URGENT Africa Help

[asc]

My Family is planning a trip to Africa (in the next week or so) and of course I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to get some amazing shots. I was wondering if anyone could suggest places in Africa that they have been to or heard of that are especially good for photography.

THANKS

[scotteisenphotography]

South Africa

[Dbix]

I went on a safari in the Masai Mara while I was in Kenya and it was amazing! It's definitely worth the couple hours of driving on all those bumpy roads to get there. A 100-400L would be a very good lens to take with you for a safari.

[wanyc]

I've been to Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa(2x) and to the Zimbabwe side of Vic Falls. All are great for photography. The answer to the question depends in part on what time of year you are going, your budget, whether you want to stay in lodges or mobile tented camps, what you hope to photograph and what other interests you have (e.g. a visit to Capetown and/or the wine country, Vic Falls, if you want to combine safari with beach, if you plan to trek to see the mountain gorillas, etc.).

[vettesight]

If I could only chose one location it would be the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. However, the Serengeti is not far away so both are opportunities worth pursuing.

[asc]

Thanks for all the replies. Keep them coming all very helpful!
The trip is being planed for this summer and I think the plan is to stay in a lodge haven't got a price range yet so suggest anything!! If you have a specific lodge, safari company anything really that you liked or have heard good things about please let me know.
Thanks

[wanyc]

The World Cup is in South Africa from June 11-July 11, 2010 and most places in South Africa are already full for that period and a couple of weeks on either side. If you plan on going in June or July and are not going to World Cup then I would concentrate on East Africa.

[Sid52]

Be very careful!
You may get bitten by the Africa bug. No vaccinations available before you go and the only treatment when you return is to plan the next trip.
I went to Botswana last year and I caught it big time.

When you are costing the holiday, don't forget the vaccinations and malarial medication you may need. This can be surprisingly expensive. Don't know what ones are free in the US, but we pay for yellow fever (£50) and malaria pills, but get jabs free for diseases that are catchable in the uk, hepatitis, tphoid etc.

Two operators here are Explore and Exodus. They both do a wide range of trips to all parts of Africa. I've used Explore twice and I would recommend them if you want a good value trip, but with reasonable comfort as well. http://www.explore.co.uk/

[hollis_f]

I agree with absolutely everything that Sid says, especially about the Africa bug. I went to Botswana in 2005 and have since been back to Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Botswana again. If you go to TripAdvisor.com then you'll be able to read lots of people's experiences and find recommendations of US-based operators.

[FreightDriver]

Africa is a big place! Photography is broad term! Asking where in Africa is a good place for photography is really too broad to get a good answer.
Are you interested in Big Game, any game, birds, landscapes, seascapes, people, architecture?
How much time do you have and are you prepared to travel?
What sort of budget do you have?
With answers to these I might be able to make some good suggestions. I am not a travel agent/consultant but if you wish to contact me please feel free to do so.( prado_578@hotmail.com )
PS. I live in South Africa and enjoy my amateur photography.

[asc]

I probably will get bitten by the "Africa bug" I have seen many pictures of Africa and have already fallen in love with it. Also thanks for the heads up on the shots I will have to look into that.
Sid: Thanks for the link I'm going to check it out later tonight when I have time.
FreightDriver: You should be getting a very long email from me soon :-) thanks.

[asc]

Thank you very much to everyone that helped we have our trip planed email me if you would like to know what it is. Thanks again.

[Dr. P]

I just posted a link to some articles I wrote on this topic- It seems like it might apply to your needs.

Dr. P