Top 10 Game Parks to Photograph in Eastern and Southern Africa

10. Namib Naukluft Park, Namibia

This park is located along the western part of Namibia. Thought to be the oldest desert in the world and one of the driest, it's landscape though devoid of larger African animals like the elephant and giraffe, is an amazing place to photograph. Even though it's a desert there is beauty everywhere. The park is home to the largest drifting sand dunes in the world, some reaching 1000 ft high, which creates beautiful ripples and knife blade edges that cast cool shadows. The orange rust colored dunes makes for a interesting contrast with the blue sky as well. Make sure to hike dune 45 to watch the sunset.








9. Mgahinga National Park, Uganda


Located in the southwest tip of Uganda, along the slopes of one of three extinct volcanoes, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, borders Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mgahinga connects to two other parks making up the Virunga Conservation Area, that was set aside to protect the last remaining mountain gorillas. Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda and Parc National des Virunga in the DRC, are home to the majority of the estimated 700 remaining mountain gorillas.
The volcanoes make for a stunning back drop and add to the mystique as you hike up their slopes through thick rainforest, in search of the gorillas. While travel through the rain forest can be slow and challenging, it is worth it when you come face to face with a male silverback gorilla and look into their soft brown eyes. It is an experience you will never forget.




8. Etosha National Park, Namibia

Etosha meaning "great white place," because of the big white mineral pan that takes up 25% of the park, is a beautiful place to photograph animals because of the unique white back drop. Located in Northern Namibia, this park is one of the best National Parks in Southern Africa. The park is off the tourist grid so you will not feel overcrowded. Camping in one of the three campgrounds within the park will leave you with an amazing African experience. Lay in your tent and enjoy listing to the many sounds of predators hunting in the dark. Great place to see the unique Oryx.










7. Okavango Delta, Botswana


World's largest inland delta and one of the most amazing parks in all of Africa. If you want to see one of the last unspoiled places left in Africa, this is a must. Get transported into the park by mokoro,(wooden dug out canoe) and sit back and soak up the amazing diversity of wildlife and crystal clear waters of the wetlands. It's even possible to drink right from the water. Bush camping is one of the highlights, as you get the chance to have wildlife walk right past your tent. Great chance to get up close to hippos and African Bush Elephants. If you want everything in one park you can't miss this gem. See it before development spoils this place.






6. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

One of the most famous game parks in the world. If you time it right and visit this park during February to June you could get lucky enough to witness one of earths last large animal migrations. Around a million Zebras and Wildebeest migrate through the Serengeti, followed by more predators than you will see anywhere else in the world. This park has everything you want in a game park, except the crowds which can dampen the experience. If you get lucky enough to watch a lion walk past your safari vehicle with no other vehicles in sight it will capture your heart and make you realize why this place is so famous. Watching a lion, leopard, or cheetah stalk its prey though the tall grass, will get your heartbeat pumping, as well as make for great photos.






5. Chobe Reserve, Botswana

The Chobe River is an amazing place to photograph hippos, elephants, and crocodiles. The Chobe River makes for a beautiful river cruise as well and will allow you to view hundreds of elephants from the water. Bring along your own alcohol and sit back and have fun photographing wildlife from the river. Although elephants have overrun this park damaging the forests, if you want to get good pics of elephants this is your place. Lions, leopards, and Hyenas are seen in large numbers, so make sure to camp within the park to get the best chance of seeing them. Only place I saw a honey badger. May to October is the dry period so animals will congregate along the river in large numbers.






4. Kruger National Park, South Africa

Located along the eastern border of South Africa, Kruger is one of the largest parks in Africa, and one of the best parks to view a large verity of African animals, such as the disappearing wild dog. If your lucky you may see some of the large tuskers roaming the park. Take time to visit this park for it's size give you one of the best remaining chances of seeing the big five. Though the dry landscape isn't visually appealing the chance of photographing leopards, wild dogs, and rhinos will leave you wanting to never leave. The lodges and private game parks bordering the park are also amazing.




3. Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

Like a smaller version of the Ngorongoro Crater this park is tucked into the rim of an ancient volcanic crater. Though pretty small in size, this park gives you a large chance to photograph both white and black rhinos. Probably the best chance to photograph rhinos in all of Africa. I saw over 20 rhinos on one game drive. You have a great chance of seeing the resident leopards and lions as well. Those interested in bird life, will fall in love with the sight of thousands of pink flamingos and other birds which can be seen here year round.






2. Masai Mara Reserve, Kenya

Travel here between Late July and Early August and you will experience the largest migration of land animals in the world, as they make their way north from the Serengeti. If you get real lucky you may witness the migration crossing the Mara River and dodging the huge crocodiles waiting to ambush them. One of my favorite places to photograph, has the animals numbers of the Serengeti, but with a more photogenic landscape. The sight as your safari vehicle drives through a sea of Zebras and wildebeest numbering in the tens of thousand, covering the rolling hills is an experience that will leave you breathless.








1 Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Ngorongoro Crater is my favorite game park in Africa. The moment you reach the crater edge you are completely overwhelmed by the beauty of this park. This park alone makes you want to return to Africa over and over. The steep cliffs and lake in the middle are a photographers dream. The park's crater is home to large herds of wildebeest and Zebras. When you drive down into the crater you enter a breathtaking world that you hope stays untouched by man forever. Stand with your head out the safari vehicle and have fun viewing the wildlife within the walls. Huge big male Tuskers are often seen. You will leave this park with tears in your eyes and a hope Africa continues to protect places like this and finds a way to hold back the increasing human population.







Visit this link

http://bmontalbo.zenfolio.com/p65454668

or my eastern Africa Album on my website to view photographs from these parks and other places I fell in love with while traveling to eastern Africa.

Trans African Adventure

Click on map to zoom in.


Soon I will embark on my 7 month trans-African expedition. I will first begin by traveling to Iceland to photograph the beautiful landscapes and geothermal activity. Then I will make my way to Morocco where I will meander overland through 14 western African countries, across the Sahara Desert, through jungles, and down one lane dirt roads that take an entire day to travel 10 miles. The trip will conclude in the beautiful coastal town of Cape Town, South Africa.

Like every adventure I go on, the closer the approach of the departure of this trip the more excited and giddy I become. Though for the first time, I have to admit, I am slightly more nervous about this trip. The length of this trip, the list of dangers, the political instability of these countries keeps me up at night daydreaming about how much I don't know about where I will be going and trying to think of what it will be like.
This trip has been a year in the making both planning and saving up for it. People keep asking about my motivation for this trip. Well, it came from my eastern African trip back in 08 when I was stood at the border crossing between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, unable to cross and was intimidated by how many border guards with AK 47's stood guard. It looked like we were entering a military base. There was this sense that crossing over and heading down the dirty road disappearing into the dense jungle was taking us into a whole new experience and higher level of adventure. It immediately grabbed my curiosity like some kid with matches and gasoline. Western Africa is full of rare wildlife, beautiful cultures, amazing landscapes, and is about as raw a place left on earth.
Spontaneity brings excitement to my travels. I usually have a game plan to keep things organized but I never want to know that much about where I'm going. I love being surprised by the thrill of discovering something for the first time.

Like any photographer I strive to share parts of the world that are rarely seen by most travelers. For the first time I am going to include a blog so people can follow along with my daily challenges and experiences. It will be clearly obvious that writing isn't my forte, so I apologize before hand for my lack of grammar and spelling. These posts will be raw emotions from my trip, which will probably included lots of profanity and stories that most might find offensive, so I apologize for that as well. My writing is like my stories I tell around the campfire, I am very passionate about certain things in life. I'm easily stimulated by small things such as sunsets and thunderstorms. The more I travel the more depressed I get about how fast the world is changing and I want to experience it before mankind steam rolls it for personal gain.

I invite you to follow along with my adventure. I want to touch that adventurous side in everyone. Get you to get out and create your own amazing experiences. Life is like an unwritten book, where each day you get to write by choice how the story unfolds.

Someone asked me recently that I was crazy for doing this trip, that is was "crazy dangerous." I told them, well then you should follow along on my blog because it should make for some serious entertainment.
"Unless your living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much room." -Unknown.

If you would like to contribute to my trip please visit my photography website.

