kimmeisinger wrote:
Thank you! I am at this point just trying to get a sense of where everything is and all the choices that going to that part of the world offers. I am so visual, it will help me make sense of where I might want to go and what might be practical for say a month etc.
I'm the same exact way and that's why I started the thread. There's a lot of people that chimed in with suggestions but without photos of the region and time of year it doesn't really do much for me so I had to spend time researching it all. I prefer the dry look and open plains, as compared to a green look with a lot of vegetation. So I'm going during the dry season and hope to have dry conditions. I picked the Mara, Amboseli, and Lewa as they are all different regions and have different looks.
A lot of other people are attracted to the great migration but I'm steering clear of that. The photos look busy to me and I want to avoid the crowds as much as possible.
The migration is a headache to be honest and it is kind of hard to time. My first time I went to the Mara was in 2015 in August and didn't see anything. In 2016 I was back and saw a couple. It is all hit and miss!!! The drivers are insane as well during the migration!!!
kimmeisinger wrote:
Thank you! I am at this point just trying to get a sense of where everything is and all the choices that going to that part of the world offers. I am so visual, it will help me make sense of where I might want to go and what might be practical for say a month etc. Not really fond of 24+ hours of travel so hoping to be there for extended time and take advantage of different types of opportunities. It's a little over-whelming to see these 10 pages of options without knowing where it all fits on the map......Show more →
Not sure how helpful this would be, but I picked this up at one of the camps. It is more of a brochure but also has some very detailed maps of the entire Mara and also the various parts, the conservancies etc. Lists most of major camps, crossing sites and other landmarks. Don't know if you can get it from Amazon, it is published by a Scottish company.
Primus wrote:
Not sure how helpful this would be, but I picked this up at one of the camps. It is more of a brochure but also has some very detailed maps of the entire Mara and also the various parts, the conservancies etc. Lists most of major camps, crossing sites and other landmarks. Don't know if you can get it from Amazon, it is published by a Scottish company.
artsupreme wrote:
I'm the same exact way and that's why I started the thread. There's a lot of people that chimed in with suggestions but without photos of the region and time of year it doesn't really do much for me so I had to spend time researching it all. I prefer the dry look and open plains, as compared to a green look with a lot of vegetation. So I'm going during the dry season and hope to have dry conditions. I picked the Mara, Amboseli, and Lewa as they are all different regions and have different looks.
A lot of other people are attracted to the great migration but I'm steering clear of that. The photos look busy to me and I want to avoid the crowds as much as possible. ...Show more →
Appreciate this! It helps start the sorting process. Crowds and busy...not a fan either. Would be really cool to see it and experience it once but is it worth it?? Don't know. To each his own and it's all good!
This is not to show off a photo, because this one is pretty poor. I snapped it from an anti-poaching helicopter this past October 8 over the Sand River in the southwestern corner of Kenya's Maasai Mara, close to the Tanzania border.
I'm posting it to show what the vegetation looked like at that time of year. I've visited the area three times over the past five years, and this is pretty typical.
You can see eland, zebra, giraffe, and buffalo in the frame.
kimmeisinger wrote:
Appreciate this! It helps start the sorting process. Crowds and busy...not a fan either. Would be really cool to see it and experience it once but is it worth it?? Don't know. To each his own and it's all good!
If you are interested in doing a self-drive trip then you could consider hiring a fitter out 4x4 and doing a trip to somewhere like Kgaladadi Transfrontier Park and on through to Okavango/Chobe in Botswana.
I grew up in Cape Town and we do regular trips to Kgalagadi but it can be hard to get a booking as it is popular with the locals. Usually it is not too busy when we go even though it is always booked out. I was meant to go in 2020 but Covid prevented that and a few days ago I finally managed to secure another booking from a cancellation.
duncang wrote:
If you are interested in doing a self-drive trip then you could consider hiring a fitter out 4x4 and doing a trip to somewhere like Kgaladadi Transfrontier Park and on through to Okavango/Chobe in Botswana.
I grew up in Cape Town and we do regular trips to Kgalagadi but it can be hard to get a booking as it is popular with the locals. Usually it is not too busy when we go even though it is always booked out. I was meant to go in 2020 but Covid prevented that and a few days ago I finally managed to secure another booking from a cancellation.
Great information and appreciate the report with a map! I am not sure I would be comfortable my first time over there without a guide in a more remote region....but I never say never. Many thanks!
artsupreme wrote: "I'm the same exact way and that's why I started the thread. There's a lot of people that chimed in with suggestions but without photos of the region and time of year it doesn't really do much for me so I had to spend time researching it all. I prefer the dry look and open plains, as compared to a green look with a lot of vegetation. So I'm going during the dry season and hope to have dry conditions. I picked the Mara, Amboseli, and Lewa as they are all different regions and have different looks. "
If you want to see pics of what it's like in November go here (my Africa Photos) https://www.flickr.com/photos/apkef/albums/
There is an album for Amboseli, Lake Manyara, Ngorengoro Crater, The Serengetit, and Maasai Mara. All taken in November 2019.
artsupreme wrote:
I'm the same exact way and that's why I started the thread. There's a lot of people that chimed in with suggestions but without photos of the region and time of year it doesn't really do much for me so I had to spend time researching it all. I prefer the dry look and open plains, as compared to a green look with a lot of vegetation. So I'm going during the dry season and hope to have dry conditions. I picked the Mara, Amboseli, and Lewa as they are all different regions and have different looks.
