Explore the vast and stunning wilderness of Botswana through your lens
Explore the vast and dramatic wilderness of Botswana through your lens. Home to a wealth of beautiful landscapes and a multitude of wildlife, Botswana offers a diversity of exclusive photographic experiences.
During this workshop, we will venture to some of the most sought-after wilderness destinations of the world, discovering the white fossilised shores of Kubu Island and camping under the ancient baobab trees in Makgadikgadi Pans. From there we will explore the fan-like and iconic Okavango Delta, photographing elephants, big cats, and other impressive wildlife. Offering some exciting variety of focus, we’ll end up in Victoria Falls, where we’ll photograph the mighty falls. Guided by BBC presenter and wildlife photographer Trai Anfield, you’ll be sure to capture some beautifully dramatic moments on this photo tour of Botswana. And for an ultimate African wildlife experience, you can combine this workshop with our Mountain Gorilla Photography Workshop in Rwanda! Read on to find out more, or get in touch to apply or ask us any questions you might have.
QUICK FACTS
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Botswana |
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October 17 -29, 2017 |
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Landscape & Wildlife Photography |
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Leader: Trai Anfield |
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Group Size: Max. 8 |
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All Photography Levels |
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
1
Photograph African Wildlife
Encounter and photograph a large variety African wildlife, including elephants, lions, and leopards
2
Explore the wilderness of Botswana
Explore the true wilderness of Botswana through your lens
3
Victoria Falls
Visit the mighty Victoria Falls, a real photographic treat
4
Photographic training
Receive photographic training from experienced wildlife photographer Trai Anfield
5
Stunning tented camps
Spend your nights in the wilderness, in stunning tented camps, where all necessities are provided
6
Personalised guidance
Enjoy a small group size, ensuring personalised guidance
7
Exclusive access and private trackers
Have exclusive access and private trackers, ensuring close encounters with wildlife
- Photography African Wilderness
- Explore Botswana
- Victoria Falls
- Photographic Training
- Personalised guidance
- Stuning tented camps
- Exclusive access and private trackers
THE DESTINATION
Home to a wealth of wildlife and sensational landscapes, Botswana is a photographic treasure. We will marvel at the desert landscape of Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. On game drives we will explore the far-stretching and somewhat surreal-looking salt pans and spot the big cats, jackals, zebra, and many antelope that inhabit this landscape. In the lush area of the iconically fan-shaped Okavango Delta, prepare yourselves for close encounters with the wildlife; elephants, kudu and zebra being but a few, as they gather around the river beds and watering holes.
To have a true wilderness experience, but be comfortable at the same time, we’ll have the pleasure of staying in luxury tented camps, equipped with everything you will need. You will enjoy comfortable ensuite tents and gorgeous meals that will be cooked for you, but feel part of your stunning surroundings at the same time.
At the end of the photo safari, we’ll cross the border into Zimbabwe to spend a couple of days near the Victoria Falls; another photographic highlight. These mighty falls are impressive to witness, and a real treat to capture with your camera. The area also offers a wide range of adventurous optional activities; you could choose to encounter elephants from up close, see the falls from the air during a helicopter flight, or, if you’re the dare-devil type, you could do a bungee jump or explore the Zambezi while rafting.
ACCOMODATION
While exploring the Makgadikgadi Pans, we’ll stay at Meno A Kwena, a magical tented camp that offers the perfect balance of wilderness and comfort. It camp is designed to take full advantage of incredible views, but offers luxurious details. The camp has of nine gorgeous ensuite guest tents, all ensuite with flush toilets and authentic African showers. All tents overlook a river where many animals come to drink – so you can watch game without leaving your bedroom! The camp has a natural rock pool, a living area, a dining area, solar power for charging batteries and energy saving lights.
