What Makes a Great Safari?

Introduction

After a long hiatus, and having recently resumed my series of articles covering each day of our last safari in Sabi Sand Wildtuin in October and November of 2022, Africa has occupied my mind again, and I am wanting to re-live it, and re-experience it.

In fact, we have already decided upon our next African trip, and have already spoken to our friend and chosen safari leader about it.  I will not say more about it for now, as it is early days; but it all starts with an ambition, which then forms a goal, which hopefully leads to the realisation of that goal.

During an early morning walk today, what came to me was the idea of outlining what makes a great safari.

Quite a lot, actually.

I have discussed in lengthy detail the adventures of our four African trips to date, but I have never discussed what it is about safaris that appeals to me; so firstly, here is the story of our safari journey.  Then, I will explore what makes a great safari.

There is no bad safari, really.  Being on an African safari is an experience that no words, images or videos can do any amount of justice.  It really is something that one must experience.  Documenting the safari, of course, is an important part of that; but that merely enhances the experience.

Our Story

I have been a photographer for many years now.  Until 2012, I was not, and did not consider myself to be, a wildlife photographer.  Sure, I had captured a few images of wildlife here and there, but that was merely dabbling, or opportunistic.

As a photographer, I had focused predominantly on shooting seascapes at dawn, and had been doing that for several years, plus a few other forms of photography.  Shooting seascapes was my main photographic interest, and I would frequently venture to the coast in the dark, pre-dawn hours on weekends in order to be there for first light.

In 2012, an unexpected event changed the course of my photography, and my own course, perhaps.

We were invited to a wedding.  Sure, plenty of people are invited to weddings, but the bride is a South African expatriate, and she decided to have her wedding in South Africa.

At the time, I had not ventured abroad since the year 2000, and the world had changed.  I was not across the ways of international travel, and in fact, I did not have a current passport at the time.

We were going to South Africa, a country that I had never visited, on a continent that I had never visited, and about which I knew very little.

When people think of travelling to Africa, the first thought that comes to mind is the quintessential African safari.  It is just what people do, so we decided that yes, we needed to go on a safari.

Knowing that we were going to South Africa, I took more notice of wildlife images, particularly on 500px, and I had been looking at the work of wildlife photographer and safari leader Mario Moreno of South Cape Images.  We contacted Mario, told him of our plans, and before we knew it, we had booked our first safari.

It was a short safari of three nights over four days, as we would be in South Africa for around two weeks, with the wedding being the reason for the trip.  We actually made three holidays of the one trip, with time in Cape Town and the Western Cape being the other chapter.

Our safari was in the Motswari Private Game Reserve, part of the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, which is distinctive for being the only wildlife environment in the world in which can be found the exceedingly rare white lions.  We did not see them — they are rare, after all.

Our guide at Motswari was Chad Cocking, an outstanding wildlife photographer and passionate field guide. Chad, on the other hand, has seen, and photographed, white lions.

Our first game drive of our first African safari brought us into the presence of a male leopard called Makepisi.  We experienced four days of magic, and like an addictive drug, we were hooked.

That was how it began.

Three years later, we re-united with Mario for our second trip to Africa, but this time, the destination was the Maasai Mara region of Kenya.  It was vastly different environment and a vastly different experience, but it was an incredible trip which brought us unforgettable sightings, experiences and images.

A long four years later, we returned to the Mara with Mario again, staying at the same luxury camp in the Mara North Conservancy, and going out again every day with Francis Koome, who had been our guide during our first Mara trip.

A few years later, the itch needed to be scratched again, and we were again in discussions with Mario on our next trip.  We chose South Africa, but the plan was to head to the premier destination of Sabi Sand Wildtuin, a fair way south of the Timbavati, and known for its leopard population and sightings.

Our guide this time was Gabriel ‘Gabe’ Harmer, and the trip brought us many incredible experiences and sightings, and many first-time experiences and sightings.

So, that is our story so far.

The Key Ingredients in a Great Safari

Now, what makes a great safari?

A lot goes into a great safari.

Firstly, there is the location.  Various parts of Africa are famous for their wildlife populations and scenery, and a great safari begins with the destination.

We have been to three of Africa‘s greatest wildlife sanctuaries, and captured the wildlife for which they are known; but there are so many other great locations, too.

A great safari leads a great safari leader — someone who knows Africa, who has experience, who has knowledge, who has the contacts, and who can arrange the entire safari and bring clients the best possible experience.

For us, that person is Mario Moreno.  Mario was born in South Africa, and his business is providing safaris for photographers.

