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Photography Safari to Kenya

15 February 2008 No Comment

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Author: William Susanto

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Photographs and article are copyright of William Susanto

Where to go

Africa is a big continent with 54 countries. Firstly one must decide on the destination to visit. Of course the more popular countries would be South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt and Rwanda.

The article henceforth will focus mainly on wildlife photography in Kenya.

During the peak wildebeest migration month from July-September, lodges/camps in Kenya get filled up pretty fast. Therefore, planning many months ahead was necessary. Reservation with a local outfitter, booking the air ticket, getting insurance and vaccinations were all done up to 9 months in advance.

Choosing outfitter

We shortlisted a few companies, but in the end decided to stick with Kenia Tours & Safaris, the same outfitter I had used last year and were quite happy with. Although the quotation from others were very close, the icing on the cake came when Kenia decided to gave us discount of almost US$400/pax and brought the price down from US$2.2k to US$1.8k

The cost: US$1,795/pax for 15 days, or US$120/pax/day. This is almost a bargain considering they provides 2 vehicles ( 4WD 9 seater Nissan minivan), covers 3 meals per day, includes park entrance fee, guide and cook. 2 photographers in a vehicle is god send, although to keep the cost a bit lower one can probably stretch to 3.

For list of reputable agents, refer to KATO Kenya website: http://www.katokenya.org/

Most of the agents operating in Kenya are member of Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO Kenya). Going directly to the local outfitter instead of thru middleman in your own country keeps the costs down. Before signing on the dotted line, always check with KATO Kenya the credibility of the outfitter. KATO Kenya keeps database on agents’ past complaints

Choosing Airlines

There’s no direct flight from Singapore to Nairobi. We took Emirates with transit in Colombo and Dubai. Transit and flight time came to about 20 hours. Cost S$1,850.

Cheaper alternative would be by Qatar Airways, or Air India (thru Mumbai). Last year we paid S$1,450 for Air India, but the accident and poor plane condition really put us off.

Selecting places to visit

With over 30 national parks and reserves in Kenya all worthy of a visit, one is obviously spoilt for choices. However, the key is not to over pack the itinerary as driving from one location to the next can be an arduous journey which may easily consume half to one full day. Bear in mind that Kenya is not meant to be covered all in one visit. As the local always say, pole pole, which means do it slowly. Try to stay at each park for at least 2-3days and limit to 2 parks for a one week visit and to only 4 parks if you’re visiting for 2 weeks.

For first timer, the most popular of all Kenya’s parks are the Masai Mara for its annual wildebeest migration, Lake Nakuru for its 2 million pink flamingoes that dotted the lake shore, Lake Baringo for its variety of birds , Amboseli with its backdrop of Mt Kilimanjaro, just to name a few. One never go away disappointed visiting any of these parks.

Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru always get the wildcards and immediate selection. But to spend 2 weeks just on this 2 places would be over-killing. Places we considered were Samburu, Amboseli, Lake Naivasha and Lake Baringo. In the end we chose Naivasha and Baringo for their proximity to Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara. Amboseli was really appealing with snow-capped Mt Kilimanjaro as backdrop, but an almost full day drive to reach there means too much time will be wasted on the road.

For us, a minute more spend on the road means a minute less to make photograph. A truly tough decision indeed.

Finalising Itinerary

After we settled on the places to visit, next is to decide the number of days to spend on each place. We finally agreed on the itinerary below:

Day1: Arrival at Nairobi, drive straight to Lake Nakuru

Day2: Lake Nakuru

Day3: Lake Nakuru to Lake Baringo

Day4: Lake Baringo

Day5: Lake Baringo

Day6: Lake Baringo

Day7: Lake Baringo to Lake Nakuru

Day8: Lake Nakuru to Lake Naivasha

Day9: Lake Naivasha to Masai Mara

Day10-Day15: Masai Mara.

On hindsight, a 3D/2N at Lake Baringo was probably sufficient with extra night at either Lake Naivasha or Lake Nakuru.

On the Road (approximately)

Nairobi- Lake Nakuru: 170kms (3+hours) Lake Nakuru- Lake Baringo: 3hours Lake Nakuru – Lake Naivasha: 2 hours Lake Naivasha- Masai Mara: 6 hours Masai Mara- Nairobi: 6 hours.

