Well what an experience that turned out to be! I had high hopes for my African photography tours and I can honestly say they exceeded all expectations. Too big for just one blog post, I will add a few stories here over the coming weeks as I work my way through thousands of photos.
I hosted two tours along with Pierre Duval of Bushbaby Safaris. Pierre and I had met in Australia in 2019 and quickly saw the potential of working together. Bushbaby put together two terrific itineraries aimed at creating great photo opportunities. The first was the ten-day GREAT MIGRATION TOUR.
Essentially a wildlife tour (although we traveled through some remarkable scenery as well), I and my fellow photographers all had our wish-lists of animals we thought we might see. I am sure everyone’s list was a little different, but I am also sure they had plenty in common – lions, elephant, giraffe, zebra, cheetah, leopard, and of course the migration of the wildebeest. Well we saw everything we came for and more.
I would attribute our success to three things. First, to Pierre for a meticulously planned itinerary. You can’t overstate the importance of an experienced local guide when it comes to knowing the best places to visit, and the best times of year to be there. Pierre even make a few last-minute changes to locations on the Serengeti leg of the tour as he tracked the movement of the migration across Tanzania.
Second, I put down to the quality of our drivers/wildlife spotters (also a great reflection on Pierre who hired them). It is no exaggeration to say they could spot a shadow in a tree from half a mile away and know they had seen a leopard – when all we could see was a shadow, if in fact we had noticed anything at all. Some of our sightings were truly remarkable and only possible thanks to the quality of our guides.
Finally, I have to pay tribute to Tanzania itself. We expected wildlife, but we had no idea of just how much wildlife we would see, both in quantity and variety. I had a dream of Africa – this is where my dream came true.
The best part is…IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN! We are already close to announcing dates for a second Great Migration Photography Tour in 2020. Stay tuned to this blog for an announcement, and please visit my website www.naturesimage.com.au and subscribe to the monthly newsletter for updates.
NATURE'S IMAGE PHOTOGRAPHY 