A guest blog by Kim Horstmanshof, a Penda traveller fresh back from a photo safari across Timbavati and Botswana’s Tuli Wilderness, with all words and photographs by Kim.
Here, Kim shares how two weeks in the wild became a journey of close encounters, creative growth, and unforgettable moments behind the lens.
“I’ve just got back from two back-to-back Penda trips and I don’t think I’ve stopped telling everyone I know “Wow!” yet! At the start of the year, off work recovering from surgery and dreaming of seeing the lions I missed on last year’s family self-drive to Etosha, I started looking for photo safaris. I’d got some great shots, but self-drive and Etosha’s vast distances meant I just wasn’t close enough, or I didn’t have the right light or angle for the shot I wanted. And getting other family members to stop for birds was a big ask too! I knew I wanted some guidance from a professional if possible, to avoid having to get yellow-fever vaccination or take anti-malarials, and if I was going to fly all that way from London down to southern Africa, I wanted the trip to be longer than a week.”
“Once I found Penda’s offer, it all seemed too perfect as it ticked every box for me. A week sharpening my eye and getting used to safari photography again in Timbavati in the greater Kruger, and following it with a week travelling up to Tuli on the Botswana border for almost exclusive access to the Tuli Wilderness reserve with the chance of seeing the infamous ghost of the kopjes, the rare and elusive brown hyena. Both trips with Alan Hewitt, who photography friends knew and recommended as a thoroughly good bloke (can confirm, he’s a great photography tutor and trip leader!), and, importantly, focusing on wildlife sightings and small group sizes rather than unnecessary luxury.”
“This was my first photo tour, and my first real experience in open safari vehicles (bar the odd single drive) after family self-drive trips in Kruger (2001) and Etosha (2025). What a huge difference it makes! Being able to get close up to the animals to get amazing shots – yet behave ethically around them, guided by experienced locals who have spent years studying their behaviour and would rather leave a sighting than distress or crowd them. Knowing that Alan had built a long-term relationship with the drivers and guides we were with so that they put us into the right position for a great shot without even being asked. Getting guidance on composition, settings and technical challenges as we picked up our cameras at each sighting. Being able to ask for help with tricky edits or reviewing shots back at camp between drives. It was absolutely brilliant to be solely focusing on enjoying the sightings and photographing them, knowing that I was going to get some decent shots and able to focus on potential action.”
“I came away with a renewed sense of confidence in my photography skills. I may still be taking way too many photos (approx. 25,000 over the 2 weeks, eek), but there were times I enjoyed putting the camera down or resting the monopod (great tip from Alan for the easiest safari camera support, saved my arms every day of the trip!) and just enjoying the viewings. I shot in portrait far more than I have ever done thanks to Alan, and I dared to switch the white balance off auto, trying to match the gorgeous warm light we enjoyed every morning and evening.”
“The camps were great and all logistics very smooth – thanks to Amy and the team for all their hard work in advance. It’s a long old trek to Tuli but it felt worth it to only see another vehicle (from Serolo’s sister camp) twice in a week, and essentially have the vast reserve to ourselves. Neither camp is five star luxury but they were well-appointed, very comfortable, staff were excellent and the food was great – both camps seeming very unfazed by my dietary requirements and picky tastes. Special shout to Kennedy at Serolo who is a very skilled chef – and made us a porcupineapple one day! He also surprised us twice, first with a bush breakfast on the banks of the Limpopo as we finished a drive one morning, and then on our last evening with a remarkable bush dinner under the stars – incredible once-in-a-lifetime experiences. A quick stop for night sky photography on our way back to camp after the bush dinner and I have the clearest shot of the Milky Way I’ve ever managed – huge thanks to Alan for arranging it as I had been asking if it might be possible for the whole trip (probably a bit annoying after 2 weeks!), and it’s no mean feat to start teaching long exposure when there are lions, hyenas, leopards and even porcupines wandering through camp at night!”
“Both trips felt magical; truly special and a real privilege to be part of. We had amazing sightings both weeks – all of the Big Five in the first 24 hours in Timbavati, with lions mating, hours with leopards, the famous white lion cub, plenty of oxpeckers on giraffe and buffalo to practice our focal point skills, and even a processionary caterpillar chain! Tuli felt truly beyond compare – leopards and brown hyena almost every day, including a fight between them, lions & cubs, kingfishers and bee-eaters galore with lots of opportunities for in-flight shots, and having asked jokingly for an elephant dust-bath, Alan and Jou (our fantastic driver) produced a whole herd dust-bathing in the golden glow of sunset! Our whole group were in awe of the week and couldn’t believe the sightings we’d had – it was really unique.”
“So, since I’ve been home for a while, what has changed? Well, I shall be taking my monopod next time I go out to Bushy Park to look for birds. I’m more confident in my camera settings, compositions, and using pre-capture when the time is right, and I’ve made some fantastic memories and friends for life. Oh, and I’m thinking about where next! I’m trying to persuade my family that Tuli is worth a trip, but in the meantime I’m browsing the Penda listings and eyeing up Madagascar, Costa Rica and the landscapes of Namibia. And I hear the Leopards of Luangwa are really worth seeing… plus I’d return to Tuli in a heartbeat. Maybe I just need a word with the bank manager!”
“If you’re thinking of Timbavati or Tuli and hovering over the ‘contact’ button, I’d highly recommend getting in touch with the Penda team. I had questions about the trip and they were all answered promptly and helpfully by Anna and Amy; Alan helped me out with some tips before we went, and all the pre-trip information was super-helpful. A photo safari is definitely worth its weight in gold – whether it’s your first or 97th!”
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