Cduff406 wrote:
We stayed with Great Plains at Old Donyo and Mara Plains, then at Lewa House. It was great seeing three pretty distinctly different parts of Kenya. We were going to look at their new camp in the Mara they are just finishing up, but we got distracted by a leopard...
I can't say enough about how great all their people are, from our driver in Nairobi to everyone at the camps we met. Truly first class.
Glad to hear you had a great time Cduff! As you now know you are almost guaranteed to score when you visit the nice camps in the conservancies. And to top that off, there's nothing more exciting than getting your plans derailed by a leopard sighting. Do you feel the 100-300 + 400 + TC combo worked for you or did you wish you had brought a 600 instead?
There were certainly times a 600 would have been great, but overall I was really happy with the 100-300 & 400 combo. I took teleconverters and used the 1.4 one day, but I think the 400 was about perfect.
Rytchk wrote:
The 600 is only needed for birds.
In the sands you get much closer to wildlife and it is also much denser.
If you are really looking for wild dogs go to Tswalu. High chance to see them and if you are lucky you can be on the ground with them for taking photos.
I was there 3 times in a year. Always found them and saw the cubs growing up.
In the sands there are also wild dogs. Have seen them at 75% of my visits.
But if you are only 2-3 nights in a camp it still can be hit and miss.
Tswalu is a wonderful place for sure. Regarding a 600mm being only for birds it really depends on the time of the year and where one is visiting. Excluding Sabi Sands, as I agree you that a 600mm isn't useful there, I've used my 600TC a lot (not during the summer months as the vegetation is too thick) around Lower Sabi and Crocodile Bridge, and of course in Satara. But by and large 400mm is plenty for Kruger NP as well as any of the game reserves located in the Greater Kruger.
artsupreme wrote:
IMO you are as dialed in as you can be with a couple A1's, A9III, 70-200, 300, 200-600, and your 17-28. You will rarely have to change lenses other than putting the wide angle on occasionally. If you have a fast lightweight 35mm option like the Canon Rf 38 1.8 I would bring that for dinner shots at camp and also use it while you are traveling between camps on the airstrips, small planes, etc.
As for coffee makers in rooms, some of the camps do have them. But you will be happy to learn that you actually order your tea/coffee and morning snack from the staff at dinner time, and they will bring it to your tent at 5am or whatever time you want it delivered/served. No need to make it yourself....Show more →
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robert_in_ca wrote:
You have a solid setup. However I personally wouldn't bring the 200-600mm--just keep one of your A1 bodies as a backup.
Depending on the camp, they typically have kettles - might have to ask them for one. If they don't have one for you to use then you should be able make arrangements to have a thermos of hot water brought to you an hour or so before you head out in the morning. Or as artsupreme mentioned they will bring you coffee or tea already prepared.
Thanks to both of you for the info and confirmation regarding the gear selection. I am still on the fence as to whether to take the 200-600, but otherwise am ready with gear.
This is all very good information regarding the coffee situation early in the morning, whether it be simply having a kettle in the room or the staff bringing coffee at a requested time.
With the situation in Kenya right now, would you be worried about traveling there? I am due to arrive in Nairobi at the end of the month and have a few days planned at Ololo Lodge before meeting up with the photo safari group at another hotel in Nairobi before we leave for Maasai Mara. Upon returning to Nairobi after the photo safari, I am planning on taking a private car transportation service to Arusha.
I am having a difficult time gauging how serious the situation is for travelers in Nairobi and Kenya overall. The security advisories have not been elevated above previous levels.
If the situation becomes elevated enough to seriously reconsider travel to Kenya, are there good options for simply moving the photo safari time slots to other high-quality photo safaris in Tanzania? Obviously, this would be on a very short time frame and options may be quite limited.
Part of my stress about all of this is that the guide for the Kenya safari is not very responsive to my questions, even prior to the recent issues in Kenya. I think that he is a solid guide just not very good at communication. Of course, he may be in the situation of trying to evaluate things as well, but not responding to email inquiries is stress-inducing for clients.
Abuttolph wrote:
With the situation in Kenya right now, would you be worried about traveling there? I am due to arrive in Nairobi at the end of the month and have a few days planned at Ololo Lodge before meeting up with the photo safari group at another hotel in Nairobi before we leave for Maasai Mara. Upon returning to Nairobi after the photo safari, I am planning on taking a private car transportation service to Arusha.
I am having a difficult time gauging how serious the situation is for travelers in Nairobi and Kenya overall. The security advisories have not been elevated above previous levels.
