African trip

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Thanks Niamh....

thetravelman

Hi guys,

I am new here and hope I am posting where I am supposed to.

I am seeking for advice as I am going to Africa for a year+ in March and I am wondering what people would take with them on such a trip. I am conscious that all that gear may get stolen at some point in this trip, considering I will be accessing pretty remote places there.

I currently have a Sony A7II, which I have had since it came on the market, with Sony Zeiss f4 - 24-70mm and another couple of non-expensive lenses.

I am however in the process of upgrading all my lenses as I am not super satisfied with what I have and I was about to go for the Sony 16-35 GM to add to my 24-70mm for travels. Also wondered about a macro lens.

Either way, has anyone been to Africa with expensive gear? What would you recommend to take with you on that trip? Maybe even going with a completely different camera and sets of lenses? I have no budget restrictions.

Any advice would be more than appreciated.

Boards.ie: Niamh

Hi @thetravelman welcome to Boards! I have moved your post to the Travel forum where you might get some advice or experience from other Boards users.

WishUWereHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119944548#Comment_119944548

Hi & welcome.

I am very unclear on photo equipment so I’ll leave that advising to someone else.

I lived in Southern Africa for many years & still have Family there. However, Africa is a vast continent so You will have to be more specific as to what part / countries You are going to.

If I may can I say something? Please don’t take any offence but being in remote places is not somewhere that You might have equipment stolen. African people ( or the ones I met ) are wonderful people in the main & I would have no hesitation trusting them.

Best of luck BTW

thetravelman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119945122#Comment_119945122

The idea is to explore most countries in Southern Africa. There are many countries I know and it probably will take us several years, but let's start with one year of travel :-)

I am sure there are plenty of wonderful people or I would not go there :-), but there are also plenty of dangers I'd rather not ignore. So I would like to hear what people's experiences are and if there is really no need to worry, then I'll bring my best gear with a certain piece of mind.

Regards,

WishUWereHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119945244#Comment_119945244

ok, can I ask where You are starting & (roughly ) Your itinerary? I am asking in regards to the weather. Winter in the Western Cape can be as windswept & wet as anything we get here in November-February. You are taking a year to travel, how are You travelling. BTW You MUST be careful in areas in South Africa with equipment. Also I wouldn’t be displaying lots of jewellery.

But the positives far outweigh the negatives.

personally there are 2 countries that I absolutely loved : Namibia & Swaziland.

thetravelman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119945453#Comment_119945453

We will buy a 4x4 in South Africa and then start exploring that country. Afterwards, the idea is to explore all adjacent countries. We don't have an exhaustive list nor a time limit for this trip, so it is hard to tell you exactly. But we'll do at the very list: SA, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, etc.

finbarrk

I would imagine you would get a broader range of information on the TripAdvisor forum.

Daisies

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119947996#Comment_119947996

Travelling by 4x4 is remarkably different in terms of safety of your equipment. Having travelled by public transport extensively in Southern and Eastern Africa I would say your gear is more at risk in the big cities eg Jo'burg, Dar etc but of course this is a broad generalisation. Lots of keen photographers travel and live in Southern Africa and go to safari parks etc with expensive camera set ups.

What I would think of is what is your priority, is it animal photography, simply experiencing the countries etc and base your gear around that. Be conscious that if your priority is photography you may need to be more aware of the gear you travel with and where you park etc. As WishUWereHere says, most people who live in Southern Africa are kind, generous and most places I have been have been so safe.

Jacovs

Heads up, you might be made to apply for a traffic register number before you can buy and register a vehicle in your own name.

Although the official link says you only need a traffic register number if you dont have foreign ID, that was not our recent experience.

https://www.gov.za/services/driving-licence-driving/apply-traffic-register-number

It was insisted we apply for a traffic register number, although we had valid foreign passport. That in itself took about 3 months before it was received.

Hope for your sake its not needed.

Insurance is not mandatory if you own a vehicle outright. But I would highly recommend it to cover yourself.

WishUWereHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119971650#Comment_119971650

I would totally agree with Jacovs. Car insurance is not mandatory, but if You buy a bakkie or 4x4, GET insurance cover. Another thing You must watch out for while driving outside the cities/towns especially at night: large animals in the middle of the road. I was once driving down from Joburg to PE, went around a corner & hit a kudu. The crash wrote off the vehicle.

But please enjoy yourself. Africa is magical. If there is one place I could suggest - The Okovango Delta. Indescribable scenery.

thetravelman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119971650#Comment_119971650

Thanks for the tips, I will definitely check that out. Sounds like something that could get us into trouble :-)