Photographic safari
A safari planned around light, time and position: a private vehicle, long hours out at the best times of day, and seasons and places chosen for the pictures you want to take.
A safari planned around light
Good wildlife photography takes time and the right position more than it takes the right camera. A photographic safari is set up for both. You spend the best hours of light out in the field, stay with a sighting for as long as it's worth it, and let your guide position the vehicle for the light and the background.
Who it suits
Keen amateur and professional photographers, filmmakers, and anyone who'd rather see fewer things well than many things briefly. It also works for couples or families where one person is the photographer, provided everyone is happy with long waits.
What to expect day to day
You'll usually leave before sunrise with a packed breakfast, so you're in position when the light comes up. If a sighting is good, you stay, and lunch may be a picnic in the vehicle. The afternoon drive runs until the park's closing time, when the evening light is often the best of the day.
A private vehicle is close to essential. On a shared vehicle, other travellers will want to move on just as the cheetah stands up.
Seasons and places for photographers
- Calving season, January to March: action on the southern Serengeti plains, green grass and dramatic storm skies.
- The dry season, June to October: animals gather at water and grass is short, but dust and haze can flatten the light by midday.
- The green season: fewer vehicles, clean air and lush backgrounds, with some wet days.
- Lake Natron: abstract colours on the soda flats and flamingo in the shallows, subject to availability.
The Serengeti is the centre of most photographic trips, and the Ngorongoro Crater adds rhino, usually at a distance that needs a long lens.
Comfort levels for photographers
At comfort level, you get your own vehicle and guide and stay in lodges that may be some distance from the best areas, so expect early starts. At luxury level, camps inside the parks put you closer to the action at dawn and dusk.
Practical considerations
- Park rules: vehicles must stay on the tracks in the national parks. Some private concessions allow more freedom, where permitted.
- Drones: leave them at home. They aren't permitted in Tanzania's national parks without special authorisation.
- Kit: a long telephoto lens, a bean bag for support, dust covers and spare batteries. Tell us what you shoot with, and the vehicle setup and charging can be confirmed before you travel.
Read about a private tailor-made safari for the planning side.
Share what you'd like to photograph on the plan your safari page and we'll match the season and route to it.
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Questions travellers ask
What lens should we bring on a photographic safari?
A long telephoto zoom does most of the work, since you often can't get closer to the animals than the track allows. A wider lens is useful for landscapes and for animals near the vehicle. Bring a bean bag to rest the lens on the window frame or roof, spare batteries, plenty of memory cards and covers to keep out the dust.
Can we drive off-road to get closer for photographs?
Not in the national parks, where vehicles must stay on the tracks. That protects the grassland and the wildlife, and rangers enforce it. Some private concessions next to the parks allow more freedom, where permitted. Your guide's skill in reading animal behaviour and positioning the vehicle on the track matters far more than going off-road.
Can we fly a drone on safari in Tanzania?
Drones aren't permitted in Tanzania's national parks without special authorisation, and bringing one into the country involves its own permits. For most visitors it isn't worth the trouble or the risk of confiscation. Leave the drone at home and use the time to shoot from the vehicle, where the light and your position matter most.
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Tell us when you would like to travel, and we will suggest where and when it fits best, and what to pair it with.