WILDLIFE - Overland Travel & Transit

South America : Asia : Africa : Middle East

Observing wildlife within their natural habitat has to be one of the most satisfying and inspiring experiences where ever it is. Most countries through all the continents have a mixed variety of different national parks and wildlife sanctuaries to visit. A quick research online will quickly show endless amounts of safari wildlife oriented websites, and photographic wildlife workshops who compete with one another. This is excellent for those who plan a quick two week trip for the soul purpose of doing a wildlife safari, as it caters for different budget levels. However, this is unnecessary if you are travelling overland through a continent, thus picking up much cheaper deals en route. 

It's easier and cheaper when arriving at any particular wildlife location to contact locals who offer their services as a guide or as a driver. There's never an issue finding these guys in villages bordering close to sanctuaries and national parks. Negotiating a price is like bartering on steroids - especially when locals are trying to cut a deal all at the same time. The outcome generally results in an offer that can't be refused.

Another alternative is to hire some wheels yourself, and to share the cost of the rental between one or two other visitors for a few days. If sharing a vehicle as a passenger, then ensure any itinerary planned journey is agreed on beforehand - like arriving at certain locations as early as possible, and returning to home base when it becomes dark. Personally, on a few occasions, it would of been easier to rent my own vehicle so that  I could stop at random locations for as long as necessary before speeding off elsewhere. Whatever deals are made - don't rush into any agreement unless you're totally satisfied that it works in your favour.

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Don't get lost inside a Wildlife Park - Grab a Map  

Some wildlife national parks issue good maps with a complete layout of roads, watering holes with an identification chart of animals. A Red List of threatened species can be researched here at IUNC (Int. Union of Conversation and Nature)

Capturing wildlife images, and then enlarging them into canvas is usually rewarding, but don't expect smart phone cameras to give the quality one's looking for, especially if enlarged to poster size. Almost any brand DSLR camera body, and using a quality zoom or tele-lens will guarantee satisfaction. For example, the above image was taken with a classic Nikon D3 body with an AFS Nikon 200-400mm f/4 VRII lens @400mm 

Getting up close to any wildlife depends on the region and season. The migration runs are spectacular, but to fully appreciate something like this can only be seen from the air. Renting a chopper - with no door, or a fixed wing isn't cheap, but if it's a one time splurge - then go for it, and don't hesitate. The best locations on the ground are always at watering holes or near a freshly killed carcass during the early morning or late afternoons. These spots will almost guarantee many different types of wildlife. There are usually more animals sharing watering holes at sun rise or just before dusk. 
There's no guarantee of capturing close up shots of wildlife in certain game parks. For example, Kruger national park in South Africa is so vast that one needs to have plenty of time and patience to track down wildlife - which can amount from days to weeks of monitoring where herds are located. The bigger the park, the more time it takes to spot wildlife. Watering holes are always the best location - animals need a daily intake of water.
A local guide can pay off big time with their experience and knowledge of animal movements and locations from their daily movements. Spotting animals within small game parks is much easier, and are generally accustomed to the 1000's of visitors driving in close range everyday which will get you up close. Many wildlife sanctuaries and parks prohibit private vehicles for all different reasons which I personally avoid - good luck.       Overland Photo Gear   

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Wildlife Safety & Risks 

How many times have you heard of tourists being injured and mauled by wildlife? This scenario certainly goes both ways when certain wildlife become startled by those wanting to photograph subjects as close as possible. Keeping space and having enough distance should be adhered to for both wildlife and visitors to lesson the chances of injury. For example, the sea lion above may look docile, but they hold their territory and will attack if provoked. Deb, who at the time was holding on to most of our photo-gear kept a safe distance just incase this critter was going to move in her direction.

Thieving Primates

Like human thieves, primates have a tendency to take what ever there is of value.  Any loose items like smart phones, necklaces or lightweight cameras not properly secured will be quickly snatched and taken within seconds. Primates doing such acts like this will normally head straight up a nearby tree, and then begin to slowly rip, pull apart, and destroy whatever items they have in front of their victim with a smile. Watching a primate rip a cell phone apart is something that maybe humorous - if it's not yours.    

A Jackal Buzzard commonly spotted in bushland regions - South Africa.  A Spotted Owl capture within a forested marshland - India

Africa's a huge continent, all different types of wildlife in abundance can be easily spotted and captured with DSLR photo-gear through the following countries. Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia  South Africa.  

Egrets, easily photographed up-close and commonly spotted in swampy marsh, rivers, lakes and wetlands through most continents. 

An early morning capture of painted storks and spoonbills feeding in an estuary - India 

A Steppe eagle devouring a carcass - north west India 

White Rhino image captured within the wildlife game reserve of Hluhluwe - KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

An Egyptian vulture busy feeding on a carcass - India 

Eurasian, Egyptian vultures, and Steppe eagles sharing the same tree - India 

Guanacos within their lush habitat in Torres el Paine national park - Patagonia, Chile 

A wolf rearing his canines as a threat and warning before attacking or defending itself - South Africa

A tree top nest of young Grey Herons waiting for the return of their mother with a food supply  - India

A snap of a Duiker captured within the Addo elephant park - South Africa 

Black vultures, commonly spotted in groups throughout the Andean region feasting on carcasses & scraps.

An alpha male Baboon captured in the wild - the Craigs region, South Africa

A greater Coucal from the family of cuckoos and roadrunners - India

Zebra, commonly spotted throughout Africa in the majority of wildlife parks and reserves. 

