Africa Safari

[Shakyphoto (Slim)]

Can anyone recommend good tour operators in:
1) Tanzania/Kenya
2) Namibia

Requirements:
1) 2 person private or at minimum with other serious photographers.
2) good guide
3) flexible

Also what benefits does a tour operator that has a photographic option over have over booking a
private tour car?

[stever]

Africa Adventure Company.  Mark Nolting's (the owner) book Africa's Top Wildlife Countries is an outstanding guide.  We've used Africa Adventure company for South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Madagascar. 

The advantages of a private tour:
  if you book with a good agent, you will have the same drivers and guides as the photo safaris - and these guides will be outstanding
  you won't be paying for the pro photographer(s)
  the guide will consider your particular interests
  with only 2 in the group there will be lots of room to shoot from the optimum location
  the tour itself will be designed for your schedule and interests - AAC found a camp for us in Botswana that gave me an Aardvark sighting

the advantage of a photographic tour
  if you don't know what you are doing you will get help - but it will be the most expensive photography lesson you can imagine

[Shakyphoto (Slim)]

Stever,

Thank you so much for the advice.  The link you sent me looks very quite reasonable:
Two follow up questions:
1)What is a flying Safari?  Is this just transportation or is it actually a tour from the plane?
2)They state that their vehicles are open vehicles.  --> I thought that in Tanzania they used closed cars with open roofs or land cruisers.

[stever]

flying safari - fly from camp to camp (pretty much the only way to get there in many places, particularly Botswana & Namibia). Did get good shots from the plane flying from the desert in Namibia up the coast.

the vehicles in Tanzania are closed except for a couple private camps that use open vehicles.  the closed vehicles are used in the public areas where tour vehicles are confined to the roads and you will travel significant distances from camp to camp.  it was the case that a 24hr photography pass could be purchased for around $1000 which allowed off road and night photography.

If this is your first safari, why aren't you considering Botswana which has a greater wildlife diversity (except for rhinos and wildebeasts) than Tanzania or Kenya and is a more pleasant, less crowded experience?  If you want rhinos, a private camp outside Etosha in Namibia is probably the best bet (we saw black and wide at close range).  Vast herds of wildebeasts migrating are spectacular, but being in the right place at the right time for a crossing is not a high probability.

[Shakyphoto (Slim)]

Hi Stever,

Thanks for the clarification:

We were looking to see the Wildebeast Migration and then hop over to Rwanda for Gorillas.
I've was in Kenya and Tanzania over 10 years ago, but my wife has not been there yet and she wants to see the Migration.
To me this is the classical Safari location, but then my experience is limited.

Namibia is was another option since we haven't been there before.

I will take a closer look at Botswana based on your suggestion.  I have not been there, but my father has been.

[Tony Jay]

I would tend to agree with Stever to a large degree.

I grew up in South Africa and still travel extensively in Southern Africa.
Namibia and Botswana offer unparalleled experiences for those who are less experienced travellers in Africa.
As a slight correction of a point Stever made: there are plenty of wildebeest in Botswana - the place is overrun with them. There are not many rhinoceros in Botswana though - the only White Rhino I know of in Botswana have recently been reintroduced into the southern Okavango delta.

One of the best places in the world to see Black Rhinoceros is Etosha National Park in northern Namibia.
If seeing White Rhinoceros is very important to you then the southern Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe-Umfolozi, both found in South Africa guarantee large numbers of animals.

Wherever you end wanting to go my suggestion is to fly between destinations. This limits travel time being wasted.
Depending where you go some operators will take you on their own game drives and are also well versed in catering to dedicated wildlife photographers. A good example of this is the many ecolodge operators found in the Okavango delta.
The only practical way to reach these places is by air, the lodges are small - limited to about 20 guests each at a time - and wonderfully appointed.

In other locations it may be practical, once there, to hire a 4X4 vehicle and do your own game drives.
Whenever I go to Chobe National Park in northern Botswana I tend to stay in nearby Kasane and hire a vehicle from there.
If you want to go to Etosha in Namibia the roads are passable with a non-4X4 but I would strongly recommend only using a 4X4, not least for the extra height and better game viewing these vehicles provide.
Advantages of using your own hire vehicle to do game drives are numerous in places like this should not be underestimated.

I have only mentioned a small number of possibilities and aspects of travel in Africa.
If you want email me through LuLa and we can discuss your needs and goals as well as time constraints, budget etc in more detail. I have no business interest here but I do have a great love of Africa - and travelling and photographing there.

Tony Jay

[stever]

i've seen wildebeest in Botswana, but never been there at the time and place to see large herds.

If you're going to Rwanda, i'd recommend booking more than one day with the gorillas.  we did 3 days and saw a different family each day - well worth it given the time and effort to get there.  We combined Tanzania and Rwanda and it worked out well.

[Shakyphoto (Slim)]

Thanks Tony for the tips.  Will be heading over there early or mid next year, so I have some time to prepare.  Will take you up on your offer for advice as I get closer to narrowing down options.

[Tony Jay]

Thanks Tony for the tips.  Will be heading over there early or mid next year, so I have some time to prepare.  Will take you up on your offer for advice as I get closer to narrowing down options.

My advice is to start now.
Only because of cost considerations and actually getting to places that you want to.
In Southern Africa April to September are the prime months for wildlife tourism and so costs are high and competition for accomodation is fierce.

Tony Jay

[stever]

if you book much less than a year in advance for Jun - Sep you'll get limited schedule and acomodation options