Len R wrote:
Thanks very much, Art. I just checked the Kicheche website and it appears they charge $450 per day for a "photography vehicle" and $350 per day for exclusive use of the vehicle. That would add $8,000 to the cost of the safari. Is that typical?
Thanks,
Len
Yes that is in Kenya.
Art’s advice is very good, especially on limiting the trip to two camps if the total trip is only 10 days including international travel. I’d just add one nuance on East Africa versus South Africa. They are very different safari experiences, and I would not say one is universally better.
East Africa, especially the Mara or northern Tanzania, gives you the scale, open plains, larger herds, and that classic first-safari feeling. If someone wants big landscapes, cats in open country, and the possibility of cheetah, it is hard to beat.
South Africa private reserves are a different. You generally will not get the same huge herds or open migration-type scenes, but in my experience you can get significantly better leopard viewing and often more intense predator behavior, including lion and wild dog hunts. The ability to go off-road, track animals closely, and limit vehicles can make South Africa excellent for photography, especially for someone who values behavior over scale.
For your stated priorities — big cats, limited vehicles, private guide/vehicle, no need for migration — I would agree that Mara conservancies are a great first choice, but I would not dismiss South Africa private reserves if leopard, wild dog, and predator behavior are high priorities. It really depends whether he wants the classic open-plains safari or the private-reserve tracking/predator experience.