If the situation becomes elevated enough to seriously reconsider travel to Kenya, are there good options for simply moving the photo safari time slots to other high-quality photo safaris in Tanzania? Obviously, this would be on a very short time frame and options may be quite limited.
Part of my stress about all of this is that the guide for the Kenya safari is not very responsive to my questions, even prior to the recent issues in Kenya. I think that he is a solid guide just not very good at communication. Of course, he may be in the situation of trying to evaluate things as well, but not responding to email inquiries is stress-inducing for clients....Show more →
I would not sweat it at all. The protests are in the downtown area and you'll be skirted from the airport to Ololo along the highway and I wouldn't foresee any issues. The Kenyan government knows how important tourism is and they aren't going to allow any protesters to get in the path of all the Safari traffic. Ololo is in the National park and there's zero to worry about there as protesters would become tasty meals for the animals if they tried to enter the park.
The hotels in Nairobi you may be staying at should have high security. You should have to go through metal detectors to enter the building, and they have luggage scanning equipment like they do at the airport. I feel very safe there, and again it's not near the protesting downtown.
Once you are at Wilson airport, you are home free. That is the entrance gate to Disneyland, with the rest of Kenya being the park. You have zero to worry about once you fly out of Wilson and start your journey in the "park".
As for your guide being unresponsive, I think this is quite normal for some as they are often out in the bush. Once you are there you'll realize how safe it is and how friendly and loving all the people are and how little there is to worry about other than backing up your photos and charging your batteries.
Abuttolph wrote:
With the situation in Kenya right now, would you be worried about traveling there? I am due to arrive in Nairobi at the end of the month and have a few days planned at Ololo Lodge before meeting up with the photo safari group at another hotel in Nairobi before we leave for Maasai Mara. Upon returning to Nairobi after the photo safari, I am planning on taking a private car transportation service to Arusha.
I am having a difficult time gauging how serious the situation is for travelers in Nairobi and Kenya overall. The security advisories have not been elevated above previous levels.
If the situation becomes elevated enough to seriously reconsider travel to Kenya, are there good options for simply moving the photo safari time slots to other high-quality photo safaris in Tanzania? Obviously, this would be on a very short time frame and options may be quite limited.
Part of my stress about all of this is that the guide for the Kenya safari is not very responsive to my questions, even prior to the recent issues in Kenya. I think that he is a solid guide just not very good at communication. Of course, he may be in the situation of trying to evaluate things as well, but not responding to email inquiries is stress-inducing for clients....Show more →
One other suggestion if you haven't already done so. Use WhatsApp to communicate with your guide rather than email.
Abuttolph wrote:
With the situation in Kenya right now, would you be worried about traveling there? I am due to arrive in Nairobi at the end of the month and have a few days planned at Ololo Lodge before meeting up with the photo safari group at another hotel in Nairobi before we leave for Maasai Mara. Upon returning to Nairobi after the photo safari, I am planning on taking a private car transportation service to Arusha.
I am having a difficult time gauging how serious the situation is for travelers in Nairobi and Kenya overall. The security advisories have not been elevated above previous levels.
If the situation becomes elevated enough to seriously reconsider travel to Kenya, are there good options for simply moving the photo safari time slots to other high-quality photo safaris in Tanzania? Obviously, this would be on a very short time frame and options may be quite limited.
Part of my stress about all of this is that the guide for the Kenya safari is not very responsive to my questions, even prior to the recent issues in Kenya. I think that he is a solid guide just not very good at communication. Of course, he may be in the situation of trying to evaluate things as well, but not responding to email inquiries is stress-inducing for clients....Show more →
What camp does your guide work for? If you're worried, you can try getting in touch through them.
Don't worry about the situation in Kenya. You'll be fine.
Thank you both for these responses. They really help to alleviate my concerns considerably about the safety.
That is a good idea to try to contact the safari guide via WhatsApp. His Maasai Mara photo safaris don't start until later this month and he lives in the UK. I don't know if he is currently in the UK, Africa, or elsewhere. He has not yet sent the info that is required to obtain a travel permit in Kenya and I would like to get that done ASAP, just to be sure that it is processed in time (I emailed him a few days ago requesting that info). That may feel more urgent than it really is, but I am leaving in just over three weeks and it feels close.
He works out of Entim Camp. I signed up for two successive weeks. The second week ended up being overbooked and he was working on making arrangements for that week, which may have ended up being Entim if someone else canceled, or would be somewhere else. He did email two weeks saying that everything was in the works and that he would provide an update soon but I have not heard anything yet. In no way am I trying to disparage him as there guides have a lot of work to do behind the scenes and there was more work for him with needed to sort out the second week for all of his clients signed up at that time.
