’ for Kenya. You are clearly having a very fine time.
I can well imagine that you must feel very homesick at times. We were looking at a house thinking, I wish………
Hm. I know that feeling 🙂
These make me homesick. Thanks for posting, Cindy!
See Tish’s comment above. I can imagine that the homesickness would be quite powerful. Must be so hard to have to leave a home in Africa~
Thank you for sharing pics like these as I have always wanted to go on an African safari and feel like I did through your pics!! 🙂 I am scared of flying- so I can live vicariously through your experiences 😉 😀
I despise flying, so you have my full empathy. I forced my self to endure four 10 hour flights in order to see these creatures again. So happy you came along virtually!
Oh yikes well I’m glad you made it and seems very worth it!! 😃😎
Oh Cindy, how I adore this post with the images and your poem. What an amazing adventure you are on sweet soul! Enjoy, enjoy , enjoy🌸🙏
Having you along virtually Lisa, just makes the whole experience even sweeter! <3
Cindy, thank you for sharing these awesome wildlife images. Truly enjoyed them. Hugs! Veraiconica
Hugs & thanks back at you Veraiconica~
Amazing beautiful post from you – again Cindy, thank you for sharing your adventure 😀
Thank you more for appreciating it Irene! <3
Exceptional picture and post.
Honored that you think so & thanks much!
Love the zebras, impala, and elephant — much better than looking at their pictures in a book, Cindy!!
They are so interactive and inquisitive. Great to see them in their natural habitat!
Hi Cindy! What beautiful, healthy looking animals. Great captures! Love the zebras. 😀
Yes healthy, happy & free is the way to be!
Congratulations Cindy, I nominate you for the Encouraging Thunder Award http://lifeofanelpasowoman.com/2015/05/28/encouraging-thunder-award/
I am honored by yout thoughtfulness! Thank you & cheers too~
Stunning and encouraging pictures.
Thank you! It brings us happiness to see wild animals doing well!
Wonderful photos!
I was just at your blog Bette! Interesting visit as always and thank you my friend~
Awesome pictures of these magnificent animals!
Hello my friend! So happy you like them! I was just over at your blog reading about pink azaleas, fascinating and lovely photos too!
Gorgeous collection, Cindy!
All creatures wise and wonderful!
Mighty and Majestic faces, I especially like the vervet – where did they get this name?
I don’t know how it was named. It is an old world monkey and it’s coat looks like soft velvet so let’s pretend that it why it’s called a vervet!! 😉 😉
Lovely pics and words! That kudo is amazing looking! I’ve never seen a picture of it before!
The kudu is gorgoues isn’t he! I got pics of several grazers I have never seen before, sable antelope, eland, roan antelope, and several of the really interesting nyalas, steenbok and duikers too! So many interesing antelopes!
Each one of these worthy of National Geographic!
Oh, so nice! <3
África me fascina. Impresiona la variedad de fauna, su riqueza de flora, sus diferentes paisajes… En fin, tiene un atractivo especial. Por algo fue la cuna de la Humanidad.
Sí, estoy de acuerdo con usted acerca de Africa. Es simplemente un lugar increíble y yo volvere. Es donde todos venimos de <3!
Now I know you are having a great time…
Oh yes!!! Magical~
Tolle Fotos wünsche von Herzen ein gutes Wochenende lieber Gruß und große Umarmung Gislinde
Danke Gislinde. Es ist wunderbar, von Ihnen zu horen. Ich wurde in einen Blog Besuch vor ein paar Tagen und konnte einen Weg, um einen Kommentar nicht zu finden. Ich wollte dir nur sagen, dass ich liebe deine schone Beitrige.
wonderful – thanks for the uplifting portraits – the zebras are my fav
Aren’t they beautiful creatures!
🙂
What an amazing journey you have had in Africa Cindy. These photos of the animals in the wild have a look of freedom too, it’s in their eyes, that they never have in a zoo.
Exactly! I am so glad you can see the difference in the eyes too! To me the entire demeanor of these creatures in the wild is so very different than the ones we see in cages. I support zoos because they aid in conservation of endangered species, but this should be their primary purpose, and they need to utilize an open spaces philosophy.
I agree with that philosophy too Cindy, but it is sad to see the lions and tigers pacing around in a zoo
I know, heartbreaking. A type of captivity psychosis~
So sad
Stunning photos, Cindy. So good I’ve enjoyed them twice! RH
Oh, how lovely of you to share!
Great photos, as always, Cindy, and a good message. Really like the way the sun is shining through the Yellow Hornbill’s bill. –Curt
Thank you Curt. Isn’t that hornbill a stunner! South Africa has amazing birds~
Amazing everything from a wildlife perspective. 🙂 Glad to have you there capturing it. –Curt
ahhhh, thank you my friend!
Love your blog!
Awwww……
<3
Wow!!!!! Amazing photos.
So happy you enjoyed it!
Join in my movie!
Thanks, I’ll check it out…..
You photograph ANY critters well! I really enjoyed these. Cheers back to you!
Awwwww, love the critters and their expressive faces. Thank you so much my friend and cheers to you~
Wonderful images to bring me right back to Africa! Thank you for that, Cindy.
Thank you for coming along with me! Makes it even more memorable~
Reblogged this on Voices and Visions.
