jasher

Hello,

Now that Flickr is finally supporting folders ('collections') for groups of albums ('sets'), I've made some changes to the Safari Photo Album to make it more user-friendly. The new link is:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasher/collections/

* Each country now has its own safari collection, with sub-collections for parks and individual camp albums inside.

* South Africa also has a separate city collection.

* The park collections are organised alphabetically.

* The camps within each park collection are organised alphabetically.

* If you prefer to view the camps the old way, you can still access the camp albums on the old link, where they are arranged alphabetically by country, park, and camp. Victoria Falls and South African city hotels and guesthouses are at the end.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasher/sets

For those who missed the thread which was the genesis of this project and who would like to learn more about the Fodors Safari Photo Album, I've pasted it here:

Just as all men are handsome and all women are beautiful in the dark, all safari camps look brilliant when being photographed by a highly paid professional photographer who takes pictures of the best room in camp in the best possible weather and lighting.

I've received a lot of requests for my pictures of Londolozi and Duma Tau, which got me thinking -- now that we have the Trip Report indexes, why not start a Safari Photo Album with photos taken by real travellers?

This could help out both people who want to know whether they will like a camp, and those who want to know what the best rooms are in a given camp.

So I've asked people to send me their camp and lodge photos (Southern and East Africa). I'll put together a set of albums by country and post the link here for people to access.

To make the albums as useful as possible, it would really help to have the following information:

1. Name of camp/park/country
2. Room number and type (e.g. Suite 1, Mombo Main Camp) or name of public room (e.g. Boma, Londolozi Tree Camp)
3. Month and year of visit
4. Any comments about the room/camp (e.g. 'This room has a great view!')
5. Your Fodors username (unless you would prefer not to have it posted) so people know who has stayed at that camp

Pictures of interiors, exteriors, views from rooms, and shots of camp dining areas/pools/spas/etc will all be helpful.

Please send photos as small-ish JPEGS (about 600 pixels on the longest side).

There have been a few 'mystery' shots where I had to guess what was in the photo -- if I've guessed wrong and mislabelled your photos, please send me an email and I'll correct them.

NOTE: Some people have kindly sent links to existing online albums. While these are certainly helpful, it's pretty time-consuming to figure out how to download the photos at a usable resolution and then re-upload them to Flickr. So while I will try to include these, they won't appear as rapidly as photos which are sent directly to me as JPEGs (which can be loaded very rapidly).

I've been very busy and have fallen behind on adding camps to the Photo Album, but the backlog is slowly being cleared.

Cheers,
Julian

jasher

The following camps, lodges and hotels have been added to the Photo Album:

BOTSWANA:
Vumura Plains (Okavango Delta)
Savute Safari Lodge (Chobe)

SOUTH AFRICA:
Singita Lebombo (Kruger National Park)
Londolzi Tree Camp (Sabi Sands)
Cape Grace (Cape Town)

VICTORIA FALLS:
Islands of Siankaba (Livingstone)
Zambezi Sun (Livingstone)

ZAMBIA:
Chiawa (Lower Zambezi)
Sausage Tree (Lower Zambezi)
Nkwali (South Luangwa)
Kapani (South Luangwa)

Additional photos were added to the albums for the following camps and lodges:

Nxabega (Okavango Delta, Botswana)
Sandibe (Okavango Delta, Botswana)
Singita Ebony (Sabi Sands, South Africa)
Tafika (South Luangwa, Zambia)

Cheers,
Julian

LyndaS

Hi Julian-

This is fabulous!! So much easier to see what is in there, and SO easy to use! I love it.

I will soon flood you with all of mine, I think I sent you two already, but I can resend if you don't have still!

jasher

Hello,

I'm very sorry to do this, but as of now the Safari Photo Album has been taken out of circulation.

There have been too many recent posts implying that my only motivation for creating it is commercial, despite the fact that it is freely available to anyone in the world through Flickr.

I apologise to the posters who have contributed to it, and those who have enjoyed using it. A lot of time and energy has gone into it and I am sick and tired of people assuming that the only reason I do anything is for commercial reasons.

I am also tired of people making unfounded speculations about the quality and/or existence of my wildlife photography. I've shared my work with some Fodorites I've met in London, and they know what they have seen. Whether I share my photos with people here is a personal decision as it is for anyone else -- no one is under any obligation to do so.

Almost all photography competitions specify that if a photo has been published elsewhere it is not eligible for entry. I enjoy entering competitions as a hobby and for that reason have decided against posting most of my photos to publicly available sites (I've thought about posting some of the photos I don't think are competition quality, but I've found that the photos I don't think are 'that good' are often the ones that win).

Those who wish to see samples of my work may visit my website -- two of the photos which have won awards may be seen on the South Africa page (leopard cub and buffalo bulls).

If there is sufficient interest I may consider putting the Safari Photo Album back up.

Cheers,
Julian

Roccco

yawn...nobody had contributed to this topic in the 8.5 months since you started it...for commercial reasons. Perhaps you can start a new topic on white collar crime and business ethics?

