{"id":85478,"date":"2022-06-29T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=85478"},"modified":"2022-08-11T12:33:09","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T16:33:09","slug":"how-to-plan-a-safari-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/how-to-plan-a-safari-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Plan a Safari Photography Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a wildlife photographer who has spent the better part of the past six years traveling across southern Africa documenting wildlife and conservation, I often get asked about the best places for a safari photography trip. And my answer is always: \u201cIt depends.” Africa is a wonderfully diverse landscape with countless habitats and ecosystems that are in constant flux. Therefore, choosing the right place to visit starts with asking the right series of questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help you get started, I\u2019ve outlined a few major points of consideration that are crucial to investigate when planning to visit Africa. This will at least give you a few good references and \u2014 more importantly \u2014 new questions that you never thought to ask. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll use several personal examples throughout, and highlight questions by calling them out separately by section and topic. Now, let’s get into how to plan a safari photography trip! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo by Donal Boyd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is the Goal of Your Safari Photography Trip?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For me, it always starts with purpose. What do you hope to accomplish? Is this your first time to Africa, or are you returning to portrait a specific subject or mood? Do you want green or yellow landscape? Herds or single animals? Clouds or golden light? Maybe you\u2019re doing a series on green birds<\/a>. Or you want to create awareness about cheetah conservation<\/a>. Perhaps you simply want to witness for yourself the iconic creatures that you dreamed of since you were a young child. Whatever your intention might be, it will dictate the course of your planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your goal is to photograph big cats, you may want to visit an entirely different region than if your primary objective is birds. There\u2019s often crossover in many places but, if you choose a niche topic, you can tailor the experience more easily. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Photo by Donal Boyd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

For example, in early June 2022, I was in Zimbabwe researching for a new wildlife documentary on elephants. During a gap, I wanted to visit one of the parks \u2013 Hwange National Park \u2013 to get a personal account of what it\u2019s like for wild populations in that specific region. So, for me, once I decided on Hwange, I then started to look for lodges and camps that met certain criteria. I’ll have more on that later in this article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Southern Africa in General<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Speaking broadly though, most wildlife areas and protected reserves across the Southern African countries (Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique) host populations of the larger, more charismatic mammals. This includes the lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant, and rhino. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo by Donal Boyd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although, what might vary between them are the quality and quantity of sightings. This can depend largely on population density of the species, the landscape, variety and density of vegetation, access to water, mentality of wildlife towards humans, and the time of year. As just mentioned, these are all suggested points of research, but I\u2019ll expand more on each of these below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Do I Begin?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you have a goal in mind, one brute force approach would be to search \u201cBest place to photograph XYZ\u201d and see what comes up. This can work sometimes but, honestly, I\u2019ve found the results to be more of a collection of the lodges and camps. The alternative is to choose a country <\/strong>and then look into the following major areas of consideration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Location<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Across the continent, there are more than 225 National Parks and Reserves (not counting private concessions and other protected land formats). Each has its own style of operation, management of wildlife, and rules for tour operators \u2014 both public and private, and for general visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because you\u2019ll ultimately be staying at a lodge or camp within or nearby a specific National Park, it\u2019s important to research these places based on exactly where you will be staying. Each could vary significantly in what is allowed for guides and operators within any given landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, \u201cprivate concessions\u201d usually describe land that is immediately next to a National Park that shares a fenceless boundary with the park. Lodges and camps that operate their own private concessions can offer special activities that might not be allowed within the National Parks while still having access to the wildlife that roam freely throughout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

What to ask:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n