What to Pack for a Photographic Safari in Namibia
Written by Daryll Williams
There are few moments more powerful than being up-close with a lion, having an elephant mock-charge you, or watching a cheetah race through the grass.
For many, a safari is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You want to get it right, and you want to capture it well so you can look back on it with pleasure for the rest of your life. Since properly capturing a safari can quite often come down to your gear, here’s what you should consider when packing.
The camera conundrum
Before we get into the specifics, consider the following when deciding what camera to pack for your safari:
Namibia is quite dusty, especially famous spots like Etosha and Sossusvlei
Because of the wide-open spaces, wildlife will often be at a distance from your vehicle
Game drives can get bumpy
Safari vehicles may not have room for a tripod to be opened
At the end of the day, your pictures will be your favourite souvenirs
For the high-end amateurs
We recommend any digital SLR with a fast, telephoto lens. We would also suggest an additional camera for close-ups, as you want to minimise lens changes as much as possible.
For the hobby photographers
If you want to spend more time absorbing the landscape than photographing it, we recommend a high-quality bridge camera.
For the smartphone sleuths
Phone cameras have improved tremendously over the years. With good lighting on your side, it will do the job.
Don’t forget!
Extra SD cards
Lens wipe or brush (the Nikon lens pen is a widely-used favourite)
Camera wraps (or simply wrap your camera up in your jacket)
A travel tripod, or a bean bag to balance on the car window
Batteries and charging
Battery technology has improved by leaps and bounds and a decent Lithium-ion battery should last even the most trigger happy photographer more than one game drive. That said, there is no worse feeling than missing a shot because you have no more juice and no spare battery. We recommend taking at least one spare battery per camera.
Wherever you go, make sure that there are facilities to charge batteries and laptops at the end of the day. Even in the tented camps deep in the bush and miles from the mains supply, you should still be able to access solar panels, inverters and plug points.
Laptop or not?
Access to computers in lodges and hotels is very limited in Namibia and reviewing your images just on your camera screen is difficult as you won’t be able to see the levels of sharpness or exposure until you get it onto a bigger screen. Either wait until you’re home or just take your laptop with you!
Bags and carry-ons
The topic of hand luggage allowances when it comes to camera bags is a tricky one, as protocol varies from airline to airline. The prospect of checking very expensive gear for wildlife photography into the hold of a commercial airline is not very enticing so we recommend going the rucksack route.
Rucksack camera bags aren’t as heavy but have plenty of compartments to keep your goods stored. And wearing your camera gear on your back rather than lugging around hard cases like Pelicans and the case in which your big prime lens was delivered to you is always a good idea.
Photography inspiration
From experienced photographers growing their portfolio, to novice shutterbugs hoping for tuition, everyone needs some inspiration when it comes to photographing Africa’s wildlife. Here are some of our favourites.
Shannon Wild
Mark Dumbleton
Kyle Goetsch
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