Last week I did a four day photo shoot at Ant’s Hill & Ant’s Nest in the Waterberg and as it was the school holidays, I decided to take Sarah and my two daughters, Amelia (7) and Polly (6) along. These two lodges, form part of the Ant Collection, which specialise in horse back safaris and welcome children of all ages.
I concentrated on shooting the two lodges: Ant’s Hill, perched on the top of an escarpment overlooking dense bush stretching to the horizon; Ant’s Nest set on flat, open land dotted with trees and bushes, wildlife and horses.
Sarah and the girls made the most of all that Ant’s Nest has to offer. The girls wandered around the lodge and grounds, spending most of their time in the heated pool or visiting the numerous horses in the paddock. Wherever they ventured, they were welcomed by extremely friendly staff who were happy to spend time with them, whether it was in the kitchen; helping the waiting staff, especially Abdul; or hanging out in the paddocks with Vic. Fred, one of the young and enthusiastic game rangers led them on their first walking safari, where they learnt that wildebeest dung resembles a bunch of grapes and became engrossed in a battle of wills between two dung beetles. He also introduced them to game viewing on horseback.
Both Amelia and Polly now want to be horse riding game rangers when they grow up.
Some other images from the shoot:
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