AutoGal

Hello everyone,

First of all, thank you all for being who you are. This is one terrific place to be every morning while having my coffee. I have learned so much and actually keep a notebook besides me to take notes of what is advised in reference to so many things in the photography world. And when I have had a question it has always been kindly responded to.

This is my big question and it is directed only to those who have had the experience of an African Safari. What tour did you use, what time of year did you go and for how long, and what part of Africa did you explore etc. And if not too rude to ask, the generalized costs.

This is indeed the "big one" on this ole gal's "bucket list" and I would be flying from the US as I know that there are great tour operators in Europe.

I would truly love to hear from those that have had the experience, the pros and the cons.

I am looking at next year, cause this year looks like it will be the Galapagos Islands and if any of you have had that experience would also love to learn from you as well.

I do indeed look forward to whatever information you might impart with me of your experiences and I thank you ahead of time for your kindness and time taken in this request.

Edee

wcuster Loc: The Sea Ranch, CA

I have been to Africa 5 times, my wife 6. Destinations include Tanzania with Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti, Maasai Mara area of Kenya, Chobe river and Kalahari desert in Botswana, Sabi Sand in S Africa and Etosha National park in Namibia.

All were wonderful.
I can highly recommend CNP Safaris because of their unique vehicles. On the Chobe river they have two boats that seat about 7. Each person has a seat the rotates 360 degrees with a an attached tripod with a Gimbel (Wimberley) head and the loan of a 600 mm f/4 lens. The guide and driver know the river and its best photo spots for wildlife. Shooting from a nimble boat gets you up close and at the animals eye level. We love the place. See https://waltc.smugmug.com/Travel and in particular https://waltc.smugmug.com/Travel/Africa-August-2016/ and https://waltc.smugmug.com/Travel/Africa2013/

For land (Etosha, Maasai Mara, Serengeti, etc) they have specialized land vehicles with the same custom rotating seats with tripods, gimbel heads and 600 mm lenses. Compared to other safari outfitters where you may be 3 abreast in a jeep the CNP vehicles allow much better photo ops (my personal opinion).

See www.coetzernaturephotography.com
The owner is Lou Coetzer. We also like Johan Greyling very much.

I am in no way affiliated with CNP but I have been very happy with their photo safaris.

Walt Custer

Bird Dawg Loc: Georgia

went on 2 safaris last fall with a trip to Cape Town in between. (CT is awesome ).
First to Shine in Botswana and then Londolozi in South Africa. Londolozi is in a class by itself. Truly 5 star in every regard. It is all about photography. ( check there daily blog)
Expensive but a trip of a lifetime. Good luck... you will love it. ( 2 week trip )

AutoGal

Thank you so much for the information.
Can you please advise the tour operator you took please.
Edee

breck Loc: Derbyshire UK

Wild dog Safaris Namibia, excellent guides we had a trip just me and my wife great vehicle tailored to exactly what we wanted, Namibia is wonderful, great wildlife, biggest sand dunes in the world , second biggest canyon in the world, safe, and compared to other countries and safari companies low cost .l
We went twice fabulous, amongst many other animals we saw (up very close, lion, leopard (with cubs), cheetah, elephant, Rhino, zebra (2 types) jaraff, impala seal colonies, flamingo, side winder , the list is endless

GregWCIL Loc: Illinois

Edee,

Have you picked your time and tour company for the Galapagos yet? I will reply with ideas tailored to your stage of planning.

ezmark

Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT https://www.oattravel.com) has several trips to Africa and are very reasonably priced. The particular trip we took was the "Ultimate Africa" which was 16 days in Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe in 4 safari camps. The guides were outstanding, very friendly and knowledgeable. The tented camps were very nice, indoor bathrooms with showers and electricity was available to charge batteries every night, the roofs were tent material but the rest of the structure were solid materials. The food was designed to please Americans, as the company is based out of Boston. On this trip we let OAT arrange the air flights, very convenient (on other OAT trips we booked our own flights because we had frequent flyer miles to use and we could fly in a day or two earlier to get over jet lag in the starting city which were easy for Americans ). The majority of the other people on OAT trips are very nice, we still see some or are in contact with after 5 years. That being said, while there is ample time and opportunity to take photos, this is not a photographer only trip, there aren't swivel chairs and camera mounts, and they don't wait for hours in one spot for the animals to pose, but the guides do take great pains to position the vehicles for the best shots and to cover a lot of ground to find game. We were able to get within 30 feet of lions mating and close enough to elephants to touch them. Other times we were a hundred yards from the animals/birds so a variety of lenses is a must. Also taking more than one camera body is recommended so that you won't have to swap lenses out on safari in the dust or take a camera that has a 30x-50x zoom. I took maybe 3000 pictures and lots of video of live animal action so take a lot of memory cards.

