One of the participants on our most recent African Safari in February has posted several videos and photos from our trip. I’ve embedded one of Nick’s videos here for you to see. You’ll see that it even features yours truly “graciously” crossing a treacherous rope bridge. Enjoy!
Nick took the video with his Canon 7D and Canon 5D Mark II. You can see the rest of his Africa videos here on YouTube.
The average day time temperature in Kenya during January is about 77 degrees with a night time average of about 53 degrees. January is a dry time of year in Kenya and Nairobi so we shouldn’t have rain, the key word is shouldn’t.
Space is limited in the vehicles and our luggage goes with us from lodge to lodge so please bring soft sided luggage – one less that 30″ long and one less than 20″ long. I generally use one 30″ bag for my clothing which is sufficient. Remember, we want room for photo gear.
Clothes that are wash and wear, mix and match, casual cotton or poly blends work best. While most lodges have one-day laundry service, I generally do my wash in the tub or sink and hang it in the room to dry. I like to wear safari-type cloths with lots of pockets preferring tans, browns, grays, and olives staying away from white or extremely light colors. I recommended you bring a hat, two pair of lightweight pants, one pair of shorts, three lightweight shirts (long sleeve or short sleeve), three pairs of socks, comfortable tennis shoes, sandals, a very light jacket or heavy shirt & underwear. Dinners tend to be a very nice affair so I recommend the ladies bring a light dress or skirt and blouse and the gentlemen bring slacks and a nice shirt, nothing formal just nice.
I carry on all of my photo gear so I have to pack it with care to get it all on. I use a backpack that meets international airline carry on restrictions and wrap each body or lens in small bubble wrap. I also carry a laptop bag that will hold the computer and a bunch of other stuff. I recommend taking at least two camera bodies and a variety of lenses including your 500mm
Elephant at Dawn Under Acacia Tree
Located in northern Tanzania, Tarangire National Park is home to a wide variety of wildlife including elephant, buffalo, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, lion, leopard, and cheetah, and if you are really lucky, you may see the African wild dog. The Tarangire is famous for its huge herds of elephants, in fact, on the afternoon game drive I counted over two hundred elephants in a lush green area about a mile and a half square. Additionally the Tarangire is a birders paradise with over 517 species of birds.
Our stay at Tarangire National Park was short, but I was able to get some very good photographs, especially of birds. A final plus for the Tarangire is that it doesn’t draw quite the droves of tourist that the rest of the Tanzanian northern circuit gets.
The Roika Tarangire Tented Lodge where we stayed is a well maintained with spacious walled tents, great beds and a private bath. Unfortunately I didn’t think the food was on par with the other places we stayed.
Red-Billed Hornbill in Flight
Elephants and Mount Kilimanjaro
Amboseli National Park offers one of the most classic and breathtaking views of Kenya, with Mount Kilimanjaro (in Tanzania) as the back drop. At 18,652 feet, Kilimanjaro dominates the plains like a powerful god ruling the world from his white capped throne. In fact, ancient Swahili and Arab legends tell of a great inland mountain with a terrible god living at the top. As punishment for anyone daring to approach his throne, he would paralyze their hands and feet. Interesting how inhabitants of tropical areas described being frozen. Mount Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania but the most spectacular view is from Amboseli National Park.
Grey Crowned Crane
Back to Amboseli, we arrived at the Amboseli Serena Lodge in time for lunch and then an afternoon game drive. The lodge is truly wonderful. The accommodations were on par with an upscale US hotel. Meals were buffet and well prepared, again very westernized.
Despite your first impression that this is nothing but a dry, arid and dusty land, you soon become educated. Amboseli has plenty of water year round, it’s just underground. The snows of Kilimanjaro melt, soaking into the porous subsoil layers of volcanic rocks. These underground streams bubble to the surface forming two clear springs in the center of the park. Water also oozes up at several other points in the park creating large marshes like the Loginya Swamp. These swamps and marshes have become private spas for elephants, hippos and buffaloes.