Naknek Alaska

At the moment I'm waiting out a storm in Naknek Alaska, before we head out commercial fishing. If the salmon were making everyone's nets smoke, then we would be forced to push through it, but since numbers are still low most of the fleet is sticking this ride out, tied up to the dock or still haven't been put into the water. No use getting the crap beat out of you, wasting diesel, all for no fish. So that means I get the fun of hanging out in fun Naknek for a few more days. Time here seems to slow, slooow,sloooooooow to a crawl when you have nothing to do.

Naknek is a small native-fishing town. Gateway to Bristol Bay if you fly into King Salmon. Not much to it besides a few bars, some canneries, a lot of bears, and a small town with lots of character, but a heart beat that is barely staying alive. If it wasn't for summer fishing this town might dry up like so many small towns that have fallen to the times. There is the famous Red Dog Bar, where all the fishermen tend to hang out, get into some bar fights, and talk fishing stories. Great place to meet some crazy characters. Fishermen are some tough sob's and never stop making me laugh and entertain me with there ways. I would vote for a Alaskan boat captain for president in a heartbeat. They might be nuts, but you know what to expect from them, they have more integrity than most people I know, live life to the fullest, understand the value of working hard, don't take shit, and are great leaders.

One thing you have to watch out for walking around is drunk drivers. Drugs and booze flow through these types of towns. Last year I watched a drunk guy ride his four wheeler into the bushes and almost kill himself. The area is flat, harsh winters keep the trees stunted, only the Naknek River running through town creates some interesting land formations, so I don't blame them. Alcohol takes the pain away.

The canneries in town are super busy at the moment, loads and loads of people from poor parts of the world are flown up here to work shit jobs for shit pay. You can't help but feel for them. They work the slime line woking tough work conditions filleting and canning the millions of fish that come from our boats. Our boat is docked in the cannery so we are lucky to have the use of mug up. Mug up is a break time, where you can get a snack and fill your coffee mug. 10:15, 3:15, and 8:15, are exciting times of the day. Not much else to do.

Every day more workers are flown here from places from all over the world. Last year during the swine flu epidemic, most fishermen where working fast to get their boats ready and head out to sea before the bus loads of workers showed up from Mexico.

Till we go fishing we are staying in the Trident Cannery bunk house. A small room with a few bunk beds and a stack of playboys and some posters of some naked women on the walls, left over from years of fishermen staying in it. So when your not working on the boat, down time is taken up by reading books, drinking beer, and sexually frustrating yourself looking at porn mags over and over. I guess the quote written in the men's bathroom stall by some fisherman, put things into perspective out here. "Think about it, no matter how hard life gets, it will never get shittier than this moment right now."

Commercial Fishing Bristol Bay, Alaska

Click to view photos of Salmon Industry in Bristol Bay

It's a night time opening, the seas are rough, waves pound your boat, some splashing over the side. Rain and wind sting your face, chilling you down to your bone. You're tired, hands sore, but heart is pounding. You're ready to go.

Standing on the back of the boat with net in hand, you wait for the captains call. Other boats lay waiting as well, some spending the last few seconds trying to get better positions. Time ticks by, tick tick tick.

Then your captain yells go!. You throw the net out the back and the net unwinds out the back, your adrenaline pumps. Fish start hitting the net even before the whole net has been laid out. The net begins to smoke as thousands of salmon swim into it and get caught. It's going to be a great pay day.


It's fishing time in Alaska, so I'm heading out to commercial fish and document the red salmon fishing industry in Bristol Bay. I'll be on a 32 foot fishing boat for about 5 weeks. Bristol Bay is located in the Bering Sea, between Alaska and Russia. It's the most productive salmon fishery in the world. Tens of millions of salmon return every year to this area, to spawn.

Working as a deck hand on a fishing boat is tough work. You work long hours with little rest, fish through rough seas, and dangerous working conditions. When the run is in, it's time to fish and the place just explodes with activity. Captains fight for position, deck hands lay out 150 yards of net. It's like destruction derby, boats plow into each other, nets get wrapped up in propellers. Everyone fighting for a great payday. Over the weeks your hands and shoulders strengthen, your mental toughness increases, and have one hell of a time. For those of you who love adventure this is the job for you.

Click to view photos of Salmon Industry in Bristol Bay