Specialized Photographic Safaris
Are you ready to experience the thrill of a lifetime? Join us on a professional photographic safari in the wilds of Botswana, combining mobile camping expeditions with carefully selected safari lodges for the ultimate wilderness experience.
Our highly experienced guides will take you on an incredible adventure that blends mobile camping in remote areas with strategically positioned lodges. This combination provides unparalleled access to diverse ecosystems, allowing you to witness some of the world's most incredible wildlife in their natural habitat from multiple perspectives.
The mobile safari takes you deep into untouched wilderness where few visitors venture, while lodge experiences offer luxury tented camps and intimate bush retreats with specialized amenities like elevated hides and photography blinds. From majestic elephants encountered during mobile adventures to graceful giraffes captured from your lodge's viewing deck, you'll have extraordinary opportunities to photograph Africa's most iconic animals.
Our guides have expert knowledge and strong partnerships with both mobile operators and lodges, positioning you in the most productive locations at optimal times. This dual approach gives you raw wilderness adventure under canvas followed by strategic comfort and exclusive access that only established lodges provide. While costs vary based on your chosen combination of mobile camping and lodge accommodations, each component extends your photographic opportunities far beyond single-approach safaris.
Do you need to be a professional photographer to embark on this type of safari?
The short answer is NO! We welcome all photography skills levels, whether you’ve been in the game many years but have never had the chance to photograph on a safari, or you are just taking the first tentative steps into the exciting world of photography.
Photographic safaris are perfect for those who already have a good understanding of photography but who might be looking to take things up a notch, but this is certainly not constrained to the pros and their long lenses.
To really get the best out of your experience, if you are relatively new to photography, we do suggest becoming accustomed to your equipment before you arrive. The last thing you want is to witness a thrilling lion chase but fail to get the picture because your camera settings were well off.
What Kind Of Camera Should I Bring On Safari?
While it would be tempting to say that any old camera will do, we don’t want our customers to be disappointed with the experience simply because of what kind of equipment they brought with them.
With that in mind, if you are planning to photograph wildlife we do recommend a minimum focal length of 400mm, with some wider angles for different situations. You may be able to use a 70-200mm lens as your maximum, though you might find yourself becoming frustrated when your subjects are a distance and your zoom just won’t quite cover it.
What Photography Accessories Should I Bring Along?
As a rough suggestion for a starter kit to bring on a photographic safari aimed at wildlife, we recommend the following:
• Interchangeable lens camera (ideally 24 megapixel and higher)
• 3 lenses covering as much focal range as possible. Examples: 24-70mm + 70-200mm + 100-400mm
• Extra batteries & chargers
• Lens cleaning kit
• Camera bag
• Laptop with external hard drive – Essential (for editing images on safari and backing up your images)
For those serious wildlife photographers, we recommend the following more advanced kit, much of which can either be bought or hired. We can also organise rental gear for you, and if this is the case, please let us know when you book the safari.
• A second inter-changeable lens camera with a shorter focal length lens attached (70-200 works well)
• 400mm f2.8 or 500mm f4 or 600mm f4 prime lens (200-400mm zoom with built-in Teleconverter also great)
• Teleconverters: 1.4x or 2x
• 24-70mm + 70-200mm
It’s certainly not a requirement, but some prefer to bring a monopod or travel tripod on a photo safari. If you intend to do landscape or night-sky photography, a tripod is an absolute must.
Many safari vehicles today can be equipped with bean bags for photographers on request and these offer great flexibility for stabilisation, while some vehicles are also specifically designed and modified with photographers’ comfort in mind.
How Big are our Photographic Groups?
We Strongly believe that six people per vehicle is our maximum, giving every person a window seat.
Obviously the smaller the group the better, but when you get down to two or four per host, costs do begin to go up quickly. If money isn’t an issue, a one-on-one photography safari with an outstanding photographer to lead the way is an experience you won’t be forgetting any time soon.
