Freeman Safaris Landrovers and vehicles

Freeman Safaris

‘Yesterday’s Safaris Today’

All our vehicles are designed to give you maximum game viewing in comfort - well as much comfort as is possible in the rough terrain of the Kenyan bush! I, for one, am actually encouraged by the rough roads and tracks as it helps to control vehicle movement. As it is, too many drivers (particularly in the minibuses) drive too fast for the conditions.

I use Land Rovers as, in my experience of a couple of million miles, their technology is superior to other 4x4 vehicles. They have the go-anywhere capability, the power to get through where others fail and still give a more comfortable ride. The engine is modern and powerful, easy to repair in the bush, and not noisy - an important factor when working close to animals.

Having the right vehicle enables us to get into the right position for that very important shot. These are working bush vehicles and the emphasis is always on getting results, never the cosmetics of the paintwork. There are occasions when we may hold off to get it tomorrow, after all without the vehicle there is no safari. What is important is that we know the capabilities and that your safety is paramount. That is also why we spend considerable sums of money on preventative maintenance.

The vehicles have been modified with roof hatches and comfortable seats - with plenty of pockets and space for your equipment - to give you maximum vision to shoot high or low. Our vehicles have not been extended so are restricted to four in the back plus the driver and maybe one other in the front passenger seat. You will see a number of extended Landrovers in the bush. The extra length greatly effects the way they drive, they bounce about like mad and need more turning space. It is more difficult to hear at the very back, and it means more shuffling back and forth so that everyone can see - all just to carry an additional two clients!

On each safari there is a maximum of four clients per Landrover with two sharing each large hatch. However an increasing number of clients, including photographers equipped with top-of-the-range professional cameras and large telephoto lenses (300mm F2.8, 500mm or 600mm F4 or similar to these), have asked to have either a hatch to themselves or an exclusive vehicle. If, for any reason, you feel this would be right for you neither of these requirements is a problem and we often have clients who book a whole exclusive safari!

So, rather than trying to sort out the allocations of Landrovers on arrival in the bush I can now guarantee you your wish if it is booked in advanced. As you may have guessed this will incur an additional fee as it will mean we will have to run extra vehicles. An exclusive hatch and row of seats will cost an extra £50 per day whilst an exclusive Landrover will cost only £110 per day.

We have carried out a lot of work over the closed season on the Landrover Defenders and they all now have fully opening rear side windows, a great asset for photographers.

I have also recently introduced an exciting new additional vehicle to the fleet which has been specifically adapted for photographer’s needs. It is based on the Landrover Discovery and is a no-compromise vehicle allowing the photographer an unprecedented range of viewing options. I think I can truly say that there has never been a vehicle that answers so many of the problems that photographers encounter when trying to get the ultimate shot on safari. Ideally suited to the professional or serious amateur photographer, I welcome your enquiries for the exclusive use of this vehicle.

John Devries of Ophrys Photography, who has tested this vehicle in tough safari conditions, has this to say:

“I was very fortunate to be provided with a specially converted Landrover Discovery (Disco) to evaluate for the duration of my stay on the Mara. (Note - you will get severely reprimanded if you call this a Jeep/truck/bus/van etc !) Brian is about to make this vehicle available to other photographers in the future for an additional fee. It is very well thought-out and must represent just about the ultimate wildlife photography vehicle for the purposes of safari photography.

The Disco has been strengthened and has had its doors removed and replaced with a horizontal shelf that is positioned at just the right height to comfortably take a bean bag (provided). It is possible to shoot anywhere along the side of the vehicle at eye level to your subject. As there is only the driver's seat plus two passenger seats (which swivel) there is a great deal of space inside and there was plenty of room to put my 1Dmk III camera plus 500mm lens on the floor in front of me. Brian also kindly provided me with a bespoke padded canvas bag to protect the equipment from dust and knocks. I additionally used a full frame camera plus 70-200 f2.8 IS lens which I kept in an old unfastened camera bag for the animals that were close to the vehicle. I strongly recommend operating two rigs like this on safari as it saves time when something unexpected appears and it reduces the need to change lenses in dusty conditions - although there wasn't much dust this year as we had frequent rain showers in the late afternoons.

The Disco also has two closable roof cut-outs so you can still shoot in any direction unhindered when standing up. It is nice to be able to stand up to act as "spotter" or just to enjoy a cooling breeze in hot weather. The area which used to be occupied by the side windows has been fitted with roll-up plastic screens. I used these to great effect keep me and my lens dry while photographing cheetahs in a rain storm. Finally, the area below the shelf where the doors used to be is covered in canvas and held in place by velcro. They can be rolled up for ground-level shooting if required. I will never forget the sight of photographing two exquisite cheetahs walking straight towards me to within a couple of metres while I laid on the floor at slightly below their eye level - now that was a wildlife experience! I wouldn't be that brave with a leopard though.

If you don't go for the Disco, the normal Landrovers are still very good for photography. The side windows have been modified to open on telescopic struts. Also there are no roof pillars to get in your way anywhere when standing up, but as you are exposed to the sun, a sun hat and suncream are essential. As the Mara is at quite a high altitude it is a very pleasant temperature most of the time despite being located on the equator. Mornings and evenings are surprisingly chilly, so a fleece and hat are required. The only time that it gets uncomfortably hot is around midday if you are static waiting for an animal such as a leopard to appear, but we usually returned to camp for lunch at this time anyway - so it was not a problem”.

Vehicles

"Having been to Kenya a few times previously on tourist safaris which were enjoyable, we wanted our last safari, in 1997, to be something different. We saw an advertisement for Brian's company which appeared to fulfill our needs. It was going to be our last trip to Kenya, so we wanted it to be completely different - and different it was! It wasn't like going away with a tour company, it was as if we'd known Brian for years and like being with friends. Needless to say, it did not turn out to be our last safari and in 2001 we returned [to Kenya] with Brian. We challenged him to show us something different and this challenge was met and the safari exceeded all our expectations! We look forward to our next last safari!"

Tony and Cathy