South Africa offers the finest collection of private game reserves, national parks, and nature reserves in the world. Encompassing a variety of landscapes, from desert to forest, all teeming with wildlife species, this country provided the best possibilities for wildlife photography of any I’ve visited.

The private camps I stayed at were first-class, from the comfort of the accommodations to the quality of the food, to the excellence of the drivers and guides whose expertise and understanding gave me myriad chances for unforgettable photo opportunities.

Many of the game lodges are located within the national parks, but I found that those situated just outside those parks offered the best viewing and flexibility, because the driver/guides were not constrained by restrictions within the parks that compelled cars to stay on prescribed routes and prohibited alighting from the vehicles to obtain close-up images.