Wildebeests at Sunset
During my stay in Amboseli I photographed some truly huge elephants and hundreds of other plains animals. What I didn’t see at Amboseli were cats. In fact, I didn’t get a photograph of any predators.
From Amboseli my tour took me from the north side to the south side of Mount Kilimanjaro as I headed for the Tarangire National Park.
On this year’s African Photo Safari in the Ngorongoro Crater, we witnessed a lion attacking a zebra. Dr. Marcus P. Borom caught the attack on video, which you can view below.
Many wonder what it is like to travel in Africa. Questions like; what are accommodations like, is the food safe to eat, is it tasty, what about the water, and how do I get around? All are good questions. Here is some of what I’ve learned. Here are photos of vehicles and accommodations on my last African Photo Safari.
Mara Simba Lodge in Masai Mara on the African Photo Safari
On my tours we stay in two kinds of accommodations, Lodges and Tented Camps. Lodges compare to any medium-priced motels in the US. Most have twin or queen size beds, ceiling fans, no air conditioning, and westernized bathrooms. Because these accommodations are located great distances from civilization they generate their own electricity. I’ve stayed in lodges and camps that are surrounded by electric fences to keep wildlife out and others that are patrolled by Maasai Warriors for the same reason.
Tented Camps are just that, camps that are set up with large walled tents with a thatched roof canopy over the tent to keep the sun off. Each tent has hot and cold running water, showers and toilets. The beds are just that, beds not cots with sleeping bags. They also generate electricity for the camp and guests.
Food at both lodges and tented camps is very good. Most meals are very westernized. Breakfast generally has two or three kinds of eggs, bacon, ham, toast, French toast, potatoes, fruit and a variety of drinks including fruit juices, coffee, and tea. Lunches are hot meals with meats, potatoes, rice, raw and cooked eatables, breads, deserts and drinks. Dinner will have chicken, pork, beef, maybe some game meat, two or three starch dishes, several different vegetable and fruit dishes, a couple of deserts and drinks including alcohol (drinks are always extra). Many lodges and camps serve their meals as a buffet.
Don’t drink the water, drink bottled water. To find out if ICE is safe to use and made from filtered water I always ask the manager. Most accommodations filter their water for ice as they use it for ice tea.
If you want snacks during the day you have to take them with you as Circle K’s and 7/11’s haven’t made it into the bush.
African Safari Vehicles on the African Photo Safari
Touring is from 4×4 extended vehicles with lift top roofs. These vehicles will seat seven plus the driver, however when I lead a tour I have two seats removed and only put four clients in each vehicle. More than four it is just too crowded. With the roofs in the up position even the tallest person can stand up to view wildlife and African scenery. Because wildlife is wild and dangerous you are seldom allowed out of the vehicle while on a game drive, generally two to three hours.
Black Rhino on the African Wildlife Safari
After spending two nights at Lake Nakuru we headed for the next stop on our African Wildlife Safari, the Masai Mara National Reserve. This Kenyan National Reserve is located in south-western Kenya and covers about 950 square miles. Effectively it is the northern continuation of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. This reserve, also spelled Maasai Mara, is named for the Maasai people and the Mara River which divides the area. The ecosystem is open grassland with areas containing clumps of the distinctive acacia tree.
Lions Mating on the African Wildlife Safari
We arrived at the Mara Simba Lodge by mid-morning. After a great luncheon buffet and short nap, we were off on our afternoon game drive. During the two days we spent on the Masai Mara we photographed lions mating at 15′, cheetahs hunting, and thousands of other mammals, birds and reptiles. In fact wildlife viewing is excellent year round on the Masai Mara including Cape buffalo, elephant, hartebeest, zebra, giraffe and big cats are in abundance. We photographed four of Africa’s “Big Five” rhino, elephant, Cape buffalo, and lion Leopard was the only Big Five I didn’t photograph on the reserve. The rivers are home to large numbers of hippos and crocodiles. Also calling the reserve home are 452 species of birds including 53 raptors.
