When I prepare to lead a safari group, I pack my safari photography kit with the minimal amount of equipment. With airline restrictions and limited space for bags in vehicles, I choose a medium sized bag and an assembly of lenses which will give me a good coverage range for the most likely subjects.
When I arrive at the lodge, by bag contains everything I need for the whole trip. Each day I reconfigure my bag to hold just what I need for that day and location.
For a Game Drive
The Bag: Guru Gear Kiboko 22L+ with butterfly closure for quick access either side
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with LensCoat body bag
Canon EOS 5D Mark 3 with LensCoat body bag
Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM Lens with Really Right Stuff LCF-52 foot and lensCoat protective cover.
Canon Extender EF 1.4x III
Canon EF 100-400 F4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens with Really Right Stuff LCF-54 foot
Canon EF 24-105 f4 IS USM lens
Nikon 10×42 Monarch 5 Binocular
Black Rapid RS-4 camera strap
Point and Shoot pocket camera
Extra camera batteries and charger
Extra memory cards
Head lamp
Hydro Flask water bottle ( 621 ml )
Sometimes with me on a Game Drive:
For a Night Drive
Canon Speedlite 580EX II with Visual Echoes FX3 Better Beamer
For Most Game Drive Vehicles
Gitzo monopod ( GM2541 ) with Really Right Stuff tilt monopod head ( MH-01) with lever release clamp
Read “Monopod: The Right Camera Support for Safari”
For times when we will get out of the vehicle
Gitzo tripod ( GT2531 ) w/ Really Right Stuff ballhead ( BH-40) with screw-knob style quick-release clamp w/ bubble level
Wimberly SK-100 sidekick gimbal head
Canon timer remote controller ( TC-80N3 )
This tripod setup is also perfect for capturing the wondrous night time starscape; capturing images of star trails and the Milky Way.
Extra Lens
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 II USM Lens
Items that travel on the trip with me but stay back at the lodge
Nexto DI ND2730 card reader and portable storage device -for doing backup
Lexar Professional USB 3.0 duel-slot card reader
13” Macbook pro
How Often will I need the Big Lens?
I took a look at the metadata in my Adobe Lightroom catalogue to see how many images I take with each of my safari lenses.
I reviewed this data after I had culled and rated my photos so this is a curated collection of just the “keepers” .
Please keep in mind that this data is from my South Africa safaris which combine private reserves and Kruger National Park and may not be reflective of other safari destinations or tours.
Safari Overall
Lens % of images
16 – 35mm 4%
24 – 105mm 14%
100 – 400mm 58%
400mm 24% (with extender EF1.4 x 3)
Images Taken in Kruger National Park
16 – 35mm 5%
24 – 105mm 3%
100 – 400mm 53%
400mm 39% (with extender EF1.4 x 3)
From this, it shows that subjects in Kruger can be further away. We also tend to see some special bird species in Kruger.
My best advice:
Keep your camera bag streamlined with a thoughtful selection of lenses. Use a smaller camera bag because it will fit better in the vehicles and save your shoulders while carrying it. Less hassles in the airport too.