In Khwai and Savuti, we’ll be staying at Letaka tented camps; beautiful camps set up in exclusive wilderness locations. The camps offer an authentic safari experience in incredible settings. You’ll be staying in comfortable tents with private bathroom facilities that have long drop toilets and warm bucket showers. At the front of each tent is a covered area for relaxing in the shade. Both the tents and the rest of the camp have lighting and options for charging batteries. Meals will be served in a dining tent or outside under the starry sky, and despite being in the heart of Botswana’s wilderness, you can enjoy some fantastic cuisine.
In Victoria Falls, we’ll stay at a comfortable house that we’ll have all to ourselves. The house has a living area, outside and inside dining areas, a pool, and a garden, and it’s walking distance to the center of town, where you’ll find shops, cafes, restaurants, and markets. Breakfast will be served for you at the house, and for lunch and dinner you’ll have the freedom to explore some of the many nice restaurants in the area.
Botswana is a rare treat, photography-wise. It offers us an amazing amount of wildlife, including the Big Five, in a number of vastly different but all captivating landscapes. Expect to photograph lions, elephants, leopards, zebras and other iconic African wildlife, as well as a great variety of birds and antelope. Guided by personal trackers and enjoying daily game drives and occasional walking safaris, as well as a possible Mokoro trip in the Delta, you will be sure to get to the right place at the right time.
YOUR WORKSHOP
Throughout this Botswana photographic safari, you’ll be guided by professional photographer Trai Anfield. She’ll provide photographic tutoring, both during theory sessions and in the field, and will be able to offer assistance with technical issues, composition, and post-production. Since we’re traveling in a small group, there will be plenty of time for individual tutoring.
YOUR 11-DAY ITINERARY
Day 1 : Arrival at Maun Airport
Arrival at Maun Airport, where you will be met by one our team members and driven to Meno A Kwena Tented Camp in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park area. We’ll get introduced to this strikingly beautiful area, and its array of wildlife, during a first game drive at the end of the afternoon.
Day 2 : Exploring Makgadikgadi Pans National Park
Full day exploring Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, an area of vast stretches of shimmering salt pans that offers itself brilliantly to photography. It is particularly known for its populations of wildebeest, hyena, flamingo, and a variety of antelope. We’ll be treated to two games drives, each two to three hours each. The first will set off as the African sun shines its first light and casts warm shadows across the landscape. A full and delicious breakfast will be waiting for you at the lodge when you return, and there will be time for photography workshops, editing, and relaxing afterwards. After lunch, at the end of the afternoon, we’ll head out for another three-hour game drive. This time we’ll photograph in the last warm light of the day, and experience the bush as night is falling. The day will be concluded by an indulgent dinner. During the game drives, you’ll be guided by an experienced ranger and tracker, and accompanied by Trai for photographic guidance.
Day 3 - 4 : Khwai Concession
After another early-morning game drive, we will make our way to the Khwai Concession. Here you will discover the beauty of the Okavango Delta, an incredible and complex eco-system that is home to a large variety of wildlife. During two game drives a day, expect to encounter elephants, lions, buffalo, and many other animals. You’ll also have the option of a Mokoro trip, an aquatic exploration of the Delta in a traditional and iconic cut-out canoe. This will allow you to experience the tranquility and beauty of the delta system, and get a different photographic perspective of both the scenery and the wildlife.
Day 5 -9 : Savuti Channel
We will take a full day game drive to Savuti, stopping for lunch and snacks. We will make camp for four nights on the Savuti Channel, hub for both plains and predatory wildlife. Here, we will again enjoy two game drives a day, and this time you can expect to encounter many big cats, including leopards
Day 10 : Kasane
We’ll make our way to Kasane, where we’ll cross the border to Zimbabwe and settle into our lodge in Victoria Falls.
Day 11 : Victoria Falls
A full day of exploring and photographing the mighty Victoria Falls, and doing some of the many optional activities this place has to offer, like rafting, micro light flights, and elephant encounters.
Day 7 : Depature
Time to wrap up. You’ll be taken to Victoria Falls Airport, from where you can start making your way back home.
