Embark on a breathtaking photographic safari to South Africa and immerse yourself in the stunning landscapes and wildlife of this diverse country. Witness the Big Five in their natural habitat, take bush walks to have close on the ground encounters with wildlife and participate in conservation. With expert professional guides and trackers, this safari promises unforgettable moments and incredible photo opportunities. 

Your tailor made photographic safari will take you to two of Southern Africa’s top wildlife viewing and photographically fulfilling wildlife havens: Timbavati Private Nature Reserve and Madikwe Game Reserve.

Timbavati Private Nature Reserve

Situated in the Greater Kruger Area in a LOW-RISK MALARIA AREA with the highest carrying capacity of wildlife per hectare in South Africa the species Richness will lend to ample opportunities to get up close and personal with your subjects. You will be enjoying the abundant wildlife the Timbavati has to offer from the remote and quiet vantage of your privately guided vehicle and bush walks in the expansive and encompassing wilderness. The free-roaming wildlife residing in the teeming lush vegetation will give you an opportunity for up-close and personal portraits of Buffalo, hippo, Giraffe, wild dog and some of the more elusive creatures like leopard and possibly even a pangolin. High densities of predators will give you the chance of witnessing and photographing hunts, fights, territorial disputes and the ever fluid operatic life of South Africa’s top predators

Bateleur Tented Camp

Situated in the heart of the Timbavati Nature Reserve on a privately owned shared concession that borders the Kruger National Park. Your luxury tented accommodation has views of the bushveld and a dry riverbed that hosts buffalo, leopard, elephant, nyala, impala, bushbuck and much more. The tranquil and serene birdlife will lull you into a state of relaxation between game drives and bushwalks. The sounds of hyeana and lion calling in the night will put you to sleep and keep you invigorated for the next days safari adventures.

Madikwe Game Reserve

A 78,000ha MALARIA FREE wilderness area in north-central South Africa Madikwe has beautiful landscapes and wildlife diversity associated with it’s unique ecotone between Bushveld and Sandveld. The photographic opportunities are endless. Madikwe Game Reserve is home to all the Big 5 plus African Wild Dog and Cheetah. Our guide will take you out on twice daily game drives or bush walks giving you an immersive wilderness experience traversing through the arid edge of the Kalahari basin. Because of Madikwe’s Unique position in an ecotone between two ecosystems the Species Diversity is high. Madikwe boasts sightings of Spotted and Brown Hyaena, aardvark and aardwolf, various Antelope species including springbok, eland and red hartebeest.

Madikwe’s Bird life is sundry and photographically alluring. Over 350 species have been recorded on Madikwe. Time of year dictates the abundance of birds with the wet summer months boasting migrants such as Carmine and Blue-Cheeked Bee-Eater as well as Lesser Flamingo as they migrate towards the south-eastern coast . Resident species like the vibrant Crimson Breasted Shrike and Raptor species including African Hawk and Tawny Eagles stay through the dry winter months giving any photographer or birder ample opportunities to enjoy the ever busy life of birds.

Little Madikwe

Nestled inside the heart of Madikwe Game Reserve at the foot of a a rocky outcrop is your private accommodation. Here is where we will have all of our meals and be resting our heads. 

Our Game Drives and Bush Walks will depart from Little Madikwe every morning and afternoon.

Arrive in Johannasburg International airport. After you've collected your luggage and cleared customs, meet you driver who will be holding a sign with your name in the arrivals hall. The driver will take you to our guesthouse where you will check in and settle into your comfortable room. At 6 pm, I will host a welcome dinner in the guesthouse dining room where you will get to meet your fellow travelers and we'll discuss the trip and any last minute details. 

We will rise and shine early and be ready to depart for our first safari lodge at 6 am. We will be taking a comfortable shuttle with plenty of rest stops for bathrooms and snacks. We'll arrive at the serene Bateleur Tented Camp at around 1 pm where we will check in, have a short briefing and settle into our rooms. 

Enjoy a hearty high tea at 2:30 pm as we talk about our first safari drive and what we might see. At 3 pm we depart and the excitement begins! 

Once we're back, drop off your equipment, freshen up and join your fellow travelers by the fire for a drink and sharing stories. Depending on our return time, dinner will be served around 7:30 pm or later if we are out longer. 

We'll continue to explore different areas around Timbavati looking for and photographing wildlife and birds. At times, we may have opportunities to get out and have a bush walk and learn about tracking. 

Since our schedule is completely flexible, we will leave early, before sunrise to find wildlife to photograph in the golden light. Depending on what we are seeing, we will usually head back mid to late morning to our lodge for a delicious breakfast and some rest. During our morning breaks, we can meet in the common area to work on editing photos and exploring different photography techniques or if you need some rest and relaxation, consider sipping a cool drink while taking a dip in the pool. We will normally have high tea at 2:30 and head out for our afternoon/evening safari around 3:30.

On Day 5 after our morning safari, we will be joined by Jamie Joseph of Saving The Wild. Jaime has worked tirelessly for the past 10 years to protect rhinos and to raise awareness around their plight. She has taken corruption at all levels of government on through the court system. She will talk to us about her journey and her life's work. She will accompany us on our afternoon drive as we continue to learn about rhino conservation and can hopefully get up close to these magnificent animals. 

Today we will rise early and be ready to depart Timbavati by 5 am. We will be transported by comfortable shuttle to Madikwe private game reserve. We'll have plenty of opportunities to have rest stops along the way. 

We'll arrive in Madikwe between 1 and 2 pm and check in and settle into our rooms. We'll have lunch on our own private deck overlooking a watering hole so we might be joined for lunch by giraffes, zebras or even a herd of elephants!

After lunch we'll grab our gear and head out on our first game drive in this beautiful location. Get ready for spectacular sunsets and breathtaking scenery as we explore our new home for the next few days.

There is so much to see in Madikwe and we have lots of areas to cover. We'll rise early every morning and head out before sunrise to listen and watch for wildlife activity and to position ourselves for the wonderful morning light. 

Mid to late morning, we'll head back to our lodge. Warm yourself by the large stone fireplace or sip some hot chocolate while our breakfast is prepared. Once you've had your fill, join us in our own private common area to edit photos or share stories. Or perhaps, taking a dip in our own private pool is more inviting. Whatever you choose to do, you are surrounded by quiet tranquility punctuated only by the sounds of wildlife coming to the watering hole right in front of our private deck.

We'll be served a hearty high tea at 2:30 pm and we'll grab our gear and get ready to head out for more wildlife adventures. Depending on how far out we are and what we're seeing, dinner will be served around 7:30. 

Alas, all good things must come to an end. We're rise early and head out for a morning game drive. We'll return to our lodge mid morning and have our last delicious breakfast. You'll have some time to finish any last minute packing before we say goodbye to the staff and depart for the airport at 11 am. You can depart on your international flight that evening (after 8 pm) or stay an extra night in Johannesburg.