This great value safari offers you fantastic opportunities to get up close and personal with some of the most exciting animals in the world, in one of Africa’s most amazing wilderness areas: the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The very name of Kruger evokes images of crisp, clear winter mornings with the orange ball of the sun rising up over the horizon, the early morning grunt of lions in the distance and the whicker of zebras arguing about which route to follow. It’s the early morning scent of Mother Africa’s great paradise, stirring for another day of adventure. It’s the primeval prickling of the hair on the back of your neck at the whoop of hunting hyenas in the dead of night.
This is a 9 day safari with an incredible variety of amazing experiences and photographic opportunities, both for landscapes and wildlife. Four of the nights are spent camping in the Kruger National Park itself (in “big cat” country), while for the remainder we stay in comfortable lodges on the way to the Kruger.
Dates: 1-9 September 2016
Cost: £3,795 per person sharing, all inclusive (25% non-refundable deposit payable upon booking; see below for details).
Day 1 International flight to Oliver Tambo Airport (Johannesburg), if required.
Day 2 Transfer to Dullstroom. Relax in the afternoon and explore local art galleries.
Day 3 Transfer to Blyderivier Canyon. Visit Canyon for landscape and sunset photographic opportunities. Evening photographic briefing and discussion.
Day 4 Sunrise photography at the Canyon. Transfer to Maroela Camp in the Kruger National Park. Game-viewing en route (time permitting). After settling into your home for the next five days, relax around the camp fire with a delicious braai (BBQ) dinner and thrill to the night sounds. You might also be able to entice a couple of exciting bush tales out of your rugged ranger before retiring to your tent with its comfortable spring beds, for a well-deserved sleep. Accommodation is in basic but comfortable safari-style tents. One of the many highlights of this part of the trip is the cooking of our guide, who used to be a gourmet chef (well, he still is, which is great news for us!).
Day 5 An early morning wake-up call with tea or coffee and rusks. We leave camp as soon as the gates open for our morning game drive. We hope to be able to find some hunting lions or an elegant leopard in search of a slow moving impala for breakfast! After a few adventures we will stop at one of the Park’s rest camps or picnic sites to enjoy a bush brunch prepared by our ranger. At about midday we return to camp for a siesta and a bit of photography tutoring. Mid-afternoon we head back into the bush as nature starts the late shift. We return to camp as the gates close for another tasty bush dinner around the fire followed by a photography debrief and sharing of experiences and tips with our fellow photographers.
Day 6 As Day 5 but including a night drive to spot nocturnal animals.
Day 7 As Day 5.
Day 8 Transfer to Blyderivier Canyon. Game viewing en route. Evening safari debrief.
Day 9 Sunrise canyon photography opportunities. Transfer back to Johannesburg/Oliver Tambo.
This blog post will give you a good idea of what’s involved in the camping safari and what you can expect to see (although sightings of particular animals cannot be guaranteed).
The cost is £3,795 per person sharing. A 25% non-refundable deposit is payable at the time of booking, with the remainder payable 12 weeks before departure.
The price includes international flights from the UK, accommodation, food, drinks, transfers, game drives, all other activities, daily conservation fees and photography tuition.
The price excludes tips, insurance and visas.
The above cost applies to payment by bank transfer; please add 3% to the total cost if paying by Paypal.
The number of photographers is limited to six, so please book early!
When you have booked your trip Adriaan will contact you to discuss your level of photographic experience, your objectives for the safari and what equipment may be useful to bring along. He can also recommend some exercises, background reading and workshops to help you prepare for your trip.
During the safari Adriaan will be on hand to provide advice on location (if and when required), and you will also have the option to participate in photography feedback sessions. During these sessions he can provide one-to-one support to address any areas of difficulty or uncertainty, to advise on composition, etc.
When the safari has finished you are warmly invited to join our Safari Club to stay in touch with fellow enthusiasts and to start planning your next trip!
To book: please contact Adriaan to express your interest and arrange payment.
I enjoyed the safari and learnt a lot. Over the past three years I’ve been to the Kruger National Park several times and I’ve taken thousands of photographs, but now it all seems to “come together” — and the results are much better. It will now be a standard feature on my August calendar to join the KNP safari!
Jacques, Professor of Zoology, South Africa
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