SOUTH AFRICA MY YOUR WAY

Transcription

1 11/21/2017 AGENDA Introduction Discuss SOUTH AFRICA MY YOUR WAY travel planning Photographic Options A 2 month photo safari Practical Slide SOUTH AFRICA goals & challenges for in-country travel Expectations Loren Nelson to South Africa vs reality matters to consider show highlighting my trip PLANNING & PACKING Kruger Long (very long) lead time General Book airline dates to set end points First and last night s lodging Itinerary timing (season) for trip general Check for local holidays! Book local transportation Book must have lodging Travel WILD credit card & International phone card for all national parks

2 11/21/2017 DETAILS PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR Timing & weather Dry season Oct to Mar Wet season Jun to Aug Finance and currency Rand (ZAR) = ~$0.08 or ~13ZAR/$ Use chip travel card for everything Communication International plan (voice, text, some data) Electrical 240V, 50 Hz power (with unique 3 round prong plug!) Some lodging with European-style 2 round prong Driving & travel Left side, great roads, 120/100/80/60 km/h (~75-35 mph) Safety no problem (use street sense in cities) Two (or more) camera bodies Laptop, external hard drive(s), card reader 24-70mm f/2.8 (wide angle zoom lens) mm (telephoto Lots and lots of memory cards Batteries Lens zoom lens) and charger(s) cleaning gear Sensor cleaning gear Not needed Tripod Big telephoto Other KRUGER NATIONAL PARK MAP CAPE TOWN AND THE SOUTH Zimbabwe Botswana Wine! National Parks Table Mountain Cape Point Betty Bay Cape Agulhas Garden Route Tsisikamma Storms River Bontebok Addo Elephant Karoo First and largest NP in Africa Now 5th or 7th Possibly best diversity of wildlife Best protected wildlife About 1,000 miles of roads 370 miles paved in Y stone Twice land area of Y stone Mozambique South Africa

3 KRUGER NATIONAL PARK MAP GATES & REST CAMPS Strict gate rules and times; pre-booking sometimes needed Expect long lines and slow registration; exit pass mandatory Hazyview good provisioning site Access to Kruger, Numbi, Phabeni gates in southwest Nelspruit large city, crowded, traffic Access to Crocodile Bridge and Malelane gates in south Polokwane (large) or Louis Trochard (medium) Punda Maria and Parfuri gates in north Types camping, tent lodges, thatched round houses, cottages, chalets Cost camp sites ~$22, others $40 to very expensive privates lodges Facilities visitor center, shop, fuel in most camps; some with restaurant Water and electric, beds & linen, refrigerator & stocked kitchenette, some toilet/shower Braai, cooking, dish washing, and ablution centers for campers PARK RULES Very strict gate times, curfew, camp gates Eight foot fence, re-enforced steel cables, electrified 6A to 6P (varies slightly with season) If you are outside of a camp at night, you are a bad guy! Heavily armed poacher patrols by vehicle and on foot Speed limit 40 km/h (if you can go that fast) Cannot open vehicle door or leave vehicle A few picnic sites, view points, blinds, and bridges Can park anywhere (on wildlife side of road) TERRAIN AND BUSH Very challenging especially in the south Grass 1 2 meters Bushes 1 5 meters Trees 3 15 meters Very dense Rolling hills, plains, some cliffs Rivers and streams (many intermittent)

4 KRUGER WILDLIFE PLANNING YOUR DRIVES Recognize: Some safari tours will stop only for a few minutes and then move on. Dawn and late afternoon Find critters and stay put Drive and move when nothing obvious Look for the wildlife jams Paved roads were surprisingly more rewarding than dirt roads SHOOTING REALITIES Undoubtedly the most difficult wildlife photography I have experienced 80/20 success rule Challenges: Light Distance Bush / grass / trees Locked in vehicle OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES - 1 Light often low light and shadows Aperture priority is helpful to control depth of field Manual mode is good but takes more time for first shots High ISO is essential to keep adequate shutter speed Consider auto-iso for SS below 1/250 th second Often use spot metering on subject rather than evaluative metering

5 OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES - 2 Distance to subject controlled by subject Zoom lenses are helpful to control angle of view Prime lenses are nice but make composition from vehicle more difficult Wildlife are often close so monster lenses usually not needed and are difficult to manage in limited spaces and without a tripod Zooms in the range are generally adequate Apertures of f/4 (or larger) are ideal Teleconverters may be helpful but keep largest aperture larger than f/8 May need more reach for birds and smaller critters OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES - 3 Foreground clutter & obstructions It s not called the bush for no reason High grass along roads, tall bushes and trees are problems Almost always must use manual focus If autofocus works, use spot (point) focus most cameras choose the closest object for a focus point Think environmental compositions using the grass and brush OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES - 4 Locked in the vehicle Tripods are impossible Think creative stabilization bean bag, noodle, other Monopods relieve weight but are not stable Image stabilization / vibration reduction are helpful Space is very limited and vehicles are very dusty Try to have at least two camera bodies to minimized lens changes CAMPS & TOURS VS SELF-DRIVE & CAMP Guided Tours Self-guided Elevated viewing deck Drive when you choose Nothing to plan Drive where you choose Good guides teach Take along what you want Good guides find critters Stop and view as long as you want Time to look around when driving Experience wildlife behaviors Good local knowledge Warm and quiet conditions Cultural experience Meet other visitors High security

6 CAMPS & TOURS VS SELF-DRIVE & CAMP Guided Tours Not all guides are good Departure times are rigid Group compatibility issues Riding in open truck can be cold, dusty, and windy at dawn Limited carry on Limited camera gear Short (very short) viewing periods Can be (very) expensive Self-guided Must research in advance Can t look around while driving Need reference books / maps Need wildlife viewing experience No local knowledge Don t meet as many visitors TIME NEEDED How long do you have? Kruger entirety 4 weeks South Kruger 7-10 days Central Kruger 4-7 days North Kruger 4-7 days Cape Point 2-3 days Addo Elephant 3-5 days Karoo 2-5 days Bettys Bay ½ day Bontebok 1 day Mapungubwe 3-7 days 220 miles km/h (sometimes) COSTS Airfare is biggest issue stay longer (less $/day) Specials from about $900 from major US city COSTS Economy from about $1,200 from major US cities Business from about $6,000 First class from about $10,000 Car rental less than US (gas is ~$4/gal) Lodging varies widely nice B&B about $70-120/night RV camper - $140/day (sites ~$18-25/night) Restaurant are inexpensive (VERY inexpensive compared to Jackson) Food is inexpensive Several options in SA National Parks Wild Card International $350/couple/year (2 months advance!) We used this at least once every single day for almost 2 months) Daily conservation fee International $25/person/day Three hour safari ride - $25-30/person/ride ~$150/day/couple (plus transport, lodging & food)

7 SUMMARY Two month, self-guided trip Visited Cape Town, south coast, inland mountains, wine country and 10 national parks One month in south One month in Kruger & Mapungubwe Start planning now! Very low-cost adventure of a lifetime ESSENTIAL REFERENCES Globetrotter Travel Maps South Africa 13 th Ed (and others in series) Animals of Greater Kruger Cillie & Cillie Game Parks Publishing Kruger Park Map and Guide for photographers Tinker & Tinker Wildlife of Southern Africa Vincent Carruthers Struik Nature 2016 Smither s Mammals of Southern Africa Peter Apps Struik Nature 2012 These made our self-guided adventure much better!