Back To South Africa One Last Time!

Good Morning Everybody!

I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me but I’m happy to
report that all is great with us in our part of the world.  I hope everybody had a wonderful 2024 and I wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year as well!

OK, why am I writing today?  First is to share with you some fantastic news for 2025 and later to take a quick look back into 2024.

But first things first!

IMPORTANT! In October we are once again heading to South Africa for probably my final trip to that part of the world. We’ve had so many friends and acquaintances over recent years asking us to lead one more African safari, so we decided to say “YES”! This will be our sixth Safari to Africa and has always been one of our favorite travel adventures.  I sure hope you’ll join us on our final African adventure.

Tell Me About the Safari:

David Ziser and Kevin Dooley’s 

Small-Group Discovery Adventure!

A 9-Day Safari Adventure to South Africa

October 2 – 11, 2025 

Check out the detailed info about the entire safari adventure right here [LINK]:

To register

Call Tricia or Kevin at 505-280-3846 or 505-401-2988

or email them at idubephotosafris@yahoo.com 

Feel free to reach out to myself and LaDawn with any additional questions you may have about this adventure.  You can reach me at david@ziser.com and LaDawn at ladawn@ziser.com.

 

Why You Should Go:

The reason we like the South Africa safari so much is simply because there is so much to see and do there. Here is an actual photo from one of our previous safaris.

This Safari has the most varied and exciting wildlife you’ll see in Africa, outstanding photography opportunities, beautiful geography, gorgeous sunsets, great food, roomy and comfortable 4-star accommodations, and warm and friendly people.   

It is simply a wonderful visual, exciting, and educational experience for all!

 

Limited Availability:

This Small Group Safari is limited to only 12 reservations and tends to fill up fast.  The first Safari I announced a few years ago sold out in 48 hours! 

Here is a photo of one of our groups - 17 people, 5 guides, and 3 Safari vehicles

So, if you are the least bit interested, please be prudent and book early.  Again, all the Safari, lodge, itinerary, and cost are covered in the link [LINK] right here – along with some of Kevin’s fabulous images from past South African safaris.

Cool Things that Will be Happening on this Trip:

-Visiting a local school is always a treat. Seeing the smiling faces of the kids and hearing the teachers’ dedication to their education in this very rural part of Africa is truly a joy!

-Making an overnight stop at the Lasedi Cultural Center where we will experience the history and culture of the African nations. We may even sleep in a Zulu village hut that night.

-Discovering the Milky Way against the inky darkness of the African night sky and photographing it as well. For many of you, this will be your first time even seeing the Milky Way so clearly, and when you do, you will be “blown away” by the stunning visual experience

-Special Dinners at the Fire Pit one evening with lots of local fare and maybe a surprise performance of the energetic African dance customs. Every evening our lodge hosts welcome us with an evening meal that captures the unique, wonderful, and tasty cuisine of South Africa.

-Watching the Elephants at the local water pit just off our lodge’s overlook. This is quite the treat to see and photograph so close to our lodge – you don’t want to miss it.

-Hearing the monkeys racing across our lodging at night and hearing the call of the wild – elephants, lions, and birds during the evening. It might be a bit unsettling the first night, but as you settle in for the week, the sounds become a welcome respite from our normal city sounds.

-Plan to arrive a few days early so you more easily adjust to the jet lag. And use those extra days to explore Johannesburg and its surroundings.  We can give you many suggestions as to what not to miss and make local guide recommendations as well.

Your Four Hosts:

Kevin Dooley will be co-leading all of our Safari drives with me. Kevin and I have been friends for many years, and he is the best. He is a trained licensed African wildlife guide and has won numerous top wildlife photography awards including awards from National Geographic, Africa Nat Geo, and the World Photographic Cup.  His work is simply stunning – you will agree when you see his images at the link above. 

Kevin’s wife Trisha, who hails from South Africa, is just delightful and an enthusiastic guide as well and will also join us on the daily drives.

I will be co-leading the Safari drives suggesting lenses to use, camera settings, and composition considerations throughout the Safari drives so you can be guaranteed to capture your best photographs.  It is basically a photography workshop for photography amateurs and enthusiasts alike. 

LaDawn will be joining us on our drives as well.  Nobody is better at spotting and identifying the variety of birds we see every day. For me, capturing birds in mid-flight is both challenging and fun. Our groups will switch safari vehicles every day so you will get to experience a varied game drive exposure from all of us.

 

This is a Once in a Lifetime Experience!

I still remember with “goosebumps” our very first African Safari with Kevin and Tricia – it just took your breath away with non-stop sensory overload. Every day each game drive was a completely new adventure. Many of our friends who have taken this trip have called it a “Life-Changing” experience!  

It really opens your eyes and gives you a much more appreciative view of the world and people around you.  And you don’t have to be a photographer to take this trip either - although it is a photo-centric experience. Even the cell phone shooters have had a wonderful time. – yes, the animals do get that close ;~)

Wait! There’s More - Wine Country!

It’s such a long way to travel for just a 10-day stay, LaDawn & I  always tack on a week to Cape Town.  The geography and history of the Cape Town area is simply amazing.  

But, for us, our top priority has always been to make the short drive to Wine Country (they call it the Wine Fields over there).
We like to stay at a comfy, affordable Airbnb in Paarl, SA – it’s a small town very close to the Stellenbosch wine fields.  

The flights are always very reasonable, and the auto rental is fairly priced too. This gives us an extra travel week in South Africa letting us soak up even more sights and sounds.

Please consider joining us on Safari - October 1-12, 2025

Once again, here is the link [LINK] for all the details.

Want even more information, 

Check out all my past Safari posts below:

Here are a few of my very informative links on our past African Safari experiences – Enjoy!

Link 1: My Top 5 Tips for Safari Photography [LINK]

Link 2: African Adventures [LINK]

Link 3: Just Back From Africa [LINK]

Link 4: My Interview With Kevin Dooley [LINK]

Link 5: YouTube Video of Our Interview [LINK]

Link 6: Slide Show of Entire Safari [LINK]

Link 7: Live-action Lion takedown of an Impala – I call it “Impala Blues.” [LINK]  P.S.: It has a happy ending ;~)

Link 8: Eye Opening numbers for Wildlife photography – F-Stops, Shutter Speeds, and ISO’s [LINK] 

Link 9: Camera Settings for Wildlife Photography and Why [LINK] 

 

What Happening with us in 2025:

Things are gearing up for LaDawn and me as well for 2025. In a few months, we are heading for Antarctica, Yep, near the South Pole, for a two-week chilly adventure! I sure hope we can keep warm that long ;~) I’ll update you on our trip after we return.

Hey Gang,

I’m going to let that be it for me today.  This post just took on a life of its own as I kept developing it.  The goal was to let you know about our upcoming Safari adventures in October and give you as much “Safari” information as I possibly could to help you capture your best photographs.

I dug through my DigitalProTalk blog scouring every previous safari post to compile in one place every single piece of safari information I’ve published in the past so you didn’t have to be digging around on your own looking for it. They are listed above. I hope I did a good job, and that you appreciate all the good information. 

Hopefully, it helps you photographically if you decide to join us on our October Safari or if there is another safari in your future.

Check back soon for a report of our 2024 travels to India and Dubai, two of our favorite travel adventures to date.

Cheers Everybody, David