Africa trip
- Thread starter jeanie
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i did.but all you get are tour agencies describing how wonderful their itinery is.
i rather hear from the horse mouths.
nothing beats hearing from someone who has been there, done that.
That's just to make sure you've had all the necessary vaccinations. Make sure you bring the nice yellow vaccination booklet from then on...
what...10 years? don't you miss diving? i couldnt survive 3 months out of the water. haha.antacid,
yes i dive.but i only open water diver.and i havent been diving for the past 10 years..(i think).
i'm more into photography trips.so i dont think i'll go diving.(though i know i can do underwater photography but it's another poison i dont want to venture into because of all the equipment and additional cost).
underwater photography is a totally different cup of tea...oh, did i mention that my friends have 3 sets of housings for the D200? it's poison time!
Tibet accomodation is not that bad actually, though still can't compare to most city standard.
During the whole 9 days trip we only need to relief in the bushes or boulder around 3 times only while traveling, but that is better than visiting the actual public toilets, which is.....
:sweat:But overall Tibet is a good photographic experience.
I can only share my experience in Kenya in 2004.
Went there for medical missions 10 days, but took a 3 day 2 night break for a Safari trip from Nairobi. Guide picked us up after the local pastor arranged the tour for us.
Paid $300 USD per head for the trip which includes meals and accomodation. Our hotel was like a chalet concept, with central block which has restraunts and facilities. Surrounded by A frames huts with a balcony, king size bed and bathroom. Very spacious, don need air cond there as the weather is actually cooling.
Unfortunately, we went just slightly before the migration period (Masai Mara desert) hence the bushes were very tall and we didn't get to see the types of pictures National Geography has. In short, it was a comfortable stay, you can even tell them if you would like to stay back in the hotel to relax and not go out for shoot for the day.
I've seen a Japanese photgrapher booking a jeep solely for himself with the local guide.
We could get as close as 8m from the Lions and happily snapping away the photos.
As for my camera, i was still a film SLR user, with my canon eos 3000 kit lens and the free zoom lens that comes with the bundle. Brought along a teleconverter too so that i had 600m zoom if necessary. No issues with poor lighting condition as there was ample light to shoot even with the teleconverter on.
Have not got to actually scanning all my films to digital format yet, otherwise can share with you online.
Besides the masai mara, we also went to a lake / hotsprings withlots of flamingo!
Just be prepared to clean your camera after your trip as it will be full of dust!!
Will get you the name of the resort / agency that organise the trip.
Went there for medical missions 10 days, but took a 3 day 2 night break for a Safari trip from Nairobi. Guide picked us up after the local pastor arranged the tour for us.
Paid $300 USD per head for the trip which includes meals and accomodation. Our hotel was like a chalet concept, with central block which has restraunts and facilities. Surrounded by A frames huts with a balcony, king size bed and bathroom. Very spacious, don need air cond there as the weather is actually cooling.
Unfortunately, we went just slightly before the migration period (Masai Mara desert) hence the bushes were very tall and we didn't get to see the types of pictures National Geography has. In short, it was a comfortable stay, you can even tell them if you would like to stay back in the hotel to relax and not go out for shoot for the day.
I've seen a Japanese photgrapher booking a jeep solely for himself with the local guide.
We could get as close as 8m from the Lions and happily snapping away the photos.
As for my camera, i was still a film SLR user, with my canon eos 3000 kit lens and the free zoom lens that comes with the bundle. Brought along a teleconverter too so that i had 600m zoom if necessary. No issues with poor lighting condition as there was ample light to shoot even with the teleconverter on.
Have not got to actually scanning all my films to digital format yet, otherwise can share with you online.
Besides the masai mara, we also went to a lake / hotsprings withlots of flamingo!
Just be prepared to clean your camera after your trip as it will be full of dust!!
Will get you the name of the resort / agency that organise the trip.
smallaperture
Senior Member
Hi Jeanie,
I have done some search on such trip. I guess the most suitable for you is South Africa - the Kruger Reserve - the most "civilised" of the wild. They have lodging to suit each taste, from rudimentary camps to 5* lodging.
One thing I guess no one mentioned so far - the ability of the photog to handle long lenses - like 400mm + 1.4xTC with or without monopod. You need some training and practice. No easy to be able to shoot with such long lenses. And the kind of setting for you camera like AF settings for those more sophisticated cam. And able to shoot from vehicle - no getting down from vehicle and set up tripod to shoot.:nono:
BTW, I haven't been, but planning to go. Read up quite a bit la.
I have done some search on such trip. I guess the most suitable for you is South Africa - the Kruger Reserve - the most "civilised" of the wild. They have lodging to suit each taste, from rudimentary camps to 5* lodging.
One thing I guess no one mentioned so far - the ability of the photog to handle long lenses - like 400mm + 1.4xTC with or without monopod. You need some training and practice. No easy to be able to shoot with such long lenses. And the kind of setting for you camera like AF settings for those more sophisticated cam. And able to shoot from vehicle - no getting down from vehicle and set up tripod to shoot.:nono:
BTW, I haven't been, but planning to go. Read up quite a bit la.
i spent most part of 2006 in botswana n south africa.
1 - do not put anything expensive in yor luggage, the airport staff can zero on them like a cruise missle.
2 - asians stick out like a sore thumb and its not safe, all houses have electric fences.
3 - u can call a taxi, turn out to b a civillian car with other passengers in it.
4 - i actually went to the pilenisburg nature park, it is really huge and the animals are really far away
5 - go to safari during the cooler hours, we went at 2pm, animals like human, all hide away in the shade, hard to find them.
1 - do not put anything expensive in yor luggage, the airport staff can zero on them like a cruise missle.
2 - asians stick out like a sore thumb and its not safe, all houses have electric fences.
3 - u can call a taxi, turn out to b a civillian car with other passengers in it.
4 - i actually went to the pilenisburg nature park, it is really huge and the animals are really far away
5 - go to safari during the cooler hours, we went at 2pm, animals like human, all hide away in the shade, hard to find them.
Thing africa is that you have to be prepared to wake up very early to be able to get good animal shots....they're most active at predawn hours so don't expect to sleep in jeanie.
don't go if you're expecting fun and games. pure and simple.
i'm a light sleeper.
i only need about 5 hours of sleep per day.
sigh...if i go on this trip, i guess i can forget bringing all my sk2 products.:cry:
pick somewhere else to vacation then.
Almost everywhere, the theft rate at airport is high.
Electric fences are really not for keeping uninvited humans out, but uninvited animal out.
Taxi, happens in China too. These are not taxi as we know it. These are simply hired cars.
Animal far away, that is why, all the tours tell you to bring a powerful binoculous.
If you are really going on a safari, you start very early in the morning. If you go at 2pm, who is to blame?
Have you really been to those sites? Michael Reichmann leads safari trips regularly, for instance, and he posts articles on his trip. Philip Greenspun, after retiring a dot com millionaire, has devoted some of his site to African safari photography tips.
haha .... even at the singapore zoo, 2pm is afternoon nap la ....:bsmilie::sweatsm:
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