Deborah and I are doing a self-drive (in a Toyota Hilux four wheel drive double cab) in the Kruger National Park (July-Aug) and in Namibia-Botswana in Nov-Dec (including Caprivi Strip/Moremi/Chobe).
For you independents/drivers and folks out on their own, this book might be helpful:
loads of great info in this post. thanks to everyone who has contributed!
i'm planning a trip to Africa for either mid-late September or October this year. i've been to Kruger twice so am interested in a new location.
does anyone have experience visiting the Serengeti that time of year? the main focus would be seeing the migration cross the Mara River so wondering if that timeframe + being on the south side of the river would make for good viewing opportunities. seems like the wildebeest would be either crossing the river going north or heading back south into Tanzania - do Mara River crossings occur heading back south or does the herd shift too far east before heading back south?
also interested in visiting Maasai Mara so feedback with respect to that location and time of year (and maybe even compared to the Serengeti) would be greatly appreciated. migration aside, i'm considering Botswana for Moremi Game Reserve + Okavango Delta.
big fan of leopards so that will likely make an impact on the ultimate decision. thanks in advance!
loads of great info in this post. thanks to everyone who has contributed!
i'm planning a trip to Africa for either mid-late September or October this year. i've been to Kruger twice so am interested in a new location.
does anyone have experience visiting the Serengeti that time of year? the main focus would be seeing the migration cross the Mara River so wondering if that timeframe + being on the south side of the river would make for good viewing opportunities. seems like the wildebeest would be either crossing the river going north or heading back south into Tanzania - do Mara River crossings occur heading back south or does the herd shift too far east before heading back south?
also interested in visiting Maasai Mara so feedback with respect to that location and time of year (and maybe even compared to the Serengeti) would be greatly appreciated. migration aside, i'm considering Botswana for Moremi Game Reserve + Okavango Delta.
big fan of leopards so that will likely make an impact on the ultimate decision. thanks in advance!...Show more →
Hi! I was in Serengeti last October 15-19, which is technically considered off peak. We managed to see everything we were looking for. We saw several river crossings and multiple leopards. All of the crossings we witnessed were from the south side, and at that point the bulk of the heard had probably crossed and moved south but we still saw very large crossings. I do not have any other safari experience for comparison sake, but we feel like we had an exceptional guide and were both blown away. Feel free to DM if you want any additional/particular information.
Alan Kefauver wrote:
Ok, leaving in 10 days for the Chobe, Dinaka, the Kalihari, and Madekwe. Worked out lens pooling with my traveling partner to distribute weight. I am taking my 2 R5s, the RF 100-500, the RF 70-200 f/2.8 and the two extenders (1.4x and 2x). He is carrying his R5, his RF 100-500, and my RF 24-105 f/4 and my 15-35 f/2.8 along with his M50 and one lens.
So, we are covered from 15mm to 1000mm. The photo guide at Pangolin suggested bringing the 70-200 for use in the water level hides at three of the locations.
Hope they don't mind that I will be wearing the same clothes for 3 weeks as I prioritized lenses over clothes. . Biggest problem was integrating my Bi-Pap into the luggage with sufficient padding to withstand the baggage monkeys.
May be overthinking this, but we will alternate getting food in J'berg for the one night we are there, so we don't leave the photo gear alone in the room at any time. Between the two of us there will be about $30k of gear (including computers) in the room for the overnight before flying to Kasane....Show more →
So, how did it all work out? Did your gear make it out of jburg? Were the lens selections good ones? Etc.?
Hi,
Hoping to get some feedback on a related topic to safari, which is airline recommendations to get to the destination of choice.
We flew recently on Lufthansa, and they almost refused to let us board the plane at CDG because our carry on bags were over 15kg (three bodies, 5-6 lenses per person adds up). Speaking to a supervisor just made things worse, and eventually they made us check our (now empty) rolling carry on suitcases and we carried all gear in lightweight bags that were horribly uncomfortable to transport at CDG and FRA, where walking distances are huge. I would not really want to fly with Lufthansa again if it can be avoided.
Are there airlines that are more reasonable when it comes to allowing camera gear on board? Is KLM any better? We are looking to go to Kenya in November, hopefully without any issues. We never seem to have a problem in the US or Latin America, but for flights originating in Europe it's a big pain. Air France was hard to deal with when traveling to Madagascar.
