philo Loc: philo, ca

I think the next time I go to SA i will go by myself. I figure I can go for less the $3000. I would fly to Jtown and pick up local 3 to 4 days tour for around $400. come back to Jtown spend a day and go out on another tour. May do this this year. I'm looking for a traveling buddy. If you are a group you can rent your own car.

SafariGuy

I was wondering about South Africa as well...I was there in 2016 primarily for a photo wildlife safari and enjoyed it...but last year my wife and I went to Kenya and it is teeming with wildlife compared to SA and we are going back in June and will be in the Serengeti in Tanzania. Perhaps the SA trip involves family and just enjoying the Cape etc but if it’s Photography and wildlife Kenya and Tanzania will be far better. IMHO. We will be spending app $5000 ea including airfare

dmr

Check out Odysseys Unlimited. Offer 3 different tours in Africa. I just returned from their South African trip. It actually start in Victoria Falls and end in Cape Town with an extension to Kruger game reserve. They are in your budget and will not disappoint 2 years ago went to Patagonia with Oddysey A great experience

1grumpybear

Have done both South Africa and Tanzania and unless you are a Veterinarian Tanzania wins hands down. If you are I would contact a gentleman by the name of Dean Rice in Arizona otherwise here is a review by a gentleman who I happened to be on the same tour with and could not have said it better.
If you decide to go with this tour try and have Adam as one of your guides and tell him Frank says HI. If you would like to take a photo from a different angle they will move for you. Although they always seemed to park in the right location for the best shot. Just got back from Egypt you need to put that on you bucket list.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297913-d8672856-r458466265-Earthlife_Expeditions_Limited-Arusha_Arusha_Region.html

plessner Loc: North Dakota

I cannot say enough good about my trip to Africa last July with the Pangolin Photo Tours group. Reasonably priced. Run and guided by photographers to help you get the best shots possible. We had 3 nights At Victoria Falls. 3nights in their awesome house boat. 9 nights in a safari camp and the on to Cape Town for 3 nights. They took care of us wonderfully. Check them out-you would not be sorry. (And awesome food too)

jayintx

We were in South Africa and Botswana in November and did the entire trip on our own. It's not hard to do and we saved a ton of money. If you don't need five star accommodations, you can find places for less than $100 US per night. It was a good trip, but we really liked Botswana the best. We did pick up a guide for the day a few times and it was worth it. We also did a day trip to Victoria Falls and a helicopter flight over them. We have also toured Kenya and Tanzania and much prefer Tanzania. In Kruger you will spot 5 or 6 wildebeests, in Tanzania you will drive through a herd of 10,000. The same with zebras. We have photos of 26 giraffes together and 7 lions lazing in a tree. You won't get that in SA. Also understand that Capetown is going through a severe water shortage, so even the hotels limit showers and water usage. If things don't improve, they will shut off the taps and force you to go to a central location to pick up water. Capetown is beautiful, but I wouldn't want to have to deal with that on vacation. We have done 4 guided safaris in Tanzania, 1 in Kenya and 1 self-guided in SA and Botswana. You should definitely go, but do some reading before you leave.

So tired! Ngorngoro crater


Baobab Sunrise - Serengeti NP

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Most photo tours will assume that is all you want to do, so emphasize that you want a tour out of Capetown. That way you can fit that in to your itinerary. Getting to SA is awful. I decided to take Delta's non-stop from Atlanta to J-burg. It was awful - cramped seating for sixteen non-stop hours. But doing it the other way would mean a long flight to Europe followed by two long flights to SA. Many airlines offer a "comfort section" - Delta calls it "Delta Comfort" and United calls it "united Plus" - you pay several hundred dollars each way for a little more legroom - it is worth it. I cannot understand how Delta can pack people in so tightly on a 16-hour flight - it is dangerous. (That is the second-longest non-stop flight in the world).

dashman

I had a great experience using atr, Africa travel resources. They are based in England with offices in Michigan.

srshorb

loved my trip through South Africa with Eldertreks. Look up their website. SR Shorb

barryb Loc: Kansas

I got to meet Piper in Kenya, and she is indeed great! She gave us some very helpful hints on shooting!

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

I have used OAT for at least 6 trips, including one to East Africa. They are a fine company. Last July/August I booked a tour to South Africa which included two safari camps as well as Cape Town and Victoria Falls. The trip was designed for me by Jamie Thom. Jamie is a photographer himself and a very good one, so he's very knowledgeable. My wife and I could not have been more pleased with the trip. He even met us in Johannesburg just to introduce himself and check on how things were going. I would recommend him without reservation. jamiethom.com.

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

Beautiful video- done with GH5 and a drone.

planepics Loc: St. Louis burbs, but originally Chicago burbs

I paid an extra $139(?) more each way from JFK-TLV to sit in Delta Comfort in June 2016...worth every penny since I got the best or second best seat on the plane according to www.seatguru.com ...first seat behind the business-class wall on the left side of the plane - had about 4 feet of legroom!!! (seat 39A on a 777). It was the first time I ever paid extra for a seat, but it was close to an 11 hr flight and I was going to be in country for my birthday so I treated myself. STL-DWF or whatever???gimme the cheapest seat you can, but on an international flight I'd seriously consider the expense. I still saved money on my trip because I bought the airfare separately vs having the tour company arrange everything. The convenience of a package is sometimes worth it, but I booked several months ahead of time so I could look for deals.

RosiArt

Check out Paul Renner safaris- Here's his email address He's an outstanding photographer, born in Tanzania and speaks fluent Swahili Knows Africa inside/out

Renner Safaris <paulrenner3@cox.net>

philo Loc: philo, ca

When I went to Victoria Falls I found it to be a waste of two days. If you want to lay around a pool and have a few drinks then that may be for you. I want to be in the bush shooting images. Most tours try to make everyone happy; however not everyone wants to do the same thing.