Despite barely scratching the surface, Africa is teaching me a lot.

Mt. Kilimanjaro broke me, but also taught me how to persevere and find strength when there is nothing left to give.

Our planet is truly a wonderful and beautiful place, incredibly diverse and magnificent, despite it’s complexity. It is worth protecting.

The wilderness has the power to transform and build character. There is nothing quite like being in the wild and you can get trampled by an African elephant if you’re not careful.

I’ve been enriched and moved in so many ways, mainly by the people that I’ve encountered along the way.

There is beauty everywhere worth pursuing and exploring, even in the places that we least expect it. Get out there and find it.

Be fearless. Be wild. Be free.

All My Best,
Reuben

#thisisafrica #bigcatsplayball

(at Zanzibar, Tanzania)

Today’s surf mission on the outer reefs

#thisisafrica #bigcatsplayball

(at Zanzibar Island)

Went diving and found a few fish

#thisisafrica #bigcatsplayball

(at Zanzibar Island)

Surface to Air II

#thisisafrica #bigcatsplayball

(at Zanzibar Island)

My travel partner in crime @andrewmklein in the light.

We’ve had one hell of an unforgettable African journey together that included getting chased by elephants at camp and seeing great white sharks swim inches from our faces.

He led me to the summit of Kilimanjaro, and looked after me after I barely made it down.

This journey wouldn’t be the same without him, and my heart is full after sharing this great adventure together.

#thisisafrica #bigcatsplayball

(at Zanzibar, Tanzania)

A lioness on the hunt

#bigcatsplayball #thisisafrica

(at Serengeti National Park, Tanzania)

A sea of pink flamingos

#bigcatsplayball #thisisafrica

(at Lake Manyara, Tanzania)

Our first up close and personal lion encounter in the Serengeti.

We easily saw over 100 big cats in the Serengeti.

#stayfierce #bigcatsplayball

(at Serengeti National Park, Tanzania)

Lions don’t have a very high success rate when it comes to hunting. We saw 4 prides of lions fail to capture their prey, and here is an image of 2 lions failing to take down a Cape buffalo. It literally scared the crap out of the buffalo afterwards.

#keepitwild #bigcatsplayball

(at Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania)

One rite of passage from boyhood to the status of junior warrior is a painful circumcision ceremony, which is performed without anaesthetic. These young Masaai warriors have been recently circumcised.

#bigcatsplayball

(at Serengeti National Park, Tanzania)

Maasai and their cattle on the way to the Serengeti. Sometimes the Maasai have to defend their cattle from lion attacks using their spears.

#bigcatsplayball

(at Serengeti National Park, Tanzania)

Kakesu Maasai village of Baraka, Tanzania

The Maasai are a semi-nomadic people that live in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They still continue their age old customs despite pressure to become modernized.

#bigcatsplayball

(at Tanzania)

The super moon photographed from Tanzania

#bigcatsplayball

(at Serengeti National Park, Tanzania)

At the summit we were greeted by spectacular views, like this one of the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro casting a shadow across Mt. Meru

#bigcatsplayball

(at Mount Kilimanjaro)

Above the clouds at 14,000 ft

#takeflight #bigcatsplayball

(at Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania)

11:27 PM | Barafu Base Camp | 15,357 ft

The scene at base camp approximately 30 min before making the push for the summit. Those glaciers look absolutely spectacular from the top.

#bigcatsplayball

(at Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania)

6:36 AM | 19,341 ft above sea level

We somehow managed to make it to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro on day 5 of our journey. At this point I had been up for over 24 hours, and it was probably one of the most challenging days of my life. It’s difficult to describe everything that went into this journey, but for sure the human spirit can endure much more than we think.

I was emotional at the top because when we embarked for the summit at midnight, I didn’t think I could make it. Surely I thought I would pass out and fall over the edge, or have a heart attack as my heart was racing the entire time. My fellow teammates even saw me stumble on the way up and barely make it on the way down, assisted. Kilimanjaro broke me, and perhaps even transformed me.

Kilimanjaro is all about the journey. I will probably barely remember the 10 minutes that we spent at the summit. But I will never forget the people we met and the beauty we experienced along the way.

Photo by @andrewmklein

#keepexploring #bigcatsplayball

(at Mount Kilimanjaro)

Paul, aka Mr. Pole Pole, is a legend on Mount Kilimanjaro. He’s been climbing the mountain for 15 years and has summited more than 200 times. He has spent the night inside some of Kilimanjaro’s caves and is very well respected on the mountain. He is sometimes referred to as Babu (Swahili for grandfather) because he has mentored and helped train a lot of the guides.

Kilimanjaro was one of the most challenging things I have ever done, and I wouldn’t have been able to make it without people like Mr. Pole Pole.

#makeportraits #bigcatsplayball

(at Mount Kilimanjaro)

| ELEPHANT FACE OFF |

For #worldelephantday last week.

According to Aristotle, the elephant is “the beast which passeth all others in wit and mind.” #keepitwild #bigcatsplayball

(at South Africa)

The Ann van Dyk Cheetah centre has been dedicated to breeding, conserving, and re releasing the Cheetah and other endangered species back into the wild since 1971. The cheetah is the fastest land animal and there are an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 cheetah today compared to a cheetah population of 100,000 in 1900. #savethecheetah #keepitwild #bigcatsplayball (at J Bay - South Africa)