There are a lot of things to consider when planning and putting together your own trips and itineraries.
One of the first things to narrow down is your choice of a region or country. When you are thinking about making your selection, make sure you have fully evaluated the practicalities of traveling there. Be aware if there are any visa requirements that affect your nationality specifically. Visa’s, their cost and the ease of getting them varies quite considerably, from no charge and simply receiving a stamp on arrival, to having to pay a fee at the border, right through to needing to apply in advance at an embassy. Finding out that a visa is expensive or logistically difficult for you to get because of an embassy’s location might be enough to make you rethink your choice of destination entirely.
Having ensured that you can get a visa, the next thing we tend to look at is how we’ll get there. Some of the factors to consider:
What airlines fly there?
Are there any long connections or lay overs?
What are the time zone differences?
How long will the flight(s) take?
What will the flights cost?
If you are traveling from Europe most of the countries we’ll mention are fairly well connected, although some can’t be flown to direct, for example Zambia. The obvious impact of lots of connections and long layovers is it can significantly eat into your valuable holiday time. If you’ve only a week or 10 days to play with, you probably don’t want to spend 2 days traveling there and back.
Something else to consider when looking at International flights is to carefully check the flight arrival and departure times.
Some of the cheaper flights can arrive late in the afternoon or evening, which might necessitate a night near the airport on arrival. Be sure to factor in any costs for lay overs when comparing flight prices, as you might realise that it is cheaper and more convenient to pay a bit more for the flight than incur additional accommodation costs at airport hotels. Also make sure that if you need to connect to a small aircraft or road transfer that there is sufficient time for you to do that.
Having a budget for a trip will likely dictate where you head to. Some destinations are just simply more expensive than others to get to and to stay at. Although most of the reserves we talk about do have a good range of accommodation that will suit most budgets. If an area is only accessible via a small aircraft charter, this could simply prove cost prohibitive for your budget. Many countries price safari accommodation in $US for international visitors, although there are exceptions, like South Africa which prices in the local currency Rand, so do take a look at short term currency fluctuations that might be advantageous to you. For example in 2016 the South African Rand weakened against the $US and £GBP to such an extent that our safari that year was reduced by 20% of our original budget.
We find it is really important to be aware of some of the hidden costs that might not be immediately apparent when you are comparing lodges or even group safaris. We’ve already mentioned visa’s & international flights, which wouldn’t generally be mentioned as they fluctuate due to your individual circumstances, however we have outlined below some other costs that you might need to keep an eye out for.
Regardless of whether you are joining a set group photographic tour or organising your own independent travel, you need to check what’s been included and equally what has been excluded from the prices you’ve seen, as there may well be other costs and fees that you will be required to cover. Carefully check the full itinerary and small print looking for the exclusions. Are the meals included all day and throughout your trip? Are any alcoholic or soft drinks included, or are they billable separately? Are all activities included everyday, or will there be days when additional activities are on offer for your own cost? How much are these extra activities? Are airport transfers included and the inter lodge transfers if they are required? Is laundry included?
One of the costs that can quickly mount up if it is not included is national park entry fees or concession fees, these are not optional and will need to be paid for every day that you are in the national park, or staying in the area in the case of concession fees. These fees vary hugely across different reserves and concessions and many places don’t include them in the room rate quoted, so be sure to check as they can add up very quickly.
Thankfully it isn’t common practice, however some operators do deliberately strip back costs to be able to offer a headline low price to grab your attention, hook you in and get you to book. In fact a client of ours had this experience a few years ago with a safari she was looking into. A 10 day safari to South Luangwa, Zambia for under £2,000. However by the time she’d added in all the park fees, an extra game drive for the departure day & another activity on the “rest day” in the middle of the trip, an allowance for drinks, an upgrade from the extremely basic shared dome tent with just a camp bed and shared bathroom, the Zambian tourist visa, return international flights to Mfuwe and some money for tips, the total cost was pretty close to £4,000 for one person. This isn’t always the case but its worth being aware of because getting caught out can be pretty costly if you’ve committed with a deposit before realising the true costs you will incur.
We’ve covered this slightly more in depth elsewhere but if you are struggling to get your budget to stretch to visit a specific area, consider looking at the off-season and green season for that particular area, there are often phenomenal bargains to be had in terms of discounted room rates and sometimes even cheaper international flights.
Another thing to consider when selecting your desired destination is what interests you, as this will play a big part on where you will want to head to. If there’s a specific animal you want to see, you’ll need to first make sure that you choose somewhere where they actually occur, as not everywhere has every animal. For example the South Luangwa is an exceptional destination for wildlife photography but if your heart is set on seeing rhino or cheetah then you’ll need to go elsewhere as they don’t occur there anymore. Obviously do bear in mind that no sighting of any animal can ever be guaranteed as in these areas all wildlife is completely wild and free roaming, but of course that adds to the excitement when you do see an animal and means that no two days on safari are ever the same.
Generally for the most part wildlife photography is easier and invariably more productive from a vehicle, you are able to cover more ground and can carry whatever kit you want. However there is very little that compares to experiencing Africa on foot. It offers a very different experience and perspective. Often it will also give you a chance to focus on the smaller details, you can find yourself in beautiful remote places that have never seen a vehicle and perhaps not even a person recently, you put yourself firmly in nature’s hands. Although incredibly rewarding do bear in mind big game encounters will often be less frequent on foot, depending on where you have chosen for your walking safari. You will also need to tailor your camera kit to what you can comfortably carry in the heat, over uneven terrain and also still be able to get to safety should you be required. If walking appeals there are some incredible multi-day walking trails on offer or consider selecting a lodge and national park that offers it alongside drives so you can test the water to see if you enjoy it first.
Another activity that is not always on offer is the opportunity to go on night drives. These give you a chance to see some of the nocturnal wildlife, with genets, civets, bush babies and owls being some of the more regularly encountered after the sun has set. Some national parks do not allow any form of night drive. So if this is something you are keen to experience make sure you book somewhere where it is possible.
Our last tip to consider when planning any trip is to simply do less. Don’t try to do too much and see too many places in one go. Distances in Africa are huge. Long days on the road are often exhausting and relatively unproductive from a photographic point of view. Roads aren’t always in good condition, bumpy, hot and dusty, with toilet facilities often basic or non-existent and not for the faint hearted (with the exception probably only being South Africa). You might get more of a sense of the country and culture, passing through villages then you would flying over from lodge to lodge, which can keep you in a bit of a tourist bubble, but you might not actually have time to really experience anything more then seeing it through a window, so weigh your choices up carefully.
If you are serious about wildlife photography it really is worth staying longer in one place. Everyday on safari is different, with different sightings and opportunities. Allowing yourself to spend time in one place stops you feeling rushed. You will get a chance to build your awareness and appreciation of the whole environment, beyond just the animals. You’ll notice more and more each day, the birds, reptiles, insects, even the rhythm of the landscapes, all of which leads to you having a deeper connection to your subjects. We believe this will ultimately make a difference to the quality of your photography and become subtly apparent in the images you are able to capture.
We’ve found that staying in one place or just a couple has always served us better. Many of the national parks are huge, so changing lodges to experience another part is often enough to offer variety and uses far less travel time than going to another reserve. We prefer to spend a minimum of 3 nights in one place, which gives you 2 full days in the area, although we will really happily spend at least a week in one location.