The road condition is generally bad to very bad. So again, it is wise not to attempt to cover too many places. While en-route to Lake Baringo, we had to pass thru the river as the normal road has been washed off by rain

Types of accomodation

Lake Nakuru

Lodge runs by Kenya Wildlife Services: http://www.kws.org/naishi.html The one we stayed has a kitchen, a living/dining hall with TV, toilet with trickling hot water, 2 bedrooms (one with twin bed, one with triple beds). Electricity is not a problem here.

Lake Baringo

Cottage at Roberts Camp: http://www.lakebaringo.com/RobertsCampHomePage.htm We stayed at Coots Kopje cottage: http://www.lakebaringo.com/Coots_Kopje.htmThe cottage has a good toilet with hot water, 3 bedrooms, a verandah cum dining area. Overall the best accommodation we had on the trip. Electricity is not a problem here.

Lake Naivasha

Basic camping at Fish Eagle camp A nice camping ground with basic facilities (ie flushed toilet, shower areas). No electricity & have to pitch our own tent.

Masai Mara- Talek River camp

This is a semi permanent campsite runs by Maasai. With hot trickling hot water, a dining area, and long drop toilet. No electricity. We had to pitch our own tent.

Masai Mara- Ololaimutiek camp

Permanent campsite owns by Kenia. Fitted with big tents that can take 2 single beds, dining, toilet and shower area. No electricity but the place is semi-fenced.

Weather/ altitude

Nairobi: approx 1,600 above sea level (asl) Lake Nakuru: approx 1800m asl Lake Baringo: approx 1000m asl Lake Naivasha: 1650m asl Masai Mara: 1650m asl.

Vaccinations

Compulsory: Yellow Fever S$120 from Tan Tok Seng Hospital Traveller’s clinic. Other recommended vaccinations: Tetanus, Cholera, Malaria pills, Hepatitis A&B.

Kenya Visa

Not needed for most commonwealth countries, including Spore. Otherwise, USD50 per entry.

What to bring

Golden advise is to travel light, light and light, although it doesn’t apply to me in this case.

3 camera bodies: two Canon 1D Mark2, one Canon 20D.

4 Lenses: Canon 600mm F4IS, Canon 400mm F5.6, Canon 70-200mm F4, Canon 17-40mm F4, 1.4x teleconverter and extension tube.

Support: Gitzo 3530lsv tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head, Markin M-10 ball head, Skimmer Ground Pod, Molar bean bag, Canon 580ex flash with extender, CP-E3 battery pack, Nikon binoculars Storage & Back-up: IBM X31 Notebook, 1x 160GB Maxtor portable harddisk, 1x 80GB harddisk.

Plus all the batteries, chargers, lens blower etc.

My biggest worry was to handcarry all these stuff on-board. The 2 camera bags that I handcarry weigh 20kg. With a bit of explanation, the ground staff allowed us through.

Wild Animals encountered at the camp

Lake Nakuru: impalas, zebras, buffalos are regular visitors. Hyena always heard calling at night.

Lake Baringo: beware of hippos at night and crocs. some of us almost step on crocs on a few occassions. But the crocs at lake baringo are not the man-eater type I was as near as 2m away from a sleeping 3m croc.

Lake Naivasha: beware of hippos. an aussie tourist was killed at our camp 2 years back.

Masai Mara: hyenas, baboons, lions, elephants. at Masai Mara talek river camp, lions always heard calling at dusk n dawn.. right behind our camp is talek river. Our guide saw 2 lions fighting there near dawn on one of the night.

Trip Costs in Summary

15days land package: US$1,795

Air ticket: S$1,850 by Emirates

Vaccination: S$120 for yellow fever + others

Gratuities for guide & cook: US$5/person/day for guide, US$4/person/day for cook.

Visit to Maasai Village: US$20/pax

Boat ride Naivasha/ Baringo: Ksh3000 (approx US$45) per hour

Charging battery for places without electricity: US$3 to US$4 per piece.

Water: a 10L bottle local brand mineral water cost KSH150-200 = approx US$3.

as a gauge, expect to pay around US$100-US$130/pax/day for basic camping and simple lodge, to US$300-US$500/day for luxury lodges.

