Type of Safari
Types of safaris fall into similar categories and
have a direct impact on the cost you pay and the amount of the
photographic opportunities you are likely to encounter. However
safaris can be very finicky and nothing can be guaranteed, sometimes
you search long and wide and find nothing other times something
appears around every corner for you to snap. That is part of the
magic of a safari you do not know what to expect next.
Option 1
The first type which usually comes with 1) and 2)
on the previous page is typical of the standard safari in Kenya you
will travel in a converted Toyota van with glass windows and a popup
open roof, seating up to 7 paying passengers. Usually the safari
guide drives you to your destinations and will be with you
throughout the trip.
Option 2
The second is similar but your travel is in a 4 x
4 jeep and these can seat 7 passengers and also most have a roof
that opens up, in theory you can go off road with these but few
parks allow you off road (to preserve the environment), so in my
view there not a great deal of benefit. The Toyota vans are more
comfortable especially on long journeys. In both cases when the
vehicle is full of passengers it’s sometimes difficult to get the
shot you want either because someone is in the way, your windows
does not open, the subject is on the other side of the vehicle or
someone else is moving about.
Van
Etiquette
I would suggest when you first meet up with the
party that you will be travelling with on safari, that it would be a
good idea to agree with the other members of the party a method of
seat rotation. The reason I say this is some seats are better
positioned and more comfortable than others i.e. the back seats are
always the most bumpy but sometimes good for photography and the
front seats in most situations the best seats to have for
photography and are comfortable, the middle seats are in between so
to speak. Otherwise, over a period of days conflict may arise
between the parties and the enjoyment for all may be marred. Have
some consideration for other passengers and photographers whilst you
are taking your shots, everybody has paid to be there not just you !
Let the guide know what your requirements are
(species, expectations), ask driver to stop when appropriate and
turn off engine to reduce vibration, if an obstacle is in the way of
your shot or if you are in poor position to get that good shot, ask
driver if he is able to reposition the vehicle.
Do not cause stress to the animals in any way,
wanting to be too close or staying for too long or if animal looks
agitated – take the guides advice.
Lastly thank driver/guide if they have provided
you with some good photographic opportunities.
Option 3
The third and most expensive is to fly between
locations. Many of the safari lodges have a small grass landing
strip nearby and in parts of Africa travel by air is the norm,
timetables for flights exist like we in the UK have bus timetables.
When you land at the strip you are picked up by a driver from the
lodge, your safari will be in a lodge vehicle. The vehicle is most
likely to be a purpose made open safari vehicle with a canvas top to
protect you from the sun and from a photography point of view you
will have all round view with no sides or dirty windows. The guide
is local to the lodge, he will have expert knowledge of the local
area, he’ll know all the local hangouts, last sightings and will
give you your best potential for spotting games. From an memorable
experience point of view you are closer to the animals.
Advantages
- Option 3
To venture on this type of safari is going to cost
more but there are some hidden advantages which are not always
apparent.
a) As I mentioned above your
guide will have local knowledge whereas safari types 1 and 2 your
guide will be based at the start point maybe Nairobi in Kenya or
Arusha in Northern Tanzania he may do a safari trip once a
month/fortnight depending how busy the local operator is. He may be
the driver for differing destinations so therefore his local and
recent games activity knowledge will not be as good as a local lodge
guide. Your local guide I believe will give you the best chance of
finding more animals.
b) Because you are travelling by air your inter
destination journey time will be a lot less, therefore you will have
more time to spend on safari, the more time on safari means more
photo opportunities. Some of the distances travelled to get from
place to place can be vast, depending on the tour you have selected,
it is not uncommon to spend half (or even a full) day travelling.
Travelling long distances can be tiring and dusty. So give some
thought to how much time you are travelling and how much time you
are actually on safari with the roof up able to take photos.
Option 4
Self Drive, I would recommend if this is to be
your first safari then arranging the self drive safari through a
recognised specialist safari travel company, who could give the
right guidance and arrange a suitable itinerary. The main
destinations are South Africa,
Namibia and Botswana with the later being the most challenging
in terms of it’s road network and driving. The advantage is that you
will be able to go where you want and stay for as long as you want
but the down side is finding out where the best spots are for
optimum game viewing.
Option 5
DIY Internet, I’ve not done this myself and would
not follow this course if it was my first time. As with many things
in life you pay your money and take your chance, Africa can be a
long way from home if things go wrong but I’m sure there plenty of
people who have been successful in booking a safari this way.
Value for Money Calculation
When I am selecting a safari I do a simple
calculation when making a comparison. Normally time on safari
activities is based on two situations, an all day safari or a
combination of morning and/or evening safaris this depends on the
need for travelling between lodges and the facilities on offer. If I
count up the number of half days when I would be actually on safari
(not travelling), a full day counts as two and compare the total
number of days I am away from home. This will give me an idea of how
much I am paying and how much photography I will be able to do. This
calculation will give me some guidance if I am undecided on which of
the safari trips/destinations I want to do.
Off Road Safari
As mentioned previously the expectation sometimes
when booking up a safari, if the mode of travel is by a 4 x 4
vehicle you can expect to travel off road and follow the animals,
this is not the case. In most of the safari parks the rules are that
you are only allowed to follow the recognised road network (often
this is merely a dirt track) and it is not permitted to follow the
game all over the place. In some instances the driver will be fined
for doing so. The reason given is to preserve the natural
environment for future generations, this I agree should be the case.
It means for the photographer when the particular
animal you have spotted walks away from the road or is up a tree 400
yards away, the only shots you will be getting will be in the
distance and may not be too interesting at best. All is not lost, in
some reserves, ‘concessions’ are allocated to specific lodges and
from these off road safaris are permitted and the driver is free to
roam with some care, so it is now possible to get closer to that
leopard you spotted in a tree some distance away. However, this
advantage does come at some cost as these lodges I believe pay a
premium for this privilege and off course this cost is passed onto
the tourist. This type of safari lodge is unlikely to be part of a
charter flight package but akin to specialist providers.