I will note that we are usually significantly underweight on checked luggage, and only check one of 2 allowed bags, the issue is being uncomfortable checking cameras and lenses and not being able to check batteries, so just winding up with overweight carry on but not overweight overall. We have photo vests which can help a bit but it would be nice to find an airline that is more photo gear friendly, if you know of any. Thanks!
FrenchFry wrote:
Hi,
Hoping to get some feedback on a related topic to safari, which is airline recommendations to get to the destination of choice.
We flew recently on Lufthansa, and they almost refused to let us board the plane at CDG because our carry on bags were over 15kg (three bodies, 5-6 lenses per person adds up). Speaking to a supervisor just made things worse, and eventually they made us check our (now empty) rolling carry on suitcases and we carried all gear in lightweight bags that were horribly uncomfortable to transport at CDG and FRA, where walking distances are huge. I would not really want to fly with Lufthansa again if it can be avoided.
Are there airlines that are more reasonable when it comes to allowing camera gear on board? Is KLM any better? We are looking to go to Kenya in November, hopefully without any issues. We never seem to have a problem in the US or Latin America, but for flights originating in Europe it's a big pain. Air France was hard to deal with when traveling to Madagascar.
I will note that we are usually significantly underweight on checked luggage, and only check one of 2 allowed bags, the issue is being uncomfortable checking cameras and lenses and not being able to check batteries, so just winding up with overweight carry on but not overweight overall. We have photo vests which can help a bit but it would be nice to find an airline that is more photo gear friendly, if you know of any. Thanks!...Show more →
I have flown KLM to Tanzania and they diddn’t give me a hard time and there was no issue at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. But that was some 10 years ago and things may change in either direction.
I am not sure whether it will solve your issues here. I would wear a photography vest if I were you and put some gear in the pocket of your vest shortly before you check in or during transit. After you are on board, you can we arrange your gear and put them back in your carry-on. Another possibility if to fly business class; airlines tend to be more lenient in letting passengers there carry a little bit more than “allowed”. Hope this helps.
I will be flying to South Africa (and beyond afterwards) in September using American Airlines/British Airways. And our transit is London. I hope it works out okay this time around.
Thanks! I think American Airlines and British Airways are more lenient. I try to spend a few days with family around Paris on the way to safari to adjust to the time zone and break up the trip, and they seem to be particularly strict at CDG.
If only flying first class were an option!
AGeoJO wrote[/
I have flown KLM to Tanzania and they diddn’t give me a hard time and there was no issue at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. But that was some 10 years ago and things may change in either direction.
I am not sure whether it will solve your issues here. I would wear a photography vest if I were you and put some gear in the pocket of your vest shortly before you check in or during transit. After you are on board, you can we arrange your gear and put them back in your carry-on. Another possibility if to fly business class; airlines tend to be more lenient in letting passengers there carry a little bit more than “allowed”. Hope this helps.
I will be flying to South Africa (and beyond afterwards) in September using American Airlines/British Airways. And our transit is London. I hope it works out okay this time around....Show more →
FrenchFry wrote:
Hi,
Hoping to get some feedback on a related topic to safari, which is airline recommendations to get to the destination of choice.
We flew recently on Lufthansa, and they almost refused to let us board the plane at CDG because our carry on bags were over 15kg (three bodies, 5-6 lenses per person adds up). Speaking to a supervisor just made things worse, and eventually they made us check our (now empty) rolling carry on suitcases and we carried all gear in lightweight bags that were horribly uncomfortable to transport at CDG and FRA, where walking distances are huge. I would not really want to fly with Lufthansa again if it can be avoided.
Are there airlines that are more reasonable when it comes to allowing camera gear on board? Is KLM any better? We are looking to go to Kenya in November, hopefully without any issues. We never seem to have a problem in the US or Latin America, but for flights originating in Europe it's a big pain. Air France was hard to deal with when traveling to Madagascar.
I will note that we are usually significantly underweight on checked luggage, and only check one of 2 allowed bags, the issue is being uncomfortable checking cameras and lenses and not being able to check batteries, so just winding up with overweight carry on but not overweight overall. We have photo vests which can help a bit but it would be nice to find an airline that is more photo gear friendly, if you know of any. Thanks!...Show more →
Qatar is lenient and is an excellent airlines - flew them last August to Arusha. Also I didn't have any issues with KLM when I flew them back in Feb to Arusha - but Qatar was vastly superior in their service. However with both airlines I flew business class so maybe they were more forgiving
On a side note, I personally found Air France and Lufthansa to be the worse when I comes to baggage weight.
robert_in_ca wrote:
Qatar is lenient and is an excellent airlines - flew them last August to Arusha. Also I didn't have any issues with KLM when I flew them back in Feb to Arusha - but Qatar was vastly superior in their service. However with both airlines I flew business class so maybe they were more forgiving
On a side note, I personally found Air France and Lufthansa to be the worse when I comes to baggage weight.
