This depends on what species you are after. Both our dry season (April to October) and wet season (November to March) have their advantages and disadvantages in terms of game drives or hide sessions.
Wet Season – November to March
Activities are generally good year-round, but the wet season offers more opportunity of photographing young animals, especially herbivores, as this is the time of year most of them give birth. Bird species diversity is at its highest as migrant birds return with males in breeding plumage in the early wet season. The bush transforms when rain falls into lush greenery, although rain forms puddles in the veld, meaning subjects have access to more surface water and do not necessarily visit the hides as frequently to drink water. Several migrant bird species use the reflection hides and this is the only opportunity to photograph the most colorful birds on Zimanga. The action at the Lagoon hide can be brilliant, and the species diversity is higher, although the hide can be flooded and rendered unusable after severe storms. This is also the time when the biggest variety of birds can be photographed at Scavengers Hill hide where several species congregate together. Afternoon thunderstorms can form quickly and result in activities to be cancelled especially during severe lighting storms. Lightning can add a great dimension to an image though. High or prolonged rainfall can lead to closures of certain roads and sections of the reserve. Cloudy or overcast conditions can prevail for long periods and daytime temperatures can be very high, although activities are planned around this. Afternoon sunsets can be brilliant, with a high intensity of rich coloured light. Higher temperatures are very good for crocodile photography at the lagoon hide, especially towards the latter part of summer and into autumn. Despite the often-unpredictable conditions good photo opportunities will present still themselves.
Dry Season – April to October
The diversity of bird species diminishes, although the drying bush results in the hides becoming important sources of water for birds and animals. The days are generally cool and clear, resulting in good light for photography. The latter part of the dry season can be hot and windy, and windy conditions do not bode well for especially bird activity at reflection hides. Added dust can be a great addition to backlit photography. Hide activity is on average better in the dry season, and the bush is more open for photography on game drives. Good photography light tends to last for longer periods. Due to drier conditions the birdbaths and overnight hides are used more often by birds and animals. The bee-eaters enter their longer breeding season and the chance to photograph them are high if a colony is found to place the mobile hide. During this season we find hides are more reliable and subject activity generally more predictable.
This is dependent on the package selected. Our guides are experienced in the activity of birds and animals, and the decision on what to do during which activity is best left to decide when on the ground and assessing the conditions. On clear days you will start early, and be out before sunrise. On the contrary, on cloudy days you might start later as the available light increases for photography, but generally stay out longer as the light does not deteriorate as quickly as during clear days. Hopping around, trying to squeeze in as many activities as possible is not recommended as wildlife cannot be rushed. The best results are obtained through patience
Depending on the size of the subject you are photographing, or the image you have in mind, lenses can range from 20mm to 800mm! A great general all-round lens is a 300 f/2.8, although zoom lenses like the 200-400mm f/4 are very versatile. A personal favourite is the 200 f/2 in the Lagoon, although the 600mm is also extremely handy, 24-70mm and 70-200mm in the overnight with longer lenses like a 400mm for small birds that visit there, 300 f/2.8 in the reflection hides and the 200-400 for the vultures and bee-eater hides. Longer lenses are also brilliant at the latter hides. The subject distances at different hides are listed under the “hides” section of the website and described individually.
It cannot be done as these hides are only sold in published packages. The reason for this is to allow all guests fair use of all the hides. Zimanga takes a maximum of 18 guests at any time, but even at this low number the space in the hides is limited, hence for 2-4 guests solely using these hides over their stay it implies that the 14-16 other guests cannot have access to said hides over that period. Activities therefore need to be spread out over the different hides and game drives in order to give everyone equal access to the hides. For access to the Lagoon hide, a ratio for at least 1 reflection hide session per 1 Lagoon hide session is required to achieve an workable spread of guests. Umgodi and Tamboti overnight hides are sold only in package format to allow all Overnight Package guests at least 1 night in the hide during their 4-night package stay.
Unless a vehicle and its associated activities is privately booked, then yes, we can accommodate up to 7 guests per vehicle, although the actual number on the vehicle should be lower as in all likelihood some of the other guests sharing the vehicle will be doing a hide activity.
Officially we fall in a low risk malaria area. The recommendation is that high risk visitors (elderly guests, pregnant women etc) need to take anti-malarial precautions. We do, however, always suggest that guests discuss this with their own doctor and follow their own medical practitioner’s advice.