Mara Sweet Acacia Lodge, Masai Mara, Kenya

Third time’s the charm

01 / 01

OM-1 Mark II · OM 150-600mm F5.0-6.3

314 mmƒ5.91/1600ISO 640

The story

“Third time’s the charm” — they say it for a reason. And once again, I found myself proven right. This phrase fits this photo perfectly.

We’re leaving our lodge at Masai Mara with a touch of nostalgia, heading into the next leg of our expedition. We hadn’t even covered a hundred metres when this little sweetheart peeked out at us from the bushes. A dik-dik — the world’s smallest antelope, no taller than 40 cm at the shoulder.

They’re absolutely adorable, but skittish — something we’d already learned the hard way on previous trips. When they sense danger, they don’t run. They hide. They’re masters of it, and that’s exactly how they survive.

This little lady, however, stood perfectly calm — alternating between looking at us and marking her territory. She bolted after about a minute. Across two expeditions, my dik-dik experience had been limited to a fleeing blur… but third time’s the charm — it finally worked out.

So it’s fair to say that what looks like a fairly ordinary photo at first glance means more to me, in context, than many a lion. And so I leave Masai Mara with a dik-dik on the memory card as the cherry on top — completely fulfilled.

Mara Sweet Acacia Lodge, Masai Mara, Kenya · February 14, 2026