You are very thoughtful Sharon. Thank you!
Simply stunning, Cindy. Takes my breath away. Well done.
Awwww, makes my morning Jamie! Thank you~
Beautiful presentation of magnificent animals Cindy, all special, and all giving joy to those who appreciate their beauty and place on Earth.
Such beautiful sentiments! <3
They all made us smile, Cindy. Pawkisses for a wonderful weekend 🙂 <3
Happy Saturday to you my friend & cheers too~
why in the world would you get so near to those creatures, they are beautiful, but you are a dare devil!
Never had a problem. One just needs to attempt to limit the element of surprise which can result in problems, and pay close attention to, respect, the animal’s body language, the same thing I did for all the years I was a shrink.
I got nervous a couple of times though, once when I was chased off by a aggressive baboon. I did photograph him chasing me though which was a positive! The second time I got nervous was in our car when an entire herd, many hundreds, of Cape Buffalo, surrounded us. We were trapped by them for around half an hour. I know they are more dangerous when alone, but still it was nerve-racking……Also we happened upon a rhino by surprise who was much too close, and a vervet bit a woman several times in the rump. I did get a photo of that too as I ran to help her. No one else saw it, but she did give out a loud yelp. Didn’t break her skin though which would have happened if the vervet had wanted to really injure her.
I’ve been to Africa twice. On the first trip we had no problems whatsoever while alone. The only problem happened when we went on a ranger led game drive. He didn’t respect a bull elephant in musk, got way too close and ignored the rage. We got charged and the ranger pulled out his rifle and nearly shot the ellie and it was all his fault. My son was with me and I remember looking at him during the charge, and he was laughing in amazement at this incredible animal. It’s all good. Wild animals are more civilized than lots of people.
Sorry for the delay response, well you certainly got to write a novel about your experiences. The title could be ” Cindy in the wild”, quite interesting stories happened to you in Africa. Plus you where a shrink? That was an interesting fact to know, I don´t know how people do that job, the hole day listening to other peoples problems, it would depress me or anger me one of the two….or both.
Beautifully captured, and still free! Hugs.
Amazing and sobering that one can detect so clearly the difference in affect in a wild animal in it’s natrural environment, vs a wild animal in a zoo.
Wildflowers too….I used to pick bouquets of them as a child and soon learned how quickly they would fade, in the house.
Yes, I did the same, and they drop all their pollen on the table. Sad~
Very pretty those faces…nearly as pretty as Wolfies!! 🙂
Well, Wolfie is in a class of his own! 😉
So many beautiful animals, Cindy! Thanks for sharing your wonderful safari with us!
Thank you more for coming with me Eliza
I’ve always had a great love of the animals of Africa, and you’ve only reinforced it with these beautiful pics,, Cuz. 🙂
Yes, we share that love cuz! <3
There is just something about zebras. My favorite African animal.
It is so interesting to see them in groups at differing distances. The stripes form fascinating optical illusions!
OMG!! The Zebra are my fave out of this cavalcade of beauties! Cindy… well… just… WOW!!
Aren’t they marvelous creatures! I have some optical illusion photos with the zebras. I finally got why their coloration pattern is confusing to predators, from different angles and distances they morph and change, becomming quite confusing. The camera got confused and the optical illlusions this produced were interesting. They say big cat’s vision is confused by zebras. I can see why….Thank you Resa and be well my friend~ <3
I certainly hope they can stay free…. and safe. Great pics.
Yes, Kruger is an impressive conservation park, very devoted to animal conservation. I think there were poachers when we were there because the police and army were all over the nothern part of the park one day and we never saw them again.
You take wonderful pictures. Those are handsome animals.
Aren’t they wonderful! It is so different to see them free. Hope all is well with you and the family Brenda~
All is well except my shoulder is freezing up. Physical therapy in my future. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. 🙂
I had that and it isn’t fun. It did go away on it’s own though, after about 6 months! I hope you are better soon~
That first photo…so that’s where cousin Joe went. Thanks! I’ll tell aunt Mable.
Laughing, you do that! 😉
Great photos – which bring a smile to my face too.
Ahhhhh, very pleased, thank you!
Such a wonderful gallery dear Cindy! :star: I love it… All my best wishes! Aquileana 😀
So happy you enjoyed them my friend and Happy Weekend!
Hast Du die Fotos alle in freier Wildbahn gemacht? Great, Chapeau!!!
Ja alles in der Natur entnommen, in Kruger National Park, South Africa ~
I see what you did there. 😉
Amazing images!
And – love you you put it all together.
I LOVE your blog. I feel like I’m always traveling.
{Hugs}
You are traveling! With me. Virtually! And I love having you along~ <3
Awww…Thanks.
I feel the love! <3
It’s fun like almost all animals take supermodel poses.
Your photos look great bravo!
Friendly,
They do don’t they! Laughing. Very nice of them too! 😉
Amazing one and all. Loved your dear verse too Cindy <3
Awwww, thank you and so glad you did!
I love those big deltoid shaped ears of the African elephant.
The shape of the African continent which formed these magnificent beasts!
You bring the magic of life alive in the presence of all these wonderful spirits created by our God.
He entrusted us with such a beautiful world, it is a sorrowful shame we didn’t honor his creation more than we have.