I visited the Kalahari desert (South Africa) in february 2017. One month previous to my visit they suffered from severe floods. So when I arrived, instead of the usual red and dusty, it was quite green. The scenery was beautiful.
It was my first visit to the Kalahari and also my first summer visit to South Africa. Normally I go there in their winter. When taking pictures of birds and wildlife it’s all about light. And this was disappointing. Although I took most of my shots during ‘the golden hours’, the light wasn’t good.
WILDLIFE
The wildlife experience in Tswalu was average. There is plenty of wildlife but the area is huge. So it’s a lot of driving before you spot something. Especially when it’s green (as it was while I visited) because following tracks is not easy then.
TRAVELING ‘LIGHT’
Because I had a private flight to get to my lodge in the Kalahari, I had to travel ‘light’ with flexible bags. Normally I carry my big lenses in separate hard cases but now I had to fit all my equipment in one backpack. I chose to bring two bodies (5D en 1DX), my standard zoom 24-105, a 16-35 and my favourite for game drives the 200-400 with built in extender. I didn’t bring a tripod, I just used a clamp to mount an Arca Swiss ball head to the car’s bull bar. It’s a proven setup for me.
