Trip report; Vancouver Island to Rockies and back

What an absolutely amazing trip report - great reporting
and delightful photos.

You are a terrific traveller, sir!

LOVE the nature/travel pics totally awesome and well crafted

My wife is pretty good at it so I know quality when I see it.

southernartgallery.com I have taken 1 great picture of a baby

Llama in peru at MP otherwise I totally suck at it.

Thanks again for awesome report brings back fond memories..

And some not so fond like running for my life from a

charging bear in Lake Louise.. Canada is wonderful though...

What a great trip report. I love the Canadian Rockies but have only been to Lake Louise and Jasper so I loved reading your report---lots more places to visit. Your photos are unbelievably beautiful.

I am trying to talk my husband into a safari. I need to read a few of those reports on safaritalk--and find your photos/trip reports. Maybe yoru fabulous photography will help me get him to agree. It took me 3 years to get him to Costa Rica--can't imagine when we will ever get to Africa

Thanks all!

@Linda; if you need any info on Africa, just contact me.

Note that you will only have to convince your hubby once. I'm sure that the next times he will convince YOU to return to Africa! Canada may be beautiful, but Africa is a league of it's own.

Ciao,

J.

J.
Thanks for sharing the safaritalk website. I was just reading Tanya's trip report and am at Day 4 and the wildlife she has seen is absolutely unbelievable.

Is there such a thing as a budget introductory safari? or what is the least expensive way to do a first time safari--and still be safe--we are campers so accommodations are not important to us. I do know the most affordable safari would still be costly. I can't imagine the cost of Tanya's 15 day safari.

Love the quote on the site--If this is a "once in a lifetime" experience, I want to experience it once a year.---if only I had unlimited funds............looks like I need to check the Africa boards.

Great report and wonderful pictures. You had a very special show from the whales, not everyone gets to see that! What kind of a camera do you have?

Hey Linda,

There ARE budget options, but you have to watch out that you do not return disappointed. A few things that come to mind; a simple safari to Kenya's national parks. Or idem in Tanzania. But if you do not watch out you get stuck in the wrong vehicles (like the mini-vans with small seats and windows). Or in the wrong place (like in the Serengeti when the migration is at the other end). Or in the wrong season (rainy/cold). Etc...
Idem with the places where you sleep. Yes, you can save a lot by not opting for the luxurious lodges. But watch out not to end up on a public camping ground with filthy toilets and showers without water.

Even if , for all the above, you find something that is OK, then there's still one big difference between your safari and what most people show on their trip reports on SafariTalk. And that is; they spend at least part of their trip in private parks, not in National parks. The possibility to go off-road, and the possibility to stay in the park for as long as you like (even after dark) lakes again a huge difference. But you guessed it; private parks aren't cheap.

Heaving said all the above; here's a few things you could look in to:

1) Go on a camping trip with a well-known guide. Pro; you get to stay at private (not public) camp sites and services will be top notch. Pro; you can stay in parks while all others get out, to sleep at their lodge. Nights spend in the bush are a category of itself (it's much less dangerous than you think though). Pro; the guide will be awesome, and a bottomless vat of knowledge. Con; you will not be able to off-road in most places. Con; the price. You will still need to count 250-300$ pppn, but you may get that price down if you come with more people than just hubby & wife. For a report of a trip like this one, see: http://safaritalk.net/index.php?showtopic=6394&st=0&p=47405&hl=+ewan%20+masson&fromsearch=1&#entry47405

2) Do a safari in private reserves, but go for the non-luxury places. Personally I only have experience with South Africa, and only with the reserves around Kruger. Reserves that are worth a visit are Sabi Sands, Timbavati and Klaserie. Things are not going too well in Manyeleti, and game densities in Balule are less (being further from Kruger NP).
In Sabi Sands, look at Umkumbe. At about 200$ pppn, it's a steal. The area they can drive around in is not too big, but just compare their prices with the places around them (Londolozi, Mala Mala, Singita, Lion Sands).
In Klaserie look at nThambo or Africa On Foot. They have a huge area to drive around in and cost about the same as Umkumbe. Actually, AOF is even cheaper, as in the morning you do game walks, not drives (as you need no vehicle, it costs less).
In Timbavati pick either Simbavati River Lodge (one of the cheapest, yet driving around on idem property as more expensive lodges), or Shindzela (smaller area, partly walking safaris, but fantastic area, food, and guiding).

There's a reason I names the first three lodges. They are marketed by Sun Safaris, who stand out as a South-African Travel Agency that focuses on lodges exactly like this. That's actually another great tip to save money; book with a South-African TA, not a US-based one.

3) do a more "typical" safari to National parks in Tanzania or Kenya, but give your TA a maximum budget, and give him rules regarding lodge-types, lodge-location, vehicle-type, etc... You may want to read a few trip reports before deciding on all that. Actually, Sun Safaris could do wonders there too.

If you want more info, just let me know!

Ciao,

J.

@Live42day;

I have a 50D and a 5D, and a whole bunch of lenses, but don't exactly know what I used for every shot. You may find what you need by running the pics through an EXIF reader.

J
Thanks for all the great information. I am totally enjoying the trip reports on safaritalk---amazing photos.

Please please please - when do we get the next part of your report?

Absolutely loving it - brilliant photos, and so much help for our trip planning for next year.

Nice trip report with great photos! By the way, the larger deer in your Jasper photos (day 11) are "elk", also known as wapiti. Also, for any future readers, the Kinney Lake trail is 7 km one way only if you go all the way to the Kinney Lake campsite (where the shelter is); the bridge over the river and the picnic sites just as you arrive at the shore of the lake are 4.5 km from the trailhead.

Stunning photographs and amazing colour saturation!! (looking at the places in the Rockies with which I am very familiar, it seems to me that most must have been taken using very wide angle). Do you travel with a tripod?

Forgot to say - you had incredible luck with the weather!!!

What month did you do your Canada trip? Love the trip report and great pictures.

What a fabulous report! Thanks for sharing. It will be a big help to us on our next trip.