Good to know as I'll be flying Qatar. I'm still trying to figure out how to balance all the gear divided between two people. I'm guessing we'll have to carry a ton of gear in our vests to get through check in:
Sometimes having a camera around your neck goes unnoticed (especially if worn against the body under a jacket). Sometimes they count that as your personal item, which is unpredictable and annoying, because now you have 2 personal items and a carry on bag.
Inconsistent enforcement of rules makes it hard to know if the strategy of wearing the camera will actually work.
being a Dutchie I usually fly KLM (and indeed, never ever Lufthansa again) and my 14kg backpack + add on are always allowed, no issues there. Must say I use a TT airport commuter which is not the very biggest bag (yet does carry a 500 II, 100-500, R5 + grip, 35mm 1.8, extender and adapter).
the bigger problem is our national airport Schiphol which is in a sad, deplorable state, being very understaffed, leading to waiting lines and all kinds of logistic problems
For those that have been to the Serengeti for both the calving season and Mara River crossing, which do you prefer + why? planning a trip and seeking as much feedback as possible - thanks!
Evening All
Any any experience with how strict on weight the internal carries are between J’burg & Botswana areas (maun/Vic falls). All other legs of our journey are sorted, but two internal flight (not small charters) are staying 7kg for Cary on, that’s not much when most bags weigh 2.
Mort2k wrote:
Evening All
Any any experience with how strict on weight the internal carries are between J’burg & Botswana areas (maun/Vic falls). All other legs of our journey are sorted, but two internal flight (not small charters) are staying 7kg for Cary on, that’s not much when most bags weigh 2.
Thanks
Not sure what airline you are referring to but you should have the option to buy extra baggage weight. As for my flights in Kenya I have the following options to choose from per flight. These are added to the base weight limits on your ticket:
0-10kgs - $50 per person per sector
11-20kgs - $80 per person per sector
21-30kgs - $145 per person per sector
jorjacman wrote:
For those that have been to the Serengeti for both the calving season and Mara River crossing, which do you prefer + why? planning a trip and seeking as much feedback as possible - thanks!
Are you really interested in being there to see the great migration? Based on feedback on this thread it's a very crowded time of the year to go. I decided I want to steer clear of that if possible as I don't find a bunch of Wildebeest crossing the river very exciting.
artsupreme wrote:
Not sure what airline you are referring to but you should have the option to buy extra baggage weight. As for my flights in Kenya I have the following options to choose from per flight. These are added to the base weight limits on your ticket:
0-10kgs - $50 per person per sector
11-20kgs - $80 per person per sector
21-30kgs - $145 per person per sector
FastJet seem to be the only carrier on the J’burg > Vic falls route when we are going & wont offer and overage charge. So annoying
artsupreme wrote:
Are you really interested in being there to see the great migration? Based on feedback on this thread it's a very crowded time of the year to go. I decided I want to steer clear of that if possible as I don't find a bunch of Wildebeest crossing the river very exciting.
it's one of the two options that i'm currently stuck between. it would be less about the river crossing and more about being there for the dry season (less vegetation, more congregation around water, etc). it seems that a lot of folks that have been multiple times prefer the calving period over the dry season so i'm curious as to exactly why
Has anyone been to the Nairobi National Park? I'm going to try to stop by there. I reckon if I got shots like these they might be my favorite as I'm not sure where else in the world you can get a shot like this with the cityscape in the background:
artsupreme wrote:
Has anyone been to the Nairobi National Park? I'm going to try to stop by there. I reckon if I got shots like these they might be my favorite as I'm not sure where else in the world you can get a shot like this with the cityscape in the background:
Went there once. Nothing too exciting, but easy access from Nairobi for a half day trip. That's the only place I saw rhinos in Kenya. I didn't see any in Masai Mara. You can't go off road, so bring your longest lenses. If you have extra time in the city, that's an option. If you are bringing family, consider the Giraffe Centre and David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, both close by and was a much more memorable experience for my family. .
. Biggest problem was integrating my Bi-Pap into the luggage with sufficient padding to withstand the baggage monkeys.
