The ultimate safari - pictures
 

Hello everyone,

I am leaving the 12th of May for my first safari this year.

I was talking to Ivan about our safari we made together last June.

We went to the following places:

Palmwag Rhino Camp;
Serra Cafema;
Duba Plains;
Duma Tau;
Chief's camp;
Baines;
Chitabe trails.

According to us this was a safari that came close to perfection:

Have a look at judge by yourself: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...0&y=-tu4my

Enjoy,

Johan

Where did you see the aardvark?

Hi, just made it thru the rest, and some real interesting photos, like flock of ground hornbills, diurnal rabbit and strange insect. Thanks for posting.

Two months from tomorrow I leave for Lesotho and South Africa -- the countdown begins tomorrow.

Michael

Michael,

I saw the aardvark at Chief's camp around 17.00. The guide thought there was something wrong with it because those animals are mainly nocturnal.

Glad you like them.

Greetings,

Johan

Wonderful photos. Where are the ones from near the end (No. 186 et seq.)that look like a lunar landscape?

Those were taken out of a Cessna when flying over Skeleton Coast (Namibia).

I'll be at Skeleton Coast in August because it's one of the most rewarding places in terms of photography.

Greetings,

Johan

Wow, Johan! Are you sure you're not a professional photographer? If not, you certainly could be. Your stuff is better than a lot of the "pro" stuff I see in magazines and even in published books.

Thank you for sharing it - it both inspires me and makes me realise how far I still have to go...

Spectacular photography! Thank you.

Kavey,

Unfortunately I am not. But the thing is, I spend more time in Africa then most photographers do.

A good photograph is the combination of good equipment (tomorrow my new lens Nikon 200-400mm F4 lens will finally be there) + opportunity + patience.

I am glad you like my work.

Did you take some good pictures of tigers on your last trip?

Greetings,

Johan

Thanks for posting, Johan,
Perfection is right, I'd say.
Your photos as usual are amazingly stunning and offer a nice peak of nature at it's best. I love how you played with the black and white photos - they look so timeless. Your composition and the way you seem to stop action is incredible.
As I've told you in the past, your pics. are part of my reason for wanting to see Botswana and now perhaps, Nambia. You do seem to capture the essense of these places.
Well done;
Sherry
p.s. where were the dogs seen - one or more locations?

Not brilliant - I was so excited I was shaking like a leaf and you can tell in the pictures but I have a couple that are OK at best!

Johan,

As always loved all pics....some that stand out....some of the leopard shots up front, the dogs, the zebras, some awesome landscape pics....

BTW, where was the skinny cheetah? Chitabe?

Thanks Johan, a great way for me to start the day....

Hari

Wonderful pictures, as usual, Johann. What was the gecko-like critter (black with gorgeous red markings) at the end? Thanks for sharing (and giving us rank amateurs something to "shoot" for on our upcoming photo safari).

Sharon T.

Absolutely stunning and passionate photos. How did you get some of those pics where it looked as though you were under the leopard in the tree? Scary!

Noticed how you wisely walked at a an angle away from the vehicles so you didn't get a path of footprints from direction you shot. That or shot at that angle to not see footprints - either way, very nice. Liked the shot with the tree framed in center (Baobab or acacia?) and the blue sky spotted with clouds.

Enjoyed the slide show. Thank you Johan.

Thanks everyone for your lovely comments.

The cheetah on the termite hill was taken at Baines.

I don't know the exact name of the gecko-like creature. The shot was taken in the centre of Windhoek.

We saw dogs at Duma Tau and Chitabe. I found it very difficult to follow them while they were hunting. I think Lebala and Selinda are better places to follow the dogs.

The shots of the leopard in the tree were taken from a relatively short distance at Baines. This leopard was quite at ease and didn't show any signs that we were entering her comfort zone.

Greetings,

Johan

Johan,
I caught some of your photos before and thought they were great - but this set is amazing!

We make our first trip to Africa in a month. If we see a fraction of this we'll be delighted. Thanks for sharing them.

Thanks Johan - superb pictures :)

I loved the leaping lion (in mid-air), the zebra standing on its hind legs and the wild dog-hyena interaction. Where did you see this interaction? - The angle of the shot makes the wild dog look bigger.

Thanks - always a joy.

Hi Johan,

First of all compliments on the pictures. WELL DONE

I can see some pretty serious lenses on some of the photographs, can you please list the equipment you were using to take these images, and how much Photoshop did you have to do on them??

last but not least how do you manage to carry your equipment?? I always have problems with the amount of carry-on luggage as I do not want to put my equipment in the hold, and the smaller charter planes also have a very low luggage limit :-(

Where are you going this time around??



all the best

Maurice

Hi Johan, I'm going to look at your photos later today, but in the meantime can you give me any feedback on Palmwag Rhino Camp, where I'll be staying in June? Thanks!

Thanks again to all for your lovely comments.

Africa: The wild dogs and hyena were seen at Duma Tau. I have always seen wild dogs when I was in the Linyanti.

Maurice:

- I was using the following equipment:

3 bodies: Nikon D70 with following lenses: 18mm-70mm f3,5-4,5 /10,5mm f2,8

Nikon D70 with following lens: 300mm f2,8(without VR) + teleconverter 1,4

Nikon D2X with following lens: 80-200mm f2,8.

Sometimes I had to crop or to give the picture a bit of contrast. But for most of them I didn't have to photoshop a lot.

This time I go to the Kwando camps in Botswana (Kwara - 4 nights - Lebala - 7 nights - Lagoon - 1 night). In all this camps I will have a private vehicle at my disposal (a big advantage if you take your photography seriously). Afterwards I am going 6 days to Mala Mala.

The only change in my equipment will be: I'll be using the Nikon D200 with the following lens: 200-400mm VR F 4 instead of the Nikon D70 with the 300mm lens.

Until now I hadn't any problems with my luggage. I have always three pieces of hand luggage with me: A soft bag with two bodies and the according lenses and one little bag with the D2X and my tripod. But to be honest, I think it's just pure luck.

My other luggage is very minimal because when going on safari I make use of the laundry service and I don't need clothes that I usually wear when going to restaurants or clubs.

Lin: Palmwag rhino camp is my favorite camp because of the following reasons:

- excellent guiding (I hope Chris Bakkes is there - in my eyes he has all the qualities to offer you an phantastic experience);
- rhino tracking of course;
- stunning landscapes.

It's still a vintage camp so accomodation is not luxurious and they make use of a bucket shower. It's the kind of camp I like ... completely different from Singita,King's Pool,...
(which are really nice but they are not my kind of camp). I prefer to spend my money on guiding/vehicles instead of accomadation. But sometimes I don't have any other options than to go to these luxury camps.

Normally it takes almost 2,5-3 hours to drive from the airstrip to camp. But like Chris said the safari starts from the airstrip.

Unlike the camps in Botswana, you'll have to pay for your extra drinks in the vintage camps in Namibia.

The sundowners and the snacks were amongst the best I experienced on safari.

We tracked black rhino everyday and saw the following mammals:

- springbok;
- hartmann's mountain zebra;
- elephant;
- lion;
- giraffe;
- kudu;
- oryx.

It's not a typical safari destination where you will see lots of game but for me it's about quality and not about quantity and for that Palmwag rhino camp was very generous to me.

Greetings,

Johan