Kencamera

We traveled with Overseas Advanture Travel (OAT) to both East Africa and South Africa and were very pleased with both trips. They were both great trips, but in my opinion East Africa is a little better because the open savanna allow better views of the animals. Ken

Kphny

I did a South Africa trip late spring this year with extended family. We used African Safari Group and our agent was Zane Posthumus. As we were on a family vacation, it would have been inappropriate to make it all about photography and I believe that is what made it so special for me as I was able to capture beautiful and memorable photos with the emphasis on capturing an experience as opposed to a photo shoot!
We went on several Safaris and experienced Capetown and the Cape of Good Hope.

TonyBrown

Sorry guys, but at the risk of stirring up a hornets nest, I thought this was a site to talk about cameras, not a travel advice site!!!!

stevefrankel

I'm a travel professional and I'm a Certified South Africa Specialist. The name that we rely on is Micato Safaries. Rather than booking with them directly which is about $1500 a day pp, there are some great buys on an Azamara Cruise coupled with a 5-day Micato Safari at Victoria Falls or Kruger National Park in SA. That drops the cost of the safari in half and 10 or 15-day cruises on Azamara are also a great buy. Contact steve@cruisesandcameras.com for more info.

titanic

Peter is the best... we have been to Africa 3 times and Peter’s schedule was by far superior to the other trips... he put us in the the best positions to take beautiful images... he was well versed in their habits and inter relationships which enabled us to take sensitive images of each species... contact Peter at peter@ petersafricansafaris.com... you won’t be disappointed..!

Jwshelton Loc: Denver,CO

Joe VanOs Photo Safaris - have done four trips with them including Kenya for the migration.
Reasonable; knowledgable professional photographers and guides.
You will not be disappointed!
PM me if you have specific questions.

HallwoedHill Loc: Chattanooga,TN

i have a good friend who traveld to Botswana and Kruger in June this year and has already signed up for trip to Kenya with this company that does photo safaries only: Wild4. Says it is excellent for photography but not so much for culture: Wild4. I checked out the wbsite and it looks good.

h_scott

We returned just yesterday from a two week safari in Tanzania. This was our only trip so far to the continent but recommend it highly! Our trip was booked with Unique Safaris (https://uniquesafaris.com/) and they were outstanding from before the trip to the end. They provided a Planning Guide before hand which answered many questions and they had the most superb guides! I still don't know how one of them spotted a leopard on the ground while looking into a setting sun over 400 yards away. They understood the impact of lighting and distance and maneuvered the vehicles for the best viewing / photos. Each area you visit may have different rules for the drivers. For example in National Parks they had to stay on the 'roads' but in conservation areas or private properties the requirements are looser. I also learned that one way tour operators keep costs / prices down is they limit the number of miles the drivers can cover per day (not normally divulged in marketing materials). Unique does not have such a limit. Our group of 12 was spread across three trucks. This likely upped the cost per person as the standard truck can hold 6 tourists in three rows of two each (7 with one in the front seat) and many other groups were packed this way. Having only 4 per truck left lots of room especially for those of us with lots of gear. Very civilized way to go and relatively comfortable.

We learned that the time of year of your trip matters quite a lot. Others in our group had been to Tanzania in the rainy season (February) and they traveled to different regions. Now is the dry season so we spent time in the north and witnessed multiple migration crossings across the Mara river. This doesn't happen in the rainy season. My point is this - wherever you plan to travel you should learn about what the animals are doing, and where, at the time you plan to go. Or learn about what you might see in the different seasons first and then plan the timing of your trip. The general migration of animals is fairly predictable though the guide companies will probably not guarantee what you will see. Unique downplayed the probability of our seeing the migration cross the Mara river and other groups didn't see it just before we were there. We watched four crossings in three days - unbelievable.

Also suggest a visit to a Travel MD facility (our County Health Department has one). They will advise you what medicine / shots are needed depending on your destination(s). A minimum number of shots were needed for Tanzania. Not only were the guides hospitable (as you would expect) but all of the Tanzanian people we encountered were lovely toward us. Even at the airport (!).

Hip Coyote

Headed to Africa in near future. Everyone I have ever talked to about Africa says you go for the animals and return for the people. So, I expect to go more than once.