Kruger National Park, South Africa

[akwildshots]

I love wildlife photography and am planning a two week Kruger trip. To all those who have been there, when are my photographic chances better:
A) December in the heat after the spring rains. There will be brilliant colour but it will be very hot and the animals will be in hiding in the lush vegetation
B) June in the the dry cold season. The colour won't be anywhere near as good but at least I will see more in the thin vegetation.

Secondly, which camp is your favourite?

 

[Forkie]

Whatever time of year you go, you need to be shooting just before and at sunrise and just at or after sunset to see the animals awake and alert! However, as animals are so unreliable shoot whatever you can, whenever you can!!

Which camp you stay at will depend on what you want to see!

I stayed in Tamboti tent camp, Letaba and Satara when I went in 1997 (one week in each camp).

The best all round camps, I'd say, are Skukuza, Letaba and Satara. They are the most well-equipped (touristy) ones and have a generally good variety of wildlife around them.

Tamboti tent camp is amazing, very small and practically unequipped apart from a few giant-bug infested showers and toilets! It's on a riverbed which is usually dry, but when I stayed there Hyena patrolled the wire fence! Tamboti is also superb for insects such as Mantises, spiders, ants and flies. We had a very large green frog living on the 'T' bar of our tent for most of our stay!

You really should check out the Kruger Park Website - it has a wealth of info about where to stay and where to find the animals you want to see. The park has grassland, woodland, mountains and desert and different areas are preferable for different animals, you'll need to read up a bit!


One thing I would say, is don't be disappointed if you don't see the animals you want. Remember, the Kruger Park is not a zoo it is the wild plains of Africa and the animals won't always be there! I didn;t see a single leopard, cheetah, rhino or buffalo when I was there for 3 weeks in 1997 and we missed a leopard by seconds!

Just enjoy everything you see, whether it's one of the Big 5 or not!