Anyone been on Safari?

Weetobix

Weetobix

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For our honeymoon in April next year, myself and the missus to be are off to Southern Kenya for a safari (actually, it's what inspired me to buy a DSLR).

Basically I'm after:
Hints
Tips
Ideas for essential things to take
Things to try out
etc


Current equipment is:
Canon EOS 30D
Tamron Di II SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR LD Aspherical
Canon EF 35-105mm
Sigma APO 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro
Lowepro SLingshot 200 AW bag
5ft Tripod


Cheers!
 
Haven't been personally but I'd want to take some serious mm'ige with me when I do. If you've got a bit of spare cash maybe pickup a 1.4x or 2x TC for your 70-300.
 
Weetobix said:
For our honeymoon in April next year, myself and the missus to be are off to Southern Kenya for a safari (actually, it's what inspired me to buy a DSLR).

Basically I'm after:
Hints
Tips
Ideas for essential things to take
Things to try out
etc


Current equipment is:
Canon EOS 30D
Tamron Di II SP AF 17-50mm F/2.8 XR LD Aspherical
Canon EF 35-105mm
Sigma APO 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro
Lowepro SLingshot 200 AW bag
5ft Tripod


Cheers!
Click to expand...

I've been on several safaris. I've been to Kenya twice to the Mara and to South Africa, Botswana and Zambia on the latest trip this summer. Where in Kenya are you off to? At that time of year in Kenya the grass is quite long due to the migration not having yet reached there, which means big cats are around a lot more (and do not have to find other places not on the plains to hide from the other animals which they may chose to hunt)
You can get very close in the vehicles to them and they don't seem to affected by the prescence of vehicles around them which means you can capture some great moments (eating kills, feeding cubs and just generally lazing about in the long grass!)

You will want to find out what kind of vehicle you will be travelling in and adapt your kit to that. It also depends where you go. I know in Kenya there are no laws regarding off road driving so you are permitted to drive close to animals you see off road so your current focal length should be fine. In other areas of Africa (Botswana definitely) you cannot drive off road so longer focal lengths may be required.

Its the most experience in the world and well worth getting photographic memories of it. The early mornings are a killer.

Also a non-photographic warning is that at that time of year the mornings are icy cold. You will really need to wrap up, but by 10am it will be roastingly hot tshirt weather. Wear lots of layers so you can add/remove them more easily to adapt to the temperature.

You might also want to look at a superwide angle lens for the cracking sunrises/sunsets at that time of year. Your 17mm might be good enough for you though.

You will have the time of your life there mate, and to anyone who has thought of going on safari, it is really worth sacrificing other holidays to save up for one :D
 
I come back from Kenya a few months ago. What company are you using? DON'Tuse African Safari Club

I would go with a long range zoom lens also for those cats that like to hide up tree's. The majority of the time I was able to use my 70-300 but did need the range of my 150-500 for a few shots.

Also, although I took a tripod I never got the chance to use it as you spend all your time in vehicles. Not sure what else to say other than keep your eyes open and have fun :)
 
kalibre said:
Haven't been personally but I'd want to take some serious mm'ige with me when I do. If you've got a bit of spare cash maybe pickup a 1.4x or 2x TC for your 70-300.
Click to expand...

In Kenya I would imagine that his 70-300mm would suffice. You get unbelievably close to those wild beasts in Kenya. Great for big game viewing. Saw lions with cubs eating a kill there and cheetah mum with 5 cubs all at less than 5 metres away. A jeep next to us had the cheetahs climb onto it! :eek::lol:
 
billandben said:
I come back from Kenya a few months ago. What company are you using? DON'Tuse African Safari Club

I would go with a long range zoom lens also for those cats that like to hide up tree's. The majority of the time I was able to use my 70-300 but did need the range of my 150-500 for a few shots.

Also, although I took a tripod I never got the chance to use it as you spend all your time in vehicles. Not sure what else to say other than keep your eyes open and have fun :)
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In Kenya when I was there 3 years ago and then 2 years ago we saw a lot of budget operations that were in operation. They were shoving guests into minibusses which were incapable of traveling on the dusty roads and so were frequently getting stuck. You want to make sure that you will be in a jeep so that you can get up and close to those animals. The budget operations may seem so appealing but splashing a bit of extra cash on a brilliant experience is really worth it.
 
Having had several trips to Africa (mostly work wih weekends free), I would suggest the following:-

Cheap things first :)

Plenty of memory cards
A good sized bean bag
A good rocket blower
spare batteries
Storage for your shots (laptop or portable device)
Multiway socket for charging (power is often limited so make use of it when you can)
Lens cleaning kit

Now the expensive stuff.:D

I would recommend the canon 100 400 if you can afford it (may be rent) - your 70 300 will provide sufficent reach if not.
Some thing wide for the vistas (your 17mm should be fine)

I would also agree with the warm clothes.