Please note that the Black rhino is severely threatened, with a population of only 37 recorded in 2000 on the Masai Mara. I think myself extremely lucky and privileged to get this photograph of the Black Rhino above. Not much of a photo as photos go, but I got to see and photograph Black rhinos on my African Wildlife Safari!
Crocodile and Electric Fence on the African Wildlife Safari
This lodge was also surrounded by an electric fence like many others. One evening during dinner I watched a huge crocodile try to enter the compound only to receive a shocking experience when he got to the fence. He got the message and returned to the river.
I truly hated to leave the Masai Mara, but other places awaited so we headed for our next stop in Kenya was Amboseli National Park.
Leopard Licking His Chops for African Photography Safari Blog
For seventeen days in February, 2009, I lived a Teddy Roosevelt adventure. OK, it wasn’t quite like the way Teddy did it, but my African Safari was a real thrill that I’ll cherish the rest of my life. My safari wasn’t a big game hunt but an African Photography Safari in Kenya and Tanzania.
We started our safari by flying from Tucson to Nairobi by way of London, arriving early in the morning. At the Nairobi airport we were picked up by Somak Travel, one of the leading safari companies in Kenya.
After breakfast we headed north arriving at the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge in Lake Nakuru National Park. The first thing I noticed as we arrived at the lodge was that it is surrounded by an electric fence. In fact, many of the lodges use electric fences to keep unwanted wildlife out.
After 30 hours in the air or at airports and a 4 hour drive, I was a whipped pup. No matter, after lunch and a quick nap we left the protection of the lodge and headed out on our first game drive. Simon, our driver, had to become weary of our questions but never let on or missed a beat. He answered every question and seemed to know every bird, reptile and mammal by name. He even loaned us his well worn copy of Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania
so we could study the various birds we saw.
When asked about our chances of seeing the big cats, lions, leopards, and cheetahs, he said we would see lions and cheetahs without a doubt, then apologized saying he hadn’t seen a leopard in three months and wasn’t sure we would see one on our safari. He clearly knew that leopards were a big ticket item for tourists to see and as we wanted to photograph them he could sense our disappointment.
Not to worry, within the two hours of leaving the lodge Simon spotted two leopards in a densely forested area. We waited for some time to get photographs we would be proud of. Because we were patient, we were rewarded with several really nice photographs.
During our afternoon game drive we saw wildlife by the hundreds, six lions laying in the shade, a female White rhino and calf, hundreds of antelope, birds, and Cape buffalo. It was a glorious start for any safari.
The Lake Nakuru National Park is really well maintained and cared for. Regulations of the Kenyan Park system forbid anyone in the park prior to 6AM and after 6:30PM to allow wildlife to act like wildlife. Staying at the Sarova Lion Hill Lodge is a very nice experience. Housing consisted of separate bungalows (dd) with electricity, private bathrooms, and showers. Meals were on par with most US restaurants, we were fed three buffet meals a day.
Lake Victoria, another stop on our African Wildlife Photography Safari, is the world’s second largest freshwater lake and has an area of more than 40,000 sq miles. The lake itself is not a park or reserve. Being only 3-4 hours from the Maasai Mara in Kenya it’s a good place to stop off before continuing on to the Mara.
Bird species found around Lake Victoria, but rarely if ever seen anywhere else in Tanzania or Kenya, include the Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Blue Swallow, Swamp Flycatcher, Greater Swamp-warbler, White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Carruthers’ Cisticola, Papyrus Gonolek, Red-chested Sunbird, Red-headed Quelea, Slender-billed Weaver, Yellow-backed Weaver, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Black-throated Seedeater, and the Papyrus Canary. For a list of birds that we may see and photograph on the African Wildlife Photography Safari at Lake Victoria visit Kenya Birds.
