Field guides

These notes cover only areas we have worked in ourselves, and only in the seasons we were there. That makes for a short list, but it avoids repeating other people's brochures.

The Okavango Delta, Botswana. The flood arrives between May and July — water from the Angolan highlands reaching the delta months after the rain that produced it. Movement is partly by mokoro through the channels and partly on foot across the islands. Leopards are reliable on the larger islands; wild dog is a matter of luck.

Southern Serengeti, Tanzania. January to March is calving on the short-grass plains, which concentrates both prey and predators into a small area. The terrain is almost featureless, so the light is flat and even — good for behaviour, difficult for landscape.

Etosha, Namibia. June to October. The pan is dry and the animals concentrate at a handful of springs along the southern edge. This is the clearest case anywhere for stationary work: pick a spring, arrive early, and stay. Self-sufficiency in water and fuel is assumed.

The Mara river, Kenya. July to September for the crossings. Logistically the easiest of these and the most densely populated with animals. The trade-off is vehicle density at anything worth photographing.