GuideBotswana8 min read
Camera Gear for a Wildlife Safari
What to pack, what to rent and what to leave at home
Average rating 5.0 out of 5
5.01 review
You do not need a bag full of lenses to come home with great safari photos. Our practical kit list for every budget.
Reach matters more than megapixels
On safari, the single most useful piece of kit is a zoom lens that reaches 400 mm or more on a full-frame camera. Animals are often thirty to a hundred metres away, and on most game drives you cannot get closer. A 100–400 mm or 150–600 mm zoom covers nearly everything, from an elephant at the roadside to a bee-eater on a branch.
Bring a second body or a good phone for wide shots of landscapes and camp. Changing lenses in a dusty vehicle is the quickest way to get sensor spots. A beanbag that rests on the vehicle's window frame or rail is steadier than a monopod and costs nothing to pack: fill it with rice or beans when you arrive.
Light aircraft into the Delta and the Mara limit you to 15–20 kg in soft bags, including camera gear. If you are flying in, rent long lenses in Nairobi or Johannesburg rather than carrying them.
Our kit list
- Camera body with fast autofocus and good high-ISO performance
- 100–400 mm or 150–600 mm zoom
- Wide-angle zoom or phone for landscapes
- Beanbag (empty) and a dust blower
- Three batteries and a 12 V car charger
- Twice the memory cards you think you need
- A soft dry bag for mokoro and boat trips
Drones
About this story
Kagiso MolefeAuthor
Wildside ExpeditionsPublisher
Reviews
Write a reviewAverage rating 5.0 out of 5
1 review- MRMarco Rossi5 out of 5 stars6 Oct
Superbly practical about seasons, park fees and road conditions. Our first safari went without a hitch.
Comments
3 commentsSigned-in travelers can comment on this story.Sign in to comment
- Rafael Moreno
Your packing list saved us. It got cold much faster than we expected after sunset.
- Chiara Conti
Saving this for our trip in the spring. Does the route work with a toddler in a carrier?
- Hannah Schmidt
Your packing list saved us. It got cold much faster than we expected after sunset.
Keep this story