Shumba

Julian, considering your flickr page has a timeless africa link I wonder? No commercial incentive........?

Anyway, aside from mentioning Shell award winning photos, why did you not just take it down without all the song and dance?

Julian, you appear to have tainted yourself with Rocco on this forum. Just stick to trip advisor which appears to be your new ground. It really is getting dull, this ding-dong battle.

Still, unless your willing to add to some spice to the whole affair............

ekscrunchy

I would like to see the album!

Matt_from_England

Bearing in mind that some of the images were submitted by various members here, perhaps instead of them being no longer visible, why not transfer them to www.safaritalk.net where by their presence alone will only help to promote worthy causes and not commercial concerns?

If anyone objects please say so, or likewise if this is a good idea please indicate so.

Matt

atravelynn

I concur. No objection.

Leely

I third Matt's suggestion. In fact, I've been meaning to send mine for, um, over a year now.

HariS

This kind of online accomodation pics to promote the ultra plush accomodations is only going to encourage the first time visitor to demand this kind of accomodations ...... the ultra plush!!! It is not in the long term interest of anybody ...... For us as Full fare paying clientale and for the enviornment ...... this just helps the commission earning travel trade.

Matt from England, Lynn and everyone else on these boards what do you think?

Let us please wake up

Leely

Hari, my pics are not of luxe accommos. I thought the point was to simply show them? Or have I forgotten something since this thread started?

http://www.pbase.com/leelygoes/camps_and_lodges

HariS

Hi Leely,

My personal opinion is, the emphasis on accomodations etc etc., is pretty useless information. In the end, it only allows both Operators and their agents to exploit us to the fullest possible extent. None of which is in our best interest.

Either way, all accomodation pictures are available in every safari company's website isn't it?

What's rustic to person A maynot be the same as to person B .....

That's just my opinion, though....

Rgds
Hari

Leely

Hari, you have become a radical.

I do agree with you. However, you are speaking from the perspective of someone who stays at mostly high-end places. I think there is a wealth of photos of luxe accommodations, tents/lodges/whatever, and there is--or there was--a dearth of photos of places that aren't "the best," small, weird places that "no one" has ever heard of. Sometimes it's for reassurance that the place even exists, especially for people on their first few safaris, like me.

nyama

Just google. They also have an image search.

HariS

Leely,

Your point well taken.

Hari

Roccco

Hari,

While I respect your aversion to luxury accomodations, perhaps it is best to accept "different strokes for different folks."

I mean a honeymooning couple may be far better served by "5-paw/5-star" luxury than at a bushcamp, as well as any couple who is very intimate. Likewise, such luxury may be useless to a single traveler or a traveler going with a friend.

While it almost hurt to waste such luxury as Mateya, Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge, Chiefs Camp, Baines Camp and Kwando Little Kwara on myself as a solo traveler last year, I was THANKFUL to have Vuyatela and Mateya as a non-solo traveler on a recent trip...I only wish I could have experienced the first set of camps with someone special. I mean, after all, a minimum of about 12 hours per day is spent in the room.

Places like Singita, Mateya, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Chiefs Camp and many others all fill a very necessary niche and I, for one, am thankful for their existence.

HariS

Rocco,

Yes, i respect and accept "different strokes for different folks".

Hari

Matt_from_England

The reason I thought it would be good for safaritalk to host images, in a thread similar to Honey's is to show where people have stayed and provide a few memories of their stay there.

To be honest there are so few visitors to safaritalk I don't think such photos will encourage anyone to do anything - the emphasis of the site is not travel, that I'll leave to Fodors, LP etc etc.

It was just a thought: I'd love to publish pictures of tents and long drop toilets and showers that don't work; that is my kind of accommodation. My next trip to Africa, (if I ever get there, and with my young family it is difficult) I will being staying in a Maasai boma in Tz in my old sleeping bag with no electricity, running water, plunge pools whatever, having taken the public bus from Arusha to Mto Wa MBu: that is my idea of luxury.

Yes, I'll welcome any submissions but if not, I understand.

Matt

cybor

All I know is that if I had previously seen pics. of a few of the rat holes that I've stayed in over the years, I may have opted not to stay.
The best one had raw wires hanging out of a live outlet in the shower area - ( I say shower area loosely). That and other unique features made this the best of the worst rooms I've stayed in. There should be an award.

As for posting photos, lots of people don't have the vaguest idea of what a bucket shower/other camp paraphanelia are.
It's always a plus knowing that you don't have to pee in a hole - unless of course, it gets you closer to the dogs ((&amp)

I most recently was quite curious to see what the the tents look like inside and out for my upcoming Mana Pools trip. It would have been nice to know if I had room to sneeze.

Yes, the websites may sometimes give you a peek, but it's their peek and not someone's who has no vested interest.
A detailed description along with valuable photos. is priceless. Where else will you find out about room views, stench (hey, it may be down wind from the loo), noise levels, privacy issues etc. is priceless info.

So yes, yes, please share.
I have a few meger pics. from my last trip if interested. Please tell us how to post these photos.