Abuttolph wrote:
Thank you both for these responses. They really help to alleviate my concerns considerably about the safety.
That is a good idea to try to contact the safari guide via WhatsApp. His Maasai Mara photo safaris don't start until later this month and he lives in the UK. I don't know if he is currently in the UK, Africa, or elsewhere. He has not yet sent the info that is required to obtain a travel permit in Kenya and I would like to get that done ASAP, just to be sure that it is processed in time (I emailed him a few days ago requesting that info). That may feel more urgent than it really is, but I am leaving in just over three weeks and it feels close.
He works out of Entim Camp. I signed up for two successive weeks. The second week ended up being overbooked and he was working on making arrangements for that week, which may have ended up being Entim if someone else canceled, or would be somewhere else. He did email two weeks saying that everything was in the works and that he would provide an update soon but I have not heard anything yet. In no way am I trying to disparage him as there guides have a lot of work to do behind the scenes and there was more work for him with needed to sort out the second week for all of his clients signed up at that time. ...Show more →
Luckily the process is very quick at the moment, you should have your eVisa in just a few days. During covid this took a few months and was a very stressful process. They ask for quite a bit of information so you should start the process now:
artsupreme wrote:
Luckily the process is very quick at the moment, you should have your eVisa in just a few days. During covid this took a few months and was a very stressful process. They ask for quite a bit of information so you should start the process now:
Thanks. I will go ahead and take a look at the required information. At this point, I think that the only information that I don't have is the confirmation of the booking with the safari guide. I submitted an eVisa request for Tanzania a few days ago and it did take longer than I anticipated to gather all of the information.
Abuttolph wrote:
Thanks. I will go ahead and take a look at the required information. At this point, I think that the only information that I don't have is the confirmation of the booking with the safari guide. I submitted an eVisa request for Tanzania a few days ago and it did take longer than I anticipated to gather all of the information.
If at all possible, I would try to stay at a different camp for your second week. If Entim is full ask him if he can get you in a camp in Mara North in the conservancy to change it up a bit. At first glance, Entim is in the National Park and you can't drive off road there (for the most part).
Abuttolph wrote:
Thank you both for these responses. They really help to alleviate my concerns considerably about the safety.
That is a good idea to try to contact the safari guide via WhatsApp. His Maasai Mara photo safaris don't start until later this month and he lives in the UK. I don't know if he is currently in the UK, Africa, or elsewhere. He has not yet sent the info that is required to obtain a travel permit in Kenya and I would like to get that done ASAP, just to be sure that it is processed in time (I emailed him a few days ago requesting that info). That may feel more urgent than it really is, but I am leaving in just over three weeks and it feels close.
He works out of Entim Camp. I signed up for two successive weeks. The second week ended up being overbooked and he was working on making arrangements for that week, which may have ended up being Entim if someone else canceled, or would be somewhere else. He did email two weeks saying that everything was in the works and that he would provide an update soon but I have not heard anything yet. In no way am I trying to disparage him as there guides have a lot of work to do behind the scenes and there was more work for him with needed to sort out the second week for all of his clients signed up at that time. ...Show more →
Oh, is this David Lloyd? He's not super responsive. He follows me on some social media, but I don't know him well enough to help you out.
artsupreme wrote:
If at all possible, I would try to stay at a different camp for your second week. If Entim is full ask him if he can get you in a camp in Mara North in the conservancy to change it up a bit. At first glance, Entim is in the National Park and you can't drive off road there (for the most part).
Entim is in the NP. I think its one of the best camps for seeing the migration river crossing (not something Im personally interested in). Supposed to be a VERY nice camp.
berimbolo wrote:
Entim is in the NP. I think its one of the best camps for seeing the migration river crossing (not something Im personally interested in). Supposed to be a VERY nice camp.
It definitley looks like a nice camp. But in my opinion, 2 weeks in one camp is way too long unless you have already been everywhere. In fact, even a week in one camp is too long for me. I book my trips on average for 4 nights per camp and travel from camp to camp during the heat of the day when lighting is bad. This ensures I never miss a morning or evening game drive. I would get stir crazy staying in one camp for 7 days, let alone two weeks. There is so much to see in Kenya, with only a short puddle jumper flight in between.
artsupreme wrote:
It definitley looks like a nice camp. But in my opinion, 2 weeks in one camp is way too long unless you have already been everywhere. In fact, even a week in one camp is too long for me. I book my trips on average for 4 nights per camp and travel from camp to camp during the heat of the day when lighting is bad. This ensures I never miss a morning or evening game drive. I would get stir crazy staying in one camp for 7 days, let alone two weeks. There is so much to see in Kenya, with only a short puddle jumper flight in between....Show more →
artsupreme wrote:
If at all possible, I would try to stay at a different camp for your second week. If Entim is full ask him if he can get you in a camp in Mara North in the conservancy to change it up a bit. At first glance, Entim is in the National Park and you can't drive off road there (for the most part).
