Mala Mala : Pathway to an African Eden

Book Description
A photographic safari through the unspoiled innocence of a latter-day Eden!


From the Publisher
A portion of the proceeds from this book are donated to the Endangered Wildlife Trust, World Wildlife Fund South Africa, and World Wildlife Fund U.S.


From the Author
Kathryn Fuller, President of World Wildlife Fund U.S., and Ian MacDonald, Chief Executive of World Wildlife Fund South Africa write in their joint foreword, "For centuries, people have traveled from all over the world to experience Africa's vast panorama of wildlife. Thanks to those individuals who years ago saw the need to conserve African wildlife, reserves like South Africa's magnificent MalaMala still provide places where Africa's astounding beauty can be seen intact. More important, they provide tangible models for wildlife conservation."


About the Author
Amanda Lumry is from Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A. Her interest in photography has blossomed since her parents bought her a camera in second grade. In June, 1999, she graduated from Harvard University after studying photography in the Visual Environmental Studies Department. Her first book, Nantucket Borders, was published in 1998. Currently, she is working on her third photographic book. She loves to travel and spend time with her family.Jamie Thom began taking photographs at the age of seventeen under the guidance of his father. While studying mechanical engineering and working in the vehicle manufacturing industry he got to know his neighbors well who were keen gameviewers and photographers. He became interested in this immediately, making regular trips to the Kruger National Park. Wildlife and photography soon became more important than engineering and he began to pursue his new interests. He was accepted at MalaMala where he trained to be a ranger and has been there for three years. Jamie has had three photographs accepted in the Top Fifty of the Agfa Awards for wildlife photography, and won the Eric Hosking Award in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition.


Excerpted from MalaMala: Pathway to an African Eden by Lumry, Amanda; Thom, Jamie. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 1999. All rights reserved.
The ring of the telephone rouses you from sleep. Groggily, you consult your bedside clock. Picking up the phone, you are greeted by the cheerful voice of your ranger, informing you that it's time to rise for your early-morning drive. Pulling on jeans, sweater, and jacket, you wonder if perhaps you should have slept a bit later and ambled over to the delectable breakfast buffet in the dining room. However, when you think about the wildlife you may chance upon in the early morning hours, excitement swiftly takes the place of languor. You emerge into the cool winter pre-sunrise gray, join your travelling party, and climb into the Land Rover. As you leave camp, you take the Old Bridge crossing and drive toward the Piccadilly Open Area, where you are confronted by the eerily beautiful sight of a solitary male lion, walking majestically through the mist. The sun has begun to rise, glowing soft pink and red over the Sand River. You proceed to Campbell Koppies, an elevated site famous for optimal viewing of spectacular sunrises. Your entourage arrives just in time to see the sun burst through in a blaze of gold, highlighting the waves of diaphanous mist which roll across the treetops. In the distance, Sithlawayise (also known as Stwise), the most majestic of the koppies, slices starkly through the soft sea of white. You are reduced to silent awe by the beauty that unfolds below. Your group pauses, prolonging the moment with a steaming mug of coffee and freshly baked muffin, courtesy of your ranger and ever helpful tracker. Taking one last look before driving on, you then head to the Hippo Pools, just in time to catch a robust hippo, grazing placidly on the riverbank before lumbering into the water to join his comrades. You watch as they surface and submerge with seeming delight as the deep water ripples around their rotund bodies. One thing is clear: these are creatures happy with their lot in life. Upon leaving the hippos, you happen upon a herd of Cape buffalo lolling about, chewing their cuds, considering the possibility of getting up to start their day. You notice that the sun is fully up now. You can remove your first layer of outer clothing, and you find yourself searching for your brimmed hat. Look up! In the branch of a nearby tree a leopard is taking a mid-morning siesta. The sounds of birds and insects fill the air as the sun rises yet higher in the sky. Your ranger inquires if you all might like to head back for lunch. This sounds like an excellent suggestion. You proceed towards Camp, only to encounter an elephant sauntering down a path, showering himself with dust. Passing by the high wall outside the Main Camp entrance, you spot two comical vervet monkeys. Their chattering acrobatic antics seem deliberate, as if it is their intent to charm and amuse. You decide to spend the warmest part of the day enjoying a sumptuous lunch on the shaded deck overlooking the river, then going for a swim in the pool. After three o'clock tea, you are sufficiently fortified to embark on your afternoon-into-evening game drive. You take along your sweater and jacket in preparation for doing the reverse of what you did in the morning--adding layers, rather than removing them. The first sighting of the afternoon is a stately male kudu, standing at almost military attention. He stops, allowing you to photograph him, then darts off into the bush. A bit further down the road, near Campbell Koppies, are four elegant impala, who seem to be listening intently for any signs of danger. Proceeding down a rutted dirt path framed by graceful bushwillow trees, you are startled by the sight of two enormous rhinos reveling in the muck of a mud hole. You begin to notice that the sun is sinking in the sky, and the afternoon light takes on a golden glow. You pass a huge termite mound, from which two playful mongooses seem to be conducting a game of hide and seek. Down another quiet path, through a grove of umbrella thorn trees, a limpid-eyed female bush buck stands and browses. The late-day light fades and gradually deepens into dusk, when the waning sun finally sinks in a burst of vivid color, dramatically silhouetting the trees and koppies. It is only after the sun has set that your tracker takes out the spotlight, which he uses to facilitate night viewing. You pull on your jacket to ward off the slight chill in the air and drive over in the direction of the windmill. There, you chance upon an amazing spectacle: a pride of nine lions, drinking en masse from a watering hole. They are unfazed and wholly at ease in the spotlight. Their thirst satisfied, they turn away, and you begin the drive back to camp. However, one more surprise is in store. Your tracker spots an owl, stationed like a nocturnal sentinel on a branch overhead, round eyes wide and unblinking. Back at camp, you freshen up and walk over to the Lounge to have a drink with your companions. How many points was your party able to add to the animal sighting scoreboard over the bar? It is with some satisfaction that you note you've seen the legendary "Big Five" all within the course of one day, in addition to other fascinating animals and an abundance of natural wonders. Dinner conversation around the bonfire in the boma will be filled with the recounting of the day's extraordinary events and the anticipation of what wonders tomorrow will bring.


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