We originally weren't planning on visiting South Africa in 2010, but our friends decided they wanted to go and that was all the excuse we needed to hit the road again. And we're glad we did. Two great weeks of wildlife photography in Kruger National Park and Mala Mala and Elephant Plains game reserves made it one of the highlights of 2010 for us. And of course, we had a fantastic time with friends. Read on to learn all the trip details, from travel to lodging to the details about the reserves and guides we used. |
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Getting There - There are various routes from the States to Africa these days, from a directly flight between to Atlanta and Johannesburg to flying through Europe to the odd route we took: Seattle - Washington, DC - Senegal - Joburg. It was by far the cheapest route available and a took nearly a full day.
Give way to larger traffic in Kruger! |
Transportation - The first half of our journey in South Africa took place inside a rental car. Since you can drive yourself around in Kruger, this made the most sense. We opted for a small SUV (e.g., Hyundai Santa Fe), which provided better handling on Kruger's bumpy roads and a higher vantage point, which was useful for photography. Our friends rented tiny compact cars and hated their performance on Kruger's dirt roads.
Following our Kruger excursion, we traveled next to the game reserves, where a rental vehicle was not needed. This meant we needed a vehicle we could pick up in one location and drop off in another. Most rental agencies will not allow this, but we found an arrangement that worked through Avis. We were able to pick the car up at the airport in Joburg and leave it at Mala Mala, where they picked it up. This was extremely convenient and meant we didn't have to pay for an unused car the last week of our trip.
In Mala Mala and Elephant Plains, you are carried about in the reserves' own Land Rovers. They can and do go just about anywhere. A lack of roads is no obstacle.
Following our Elephant Plains stay, we transferred to Hoedspruit for a short flight back to Joburg, where we caught our flight home. Transfers between the reserves and from EP to Hoesdspruit were arranged by the game reserve staff.
When We Went - Our trip was in August, which is the equivalent of winter in South Africa. We still had some hot days, but overall it was very comfortable, even in the open air vehicles at MM and EP. It did become cool during night drives. We only experienced rain once the entire trip. If you travel in the South African summer/wet season (approximately Dec - March) expect much hotter, humid conditions.
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Kruger National Park - Kruger is huge. One could set aside a few weeks to explore the entire park thoroughly. We had six days, which we split between two bases: Skukuza and Satara. Our friends added three days based in Lower Sabie. The park is easily explored on ones own via rental car (see above), and Kruger offers abundant wildlife viewing opportunities. However, wildlife photography is difficult. The number of actual roads to explore is relatively small, meaning there are large stretches of territory for animals to roam in between. You cannot drive off-road in Kruger. Nor can you leave your vehicle, except in a few designated areas. This means that you're usually stuck shooting from your vehicle, presenting plenty of challenges when seeking out moving subjects.
Kruger highlights include: The Lake Panic hide, great for birds and other wildlife in the morning and late afternoon; Sunset Dam, great for sunsets (of course) and plenty of wildlife; the S100 road, best for cats. Note that Lake Panic is best reached if staying at Skukuza, Sunset Dam for those at Lower Sabie and the S100 for those staying at Satara.
Get close to wildlife in Mala Mala and Elephant Plains! |
Mala Mala Game Reserve - Operated on private land inside the Sabi Sands Wildtuin, Mala Mala is one of the premier destinations in the world for leopard viewing and photography. And it does live up to its reputation. A network of guides keep in constant radio contact, staying up-to-date on the latest wildlife sightings and activity. Due to territorial nature of the wild leopards on the property, MM's rangers have familiarized themselves with several individual cats (often over 30 leopards at any given time) and their behavior. Mala Mala's open top Land Rovers offer prime viewing for a limited number of guests at a time, which is great for photography.
We stayed at Rattray's Camp (see lodging below) and requested Dean Wraith as our guide based on a recommendation from my friend, Hennie van Heerden. Dean was a gracious host, knowledgeable and friendly, and most importantly had good instincts and a keen eye for photography, which meant he had a better understanding of our own needs.
Mala Mala was our favorite stop during the trip. The overall experience (game viewing, lodging, staff and our guide) was tremendous.
See photos and video of our encounter with a young leopard cub in Mala Mala.