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berimbolo wrote:
Oh, is this David Lloyd? He's not super responsive. He follows me on some social media, but I don't know him well enough to help you out.
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berimbolo wrote:
Entim is in the NP. I think its one of the best camps for seeing the migration river crossing (not something Im personally interested in). Supposed to be a VERY nice camp.
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artsupreme wrote:
It definitley looks like a nice camp. But in my opinion, 2 weeks in one camp is way too long unless you have already been everywhere. In fact, even a week in one camp is too long for me. I book my trips on average for 4 nights per camp and travel from camp to camp during the heat of the day when lighting is bad. This ensures I never miss a morning or evening game drive. I would get stir crazy staying in one camp for 7 days, let alone two weeks. There is so much to see in Kenya, with only a short puddle jumper flight in between....Show more →
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berimbolo wrote:
Agree 100%
Yes, David Lloyd is the safari guide. He seems like a super nice person and I really like his work. He is just not very responsive to emails.
I understand well the advice on moving to different locations. At this point, I don't know how possible it would be to alter the arrangements. He may well have his clients set up for a different camp or even a different park on my second week. I just don't know yet. Had I known when I booked that staying for more than a few days in a single location was not optimal, I would have looked for another location option on the second week. I have more interest in photographing wildlife other than the river crossings too and am hoping that we actually will spend more time on cats and other animals. When I was planning all of this, I had initially signed up for a photo safari in Tanzania in August and wanted to spend more time in East Africa than just one week. So, I was looking for an excellent guide and a time frame that would slot in well ahead of the Tanzania safari. This one fit the bill very well and I signed up for two weeks (again, not realizing the limitations of staying in that particular area of the park as well as missing other areas). Hopefully, there will be more opportunities to visit the area again in the future and I will have better insight from both of you.
Yes, David Lloyd is the safari guide. He seems like a super nice person and I really like his work. He is just not very responsive to emails.
I understand well the advice on moving to different locations. At this point, I don't know how possible it would be to alter the arrangements. He may well have his clients set up for a different camp or even a different park on my second week. I just don't know yet. Had I known when I booked that staying for more than a few days in a single location was not optimal, I would have looked for another location option on the second week. I have more interest in photographing wildlife other than the river crossings too and am hoping that we actually will spend more time on cats and other animals. When I was planning all of this, I had initially signed up for a photo safari in Tanzania in August and wanted to spend more time in East Africa than just one week. So, I was looking for an excellent guide and a time frame that would slot in well ahead of the Tanzania safari. This one fit the bill very well and I signed up for two weeks (again, not realizing the limitations of staying in that particular area of the park as well as missing other areas). Hopefully, there will be more opportunities to visit the area again in the future and I will have better insight from both of you. ...Show more →
It's likely too late in the game but if by chance you were able to get out of Entim during week two and you could link a stay in any conservancy camps from the following brands it would be very worth your while. Even if you have to break it up into a 3 night stay at one and 3 at another, etc. a lot of these camps are within a few hour drive or less from each other, or a short flight. You do not need a photo guide at any of these camps. I'm not sure of your exact dates but some of them you can check availability online:
Kicheche
Elewana
Great Plains
andBeyond
You can't go wrong with any of the above as they are all top notch with top notch guides.
artsupreme wrote:
It's likely too late in the game but if by chance you were able to get out of Entim during week two and you could link a stay in any conservancy camps from the following brands it would be very worth your while. Even if you have to break it up into a 3 night stay at one and 3 at another, etc. a lot of these camps are within a few hour drive or less from each other, or a short flight. You do not need a photo guide at any of these camps. I'm not sure of your exact dates but some of them you can check availability online:
Kicheche
Elewana
Great Plains
andBeyond
You can't go wrong with any of the above as they are all top notch with top notch guides. ...Show more →
This is terrific info - thanks! I will take a look at this list of camps. Unless David were to cancel the second week, which I don't believe would happen, it will be locked in with the existing plan. If it were to get canceled though, these will would be first on my list to explore. And there is always the future as well.
Received a couple of nice emails from David yesterday. He will send more details of the second week (I don't yet know if we will be in Entim or another camp) soon. Everything is a "go" so its looking good.