Many people go on safaris, but many of them are tourists, or ‘bucket list’ tickers.  Of course, many are photographers, and Mario‘s business caters specifically for this type of safari-goer.

To us, Mario is a friend, not just a safari leader.  We have gone on four safaris with him, and we have got to know him well over the decade worth of safaris.

In addition to a great safari leader, a necessary ingredient is a great field guide; and we have been privileged to be with the best.

In the Timbavati, we had Chad Cocking, a great photographer and very experienced guide.

In the Mara, we had Francis Koome twice, and that man has forgotten more about the Mara than we have ever known.

In the Sabi, we had Gabe Harmer, with whom I am still frequently in contact even today.  He is passionate about wildlife, and has developed his wildlife photography in the process.

A good guide will find the wildlife and deliver the amazing experiences.

In South Africa, guides are accompanied by trackers, who sit on a small chair affixed to the front of the safari 4WDs.  The trackers literally track animals, and can quickly tell if a lion has been in the area recently.  The tracker is essential to the experience, and works closely with the guide.

In Kenya, the art of tracking is not used so much; instead, there are spotters.  In our case, Francis was both the guide and the spotter.  The Mara plains are vast and expansive, and finding wildlife is mostly a visual exercise.

Another part of the safari experience is the lodge.  We have mostly stayed at high-end safari lodges and camps within private concessions and conservancies.  These wildlife reserves, although unfenced and natural parts of the world, are privately managed, with conservation and research being fundamental to their existences as managed wildlife sanctuaries.

Unlike Kruger National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve, day-trippers cannot simply visit; in the private concessions, safari-goers are staying within one of the established lodges or camps.

These are expensive.  Even the lower-priced lodges and camps can approach $1,000 per night per person, and the ultra-high-end lodges can cost $3,000 to $4,000 per night per person.

These run on the concept of full board, which means that accommodation, all meals and two daily game drives are all included in the price.

Still, it is very expensive; but the benefits of staying in private reserves are significant, and in our experience, they are worth it.

Firstly, because these reserves are very carefully managed, the numbers of visitors, and therefore vehicles, are kept small.  This means that sightings are not crowded, and that the presence of humans and man-made vehicles are not disruptive to the wildlife.  The environmental impact is substantially smaller.

What private reserves also allow is off-road access.  In the public reserves, safari vehicles must stay on the established roads.  Deviating off-road can result in substantial fines and other penalties.  The sightings, while they can be great, are much less controlled and much less accessible.  If the action is happening 200 metres away from the road, then being close is not possible.

We have twice been in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which, while it is the same ecosystem as the Mara North Conservancy, has vastly different conditions, with many safari vehicles visiting, and great sightings statistically lower.  We have, however, had great sightings and captured great images in the Maasai Mara National Reserve; but in the Mara North Conservancy, the quality is much higher.

In private reserves, big cats walk right past the safari vehicles.  We have had cheetahs, leopards and lions all right outside our vehicles as they made their way to wherever they wanted to be.  That can and does happen in the public reserves, but the chances are much lower, and the crowds are much higher.

A crucial part of our safari experience has been our exclusive use of private 4WD vehicles.

The 4WDs belong to the lodges and camps.

These vehicles are equipped with three rows of seats, each accommodating three people.  There is also the front passenger seat.

What this means is that there can be ten guests in a vehicle, plus the guide and tracker on the front.

That comes with a lot of undesirable consequences.

Firstly, we carry a lot of bulky gear.  There is nowhere to store it when the vehicle is full of guests.  When we go out with Mario, we each have a row to ourselves, which allows plenty of room for big lenses, backpacks and whatever else we bring.

It also means that we can freely move around the vehicle. If the action is happening on one side of the vehicle, we can easily slide over to that side.  If two other people were there, they would be in the way, and our lenses would either be obstructed from seeing the action, or they would be bumping people’s heads.  Not good.

What the use of private vehicles also allows us is freedom.  We can head out earlier, come back later, and go wherever we want.  With six other people in the vehicle, each with their own wants and needs, we would not necessarily be able to capture the kinds of images that we want, or enjoy the kinds of sightings that we want.

We like to shoot landscape images, and that is a big part of our Mara trips.  In a vehicle full of people, that probably would not happen.  We were generally always the first to head out into the plains under the cover of darkness, which was before some guests were even up.  We would come back late, and on both Mara trips, we went much further south into the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which meant that it was an all-day trip.  We took food with us, and were away from camp until evening twilight.

We could not have visited the main reserve if we were in a vehicle full of people.

Even within the private reserves, we could take the road less travelled.  Tourists on safaris might want to see lions and that is it.  We want to see everything, and photograph everything.  Yes, the big cats are of significant interest, but I am happy to photograph birds, Cape buffalo and anything, really.