The most important bit

Have FUN :thumbs:
 
Graham_P_Clarke said:
A good sized bean bag -- very useful if your lens does not have VR/IS/OS and can be used where a tripod cannot be!
A good rocket blower -- How did I not mention this? I found myself (probably out of paranoia more than anything) cleaning my sensor after every drive with rocket blower and arctic butterly. I did have some mightly chunks of dust on my sensor though! :lol:
Multiway socket for charging (power is often limited so make use of it when you can) -- really good adive. Cant remember what power sockets they use in Kenya so you may have to take some adaptors as well. Some camps also may have charger zones where you can plug in your charger and come back for it later.
Lens cleaning kit -- definitely important for getting that thick layer of dust off the lens after the game drives.



Have FUN :thumbs: -- damn right! TBH it would be hard not to though! :D
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really useful advice given here ensuring that you do not overlook the smaller things which could make/break the photographic side of the holiday! :D
 
Great advice so far - Notch and Grumpy Badger Have been a fair few times on here on well, worth a PM. They both helped me no end when we went to Tanzania and Pemba for our honeymoon.

Best advice has been given already:

Take a spare pillow case to change or keep cameras in when not using, so you can grab quickly rather than from bag.
I brought a 100-400 for the trip and was just about the only lens I use. I took a film body and left the 17-40 on that. The 100-400 left on the 30d.

I didnt use my pod, so I would leave that. Take a ND grad if you one and almost certanly a polariser.

It was without a shadow of a doubt the best holiday of my life, enjoy and I knwo it's probably the wrong thing to say on here, but from time to time but the camera down and just absorb the country.... Have a fantastic time.

Final thing from me, get as much memory as you can and then double it, that will probably just be enough !
 
I'd say take a mate whos keen on photography with you rather than the Mrs, he'll prob appreciate it more ;) :D
 
Can't really disagree with the comments on here - the missus and I went to Kruger a couple of years back - had a whale of a time. Most important thing, as said, is a nice stable base for taking photos, such as the suggested bean bag, or maybe a decent mini-pod.

You will never want to be carrying a full-size tripod with you, and if you did, you'd never get it out, so I'd say that's an instant no-go, but something quick and compact [maybe even gorilla-pod, but don't know what they're like - I'll tell you when mine arrives :D] is ideal.

I'll also ask my dad who is presently out there [and a keen photographer] what he would recommend, and how he got on with the gorillapod.

Also as said, HAVE FUN - it's the experience of a lifetime, so make sure to spend a large amount of your time enjoying it, and soaking up the atmosphere, not just living life behind the viewfinder!
 
Oh you will love it! most of the tips have already been said above.
One i would do is ask the driver to kill his engine now and again. It takes the shakes away and you can enjoy the sounds of africa too!
We were lucky we had a great driver who went out of his way to make our trips great.
Go to bed early you will be up before dawn most mornings :thumbs:
have a fantastic time Im saving up to go again
 
cason said:
One i would do is ask the driver to kill his engine now and again.
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They should do this anyway. If they don't, then insist they do.

Given the available light - hand holding a 300mm is fine and the reach will usually be ok. Bean bag is a good idea - take it empty and buy rice or peas in the supermarket when you get there. Good for sunsets etc. Forget the tripod - it will only get in the way.

Take some plastic bags etc - you'll get sand in everything anyway, but that will lessen the impact.

Have you booked yet?
Consider doing a self drive - http://www.safaridrive.com/kenya_home.htm

We've done a couple of trips (Tanzania and Namibia) with them - highly recommended and love the freedom that your own Land Rover gives.
 
mobilevirgin said:
Have you booked yet?
Consider doing a self drive - http://www.safaridrive.com/kenya_home.htm

We've done a couple of trips (Tanzania and Namibia) with them - highly recommended and love the freedom that your own Land Rover gives.
Click to expand...


I'd be cautious of self drive on a number of issues:

1) Some terrain can be very difficult to drive on and I'm not sure I would trust my very limited 4X4 driving abilities in such conditions and in dangerous regions.


2) The drivers are usually experts. They are brilliant drivers and have great knowledge of the animals. They not only will inform you but also spot for you. In Botswana this June, we were driving when all of a sudden we stopped and saw a leopard eating a kill by a fallen tree behind loads of shrubbery. When questioned how he realised it was there he said it was due to the behaviour of the birds nearby. I know I certainly wouldnt have seen it as hundreds had driven strate past it just before us!

3) You may not want an argument breaking out over going a wrong route on whats meant to be a peaceful and romantic honeymoon! Would be a shame to stress yourself out too much before hand.

4) If there is a designated driver/guide then there is an extra set of expert game spotting eyes!