The trips also try to show the daily life in the villages and history of the area and provide interactions with the locals. We went in November which was before the rainy season, just about southern hemisphere spring time. Lots of the animals had stayed near the rivers for water so they were easy to find, rather than being spread out to all the remote watering holes. The trees hadn't leafed out yet so the visibility in the woods/jungle was very good. Being spring time, we actually saw an Impala drop a baby and a baboon mother holding her new born that was still wet. The middle of the day was very hot, so the safari drives were in the early morning and late afternoon. I highly recommend OAT for trips all over the world, but especially in Africa.

Jwshelton Loc: Denver,CO

The Massi Mara is endanger of disruption due to increased population and construction of roads.
Consider going there as a priority. Migration is an incredible experience.
We saw thousands of animals during our time there.

Joe VanOs PhotoSafari would be my recommendation.
They were the tour company that I used for Kenya.
Subsequently did two additional tours with them.

This November I will be doing Falklands, South Georgia and Antarticia
with PhotoSafari.

If you have specific questions, please PM me.

Enjoy!

peferguson

Edee,

My family and I have worked at a mission hospital in Kenya for a month at a time for several years, and have had the opportunity to take many safari treks. Based on our experience I would have a couple of recommendations.

1). Location and local knowledge. The location of the camp is important as is the use of local guides. We have used different safari vendors, but the best is when you stay at a location and use guides from that camp. They will know where the animals are, and even their names and history. The camp location is important. Where is it in relation to the wildlife and other lodges. Some areas of the Masai Mara will be congested with tourists, but in other areas you can have a pride of lions to yourself.

2). Vehicle type. There are usually two types of vehicles. A van with pop-up top or an open air land rover. Go with the open-air vehicle!!

3). Transport between parks. I would recommend going to at least two different parks. In Kenya a plane flight is safer and faster than riding on the "roads" between locations. The costs are reasonable, and the airstrips are close to the lodges. I recommend Safarilink in Kenya.

If I had only one trip to take, I would go first to the Masai Mara. It has the greatest diversity and density of wildlife in Africa. I would go in late August to maximize my chance of seeing the "great migration" of gnu. I would stay at Little Governors' Camp, which is on the mara river adjacent to the Masai Mara game reserve. This is important because you can't go into the reserve (not all of the Masai Mara area is in the reserve, only a portion) until sunrise and must be out by sunset. Governors' has their camp on the other side of the mara river outside the reserve, and leave their vehicles inside the reserve. So at sunrise you cross the river in a boat and get in your vehicle. You are immediately in the middle of the reserve with the wildlife all to yourself during the golden hour while everyone else is having to come through one of the main gates to the reserve. This fact alone is what make Governors' Camp in my opinion the best single option for a safari!!! This is the camp from where they have filmed the BBC series Big Cat Dairies for many years. They also offer photo safari workshops with Warren Samuels several times a year. The cost is a little more than other camps, but worth every dime!! I have never seen them put more than 4 people in a single vehicle!!

The other location in Kenya I would recommend would be Amboseli, which is at the base of Kilimanjaro. It has a unique ecosystem and is known for their population of elephants. There is a landing strip in the park, and a very nice Serena Lodge with local drivers.

I have usually booked our safaris directly with the lodges, and then arranged other transportation separately. Some lodges will help with airport transfers in Nairobi also. For example, we will leave Governors' Camp on Friday at 4 pm using Safarilink, which I booked, but Governors' Camp has taken care of the airport transfer from Wilson airport to the international airport with a stop for dinner that night.

That was a lot, but I hope it helps.

chrisscholbe Loc: Kansas City, MO

We were at Londolozi in 1993 for 3 days.
Morning drive, afternoon walk, evening drive.

It was a fantastic place/experience.
It was a bit expensive but, if you are only planning on going once, I highly recommend it.

The have an interesting philosophy on ecotourism.

There is a lot to see and do either before you go into the park or after you leave.

Once you're in there, there isn't a lot of options.

Good luck on your trip.

AutoGal

Thank you soooooooo much for being sooooo generous with all your wonderful information. Being printed and kept on file.
Edee

AutoGal

Thank you soooooo very much for taking the time to describe your experience. I am gathering all the kind information that is being sent.

thank you again.
Edee

AutoGal

My daughter who lives in Bogota is making all the arrangements for this trip. We will be going at the beginning of November.

Thank you.
Edee