african safari

[cyruz]

hey all, im getting ready to plan a safari to tanzania in august. im bound to the 1st 2 weeks of august by my wifes schedule. but anyone have recomendations for areas and tour groups near the ngorongoro crater.

by the way for any of the warcrafters out there, every time i see it i think of un'goro and the god dam devilsaurs that always got me.

[BradM]

The best tours designed and setup for serious photographers can be found here: http://www.photosafaris.com/

Not cheap but you have some of the best people in business getting you to the shots and you are not elbow to elbow with another 7 or 8 people in a vehicle, only 3 shooter per.

Whether they can help you in the location and period you are there is something that needs to be asked, if they can't ask for a recommendation of can you can trust these folks to help you get the best experience possible.

[realitysays]

hey all, im getting ready to plan a safari to tanzania in august. im bound to the 1st 2 weeks of august by my wifes schedule. but anyone have recomendations for areas and tour groups near the ngorongoro crater.

by the way for any of the warcrafters out there, every time i see it i think of un'goro and the god dam devilsaurs that always got me.

Hahaha ungoro crater... great for grinding your way to 51=52 to get the hell out of there and into blasted lands haha.

[Sidnye]

Can't give you info on Ngorongoro crater (we were in the Selous) but I'd recommend taking a side trip to Zanzibar if you are down near Dar.

[hollis_f]

hey all, im getting ready to plan a safari to tanzania in august. im bound to the 1st 2 weeks of august by my wifes schedule. but anyone have recomendations for areas and tour groups near the ngorongoro crater.
On my trip to Tanzania we did the standard set of northern sites - Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater (with a side-trip to Oldupai Gorge).

My one bit of advice is avoid the Seronera Wildlife Lodge in the Serengeti - our room was horrible and there was no water at all until midnight. And we were the lucky ones, 20 people ended up sleeping in the bar due to an overbooking.

[dmitrim]

hey all, im getting ready to plan a safari to tanzania in august. im bound to the 1st 2 weeks of august by my wifes schedule. but anyone have recomendations for areas and tour groups near the ngorongoro crater.

by the way for any of the warcrafters out there, every time i see it i think of un'goro and the god dam devilsaurs that always got me.

I was in that neighborhood 1.5 years ago. I got a few images on my website if you want a reference of what you'll be able to see there.
PS. Some were in NG and Photo Life magazines.

[DragonSpeed]

I'm heading to that very area at the end of May.

We will be using Tropical Trails - an outfit run by a friend of a colleague of mine.

We're doing 7 days around the North, heading out of Arusha and then down to Zanzibar for 3-4 days and Dar for a few days.

My big concern, and the reason I'm posting is DUST They suggest you have a dust mask for the travelling in the Range Rover... what do I do for the camera? BIG plastic bag that I take it out to shoot? I'm going with a 100-400 (permanently on the 50D while on safari) and a 17-55 in the bag for town/city shots.

What do you folks suggest to keep my kit as dust free as possible - resulting in nice sharp shots (or as sharp as _I_ can get them :) )

Also, if you're interested in any of the info I have gleaned so far, feel free to PM me.

Cheers!

[dmitrim]

I'm heading to that very area at the end of May.

We will be using Tropical Trails - an outfit run by a friend of a colleague of mine.

We're doing 7 days around the North, heading out of Arusha and then down to Zanzibar for 3-4 days and Dar for a few days.

My big concern, and the reason I'm posting is DUST They suggest you have a dust mask for the travelling in the Range Rover... what do I do for the camera? BIG plastic bag that I take it out to shoot? I'm going with a 100-400 (permanently on the 50D while on safari) and a 17-55 in the bag for town/city shots.

What do you folks suggest to keep my kit as dust free as possible - resulting in nice sharp shots (or as sharp as _I_ can get them :) )

Also, if you're interested in any of the info I have gleaned so far, feel free to PM me.

Cheers!

I was there in May too. The dust issue is HUGE. I think it's safer to smoke your whole life than spend 3 weeks in that area. I'd definitely suggest bringing a mask with you.
God forbid you decide to change lenses. You'll kill your sensor...Bring 2 cameras and 2 lenses. Mount them and leave them on.

[matman1975]

hey all, im getting ready to plan a safari to tanzania in august. im bound to the 1st 2 weeks of august by my wifes schedule. but anyone have recomendations for areas and tour groups near the ngorongoro crater.

by the way for any of the warcrafters out there, every time i see it i think of un'goro and the god dam devilsaurs that always got me.