The place to be in February is the Ndutu Conservation Area and that is exactly where my African Photography Safari will be. The animals that trek around the Serengeti National Park plains migrate from Kenya’s Masai Mara National Park area in August and arrive here just south of Serengeti
National Park in February. This is where many species of wildlife give birth prior to their migration north into Kenya. Since Ndutu is a conservation area and not a national park, driving outside the indicated roads is allowed here.
The Ndutu area in southern Serengeti is the best place to be on an African Photography Safari for the annual wildebeest migration. For up to seven months of the year, the huge herds remain in and around this area. A striking characteristic of this area is the stunning acacia woodland, which is immediately surrounded by the short grass plains. Within this wooded area is Lake Ndutu, one of the Rift Valley’s soda lakes.
Animals from the annual “Great Migration” are not the only wildlife to be photographed here. Elephant, lion, cheetah, leopard, buck, hyena, bat eared fox, and African wildcat are just a few of the species we may see as they live here year round. The woodlands also provides wonderful habitat for hundreds of species of birds and opportunities for bird photography on my African Photography Safari.
Maasai Wanderings is the tour operator I use when I lead my Africa Wildlife Photo Tours to Tanzania. One of the goals of Maasai Wanderings is to provide opportunities to those who otherwise would not have received them. They use a portion of their profits to provide assistance in these areas by funding various projects that they initiated themselves. Along the way they have received intermittent funding boosts from individuals from around the world.
In 2008, Maasai Wanderings began assisting in Esilalei, a Maasai village along the shores of Lake Manyara. Together with Into Africa UK and Belafrica (Europe), they built their first classroom – a Nursery school for 120 students. The elders of Esilalei heard along the ‘Maasai Grapevine’ of the success of Ilkurot (another project supported by Maasai Wanderings) and spent many months finding out who were responsible. They knocked on the gate at Maasai Wanderings who had no hesitation in bringing education back into the village.
Maasai Wanderings hopes to continue expanding the school with the first classroom for the primary school. During December 2008, three groups of students from Brisbane Girls Grammar (Australia) participated in building projects in both Ilkurot and Esilalei – the results have been amazing. There have been desks and murals painted, holes dug, playgrounds established, plastering and many other well appreciated chores. It was such a success.
Located on a key road for visiting national parks in the northern circuit, Esilalei is a convenient addition to most safaris, and many safari drivers are familiar with it. From Arusha, after turning left at the Makuyuni junction, Esilalei is 17.5 km down the road. From Serengeti-Ngorongoro-Manyara, Esilalei is about 16 km after MtoWaMbu. The boma (a traditional Maasai enclosure) is open every day 8 am – 6 pm. Visitors may come without notice.
Grey-Headed Kingfisher at Lake Manyara on the African Photo Safari
Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania is a small but scenic park we plan to visit in February as part of my African Photo Safari. It is ideally suited for a few hour’s exploring and wildlife watching at the start of a safari and/or a morning at the end, as it lies on route to and from Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. The park is about 200 square miles with a the alkaline lake covering about 140 square miles of it. The Manyara is an excellent place for bird watching and bird photography with flocks of Pink Flamingoes standing around the shallow lake and several hundred other species of birds including African Gray Hornbill, Grey-Headed Kingfisher, and Vitelline Masked Weaver.
The rivers and riverbeds provide scenic vistas for wildlife watching including elephant, giraffe, cape buffalo and wildebeest. Warthog seem to thrive here, growing notably fat with large tusks. Additionally this is a natural playground for baboons and several species of monkeys.
Masai Warriors Spring into the Air at Masai Mara
The Masai Mara National Reserve is another must on any serious African Photography Safari. This reserve, also spelled Maasai Mara, is named for the Maasai people and the Mara River that divides the area. The reserve is located in Southwestern Kenya and covers about 950 square miles. It is effectively the northern continuation of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Much of the reserve is open grassland with areas containing clumps of the distinctive acacia tree.
