terpfan Loc: central coast, California

I did South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe safari in October 2016. I used a Canon 7D II (1.6 crop) and 70-300 lens for virtually all my shots. On maybe 1 or 2 occasions, I would have liked more length, but not sure it would have been worth the hassle to change lenses. Also if you are taking any flights within Africa, some airports will weigh your carry on luggage, I think the limit was 20 pounds. So keep that in mind. It will be an amazing trip. Take an extra battery or 2 and several memory cards. Have a fantastic time. Tripod or even monopod is pretty much out of the question.

terpfan Loc: central coast, California

This was taken with 70-300

dylee8 Loc: South Florida

Just my experience:
1. Vehicle typically cramped and dusty. Don't change lens in it.
2. You need both wide and long. Animals can be close or far. Also sometimes you want panorama vistas. So something like 18-300,400 on a DX would be a good choice.
3. Take a second camera, perhaps a bridge super zoom. Maybe hand it to your wife.
4. But most important, it's a balance between taking pictures and enjoying yourself. Safari is a great experience. Dont spend all the time with your camera.

Moondoggie Loc: Southern California

I have a D5300 that I took on Safari in April of this year. I took a Tamron 18-400mm. It covered the range that I felt I need for the pictures of animals. I have attached a couple of pictures for you to view.

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Yaya

Thank you everyone for the many suggestions. You have given me plenty to consider and I really do appreciate all the information. I now feel better prepared to make a lens decision thanks to each of you.