A lot of other people are attracted to the great migration but I'm steering clear of that. The photos look busy to me and I want to avoid the crowds as much as possible. ...Show more →
Hi Art, here's a few photos I took back in July of last year to illustrate what you're talking about (less vegetation)... the difference between then and a few weeks ago when I was there is striking. However the migration is year round - given the places you are visiting - I am assuming you're referring to visiting the know spots along the Mara River
Just got back from TZ, so I haven't read the thread for weeks. But, have you tried browsing eyesonafrica.net? They have interactive maps with camp locations by country.
Alan Kefauver wrote:
artsupreme wrote: "I'm the same exact way and that's why I started the thread. There's a lot of people that chimed in with suggestions but without photos of the region and time of year it doesn't really do much for me so I had to spend time researching it all. I prefer the dry look and open plains, as compared to a green look with a lot of vegetation. So I'm going during the dry season and hope to have dry conditions. I picked the Mara, Amboseli, and Lewa as they are all different regions and have different looks. "
If you want to see pics of what it's like in November go here (my Africa Photos) https://www.flickr.com/photos/apkef/albums/
There is an album for Amboseli, Lake Manyara, Ngorengoro Crater, The Serengetit, and Maasai Mara. All taken in November 2019....Show more →
Nice shots Alan, thanks for sharing. There's more green vegetation than I'm hoping to see when I go this October but I can't control the weather. I hope it's dry with warm tones but it's out of my control. I like images with bokeh and BG separation so I took screen shots of a few of my favorite photos in your galleries. In the last elephant shot, it's cool as is but I think this is where I'll grabbing my 70-200 and shoot this image at f/2.8 to add some bokeh.
Where is this village located in the last shot where you took photos of the Maasai people? Was it near Amboseli? I would like to go there and photograph the locals as well. Very cool stuff.
Note, these are all Alan Kefauver's photos from his gallery linked above, I just screen took screen shots and posted for reference:
mczuman wrote:
This is not to show off a photo, because this one is pretty poor. I snapped it from an anti-poaching helicopter this past October 8 over the Sand River in the southwestern corner of Kenya's Maasai Mara, close to the Tanzania border.
I'm posting it to show what the vegetation looked like at that time of year. I've visited the area three times over the past five years, and this is pretty typical.
You can see eland, zebra, giraffe, and buffalo in the frame.
I would imagine it's always pretty green near the rivers, but wouldn't it be more dry in the open plains away from the rivers? if not oh well, it looks like green is what I'll get in early October.
robert_in_ca wrote:
Hi Art, here's a few photos I took back in July of last year to illustrate what you're talking about (less vegetation)... the difference between then and a few weeks ago when I was there is striking. However the migration is year round - given the places you are visiting - I am assuming you're referring to visiting the know spots along the Mara River
Nice images Robert. I'm trying to avoid the migrations but if they happen while I'm there I'll shoot away. Yes, I like the mild vegetation in the Zebra and Lion shots.
artsupreme wrote:
I'm the same exact way and that's why I started the thread. There's a lot of people that chimed in with suggestions but without photos of the region and time of year it doesn't really do much for me so I had to spend time researching it all. I prefer the dry look and open plains, as compared to a green look with a lot of vegetation. So I'm going during the dry season and hope to have dry conditions. I picked the Mara, Amboseli, and Lewa as they are all different regions and have different looks.
A lot of other people are attracted to the great migration but I'm steering clear of that. The photos look busy to me and I want to avoid the crowds as much as possible. ...Show more →
The timing is difficult these days. From what I hear the dry season is no longer that dry. For example, three years in a row, it has rained in the Mara in early Feb which is said to be the height of the dry season. In fact, it had rained so much in Dec/Jan in 2019 that some of the bridges had washed away, including the one on the Talek. Probably the best bet is to go before mid-December though again you would be going just after the short rains.
The green background actually does look good if you have big cats, not so much for elephants. The real issue once you have so much water is the roads become very difficult - with the rivers becoming almost impassable and later on, the grass getting so tall that you cannot see lions sitting in it. That happened to us in 2020 Feb, the group of five cheetahs were walking in the grass and you could just see their heads and rest of the body was hidden in the grass.
Two ways to counter to the grass problem is cattle grazing and fire. In the conservancies you have large herds of Maasai cattle that come in every day and the grass in these parts remains very short, with good visibility. Brings with it its own set of problems, but it is what it is. The other thing that has happened in the Mara (the section beyond the Talek) this time is that last year they set a lot of the grass on fire, so now it is very short, making it difficult for some animals to graze.
artsupreme wrote:
Nice shots Alan, thanks for sharing. There's more green vegetation than I'm hoping to see when I go this October but I can't control the weather. I hope it's dry with warm tones but it's out of my control. I like images with bokeh and BG separation so I took screen shots of a few of my favorite photos in your galleries. In the last elephant shot, it's cool as is but I think this is where I'll grabbing my 70-200 and shoot this image at f/2.8 to add some bokeh.