A female Jackal feeding on a carcass - India

Flamingo scouring mud flats on the Bolivain Altiplano  

A female black Kite preparing a nest - image captured in the wild in the Assam region - Assam, India  

Black backed Jackals feeding on a zebra carcass  - Addo elephant park, South Africa 

So many people today think smart phone cameras will get the desired shot within wildlife parks, if you're one that thinks like this - it's a Big Mistake. Any brand DSLR camera using lenses that can reach out to distant wildlife is required to capture reasonably good images that can then be enlarged keeping quality & sharpness.  

Steppe Eagles in the wild  - north western India

Vervet primates clashing with one another is basic hierarchy principles keeping the troop in check.  

A Sea Lion within its natural habitat - Lower South Island, Catlin region, New Zealand

Sarus Cranes within their own habitat environment - Nepal  

A female rhino and cub within an estuary on the north coast close to the Mozambique & South African border. 

Springbok peacefully grazing within the red desert environs - Namibia 

A juvenile Egyptian vulture camouflaged among carcasses - India 

A Rhesus primate which are commonly seen throughout the Asian continent  - image capture India 

A Kite in flight captured over Gondar - Ethiopia 

A long distant morning snap of a Sarus Crane together with a brown deer feeding in harmony - India

King of the jungle, a male lion waking from a nap - South Africa 

An alpha male baboon exposing his canines - South Africa 

The marabou are easily photographed, and are usually found fossicking near dump sites or piles of rubbish - Tanzania  

Wild water buffalo, classified as one of the big 5 wildlife animals to be the most dangerous if approached - Africa 

A native Tui searching for berries on a podocarpus totara tree - New Zealand

This particular black backed jackal wasn't roaming together in a pack as they usually do when hunting for prey or carcass.    

​Chameleon relaxing capturing afternoon sunlight @3800 metres altitude - Himachal Pradesh 

A full grown predator wolf showing a very healthy set of k9's and thick fur - this breed still roams freely in Ethiopia 

The large tusks on this wart hog show this particular specimen to be at a prime adult age. 

llamas feeding on highland altiplano grass at 3400 metres altitude above sea level - Bolivia

 Himalayan griffon vultures and ravens in the mountainous region of India

A shaggy long coat Bald Uakari - Peruvian Amazon  

A spotted deer (spiker) crossing a subdued forest lane way in the late afternoon - India 

A grey heron in take off mode - India

After dusk Hyena are normally spotted in packs - Ethiopia   

A  jackal buzzard - commonly spotted in in bushland and savannah perching on treetops through the southern regions of Africa 

A large male elephant from Krugar national park sanctuary - South Africa  

A close-up snap of a marabou - Uganda 

Early morning captures of Spotted owls within their habitat - India 

Amazonian primates within their natural habitat - the Amazon basin, Peru 

Using classic photo-gear still works in 2019, it's all about quality optics which some manual lenses  have.

Reaching wildlife parks through Africa can be a mission in itself, this includes renting or sharing a vehicle plus entry and accommodation costs. Once inside a park, it then takes time to explore in and around the park to find wildlife to photograph. It's here when DSLR photo-gear pays-off capturing images. Don't expect any model or brand smart phone camera to capture the same quality images that DSKR camera equipment has been recognised for through the decades. If you plan on visiting numerous wildlife and national parks, DSLR camera-gear should be the first items ready and packed too go before any departure. When the time comes to enlarge wildlife images into poster sized canvases, the quality from DSLR photo-gear wins hands down.       

Feeding animals in a zoo is normally not a problem, but within wildlife parks or in the wild, feeding animals is a no-brainer. This automatically creates a dependancy for some wildlife, like primate and baboon troops expecting a constant free for all food source in a particular area. Feeding wild troops and other wildlife causes all types of issues among the primate hierarchy, including erratic, sometimes violent behaviour to other visitors at the same location. The above signage was actually designed and erected by me within a bushland region to stop people feeding baboons and primates.     

I personally use Nikon photo-gear which 99% of the images through this website were captured with. I don't promote any camera brand and would have to say that most mid range DSLR camera bodies and lenses are all on par with each other. The only thing worth mentioning here are lenses. If a 20 year old lens can do the job satisfactorily - why update it?  Most of the lenses I'm using are over ten years old. One favourite lens, a manual focus Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF AI-S was first produced in 1986. Its 5.5Kg weight is cumbersome at times, but this lens still captures most long distant shots. If I was doing wildlife photography for a living, I certainly wouldn't hesitate purchasing the updated version - AFS 800 f/5.6 lens. As the saying goes, be happy with what photo-gear one uses, and don't stop capturing images until anything needs replacing.          

Wildlife On Canvas 

Those who use minimal camera-gear like point and shots, 3/4 cameras, or those who rely on smart phone cameras to capture wildlife will be bitterly disappointed when the time comes to enlarge their images on to canvas. Most enlargements increased 4-8 times the original size will automatically decrease sharpness ending-up as a blob on the wall. As mentioned many times through this website, it will depend on what type of lens optics are used  - not just how many megapixels a camera body has. Cheap coated lenses with minimal glass no-matter the brand should be avoided if quality is the end result one is looking for. Wildlife images taken with anything with a lens may look good until it's re-cropped and post processed to see the finished quialty. Good images begin with quality made optics. Before leaving home-base, think about investing in a DSLR with at least a few quality lenses. -