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Fall 2014 African Photo Safari – Notes from the Serengeti

by Dave Burns | Posted in Trip Reports | Tags: , , , , ,

As always, our camp was located in an incredible setting in the middle of the Moru Kopjes, south of the center of the Serengeti, our final park on this safari. We were there for 4 nights and were treated to excellent wildlife sightings, the calls of lions and hyena in the night, and vibrant sunsets as we ate dinner while watching the migration herds go by on the plains below.

This year, the migrations herds came south early so they were right around our camp for our entire stay. We had many opportunities to shoot them as they wound their way south:

Wildebeest Migration Winding down the Serengeti Plains
Wildebeest Migration Winding down the Serengeti Plains
Fuji X-T1 w/ 55-200mm, 1/500 at f/6.4, ISO 200

We usually see many lion in the Serengeti and this safari was no exception. We saw a pair of male lions resting in the shade while close by were three females and their cubs, all interested in the migration herds walking nearby. There was another pair of males walking through the grass that posed nicely for us:

Two Lions in the Grass
Two Lions in the Grass
Canon 5D3 w/200-400mm, 1/400 at f/5.6, ISO 100

Some members of our group took the sunrise balloon ride over the central Serengeti and were treated to aerial sightings of the migration herds. The balloon pilot was able to swoop very low over the herd for some incredible views. Afterwards, we all enjoyed a full English breakfast under a pair of acacia trees. On our way back to camp, we stayed with a female cheetah and her cub for about 20 minutes as she scanned the horizon.

Safari Camp in the Moru Kopjes
Safari Camp in the Moru Kopjes
Fuji X-T1 w/ 55-200mm, 1/55 at f/3.5, ISO 1600

We finished our time in the Serengeti with a final game drive on the way to the airstrip for our flight. Along the way we had excellent sightings of giraffe and hyena – each time about 30 feet from us.

I’m looking forward to seeing my clients’ photographs from this year’s safari. There were lots of smiles during the trip and everyone was pleased with the amount of wildlife and how close we were able to get.

Until my next tour, safari njema,
— Dave

About Dave Burns

Dave Burns is a wildlife, travel, and landscape photographer whose passions range from the beauty of the African savanna to the streets of Paris. He created Dave Burns Photo Tours to share his favorite places with other photographers, help them capture unique images, and learn more about photography and digital work flow. His next trip is an African photo safari to the Serengeti in February 2021. Dave’s images are in private collections and galleries. To contact him, use the contact page on this site.

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