QUICK FACTS
|
Botswana |
|
October 17 -29, 2017 |
|
Landscape & Wildlife Photography |
|
Leader: Trai Anfield |
|
Group Size: Max. 8 |
|
All Photography Levels |
£ 5 695
pp sharing
INCLUDES
- All accommodation
- All meals in Botswana (day 1 to the morning of day 10) and breakfast in Victoria Falls (day 11 and 12)
- All transport during the workshop, as per the itinerary
- All activities as per the itinerary
- Airport transfers (pick up from Maun and drop-off in Victoria Falls)
- Photographic tutoring throughout the trip
- Guidance by professional guides throughout the trip
- An indirect contribution to the Penda Trust, as part of our proceeds go towards funding the running costs of our charity
- A tree that will be planted on your behalf by Greenpop, as a way to help compensate for your carbon footprint
EXCLUDES
- Flights
- Lunch and Dinner on day 10 and 11
- Travel insurance
- Any additional activities
- Tips
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
Trai recommends the following gear:
- Camera body (and a spare of some description – even just a phone)
- Plenty of spare charged batteries
- Plenty of spare cleared memory cards
- A variety of lenses that suit both landscape photography (wider angle) and wildlife photography (telephoto). The wider end of the spectrum (anything from 10mm – 50mm) will give great shots that include some habitat context as well as your subject, and may also come in handy for night time astro photography if conditions allow. For closer detail 300mm – 400mm is ideal. You may also have the chance to use a macro lens, for instance on flora and insects.
*If you would like to hire a lens for the trip we can recommend some reliable providers
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Hard drive and a laptop/external drive to download and store your photographs on should you fill your memory cards. If you wish to edit your photographs on the trip please bring a laptop loaded with the software you use – I’m also happy to demonstrate both Photoshop and Lightroom on my laptop.
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A water/dust proof covering for your camera and lens – doesn’t have to be expensive, I use cheap transparent plastic ones from the internet – they do the job fine and have the bonus of being really light. Even if it doesn’t actually rain, photographing Victoria Falls can be a very wet experience.
- A tripod will be useful.
WORKSHOP LEADER
Trai Anfield has an impressive CV. She is a photographer, workshop leader, video journalist, producer, and meteorologist. She spent 13 years presenting the weather forecast and hosting various programs for the BBC, before deciding to combine her love of photography, conservation, and travel to set up an independent production company several years ago. This allows her to photograph the natural world, host wildlife photography workshops around the world, and support a variety of conservation charities that she is passionate about. Trai still presents The Living World, BBC Radio 4’s flagship natural history program, and she also writes wildlife and environment articles for various magazines.
£ 5 695
pp sharing
INCLUDES
- All accommodation
- All meals in Botswana (day 1 to the morning of day 10) and breakfast in Victoria Falls (day 11 and 12)
- All transport during the workshop, as per the itinerary
- All activities as per the itinerary
- Airport transfers (pick up from Maun and drop-off in Victoria Falls)
- Photographic tutoring throughout the trip
- Guidance by professional guides throughout the trip
- An indirect contribution to the Penda Trust, as part of our proceeds go towards funding the running costs of our charity
- A tree that will be planted on your behalf by Greenpop, as a way to help compensate for your carbon footprint
EXCLUDES
- Flights
- Lunch and Dinner on day 10 and 11
- Travel insurance
- Any additional activities
- Tips
WORKSHOP LEADER
Trai Anfield has an impressive CV. She is a photographer, workshop leader, video journalist, producer, and meteorologist. She spent 13 years presenting the weather forecast and hosting various programs for the BBC, before deciding to combine her love of photography, conservation, and travel to set up an independent production company several years ago. This allows her to photograph the natural world, host wildlife photography workshops around the world, and support a variety of conservation charities that she is passionate about. Trai still presents The Living World, BBC Radio 4’s flagship natural history program, and she also writes wildlife and environment articles for various magazines.