During our 2019 trip to the Mara, we were at a buffalo kill.  The Offbeat Pride had taken a large bovine in the darkness, and we were on the scene, along with three or four other safari vehicles, as the lions, including a large pride male, were feasting.

Mario and Francis, who know lion behaviour, recognised that the pride male was done, as he was showing signs that he was going to venture off for a drink and a rest in a thicket.

While the females and cubs were still feasting, we took off at seemingly the speed of light, but in reality, no more than 40km/h.  In the African wilderness, 40km/h is high speed.  I can only imagine that the other safari-goers in the other vehicles were dumbfounded at why we would suddenly evacuate the scene of a lion pride feasting.

What they did not know was what we were doing.  Francis knew where the pride male was heading, so we intercepted him by getting onto the other side of a creek and positioned ourselves to see the pride male descend the bank, have a drink, and climb up the opposite bank, right towards us!  We experienced the sighting, and landed the images that nobody else achieved on that morning.

It would not have been possible without our own vehicle.

Unfortunately, securing a private vehicle is either impossible or very expensive.  Many lodges in South African reserves no longer offer private vehicles, and the few that do will charge for every seat.  It is to be remembered that these vehicles are intended for ferrying a full load of paying guests around the reserves, not just the two of us plus Mario; so there is a financial impact to the lodge if the vehicle is not full.

To secure a private vehicle in Sabi Sand Wildtuin came at a cost of several thousand dollars.  That was on top of everything else.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! It drives up the cost substantially, but as I have outlined, it gives us exclusive access and sightings, experiences and images that others do not achieve, and we have the flexibility, space, time and freedom of choice.  It is priceless.

Part of the African safari experience is the lodge or camp life.  Staying at one of these eco-friendly lodges or camps is amazing and intense, with great food, surroundings and company.  While we enjoy all of that, the reality is that we are out in the field for most of our time.  The lodge or camp is where we eat, sleep, drink and do life maintenance.

For me, there is little rest during a safari, as I am on a constant high during the whole time.  I cannot just sit back in a deck chair and stare out into the plains; that is not me.  I am processing and publishing images, making multiple backups of our images, managing the gear and generally running around doing anything other than nothing.

For us, the accommodation is the least important part of the safari experience.  As I say, if the accommodation is important, book the penthouse in a high-end hotel and stay there for the whole time.  We want to be in the wilderness, surrounded by wildlife.

One more essential ingredient in a great safari is the timing.  The destination and the time go together.  Sure, in some places, wildlife can be spotted at any time of the year, but for events such as the Great Migration, it is all about the timing.  There is a natural cycle to the Great Migration, and one must be in the right place at the right time in order to witness it.

While we have not gone to the Maasai Mara specifically for that incredible event, we did witness the beginnings of it during our 2019 trip, when we saw a lot of plains game that had already crossed the Sand River into Kenya, from Tanzania to the south.

Conclusion

As this lengthy article has outlined, what makes a great safari is a combination of factors.

We have the location, the timing, the safari leader, the guide, the lodge, and, in our case, a differentiator: private 4WD vehicles.

Having the right people, and being in the right places at the right times, will result in the sightings, experiences and images that we want.

Along the way, there was much to be learned, and I have learned several important lessons in this last decade of safaris.

Firstly, as much as it is pleasing to capture a frame-filling portrait of a big cat set against a blurry background, it is important to tell a story.  Look for the ‘story shots’ that reveal the real African wilderness.  Place an animal in its environment, doing something interesting.  A photo of an antelope grazing is rather boring, but an image of fighting zebras, or lions feasting on a kill, or a bird in flight, is much more interesting.

Secondly, manage one’s expectations.  The amazing sightings, while they do come, do not always happen.  Sometimes what we want just does not happen.  On our last Mara trip in 2019, we did not see any leopards at all despite having seen leopards in the area previously; yet in Sabi Sand Wildtuin, we had leopard sightings on all seven days, featuring five unique leopards; and on one single day, we saw three of these leopards.

We have been out in the rain, and had slow days; but I took advantage of it and landed pleasing images, despite the conditions being unfavourable for us as well as the wildlife.

Just to be out there is great.  We love seeing everything.  If we do not see a big cat, we will still see plenty of other wildlife.  Take joy in everything that Africa has to offer.  Some of my favourite images are not of big cats, but rather, feature antelopes or birds.

Every day in Africa is different.  Every game drive is different.  Each drive is to be treasured, and even a ‘bad’ day on safari beats a good day at the office, hands down.

So, that, to me, is what makes a great safari.