The Granite sentinels
The Secret Soul of the Serengeti.
In the heart of the vast, golden expanse of the Serengeti, where the horizon seems to stench to infinity, rise islands of rugged, gray rock. These are the Kopjes. To the hurried traveler, they may appear as a mere pebbles in a sea of grass. To the naturalist, they are the fortresses where the fate of African’s greatest predators is decided.
The Vertical Ecosystem.
In the vast savannah, where visibility is a matter of life or death, the Kopje offers the ultimate tactical advantage.
The Lion’s throne: The famous Simba Kopjes are not named for nothing. Lions use these peaks to spot migrating wildebeest herds from miles around. They also provide a safe haven for cubs, sheltered from prowling Hyenas.
The Leopard Ambush: more discreet, the leopard blends into rocky crevices, using the solitary trees that grow in the cracks to hoist its preys.
Micro - Habitats: Between the walls heated by the equatorial sun, a miniature world comes to life. The rock hyrax (surprisingly the closest living relative of the elephant) whistles to warm its fellows of the passage of an eagle, while the red-headed agama defends its stony territory.
An Oasis in the Dust.
During the dry season, the Kopjes become vital gathering places. Their crevices act as natural resevoirs, capturing rainwater and allowing dense vegetation - wild fig trees and thorny bushes - to thrive where nothing else grows. It is a miniature Garden of Eden surrounded the harshness of the plain.
“If the Serengeti were an ocean, the kopjes would be its archipelagos. Without them, the cycle of life here would lose its anchor.”
A young Leopard and his mother on Kopje in 2025 ©Richard Juilliart
The Legacy of humankind.
The Kopjes have served as sanctuaries for wildlife. At certain locations, such as the Morou Kopjes, we can discover Maasai rock paintings or Gong Rock. They are the bridge between natural history an human history.
Crossing the Serengeti without stopping at the Kopjes is like reading a book while skipping the most fascinating chapters. They are the punctuation to the wild poetry of Tanzania.
Serengeti 2025 ©Richard Juilliart
Awakening the Senses: A photographic Odyssey in the Serengeti.
There are places from wich one never returns quite the same. The Serengeti is one of them. More than a destination, it is an ancient stage where light and wildlife combine, each day, to create an ephemeral masterpiece.
I invite you to join me on an exclusive photographic expedition, designed for those who seek to capture the soul of Africa.