Maldives

We Plant Trees. Together, Planting a Forest

Travel with us, and we plant a tree in your destination.

Shadows Of Africa has partnered with One Tree Planted to maintain and restore our beloved continent.

By supporting reforestation in the delicate ecosystems of our African home, we are making sure that this beautiful land will be around for much longer, so that it can continue to give life to its inhabitants, and that we can continue to enjoy its wonder.

Our partners at One Tree Planted have a mission to rebuild animal habitats, restore biodiversity, and improve the lives of the communities who rely on these forests by promoting sustainable forestry practices.

Trees are critical to protecting Mother Nature. They provide habitat for countless creatures, they filter the air we breathe, they clean the water we drink, and they play a big role in the fight against climate change.

Take a trip to Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, or Uganda, and we will plant a tree on your behalf!

Traveling with Shadows means that you leave Africa greener than when you arrived!

Our Top 5 Tips for Your Second Safari!

Recovered from your first African safari? Start getting ready for round 2!

The magic of safari is this: no two safaris are ever the same. Once you’ve been on your first safari, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be coming back for more! Trust us - we know from personal experience.

First-time safari-goes usually head for the more famous places, like the beautiful Serengeti or Maasai Mara National Park. The second time opens up more opportunities - once you have had your first taste of this unique experience, you naturally feel more comfortable exploring the less-beaten paths.

Here are our top 5 tips for your second safari:

Tip #1: Really enjoy the safari

You’ve already ticked off all of the Big 5, now you can relax and really enjoy! For those coming back again, we recommend taking it more slowly this time.

For most people, the pressure of having to spot all the animals is now off. If you do all of this on your first safari, and tick off everything that you wanted to see, now you can just relax and take everything as it comes.

Spend a few nights at one camp to appreciate the sunsets and sunrises. Spend a few hours with a family of elephants and watch how they spend their days. Focus on the quality of wildlife sightings, rather than the quantity.

A lot of the African wilderness’ beauty comes from its spontaneity. Of course, if you have a clear goal in mind (and a good safari guide!), you can certainly do everything you want. But on the other hand, if you head out on safari with an open mind, you will see many things you didn’t even know you wanted to see!

Tip #2: Make time for more than wildlife

Adding some cultural activities to your itinerary can make for a much more immersive African experience.

It should go without saying that Africa is incredibly rich in culture and history. It is well worth it to spend some time exploring the uniquely interesting life of the African continent and her people.

Of course, the African wildlife is what draws many people to the continent, but if you have already seen a lot of these majestic animals, you probably won’t feel the need to spend the extra time looking for them again. So why not go for something new!

Tip #3: Save money on accommodation to add more activities

Naturally, once you have spent some time with Africa’s wild animals, you will feel more comfortable being around them. Even if the idea of sleeping among lions still doesn’t excite you, you might be more open to spending your nights under the stars.

The money you can save on accommodation will mean that you can add more activities to your itinerary. Instead of opting for that luxury lodge, why not go on a balloon safari!

There are plenty of comfortable ways to save money on accommodation, so that you can add more to your adventure!

Tip #4: Visit in a different season

The Serengeti in the dry season is a completely different place than the Serengeti in the rainy season. The golden savannahs make way for lush green grass.

Animal behavior is different at certains times of the year too. From the Calving Season of the Great Migration, to the River Crossing in Maasai Mara, to the Whale Shark Season on Zanzibar, and even the Bird Breeding Season, where birds show of their spectacular breeding plumage to attract a mate - the timing of your trip can determine what kind of show nature will put on for you.

If you want to get the timing just right to see the landscape at its most vibrant or witness the special moments of an animal’s life cycle, talk to one of our experts and they will make sure you don’t miss out!

Tip #5: Check out another country or region

If you have been to eastern Tanzania for your first safari, you may not realize just how different Uganda’s natural environment is.

East Africa is a very biodiverse region. There are many animal and plant species that only exist in very specific areas. In fact, if you were to drive from Dar-Es-Salaam to Kigali, you may feel like you passed through many different worlds.

On top of the differences in wildlife and nature, East Africa is a region with very diverse cultures. This diversity exists between countries, but also within countries, as different communities have their own unique histories and ways of life.

If you visited one country or region on your first safari, don’t make the mistake in thinking that other places are the same!

Come back again!

The second safari is often even more enjoyable than the first. There are so many reasons to return to this great continent for another adventure.

You feel a well-earned sense of accomplishment after your first African safari adventure, but the second trip opens up many new and unique opportunities, making it well worth coming back!

Of course, the main point here is: you can’t see everything Africa has to offer in one trip, nor even in one lifetime. On the plus side, this means there will always be something new and exciting to greet you every time you return!

How was your first safari? Feeling like it missed something? Or just interested in knowing what else you can see in this endlessly-fascinating continent? Don’t hesitate to get in touch - our safari experts will make sure your second trip is even more memorable than the first!

Plastic-Free Safari

It has long been a thorn in the side of travel agencies like us to send out safari vehicles packed with single-use plastics.

Our Tanzania team has already found and implemented a solution: we have now installed refillable water canisters in our safari vehicles.

We designed custom brackets to fit the reusable canisters in the back of our safari cars, so everyone out on the trail with us has constant access to drinking water, without any unnecessary plastic footprint.

All of our travelers get their own reusable water bottles as a gift.

