Safari Holiday Guide

Four New Family Safaris for 2012

I have selected four of the best safari holidays specifically designed for you to enjoy with your children – two in South Africa, one in Kenya and the other in Tanzania.

Volunteering with Wildlife in Africa

From general wildlife conservation projects to specific areas of reasearch like working with Colobus Monkeys in Kenya or dessert elephants in Namibia, there are many volunteer projects and wildlife work all across the continent - take a look at my guide to volunteering in Africa.

Beach and Safari Holidays

Africa has some stunning beaches as well as the best wildlife experiences on earth - countries to look out for include Kenya, Tanzania (Zanzibar), Madagascar, Ghana, The Gambia, Mozambique and South Africa.

African Overland Trips, Tours & Safaris

African Overland tours are the perfect way to make life long friends whist exploring the huge diversity of scenery, wildlife, people and cultures that the many countries of Africa has to offer. Overland Africa tours are also one of the most economical ways of exploring this vast continent.

Vanguard BBH-200 Ball Head Review

The ideal tripod head for a safaris has to be lightweight and compact, yet must be strong enough to easily take the weight of your camera and long telephoto lenses without any camera creep.

It must also be quick to set-up and adjust to ensure that you miss none of the action.

With this in mind and because I am getting ready for a upcoming walking safari, I recently got myself the Vanguard BBH-200 Ball Head, which I have fully reviewed.

Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR Review

Last year after reviewing its predecessor, the HS20EXR, I liked it so much, I bought it and took it on safari with me!

This year Fujifilm have improved on what is already an excellent superzoom bridge camera - take a look at my full review the new Fujiflim FinePix HS30 EXR and discover why I believe this to be the best safari camera currently available.

Benro GH2 Gimbal Head Review

On safari I try and keep the weight of my photographic equipment down to a minimum, but when you want or need the best quality wildlife photos, you have to start using heavier SLR cameras and large telephoto lenses.

This is where a Gimbal Head can really help as they are designed for photographers, especially those taking wildlife and sport photos and who want comfort, stability and smooth control with their heavier zoom lenses, which is something that you just can't get with the standard ball head.

Recently I got the chance to try out the Benro GH2 Gimbal Head.

Vanguard ICS Photography Belt & Harness System

In my never ending quest for the smallest, lightest safari photography equipment, I take a look at Vanguard's ICS gear carrying systems.

The ICS system includes a harness, vest, belt and a whole range of pouches and bags, all designed by professional photographers and may just be the ideal way to comfortably carry your gear on safari.

MINOX DTC 500 Trail Camera Review

We took this excellent remote Minox digital camera with us to Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe where we would leave it overnight and got proof of what ever passed by.

What we got back was some incredible video and still photos of elephants, honey badgers, hyenas, a porcupine, African civet, warthogs, bats and many more animals that you very rarely see in the wild and we managed to capture them on film!

Benro Travel Angel 2 Tripod Review

This 4 section compact and lightweight travel tripod from Benro is reasonably priced and comes with a ball head included. When extended it stands at 1.59m, yet folds to a very small 44cm (17.32 in) meaning it will easily fit into your luggage and most full sized camera bags.

Known as as Transfunctional tripod, one of the legs can be converted into a monopod that can also be used as a walking stick. It can support a maximum load of 8kg (17.64lbs), meaning that it can easily support both bridge and SLR cameras.

Lowepro Field Station Belt Pack

You're on a walk to watch wildlife on safari or anywhere with your binoculars, field guide and a notebook. One thing that has always been a problem was finding a dedicated carrying solution.

The Lowepro Field Station, part of their Optics Series is a purpose-built beltpack designed to offer comfort, hands-free support and convenient access to your essential birdwatching and safari gear.

Vanguard 8x42 Spirit ED Binoculars Review

These Vanguard 8x42 binoculars combine very high quality optics that includes extra low dispersion glass, phase correction coatings on Bak-4 prisms with a tough, lightweight body that is 100% fog and waterproof.

The result is a great pair of binoculars ideal for birdwatching and make excellent full sized safari binoculars.

LockDown Optics Deployment System

If you want to comfortably carry full sized binoculars on a walking safari and still be able use both hands so that you can also carry your camera then the LockDown binocular harness from S4Gear may be just what you have been looking for.

Take a look at my full review where I give them a thorough testing and discover just why I not only highly recommend them, but also use them myself.

Bird Photography: Equipment used on Safari

Bird photography offers its own unique challenges and in this article and video, I pass on a few tips that have really helped me in the past.

I also take a look at the equipment that I used on my last safari trip to take photos of birds.

Canon LEGRIA HF M406 Camcorder Review

In the past I have always just used the video function on my digital camera to take safari videos, but now it is time to get more serious. Take a look at my full review and safari video that I took whilst on a recent trip to Zimbabwe.

Luna Optics LN-PB3 Night Vision Binoculars Review

What we see on safari during the day is only a small fraction of what actually goes on in the bush. Most predators hunt at night and with a good pair of night vision binoculars like the Luna Optics LN-PB3 it is now relatively inexpensive to take a peek into their world without changing their natural behavior.

Beat About The Bush: Birds Book Review

This African Birds Book delves into the fascinating lives of birds - discussing in detail their myriad forms, survival strategies, breeding and feeding behaviors, movements, migrations and vocalisations. The result is a comprehensive reference work in a style that appeals to novices, birders, twitchers, tourists, bush enthusiast and field guides alike.

View all African Travel & Wildlife Book Reviews

Minox BL 8x33 Binoculars Review

In terms of image quality, size, weight and toughness these Minox BL 8x33's have to be one of the best binoculars for safaris that I have ever had the pleasure of reviewing.

Take a look at why I rate them so highly and why I suggest that you get a pair before going on your holiday.

Vanguard Skyborne 45 Camera Backpack Review

I tend to take quite a bit of gear with me on safari, this includes my binoculars, my camera, telephoto lenses, night vision binoculars, a video camera, a tripod and even my laptop (I have to do at least a little work!) Much of this is far too expensive to just put in with my main luggage on the plane, so it comes on board with me as hand luggage. To do this and to make carrying and accessing it easy, I need a really good camera bag and with the Vanguard Skyborne 45, I have found it.

Also take a look at What I take on Safari