I'm sure self drive is brilliant, but these are my concerns as to why I have not considered self-drive safaris yet. Although I'm led to believe in some countries such as Namibia anything but self-drive should be disregarded!
 
alex_m90 said:
I'd be cautious of self drive on a number of issues:

... some other stuff - all true ...

I'm sure self drive is brilliant, but these are my concerns as to why I have not considered self-drive safaris yet. Although I'm led to believe in some countries such as Namibia anything but self-drive should be disregarded!
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Yup. Its true, you miss things. I'm not a game spotter and I'm sure we missed seeing things that a spotter would have spotted. But, if we wanted to spend an hour or more at a watering hole waiting, then we could. We didn't need to ask anyone else.

Camping in the bush on your own, with no facilities and no fences, is an awesome experience. We had elephants join us for breakfast, baboons came for dinner and more.

A half day 4x4 driving course here in the UK will cover you for most things you'll need. And they give you a sat phone and airborne backup. Fully insured too, should you roll the car or whatever.

Its an experience that would be outside most people's comfort zones - but so worthwhile doing.

In Namibia we met lots of people self driving - loads of South Africans just get in the car and drive north. In Tanzania, I don't think we met anyone else doing the same thing and lots of people thought we were odd for doing it.

I don't want to steer this thread anymore off course, because I think the original question was more photography related than a query about how to go about doing a safari in general. But if anyone wants to ask me about doing self-drive, then, please feel free to pm me - I'll be happy to share what I know.

MV
 
mobilevirgin said:
I don't want to steer this thread anymore off course, because I think the original question was more photography related than a query about how to go about doing a safari in general. But if anyone wants to ask me about doing self-drive, then, please feel free to pm me - I'll be happy to share what I know.

MV
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without going too far off the thread,
Thats looks pretty damned cool :thumbs:
I have been kicking the Safari idea around in my head for awhile,
Thanks for the link MV :thumbs:
 
If it's not too late have a look at THIS

HTH

David
 
I have lived in kenya and only been there once with SLR which was last jan/feb time.

dont bother with self drive - most companies employ natives of the area or have guides so they know where most spots are.

There is a conservation effort in place and going off road/track is seriously frowned apon now. You still get extremely close to the animals and normally they walk right past the vehicle as well.


as for equipement. I used mainly my sigma 70-300mm with good results however sometimes i wish i had a bit more reach.

The type of vehicle that are comon and minivans were the roof raises so you stand to take photos etc. the shutter speeds are usually high enough to negate the use of a bean bag, mono pod etc. I had a bean bag and didnt use it once.

TRy and have one lens on whilst out in the vehicle to elimante dust in the camera. (i made the mistake of changing it and ruined some shots because of it.) Besides the roads are rough and its better leaving most of the kit at tthe camp! Just take what you need, Batteries loads of memory.

The drivers realise you want to take photos and are quie happy to wait around however remember the other passengers sometimes are not that patient.
 
I went on safari to Kenya in 2005 for my honeymoon - it was fantastic, one of the best places I have ever been. Unfortunately it inspired me to get a dSLR rather than get one before it!!!

I could have kicked myself ;)

have a great time!!!

x
 
Me & the Mrs are looking into doing a safari next year. We've spoken about it for ages but have never done anything about it, but as I've really been bitten by the wildlife thing it looks like next year it may well all come into place.

I'm not sure where to go, or when. I have heard that some of the animals in Kruga are GPS tagged, so they know where they are and can find them easily - not sure if this is true though. The smaller private parks look appealing, as they have a high concentration of wildlife in a smaller area.

When to go is a problem, just after the rains is best (so I'm told) but you could turn up and find that the rains are still happening...

I'd probably take either a 100-400L or a 70-200f2.8 to go with my 70-300, and also take a 2nd body. (The kit will cost as much as the holiday !!)

Steve
 
Jelster said:
Me & the Mrs are looking into doing a safari next year. We've spoken about it for ages but have never done anything about it, but as I've really been bitten by the wildlife thing it looks like next year it may well all come into place.

I'm not sure where to go, or when. I have heard that some of the animals in Kruga are GPS tagged, so they know where they are and can find them easily - not sure if this is true though. The smaller private parks look appealing, as they have a high concentration of wildlife in a smaller area.

When to go is a problem, just after the rains is best (so I'm told) but you could turn up and find that the rains are still happening...

I'd probably take either a 100-400L or a 70-200f2.8 to go with my 70-300, and also take a 2nd body. (The kit will cost as much as the holiday !!)

Steve
Click to expand...


Be careful about small reserves. Some are stocked and that takes the fun out of it really as they are not truely "wild".

Also with them being GPS tagged it would be the same for me. Part of the fun is tracking and keeping an eye out for the big cats.

Anytime in the school summer holiday seems to be a good period for safaris in africa.
 
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