Just ‘cos you’ve got lots of lenses doesn’t mean you have to take them all.
If at all possible, try to take a combination that means you won’t need to constantly be changing lenses. Dust is a massive problem in Africa and every time you change lenses you are opening up both camera and lens to a potential dust invasion.
Probably one of the most frequent questions we get asked by clients is “What lenses should I take on safari?”
This question is not limited to first timers either; because the equipment you need to take depends very much on where you are going and what the conditions will be like. Photographing lions on the plains of Masai Mara requires a different approach to photographing gorillas in the rainforests of Congo or Uganda, and photographing birds is very different to photographing elephants.
So how do you make the right selection?
I love my Nikon gear but, if I take everything I might need I find myself lugging 15kg of equipment. Heading out in the car this is not a problem, but when flights are involved, especially flights in smaller aircraft, this becomes a bit of an issue.
I think I’ve found a workable solution.
Sani Pass The Sani Pass is one of those iconic South African locations that sits on so many people’s wish list but so often remains a wish unfulfilled.It provides the only road link between KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho, and is the only road crossing the summit of the high Drakensberg.Originally a mule track, it is still a tortuous, hair-raising road today.[…]
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Botswana has a well deserved reputation as one of Africa’s premier safari destinations, yet there are places that rarely get included in regular safari itineraries and some of them are real gems.One of these hidden gems is Northern Tuli Game Reserve. The Tuli Block is a narrow fringe of land at Botswana’s eastern border wedged between Zimbabwe in the north[…]
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Exciting news! Rhino River Camp (Meru) is now part of the Porini & Gamewatchers Safaris portfolio.Located adjacent to the Rhino Sanctuary of Meru National Park and protecting over 60 acres of indigenous forest it offers a great base from where to explore the wilderness of Meru National Park. Meru National Park Meru National Park, situated in northern Kenya, covers an[…]
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5 Rivers If, like us, you keep your eyes open for the very best deals on African Safaris then this is one you should not miss. The summer rains are a time of plenty in Africa; mammals are fat and healthy and for many species, it is a time to bring their young into the world. The bush is an[…]
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Photographing Birds in Flight Pied Kingfisher, Chobe River. 1/1250, f8, ISO 320. Nikkor 300mm lens + 1.4x tc The thing about birds is that they rarely sit still just to make it easy for you to photograph them. Sometimes you’re lucky and they’ll stay put long enough, but more often then not they will take to the air as[…]
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Probably one of the most frequent questions we get asked by clients is “What lenses should I take on safari?” This question is not limited to first timers either; because the equipment you need to take depends very much on where you are going and what the conditions will be like. Photographing lions on the plains of Masai Mara requires[…]
Read more
There are so many tough decisions to make when you are planning a safari to Africa. Once you’ve decided on the country you want to visit you still need to choose the parks you want to go to and then which camps you want to stay at. How do you pick the best ones? To help you tackle these key[…]
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Few National Parks inspire the same kind of devotion among safari addicts as Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools. Here we take a look at why this iconic park is such a solid favourite with both those on guided safaris and self drivers. Mana Pools National Park In 1984, Mana Pools became the first national park in Zimbabwe to be designated a UNESCO[…]
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Kumbali Lake Retreat A breath of fresh air in the warm heart of Africa It’s fair to say that, by just about anyone’s standards, I travel a lot. Some of it is for work and some of it is for pleasure. Actually that is misleading. I love Africa and that is where my work takes me, so really all my[…]
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Farne Islands, open air classroom There is no doubt that the more you practice something the better at it you become. This is as true for wildlife photography as it is for anything else. It is very common for people to spend the first few hours in Africa just ‘getting their eye in’; familiarising themselves with the way animals move[…]
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