africama

In the end of last year I wanted to book a trip to Botswana this June but almost all of the camps that I wanted to go were full, so decided to go to Botswana in August / September 2009 and we decided to go to Kenya and Tanzania this June (only serengeti and masai mara).
My itinerary for 2009 will be:
Duma Tau - 3 nights
Duba Plains - 4 nights
Mombo - 3 nights
Now my questions are:
1) What guides do you recommend on those camps? I am planning on a private vehicle at Duba Plains and will ask for James 007, but donīt know at the other camps.
2) I heard you can sleep in a Hide at Duma Tau. Has anyone done that? Is it worth?
3) I really like photography. What do you recommend for the stability of the camera in the open land rovers there as I think bean bags dont work....
Thanks for the help. Will make some very complete trip reports to thank you....

HariS

For Sept 2009? Too far away - guides could sometimes change camps within the company, sometimes move on somewhere else .........

atravelynn

James told me Sept is his leave month but if you specifically request him, and do so early enough, he trades.

Doogle

Hi there

Again well done for booking far ahead, people have no idea how full the delta gets, you may get space but what happens is the delta selects where you will stay, you cannot select where you will stay you have to take what you can get.

Hari, I know you are amazed people are booking so far in advance but unfortunatly that is what you have to do if you want to select where you stay.

It is a good itinerary, and you can request guides closer to the time, but mostly they are all pretty good.

HariS

Doogle,

I'm sure it's good business for the travel trade and i'm happy for you.

Do you read what people write or just skim the surface? My comment here was not regarding booking to stay at the camps, but, booking specific private guides this far in advance.

africama

I decided to book this far ahead because I tried this itinerary (any linyanti camp + duba + mombo) in the end of last year for 2008 and it was impossible from may to november.... My first choice for next year was savuti + duba + mombo but could get only 2 nights as savuti... even 1,5 years in advance.
Good to know itīs early to decide about the guides, will worry about it in the end of the year...
Does anyone take pictures with heavy lenses? What do you use for the stability of the camera? I wanted to know this because my heaviest lens today is a Canon 100-400 but am considering buying a 500mm f4, but itīs too heavy to hand holding....
Iīll stay in some camps in may/june this year in east Africa where they use open land rovers as in southern africa, so if I decide to buy the lens I should look for something different from beanbags...
Thanks for the replies

debwarr

We took a Canon 75-200mm f2.8 which is a little heavier than the 100-400, but got great pictures with it. We used a monopod and beanbag and had good success. By the way, we are also booked at Mombo in Sept. 2009, what are your dates...we may be there at the same time.

africama

Iīll be in Duma Tau from Aug 27 to Aug 30, in Duba Plains from Aug 30 to Sep 3 and in Mombo from Sep 3 to Sep 6. When are you going?
I think the 100-400 is fine with bean bags and even hand holding depending on the light, but not sure if I need something more if I decide to buy the 500mm as it weights almost 3 times more....

cary999

Why do you want the 500mm? Is the extra reach or extra f stop that important for your photos? If you have the 500mm would you still take the 100-400mm? If so, wouldn't the 600mm lens be better choice?

I'd get a second body, if you don't have one. Then put a lens on it. It's great to just pick up another camera instead of fussing with lens swapping. Also gives you some "piece of mind" having the second body. Yeah, now that's the ticket, a second body with the 600mm

regards - tom

africama

I do already have the second body, a 5D and a 40D. Iīll bring 3 lenses on my next safari (if I donīt buy the 500mm), a 16-35, a 24-105 and the 100-400 (plus 1,4x extender).
The reason I am thinking on the 500mm is that I donīt like much my photos with the 100-400 with the extender, so instead of 400mm (or 640 on the 40D) I would have 700mm (or 1120mm on the 40D).
I prefer the 500mm instead of the 600mm because the 500mm weights 3,9Kg and the 600mm 6,3Kg, itīs a big difference....

sundowner

I have the 500 f/4.0 and I just brace it on whatever I can find. Sometimes it's the back of the seat in front of me, or I scrunch down and put my foot on the seat and brace on my knee. Or I turn my body sideways and brace on my shoulder. Or I sit in the seat by the driver and brace on the dash. The last one is best for me. On my last safari, mobile in Botswana with Maun Rest Camp, the owner built braces (like armrests) for us.