♻️ Reduce your carbon footprint with us ♻️

So when you’re going on your next safari with us, you will get your own reusable drink bottle. You can refill your bottles on our safari vehicles.

All you need to do is email us in advance and we will bring one for you. We appreciate you returning this at the end of the safari - we would like to recycle and minimize our waste as much as possible.

East Africa is a world-leading region on minimizing waste and banning single-use plastics. Travelers are not allowed to bring plastic bags when traveling to Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda or Zanzibar.

People here realize the harm that single-use plastics can cause, so we expect everyone visiting to keep this in mind as well. Help us create a plastic-free Africa.

Our Shadows team is always striving to minimize our impact on the natural environment that we are lucky enough to call our home. We want to do everything possible to make sure our visitors can have a plastic-free safari too.

What Camera to Bring on Safari

If you are wondering what camera gear to pack for your safari experience, look no further! Here is the comprehensive list of all the camera equipment and accessories you will need for your safari.

This photography gear list is brought to you by our resident photographer Giulia Cimarosti, safari specialist at Shadows of Africa and professional photographer. Guilia also leads groups on our special photographic safaris in Tanzania.
Generally speaking, depending on the device you use you can expect different results. Let’s go through some options:

Mobile Photography on Safari

You don’t have to own super pricey, professional equipment, however, it’s quite safe to say that using a mobile phone to take photos during your safari won’t make good close-up images of the wildlife possible, no matter the phone’s model or quality.

Mobile phones tend to have very poor zooming capabilities, however, they can be great for African sunsets, photographing a herd in the landscape, and of course to take the occasional short video for social media, when a curious cheetah decides to climb on the vehicle!

Keep in mind though that during your safari you won’t always get very close to the animals, so the best way to frame the subject is to use a zoom-telephoto lens on an actual camera.

Cameras and Lenses on Safari

If you want to take really good photos on your safari, make sure you bring your DSLR camera! A digital single-lens reflex camera will allow you to use manual settings, adapting them to the lighting situation, the distance to the subject and the effects you want to achieve.

Now you may be wondering what camera body is the best one, but the answer is not an easy one. There are cameras of all formats and brands, but they all have one thing in common: manual settings!

The thing you need to concentrate on when thinking about the right photography gear for safari photography is what lens - or better, lenses - to bring.

Zoom lenses

The must-have kind of lens for safari photography is zoom or telephoto. This is the kind of lens that allows you to zoom into the subject, making it appear closer. There are countless zoom lenses on the market, but make sure your telephoto lens has a focal length of at least 200 mm.

• Budget
  28-300 mm or 70-300 mm lenses are good budget options for beginners.
• Medium
  A 150-600 mm lens will allow you to shoot almost anything in daylight, taking your photography to the next level with a reasonable investment.
• Pro
  A 70-200 mm f/2,8 prime lens, although the focal length is not extreme, is an excellent lens that will not disappoint.
  There are other lenses such as 400 mm f/4 or even f/2,8 prime lenses which are top choices but at an extremely high price tag.

If there is a lens worth an investment when planning to go on a photographic safari, it has to be the zoom!

Medium and Wide Angle Lenses

Although zoom lenses are the first ones that come to mind when thinking about safari photography, a wide-angle lens also goes a long way when it comes to shooting the animals in their habitat, dramatic African skies and sunsets, and large herds moving during the Great Migration. Make sure you pack a wide to medium lens too!

• Budget
  The 18-55 mm “kit lens” that comes with most camera kits works perfectly for this kind of photo. As a budget option, any kit lens works perfectly, actually!

  Lenses in the 10-24 mm range are much wider - another good option that will allow you to take creative photographs during your safari.

• Medium
  A 15-30 mm f/2,8 wide lens is a high-quality choice for the landscape.
• Pro
  The 24-70 mm f/2,8 is a “classic”, very sharp lens that never disappoints, allowing you to shoot landscapes (or good quality files to stitch in panoramas later on) and zoom into the subject too.

Bear in mind that a good wide-angle lens also allows you to take wonderful nocturnal photos of the clear skies of the savannah.

Other accessories

Now that you know what to use to shoot your safari photographs, let’s think about the accessories you shouldn’t forget:

• Spare batteries. Although all our vehicles have charging stations to recharge your batteries during the game drives, having one or two extra batteries is always a good idea to keep shooting without a single worry!
• Memory cards. Believe it or not, I can guarantee you will find yourself shooting dozens and dozens of photos of the same animal or scene. It’s easy when you have lions posing for you, or a hunting scene taking place. So pack extra memory cards!
• Battery charger. There are regular battery chargers and also double battery chargers that work with USB and/or car power outlets. I like these, as you can charge 2 batteries at once.
• Protection for your camera gear. The savannah is dusty, and dust is the real enemy of cameras and their sensors. Try to keep everything protected from dust except what you are using. Camera bags or pouches/cloths will work great.
• Cleaning kit. A full kit includes the sensor cleaning kit and tools to remove dust and clean the camera. Try to keep everything clean by gently removing the dust every day after the game drives. Please note: the sensor tends to get dirty with all the dust of the safari, but at the same time cleaning the sensor is a very delicate task so don’t risk it if you are not sure how to do it!

Are you ready to embark on your photographic safari adventure? Please let us know if you need more suggestions and information about what camera gear to pack for your safari. We look forward to having you travel with us!

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