Circle Of Life

A perfect safari holiday—where you’re deep in the wilderness but couched in comfort—takes years of gruelling, collaborative hard work and effort to make it a reality. Conservationist Tara Lal sees both sides in South Africa.

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There is absolute silence as we wait in our open-top vehicle along the dry riverbed. We had received intel that a leopard made a kill in this area the night before, and we can now see the carcass of an impala draped over a tree branch just ahead of us. But there is no sign of the big cat. Anticipation is half the fun of photographing wildlife, and I can feel a flutter of excitement as I adjust my light settings and find an uncomfortable but good angle for the upcoming shot. In the vehicle with me are Jaisal and Anjali Singh, owners of (Suján Luxury, both experts in photography and safari lifestyle. Just as the sun shines through a passing cloud, a female leopard named Mashaba steps out from behind the tall grass, accompanied by her cub. They had been there the whole time, watching us. They glance towards us with intense aloofness, entirely unperturbed by our presence and our clicking, and settle down on the silky sandbank. I take my eye off the lens for a moment to just take in the jungle around us.