Advice on a Camping Safari

[Rob]

Hi everyone, Just found this site & would really appreciate some advice on planning a trip to Africa. Would like to do a camping safari & seeing as how I am paying three (my two adult children are coming as well) air fares would like to economise somehow.

Have got as many brochures as I can find but all seem to want to take in Dar as Salem & Zanzibar for 5-7 days which I am not really interested in. I am looking more on the animal photographic opportuinities as well as Vic falls. Ideally we would like to travel to Vic Falls, through Zambia Mallawi into Tanzania & go to the Serengetti, Ngorongoro Crater then to Kenya taking in the Masai Mara game reserve. Aiming to travel end of June & would like to travel for app 21 days & then go onto Egypt for a week before returning home. Really interested in getting shots of the Wildebeast migration & some river crossings

Also, our plans are to take the following gear:
Canon 1Dmk111, 1dsMk11, 5Dmk11 & 7d.
Lenses I can take are 500 F4, 300 F2.8, 100-400, 1.4 & 2X T/C plus wide angles. Would appreciate thoughts on taking the 500 mainly due to size but figure I will only get one opp to do this trip & want to do it well. Any help would be very appreciated. Regards

[fazekma]

Hi Rob

I don't know if you have already been on your photo safari but if not, I would suggest taking your 500mm f4. It is light to carry (lighter than the 600mm f4!) and the quality is better than the 100-400, especially with convertors.

As you rightly said - you have one opportunity to do this trip right! When I went to the Ngorongoro crater a few years back I took just my 80-200 f2.8 plus a 2X teleconvertor as I wanted to save space and I regretted it. Some animals we could drive up to but others we had to view from a distance. My photos were not good!

We live in South Africa so when we go to the Kruger, Kalahari, Pilanesberg or Etosha we drive and then we take all our gear from the fish-eye to the 600mm f4. If I was flying I would think twice about the 600 f4 but a 500 f4 is manageable on planes.

Hope this helps.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by fazekma

Hi Rob

I don't know if you have already been on your photo safari but if not, I would suggest taking your 500mm f4. It is light to carry (lighter than the 600mm f4!) and the quality is better than the 100-400, especially with convertors.

As you rightly said - you have one opportunity to do this trip right! When I went to the Ngorongoro crater a few years back I took just my 80-200 f2.8 plus a 2X teleconvertor as I wanted to save space and I regretted it. Some animals we could drive up to but others we had to view from a distance. My photos were not good!

We live in South Africa so when we go to the Kruger, Kalahari, Pilanesberg or Etosha we drive and then we take all our gear from the fish-eye to the 600mm f4. If I was flying I would think twice about the 600 f4 but a 500 f4 is manageable on planes.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Yes, I have been deliberating over long lenses & now thinking about 300 F2.8 with tele converter. Would dearly love to take the 500 but am travelling to Egypt after & maybe a bit of a problem there

[TheZanzibari]

Hi Rob,

Try dropping either Tanzania Adventure or Kenya Adventures a line and they should be able to setup a custom tour for you depending on what you want to see, do and where you want to stay.

[FlightCenter]

I would recommend bringing some bug spray as well and plenty of wet wipes as it can get hot and muggy. Chances are you won't notice because of all the great scenery though.