Exchange Rate: US$1= 65 KSH (Kenyan Shillings)

Other things

safety: we normally carry all camera equipments on the minivan with us.. but leave all other things locked up at the camp. so far so good.

Milky way: do not miss the beautiful milky way that accompany us nightly at masai mara. it is truly a sight to behold.

Game drives

Unlike some other countries where night game drive is permitted, night game drive is not allowed in Kenya (although the latest I heard there has been some lax in the rule and a couple of luxury lodges are doing it now)

so morning game drive from 6.15am- 10.30am or 11am afternoon game drive from 3pm – 6.30pm. other times can be done exploring the campsite for birds.

Tips for a successful safari photography

Request for a private vehicle

A single most important factor that would make or break your safari is the ratio of passenger to a vehicle. A general safari operator would likely to pack the minivan to the full to maximize its profit. Imagine you are on a 9-seater minivan with 6 other passengers. Photography and maneuvering your camera and lenses would be a nightmare.

As a general rule of thumb, there should never be more than 3 photographers in a 9-seater minivan or Land Rover to ensure each photographer has an almost 360 degree access to the windows and roof on all side. Remember to ask as most agents would be more than willing to accommodate your request and provide your party with a private vehicle. While some agents may do this complimentary, be prepared to pay additional 10-20% premium for this special request, but believe me it’s a small price to pay that makes a very big difference in your overall safari experience.

Insist on knowledgeable safari guide

In Kenya, driver cum guide is the standard practice. Insist on a knowledgeable guide. If you have an excellent guide and on your own private vehicle, I’d say the battle is half won. The guide has to be someone that is good at locating and identifying wildlife, understand their behaviour and the best way to approach them and position the vehicle. If your guide doesn’t understand the needs of photographers, do not hesitate to give directions. But do not rely too much on your guide. Do a lot of readings on the wildlife you are likely to encounter. Knowing your subjects, their names, behaviour and habitat makes shooting experience more complete and intimate.

Travel with like minded individual

Most of the time a normal tourist would only be interested to see particular birds/animals, tick them off their list, and move on to the next target. Many would not have the patient to wait for the actions to unfold. Good photographs are made when the animals are interacting or doing something interesting. Only like minded photographers with the same goal and expectation would be willing to wait it out with you and this often means waiting for hours at times for the right moment. On one the game drive, after witnessing a cheetah made a failed attempt at an impala, we had to wait a further 2 hours until the last light of the day before the cheetah made a second dash and killed the gazelle’s foal, long after the crowd of tourists have dispersed and moved on. In wildlife photography, patient often pays.

Go out earlier and stay out longer

Other than the fact that lighting is at its best in the early hours of the morning and late afternoon, wildlife are normally more active as well which will work to your advantage. The routine on a typical safari day consists of 2 game drives, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Most would set off early at 6.30am but return to camp for breakfast at 9a.m. Rest afterwards in camp until the afternoon game drive at 3.30p.m to 6.30p.m. Good photography lights are wasted if you return to camp at 9am. Arrange with your cook and guide to have breakfast early at 6am, or to pack breakfast on the go so you can stay out longer and only return to camp when the lighting turns harsh. You can also pack your breakfast and lunch for full day game drive, which means you go out at 6.30am and only return by sun down.

Follow the action and down the pecking orders

My guide jokes that to know where the action is at Masai Mara, one only need to follow the vultures or the minivans. How true that statement is. Drivers share their wildlife sightings with others on radio and within minutes, the spot will be full of vans. The vultures are endowed with acute sense of smell, and when you encounter 20-50 of them circling the sky, good chances that an animal has succumbed to the elements or had been taken by predators and the vultures are waiting for their leftovers.

If you encounter a lion having its meal, you can probably wait if out at the spot for the rest of the game drive. This is because once the lion had enough, the scavengers like hyenas, jackals and vultures will be next in line. It’s akin to killing 4 birds with one stone.

Variation is refreshing

Birds and mammals are abundant and relatively easy to approach in Africa. However, that doesn’t mean every single shot has to be a close up or frame-filling one. Variation to your shots is always refreshing. Include habitats and natural elements in your shots. Play with lighting creatively as you can turn a backlighting situation into a striking silhouette. One don’t have to use high speed to freeze action shots all the time as slow speed panning conveys sense of speed and motion just the same. Before your trip, study photos taken by the pros and learn how they make their images.