Category Travel

There are many different ways to experience Africa. One of the coolest excursions you can take is in a hot air balloon. There are some amazing locations for rides all over the continent. It helps to know which destinations are the most popular so that you can get the most out of this spectacular adventure. Here are 6 of the best locations for enjoying a hot air balloon ride in Africa.

Have you heard of Serengeti National Park? This is one of the best places to to get that aerial view. You’re going to see tons of wildlife, plants, flowers and well, more than you can imagine. It is going to be a gorgeous view throughout your trip. Tanzania, and more specifically, Serengeti National Park is a great place to choose for your hot air balloon adventure.

Another great choice is Maasai Mara National Park. This national park is located in Kenya. Both of the national parks mentioned are great places to watch the annual event known as the ‘Great Migration‘ from above. You might have referenced the Lion King, or maybe it took you back to your days in school. Yet you are going to witness this great event in person, from hundreds of feet in the air, riding in a hot air balloon.

The first national park mentioned isn’t the only place to take a hot air balloon ride in Tanzania. Another popular destination is Tarangire National Park. Imagine costing through the air at sunrise, and suddenly you look down to see a large group of elephants. What a majestic picture, right? This destination is all about the elephants according to reviews. So if elephants are what you want to see, this is your spot.

You’ve heard of a winter wonderland, but what about a desert wonderland? That’s what you get when you take a hot air balloon ride in Namibia, specifically in Sossusvlei. Some of the sand dunes there are up to 800 feet tall. It would certainly be magnificent to see such a sight. What a place to take a ride in a hot air balloon. It sounds like quite the adventure.

Magaliesberg is a great place to take a hot air balloon ride, and it’s located in South Africa. This is a historic site, and so it will certainly be a unique experience, especially getting to see it from up in the air. You just can’t beat the views that you get when riding in a hot air balloon, can you? You can see that you visited one of the best heritage sites in the world, yet you did it in very unique fashion.

The Drakensberg is also a popular place in South Africa for taking a hot air balloon ride. Make your way to Kamberg, and your adventure is going to begin at sunrise. According to reviews, you get to enjoy breakfast after your flight.

Each one of these destinations sounds lovely. You might be wondering how long the hot air balloon rides last. Reviews point to the Drakensberg flight lasting about an hour. Each experience is unique, and you can look more at the details when booking your hot air balloon rides for your travels around Africa. A hot air balloon ride is also a fantastic activity during an African Honeymoon full of wonders and delights.

Which of these adventures do you want to book first? It’s kind of difficult to choose because each one is such a marvelous experience that awaits you. Perhaps you have been planning to travel to a specific area of Africa. In that case, you may have noticed that one of these hot air balloon ride adventures is closer to your intended destination. That would make things easier on you.

A good camera can make you enjoy your safari. It is just thrilling to grab that perfect safari photo and this is why you should take time looking for a camera that will suit your needs. Choosing the right camera for your safari can be a challenge as there are many options to choose from.

However, if you know what to consider when searching for a good camera for your safari, you will easily find what suits your needs. If you are looking for a good camera for your safari but don’t know where to begin, then this article is meant for you.

In this article, you will find tips on how to choose a good camera for your safari. So without further ado, here are things to consider when looking for a good camera for your safari:

Cost

It is usually a good idea to ensure that your camera is a decent investment. You don’t have to spend a lot to get a good camera. Keep in mind that you can get a good camera by doing your homework and check for sales. Look for something that is within your budget range.

Frames per Second (FPS)

This is another important factor to consider when looking for a good camera for your safari. So what is FPS? It is the ability of a camera to shoot a burst of photos within one second. A camera with a fast fps enables you to capture fast-moving subjects in the best way possible.

Sensor

The sensor is a light-sensitive chip found in all digital cameras. Its function is to interpret how light is perceived to create a digital image. There are various sizes and shapes of sensors in the market and it is a good idea to research the options available before settling on a certain camera.

Keep in mind that sensors have a direct impact on image quality and every inch of a sensor matters. Therefore, look for a camera with a high-quality sensor.

Lens

When it comes to wildlife photography, the lens is the most thing to consider. A good camera has lenses that can enable you to take close-ups of unapproachable animals such as lions lying far from where you are. Look for a lens that will allow you to capture even the details that your naked eye may be missing out on.

A safari on the other hand also requires a camera with a wide-angle lens to enable you capture landscapes in the best way possible. However, the problem with a wider lens angle is that it has less zoom. Therefore, it is good to choose a camera with interchangeable lenses to avoid missing any good photos.

Shockproof/Weatherproof

When looking for a camera for a safari, it is good to look for a weatherproof one as the African grasslands can be a rough place for your camera. Some of the most common weather hazards you will have to encounter include dust and debris. In case you will be taking a vehicle tour, look for a dustproof camera.

You should also consider rain as you can even be caught in a downpour even during the dry season. Keep in mind that when it rains in the jungle, it pours making it a good idea to look for a camera with exceptional waterproofing.

Another factor that you need to consider is shock. Your camera can drop accidentally and it is good to be prepared for such an incident by choosing a shockproof camera. Remember that a neck strap can reduce but not completely prevent an accidental drop and it is not good to take any chances.

Going on an African safari is often a once in a lifetime trip for many people. Therefore, anyone that has booked such a safari needs to ensure that they take one of the best cameras they can afford with them so that they can take high-quality photographs and videos to remember their adventure. So, in this article, we are going to briefly detail some of the features you should be looking out for in the top 6 best safari cameras for an African safari.

To start with, good optical zoom features are important when it comes to photographing wildlife. You need to be able to zoom in and out depending on the size of the animal and the distance it is away from you. You will probably have to stay quite a long distance away from the dangerous animals, such as the lions, so you need good zooming capabilities.

Long battery life or an interchange battery is an important feature of any good safari camera. You don’t know how long it will be until you can reach a mains electricity supply to recharge the battery, as even in international hotels, there are many power outages in Africa. If you buy a camera that has an easy to remove rechargeable battery, you could consider buying a few spares and taking a few fully-charged spares on your adventure. That way, you can be sure you will not run out of power when the action starts. Often you have to wait hours to see the most exciting animals.

Wide range operating temperature is also very important. Africa can be very, very hot and many electrical equipment starts to malfunction or overheat and power-off when the temperature get too high. This means you need to select a camera that is designed to work in extreme conditions. You shouldn’t expect to rely on your smartphones camera, as unless it is a high-end model, there is a high probably that it will stop working on really hot days in Africa.

A large amount of onboard storage or easy access to a high-capacity SD card slot is vital for any camera when you are going on an African safari. After all, you want to capture as much footage as possible and probably won’t have time to review your footage during the trip and delete unwanted clips to free up space. You ideally want to have enough storage capacity to be able to shoot for 12 hours continuously for the duration of your trips. There are no computer hardware stores in African outback, so make sure you take lots of SD cards with you.

If you plan to go on a nighttime safari, you need a camera that has night vision capabilities. Devices with night-vision tend to be much more expensive, but they are worth it to photograph the activities of large wild animals at night.

Autofocus and ease of operation are essential features for shooting any type of video footage of African animals. You don’t want to miss out on capturing an elephant stampede or a lion hunting a zebra because your camera requires a lengthy setup between shots.

Above we have covered some of the features you need to keep in mind when shopping for a good digital camera for capturing safari footage. You will find lots of great buying guides and customers reviews by searching for the term “Top 6 Best Safari Camera for an African safari” using your favorite search engine. You can also check out YouTube to watch video reviews of the best safari cameras in action. Remember that technology is improving all the time so the best camera of 2012 is unlikely to still be the best camera in 2018.