The Masai Mara National Reserve is famous for its diverse population of wildlife including the annual migration of zebra and wildebeest from the Serengeti. This migration is so immense that it is called the Great Migration. Over 1,300,000 wildebeest, 400,000 gazelle and 200,000 zebra make this annual migration.
Apart from the seasonal migration, wildlife viewing and photography is excellent year round. Wildlife including cape buffalo, elephant, hartebeest, zebra, giraffe and big cats are in abundance. In fact all of Africa’s “Five Big” – the rhino, elephant, cape buffalo, leopard, and lion can be photographed on the reserve. Please note that the Black Rhino is severely threatened, with a population of only 37 recorded in 2000 on the Masai Mara. The rivers are home to large numbers of hippos and crocodiles. Bird photographers will be thrilled by 452 species of birds including 53 raptors.
The Ngorongoro Crater in Serengeti National Park is a World Heritage Site and is a must on any photography safari to southeastern Africa.
The Crater is the world’s largest volcanic crater that has not become a lake or had its wall eroded away. The floor of the Crater covers about 100 square miles and is about 4,000 feet above sea level. The rim is nearly 7,000′ above sea level.
Wildlife abound in this closed environment with a population of close to 30,000 animals such as zebra, gazelle, and wildebeest. There are a few species of wildlife such as giraffes, topis, oribis, impalas, and crocodiles that do not reside there. Amazingly, all of Africa’s “Big Five” (rhinoceros, lion, leopard, elephant, and cape buffalo) call the Crater home.
Ngorongoro Crater Lion Attacks Zebra
On my last visit to Ngorongoro Crater I was able to photograph four of the “Big Five” wildlife with the exception being a leopard. I was able to photograph 12 different leopards on my last safari, just not in the Crater. One of the highlights of the Africa photo safari took place in the Crater where I photographed a sequence of a large male lion attacking a zebra. Visit my Africa Photo Safari gallery to view the photos.
The Serengeti was first discovered by white men in 1913 when Stewart Edward White, an American hunter recorded in his journal: “We walked for miles over burnt out country… Then I saw the green trees of the river, walked two miles more and found myself in paradise.” The Maasai call it Siringitu – “the place where the land moves on forever.” At about 20,000 square miles they are right..
Within the Serengeti is the Serengeti National Park itself, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Maswa Game Reserve, the Loliondo, Grumeti and Ikorongo Controlled Areas and the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Over 90,000 tourists visit the Park each year.
Nearly one million Wildebeest and 200,000 zebras migrate annually across the Serengeti through a variety of parks, reserves and protected areas.
Grey Crowned Crane
When you want to see wildlife, all kinds of wildlife, go to Africa. During my 17 days photography safari in Kenya and Tanzania we saw hundreds of species of birds. The birds were incredible with some looking like they’d been painted with an air brush. Two specific birds really caught my eye, the Lilac breasted Roller and the Grey Crowned Crane. These two birds were wonderful to see and photograph. Take a look in my Gallery – Africa – Birds to see a variety of the birds we were able to photograph. The Yellow-collared Lovebirds were beautiful while the Silver-cheeked Hornbill were really unusual.
I had such a great time I’m leading a twelve day photo tour back to Africa in February of 2010. On this tour we’ll head for the Ngorongoro Crater, the Masai Mara and the Serengeti to photograph the incredible wildlife that we will see.
By Dawns Early Light
I just returned from a seventeen day wildlife photo safari to Kenya and Tanzania. What a thrill. I’ve posted photographs from my trip on my web page.
We visited and photographed Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Lake Nakuru National Parks in Kenya. In Tanzania we safaried through Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Arusha and the Serengeti National Parks.
Africa is an incredible place, everyone should visit there at least once in their life. I’ll post more information and photos later.
