Photographing the Caracals of the Eastern Cape

The first time I saw a caracal, I didn't even lift my camera and try to photograph it. I wanted to savour the moment as it stopped and looked back before melting away into the long grass, those famous ear tufts the only remaining clue to its presence. With our Rare Mammals of the Eastern Cape trip, I hope to share the dilemma of whether to capture a caracal with a camera or with your memory.

I first visited Kariega Game Reserve in South Africa's Eastern Cape in 2013 to photograph a story about Thandi the white rhino who survived an attack by poachers. On our first evening with the now-famous Thandi, we also found ourselves watching a mother caracal and her two large kittens heading out to hunt. We spent so long with them that I even had the luxury of switching to video mode and capturing my first footage of this stunning cat. On every visit to Kariega since I've been fortunate to see caracal multiple times. It's one of the many reasons this gorgeous family-run reserve has such a special place in my heart.

And it's not just caracals we'll be looking for on this trip. The open plains of Kariega are peppered with burrows, and night drives are the perfect way to find out who these subterranean hidey-holes belong to. Porcupines are always a pleasure to watch as they forage but the real gem we'll be searching for on our forays after dark is the delightfully bizarre aardvark, which I have also had the pleasure of filming here.

During the day, our expert guides will also be able to give us a break from sitting in vehicles and take us out on foot to teach us more about these rarer mammals that make Kariega such an exciting destination for Wildlife Worldwide.

The birdlife of the Eastern Cape is equally intoxicating. The jewel in Kariega's crown has to be the mighty crowned eagle – a forest specialist capable of taking prey up to six times its own body weight. We'll also be looking along the forest fringes for magnificent Knysna turacos while secretary birds and ostriches roam the plains below.

These plains are also home to lion, buffalo, white rhino and elephant (while the more secretive leopard and black rhino keep to the dense bush). These African icons share the open spaces with mixed herds of zebra, wildebeest, eland, kudu, nyala and blesbok – an animal that I'll always fondly associate with Kariega.

On that first visit in 2013, I took a motion blur image of two blesbok stampeding across the plains. The picture went on to win the overall title of European Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2014. It's a technique I'm always happy to help people try with their cameras on these photo safaris, and the open plains of Kariega are a great place to try it.

Kariega has recently expanded to set more land aside for wildlife – a sign of just how seriously the owners take their role in protecting wildlife and creating more job opportunities locally through conservation. I have no doubt if you join me in our search for caracal and aardvark here, you'll fall for the charm of this family-run wildlife haven.

Speak to our team today to find out more or to book your place on our Rare Mammals of the Eastern Cape photography tour.