southern Africa photo trip

In about 2 weeks I'm off to southern Africa for a month. In South Africa, we're going to be in Kruger NP for a week, then a few days in Mzuki NP and a few days in the St. Lucia area. Following that, we'll be in Botswana for a 12-day participatory camping safari, starting up at Chobe NP, then making our way down through Savuti, and then into Moremi and the general Okavango delta, before ending in Maun. We'll end with a few days in Victoria Falls.

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I've been to Zimbabwe before, and I feel comfortable with my equipment and film choices. I've just finished reading Joe McDonald's fine book on photography in East Africa. But I thought I might ask if anybody out there has any experience in these regions and can off any tips for me before I take off. Thanks.

Take a look at Hans Martens' web page:

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http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/1565

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He's an amateur photographer who's also taken the offical South African Safari Guide course. He's got quite a lot of experience there, and links to other resources on South African parks.

The areas you are going to will be quite different from each other. Both in habitat as well as in photo opportunities.

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Kruger is very easy for photography. There is a perfect infrastructure, comparable to US or European, for some too perfect. There are both tarmac and sand roads all through the park. Maps are available everywhere and the road signs are very good. Indeed it would be difficult to get lost. Photography can be done very well from within the car. Here I would advice the use of a window mount. Personally I prefer either the southern part around Lower Sabie or the more northern area from Olifants to Shingwedzi. The area around Skukuza attracts most tourists, so it can get a bit crowded there, specially early in morning when the gates open. Everybody rushes off to search for lions then. By the way, the shops in Kruger are a great place to buy books about birds and mammals, which are much harder to get in Botswana. There is a very wide variaty on sale for low prices! I can never resist this, so now I have practically all the books available there. (if you want specific info about camps etc, just ask me)

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Botswana is my favourite place so far in Africa. Chobe, Savuti, Moremi (in fact one big area) is what Africa used to be like. Vast wilderness with no infrastructure, just wildlife. You will definitely need a sturdy strong 4x4 and good maps (including map reading skills!!) There are just some sand tracks and they "move" around, so maps get outdated easily. If you like elephants, this is the place to be. I have never seen so many of them and such big herds. I camped here, which is absolutely awesome! You just put your tent in the middle of the wilderness. At night you will have hyenas and elephant walking through your campsite, sometimes even lions. Be carefull when using the "toilet" at night!!! Allways keep your boots in your tent (the hyenas chew them up) and any water or fruit outside (elephant smell it and they might down your tent to get it). Use a window mount or been-bag here for photography.

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Okavango is simply paradise! I went in there in mokoro's (dug out canoes) and camped wild. There is birds, elephants, hippos etc everywhere. You can also go for a walking safari there. From the mokoro you need to photograph with the camera handheld, same for the walks. So take a few films that are faster then Velvia.

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Vic Falls is crowded after having been in the bush for days. But at the falls itself there is enough opportunity for photography. At the end of the afternoon you get lots of rainbows in the water. If you have time and money, take a flight over the falls, its worth it. Another nice activity would be to visit the falls at night (though illegal, you have to climb over the fences). They look like magic and with a full moon you can get rainbows in the moonlight.....

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I could keep on writing about this, such is its beauty. I just wish I could be there too. Have a look at my site for some more info and lots of photos of the area.

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Greetings,

Hans