Elephant Plains Game Reserve - Like MM, Elephant Plains is a private game reserve located in the Sabi Sands Wildtuin. The safari experience is somewhat similar to MM's, but we had an additional tracker riding up front on your vehicle. The terrain at Elephant Plains seems a bit more arid and open, but is equally good for leopard sightings. We actually had more opportunities for good leopard photography here than in MM.
Our guide, Wayne, was a veteran guide with a wry sense of humor and is author of EP's weekly wildlife journal. He possesses a vast array of knowledge about the leopards in EP, though he admits to less familiarity with the local birdlife.
Watch the "Leopards" video to see several of the leopards we encountered at Elephant Plains.
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Skukuza Camp, Kruger - Since there were six of us, we stayed at the Waterkant guest house. There were some issues with keys not working, but otherwise it worked well enough, and has a nice view of the open river basin nearby. There's plenty of wildlife on the camp grounds, including bushbabies at night and fruit bats under the awnings of the outdoor eating areas during the day.
Satara Camp, Kruger - We stayed at the Wells guest house at Satara. Again, accommodation was fine for the most part, aside from the overwhelming smell of new varnish (something past guests appeared to have complained about as well). Lots of birds flitting about in this camp, highlighted by two resident scops owls found huddled against a tree near the reception area.
Web: http://www.krugerpark.co.za/
Did I mention that Rattray's is nice? |
Rattray's, Mala Mala - Probably the finest place we've ever stayed (even beating out the Migration Camp in the Serengeti), and we only got here thanks to an unexpected upgrade from the Mala Mala staff. Rattray's defines "luxury safari camping." Limited to very few guests, each of the bungalows sports a huge bed, office space (including wifi-enabled laptop!), his and her bathrooms, heated floors, a private yard and pool. The food is excellent, the staff friendly, and the guides top-notch. At Rattray's, safari vehicles are typically limited to only four guests, making for a less-crowded, more comfortable wildlife viewing experience.
Web: http://www.malamala.com
Elephant Plains Game Lodge - We stayed in one of the odd-shaped guest houses here, offering a private balcony with view of the nearby watering hole. While lodging was nice, the food was only okay. The lodge offers most ameneties, including a bar and lounge, gift shop and paid internet terminal.
Web: http://www.elephantplains.co.za/ |
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I went with my usual travel clothing: convertible plants, short-sleeve shirts and some warmer clothes (including hat and gloves) for night drives. Protection against the sun (floppy hat, sunscreen, sunglasses) goes without saying. We brought insect repellent but didn't really need it. We also took malaria pills just in case, though our friends managed to survive without. Clothing was packed in our trusty travel compressor bags to save space.
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I bought a Think Tank Airport Security bag for this trip. It was great to have, thanks to having both wheels and a backpack option. The security features were also reassuring, and it had room for most of my gear. I did run into one problem with the gate agent in DC not wanting to let me on with it, despite the fact that it fits in the overhead compartment just fine (she also happened to let my friend onboard with the exact same bag moments earlier!).
Since my main goal was to see and photograph wildlife, with a secondary emphasis on landscapes, I had my full complement of gear. Halfway through the trip, I switched from the 100-400 to the 70-200 for better performance in afternoon and evening drives. In Kruger, a 500 or 600mm lens is ideal, but in game reserves where one can drive off-road and get much close to wildlife, a lens such as the Nikon 200-400mm would probably be the ideal option. Unfortunately, I shoot Canon and found myself trading off between the 500 and medium range zooms on separate bodies. This worked out fine in most cases.
I used a beanbag quite often, but a friend also rigged up a small board that could attach to my Wimberley head, providing a platform for my 500mm lens. This could be laid on the dash or door of a vehicle, the railing of a hide and even used in combination with a beanbag for a higher angle. For the game reserves' open air vehicles, it's best to bring a monopod or tripod, since there is no support high enough in the back rows. I found it best to sit up front next to the driver, since the passenger door and the dashboard both made for good camera support areas.
7D, Canon 40D, 20D
Canon 500mm f/4 IS
Canon 100-400IS
70-200mm 2.8IS
Canon 24-70mm 2.8
Canon 10-22mm
Canon 1.4x teleconverter
ThinkTank Pixel Pocket Rocket
Extra Batteries, Memory Cards
Lens Wipes/Brush, Polarizer, Graduated Neutral Density Filters
Nexto eXtreme3 500GB storage device
Epson P-5000 storage device
Rain covers for camera & lenses
Powerstrip & battery chargers
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