Hello from Greece,

The best season to visit Ngorongoro and Serengeti during dry season is July.
Ngorongoro is a great place which requires only one full day game drive to cover it all. My experience says that Ngorongoro Sopa lodge is the best choise cause apart from the excellent service it is remoted from all the other lodges, thus less crouded when the "race" to reach the crater early in the morning or afternoon starts!
Serengeti in the other hand is a true nature wonder. The best idea is to try to book a tented camp around Seronera area. I guarantee you that in a tented camp you will experience Africa "by night" like no other place on earth, cause Seronera is full of predators!
Seronera Serena lodge is the obvious choise if you need more organized lodging. It lies in the "heart" of Serengeti and should be your starting point in your effort to cover as much "Serengeti" as you can.
Don't by any mean forget to visit other areas of Serengeti such as the famous western corridor (if you are lucky you can see wildebeest crossing Grumeti river!), and the south-eastern plains near Ngare-nanyuki river which is a typical cheetah area.
There is also the northern part of Lobo area near the borders with Kenya where tourists are very few and animals less used to them. This is a densed forrest area where also che-che flies live.
I visit Tanzania and Kenya every year for my photographic work, feel free to ask me whatever you like!

Teo
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
eos 40D
ef 400mm f/5.6 L
ef 70-200mm f/4 L
ef 18-55mm

[matman1975]

...a few more!

[matman1975]

...a couple more!

[DragonSpeed]

Matman - some excellent shots!

People keep telling me it will be "cool" in the mornings. How cool are we talking in degrees C? We will be there end of may/beginning of June. Tarangire, Serengetti, Ngorongo crater etc.

Thanks.

[hollis_f]

Matman - some excellent shots!

People keep telling me it will be "cool" in the mornings. How cool are we talking in degrees C? We will be there end of may/beginning of June. Tarangire, Serengetti, Ngorongo crater etc.

Thanks.

The Coolest place (in more than one sense) will be Ngorongoro. You'll be staying on, or near, the crater rim, which is at quite a high altitude. We were there in July and I reckon the early morning temperature must have been around 10 degrees. Serengeti was at least 5 degrees warmer.

[matman1975]

Matman - some excellent shots!

People keep telling me it will be "cool" in the mornings. How cool are we talking in degrees C? We will be there end of may/beginning of June. Tarangire, Serengetti, Ngorongo crater etc.

Thanks.

Early morning and late afternoon hours in Serengeti are pretty cool, you will definitely need a light jacket (especially if you are "brave" enough... constantly standing and watching from the roof hatch of your vehicle!)
Ngorongoro is cooler due to higher altitude!
Serengeti will definitely capture your heart and mind, it is a nature's wonder place worth visiting even if there were no animals living there! The fact that wildlife is so abudand simply makes it one of the best wildlife destinations in the world!
By the way...thank you for your comment on my shots!

Teo

[zeeshan66]

The best tours designed and setup for serious photographers can be found here: http://www.photosafaris.com/
.

great link thanks

[cyruz]

we are going through Thompson safari's. 3 days in serengeti, 2 in ngorongoro, and 3 in tangerie. now i just have to decide between a 1.4x, 2x tube for a 70-200 f/2.8, or pick up a 100-400 for the trip.

[matman1975]

we are going through Thompson safari's. 3 days in serengeti, 2 in ngorongoro, and 3 in tangerie. now i just have to decide between a 1.4x, 2x tube for a 70-200 f/2.8, or pick up a 100-400 for the trip.

The 100-400mm lens is your only choise. Off road driving is strictly prohibbited in all Tanzanian national parks which means that a photographer there needs as much focal length as possible.
The 70-200mm zoom should be your back up lens for those (rare) moments when your subject will be very close to the 4X4 vehicle.
Most of the times (especially in Serengeti) animals stay far away from the road (mainly cheetahs which are very shy) so a 400mm lens is the minimum requirement.
Ngorongoro is a different story...it is a very small park (if you can change your itinerary to 1 day in Ngorongoro and 4 days in Serengeti it would be much better) which means that you can cover it all in one 6hr game drive and you won't be needing more. Animals there can't "hide" due to the complete lack of undergrowth, so in Ngorongoro you will have your chances for some close-ups, even with the 70-200mm zoom.

