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Binocular recommendations?
Does anyone have a recommendation for binoculars for the trip? What size is sufficient without becoming a burden to pack around? I'm told that image stabilization is nearly a must. I'm considering the Canon 10x30 Image Stabilized binoculars. Any thoughts?
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I'm sitting here in the lobby of the Fairmont Mara Safari Club since there is no wifi in the rooms (tents). Unfortunately, we leave the Mara tomorrow boooo, hooo! Binocs- depends on what you want to see. Frankly we didn't use them too much- I had my camera with 300mm lens and my wife wears glasses and finds it hard to use binocs. If you get them too powerful they will be hard to use to find things (too narrow field of view) or impossible to use (the Landcruisers do a lot of rocking and rolling- all game drives are on bumpy, rocky, pock-marked, rarely scrapped dirt roads- using the term road is being kind. Most of the time, if you need binocs to see something it is too far away to enjoy.
My recommendation try them out in a store or borrow from a friend to see what works for you.
This trip is truly amazing.
Just to comment on Alan talking about the rocking and rolling of the vehicles, it should not be a problem because whenever there is something of interest to view, the driver will have the engine turned off and the vehicle angled so that you will have the best view of whatever you want to see, that usually the driver has spotted before you. There is a nack to using binoculars that is easy to learn, you point in on the general direction and start panning low, slowly panning up, I don't really know how to explain the technique but my husband taught me well. It is certainly worth practicing before the vacation. Whenever we are away and I forget to pack the binoculars, I always regret not having them with me.
Foundation for African Medicine & Education
4553 Crimsonwood Drive
Redding, CA 96001
www.fameafrica.org
info@fameafrica.org
This is the best I can do, i'm hopeless at links. See if you can see the new video by checking out the website
Rachel and Ron at our farewell dinner in the Tower of London (7/19/2013).
The Legendary Seth briefing our K&T group before we fly from Nanyuki to the Masai Mara (6/23/2015):
All my tours have been great for different reasons. I enjoyed the three Africa tours, but overall Tanzania was my favorite. I should add that I think The South Africa safari experience is very different. I also loved Galapagos. My other favorite place is Japan, I've been there twice but not on a tour. I would actually like to do the Tauck tour to Japan, but my husband has been there so many times he will need persuading or go over and above another place. Costa Rica would also be high on the list. I am discounting all the European countries I have been to because I love them, but I kinda know what to expect, so the excitement I felt was less than those three I mention. The same with Australia and New Zealand, I knew what it would be like, so no surprises.
Each time we book a tour, I think ,this is going to be the one that goes wrong, because we have been so fortunate, but so far every trip has given us axmillion memories and experiences.
Yes, you can see the picture of Rachel that Alan posted, I hope to see her again sometime. It's fun to spot the tour guides we know in the brochures.
The main difference for me between the two tours is that in Tanzania there is more opportunity to mix with the local people. I have not been to China, we mulled about going a couple of years ago but decided on India instead. Hopefully we will get there one day, the blog someone posted about China on the forum last night was interesting, I thought maybe it was some dating agency but it was still interesting. I'm enjoying the current crop of reviews of the tours, it's so much more useful than people just posting their names and what tour they are going on but maybe safer when people express opinions like me but it is good to 'talk' with fellow travel lovers. Hey. I am not knocking Europe, we are going to Italy in September but sadly there has not been one review on this forum about the tour, I'm really disappointed about that. We found ourselves in Spain for a few days earlier in the year and because we have spent so much time going to more exotic locals but principally lots of old Colonial countries, it was odd to be concerned I could not communicate in the language especially as my husband was busy elsewhere so I had to experience the point of view of a solo traveller during the day. Happy traveling!