Where is this village located in the last shot where you took photos of the Maasai people? Was it near Amboseli? I would like to go there and photograph the locals as well. Very cool stuff.
Note, these are all Alan Kefauver's photos from his gallery linked above, I just screen took screen shots and posted for reference:
...Show more →
Thank you. Most shot with a 7D2 and EF 100-400. The Maasai village was shot with the 5D3 and the EF 24-105 f/4.
Primus wrote:
The timing is difficult these days. From what I hear the dry season is no longer that dry. For example, three years in a row, it has rained in the Mara in early Feb which is said to be the height of the dry season. In fact, it had rained so much in Dec/Jan in 2019 that some of the bridges had washed away, including the one on the Talek. Probably the best bet is to go before mid-December though again you would be going just after the short rains.
The green background actually does look good if you have big cats, not so much for elephants. The real issue once you have so much water is the roads become very difficult - with the rivers becoming almost impassable and later on, the grass getting so tall that you cannot see lions sitting in it. That happened to us in 2020 Feb, the group of five cheetahs were walking in the grass and you could just see their heads and rest of the body was hidden in the grass.
Two ways to counter to the grass problem is cattle grazing and fire. In the conservancies you have large herds of Maasai cattle that come in every day and the grass in these parts remains very short, with good visibility. Brings with it its own set of problems, but it is what it is. The other thing that has happened in the Mara (the section beyond the Talek) this time is that last year they set a lot of the grass on fire, so now it is very short, making it difficult for some animals to graze.
Here are some photos of similar animals and the same location more or less. The first two are from second week of Feb 2020 when the grass as very high. At the first sighting with mating leopards (Fig with an unknown male) there were 25 cars all jostling for position. I did manage to zoom in but the grass was too high for any good images. Still, never having seen mating leopards before it was thrilling. The second one is of the Five Boys on the other side of Talek, with poor visibility.
The next two images are from last month again, second week of February, now two years later. The leopard is the same - Fig and she was walking towards us. It was late in the evening just before sunset and after waiting around most of the other cars had left there were probably five at the sighting. At a maximum there were 10 or so at any time. Notice there is very little grass, at least not like a blanket.
The second image is from the other side again, this time of the Four Boys (we heard these guys had killed the fifth one for unknown reasons). See how short the grass is - this was at high noon, harsh light so the photo is very ordinary but goes to show what a difference the grass makes. This was the area where they had set fire to it and also allowed cattle grazing we were told.
Sadly, one of these magnificent creatures died of unknown wounds just a couple of days after this photo. So now there are only three left.
Primus wrote:
Here are some photos of similar animals and the same location more or less. The first two are from second week of Feb 2020 when the grass as very high. At the first sighting with mating leopards (Fig with an unknown male) there were 25 cars all jostling for position. I did manage to zoom in but the grass was too high for any good images. Still, never having seen mating leopards before it was thrilling. The second one is of the Five Boys on the other side of Talek, with poor visibility.
The next two images are from last month again, second week of February, now two years later. The leopard is the same - Fig and she was walking towards us. It was late in the evening just before sunset and after waiting around most of the other cars had left there were probably five at the sighting. At a maximum there were 10 or so at any time. Notice there is very little grass, at least not like a blanket.
The second image is from the other side again, this time of the Four Boys (we heard these guys had killed the fifth one for unknown reasons). See how short the grass is - this was at high noon, harsh light so the photo is very ordinary but goes to show what a difference the grass makes. This was the area where they had set fire to it and also allowed cattle grazing we were told.
Sadly, one of these magnificent creatures died of unknown wounds just a couple of days after this photo. So now there are only three left.
Thanks Primus, that's a huge difference in the length of the vegetation. Did you use your 400/2.8 or 600/4 for the Leopard walking toward you in the 3rd shot?
artsupreme wrote:
Thanks Primus, that's a huge difference in the length of the vegetation. Did you use your 400/2.8 or 600/4 for the Leopard walking toward you in the 3rd shot?
It was the 400 at f2.8, ISO 640, 1/400sec. However, she kept walking towards our car and very soon I had to switch to the 70-200 f2.8 gradually zooming out from 200mm to 70.
After my 2020 trip to Kenya I realized that the 600f4 is often just too much lens, so I sold it and got the 400 2.8. Initially I felt I had made a mistake, but on this trip that is the lens I used the most. Combined with the 70-200 f2.8 Mk II, almost 95% of my shots were made with these two lenses. That zoom is incredibly sharp wide open.
And strangely, I did not miss the in between length from 200-400. I did take a few bird shots with the APS-C mod enabled but later realized I could just as easily crop in post.
Other than for small birds, you really don't need a 600, has been my experience.
Beautiful photos, Primus. I was very sad to hear Fig was killed last week by lions. I'm heading to the Mara this fall and would have loved to have seen her.