Have a nice trip
Teo

P.S. Your only chance to see a leopard in Serengeti is to ask your driver to go by the banks of Seronera river which lies in the heart of the park. This is a famous leopard territory, ask him to stay there a lot of time...be patient and if you are lucky....you are about to experience a never to be forgotten sight!

[DragonSpeed]

The 100-400mm lens is your only choise. Off road driving is strictly prohibbited in all Tanzanian national parks which means that a photographer there needs as much focal length as possible.
The 70-200mm zoom should be your back up lens for those (rare) moments when your subject will be very close to the 4X4 vehicle.
Most of the times (especially in Serengeti) animals stay far away from the road (mainly cheetahs which are very shy) so a 400mm lens is the minimum requirement.
Ngorongoro is a different story...it is a very small park (if you can change your itinerary to 1 day in Ngorongoro and 4 days in Serengeti it would be much better) which means that you can cover it all in one 6hr game drive and you won't be needing more. Animals there can't "hide" due to the complete lack of undergrowth, so in Ngorongoro you will have your chances for some close-ups, even with the 70-200mm zoom.

Have a nice trip
Teo

100% agree. We did 7 days:

1 - Tarangire
2 - Tarangire->Serengeti (Seronera)
3 - Serengeti (Seronera)
4 - Serengeti (Seronera 2/3 -> Lobo)
5 - Serengeti (Lobo 1/3) -> Ngorongo
6 - Ngorongoro
7 - Lake Manyara

Ngorongoro animals feel like zoo animals after the other areas - non-migrational, they are used to seeing the same activity day in and day out... Good opp for seeing the black rhino though.


P.S. Your only chance to see a leopard in Serengeti is to ask your driver to go by the banks of Seronera river which lies in the heart of the park. This is a famous leopard territory, ask him to stay there a lot of time...be patient and if you are lucky....you are about to experience a never to be forgotten sight!
We saw one leopard in Seronera that was hanging high up in a tree - REALLY FAR from the road - I even tried throwing on the 2x from the 70-200 combo onto my 100-400... just to get a decent pic..

Lobo - two young males together in the early morning!!!! Just 50 ft from the side of the road!

Cyruz... you are going to LOVE it!

[cyruz]

well im stuck now debating on the 100-400L or the Sigma APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM. anyone use here use it at all?

[DragonSpeed]

well im stuck now debating on the 100-400L or the Sigma APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM. anyone use here use it at all?
All I can tell you is I loved my 100-400L and that you can't go wrong with it. Get it before you go and practice... some people have a hard time with the "push-pull" idea.

[matman1975]

well im stuck now debating on the 100-400L or the Sigma APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM. anyone use here use it at all?


You already have a 70-200mm zoom.....purchasing the 100-400mm will be a bad idea.
You can choose instead the 400mm f/5.6 L prime which is sharper than the 100-400mm and also has a faster AF system.
The 100-400mm zoom is an ideal safari lens ONLY for those who intend bringing in Africa one lens....you do not belong in that category.
Here is a link where you can see what a 400mm f/5.6 L prime can do in Africa;)
www.photo.net/photos/matman1975 (http://www.photo.net/photos/matman1975)


Teo

[DragonSpeed]

I'd say that's fine if you're bringing two bodies. If you only have one body, it's going to be tough to change lenses fast enough when the animal goes from 400 range to right next to you IHMO. I found a few times that I wished I had a 50-400 even ;)

[cyruz]

was the 1-4L enough reach? i might grab a sigma 150-500 for the trip. teo those are some great shot, but i think since im only gonna bring one body with me, i want to stick with a zoom as much as possible, so i am not swapping lenses to much in the dust.

[condyk]

For one body I'd go 150-500mm OS. Whichever you buy get it well ahead of time and test. Any of the long zooms can be dodgy, tho' I have to say neither of my 100-400 L's came up to scratch and both my 150-500's did, but other people will have different experience. Depends on the copy you get. The Sigma has more length and better IS so pound for pound I feel it's a better buy. In Africa I recommend you mainly shoot AV at f8 as this gives a sharp/nicer image with good DOF, then adjust ISO to get the shutter speed you need. There is plenty of light but try to shoot when light is ideal rather than when sun is high in the sky. Shots will look washed out otherwise.

For a two body set up the 70-200mm and 400mm is a perfect combo.