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Join us in the stunning wilderness of Southern Tanzania.

We’re incredibly excited to be taking you to some photographic hidden gems during a photo safari in the southern part of Tanzania. We’ll be traveling to places hardly anyone gets to see to photograph lions, leopards, elephants, and so much more. We’ll stay in remote reserves and national parks, each with its own unique landscapes and photographic opportunities, and you’ll be guided by expert local guides. What’s more, you’ll be staying in beautiful camps and lodges – surrounded by nature only – on this exclusive and all-inclusive Tanzania Photo Safari.

When most think of Tanzania, it’s the Serengeti, the Ngongoro Crater, and the migration that come to mind first. We decided to do things differently; to take you somewhere a bit more exclusive. These national parks in the Southern part of the country offer the same incredible game viewing as the north, only without the crowds and the over-used safari routes. You’ll get a personal experience of untouched wilderness, and see a side of Tanzania that very few people do.

Our Tanzania photo safari is, needless to say, entirely designed around getting you to the best spots for encountering and photographing wildlife. And to ensure you’ll get the most out of the experience, wildlife photographer Alan Hewitt will be accompanying you, and offering tutoring throughout.

Quick Facts

Tanzania
Oct 2 - 13, 2024
Wildlife Photography
Photography Guide: Alan Hewitt
Group Size: Max 6
All Photography Levels

Tour & Destination Highlights

  • Encounter and photograph big cats, large herds of elephants, buffalos, wild dogs, and many more species of wildlife
  • Visit hidden gems in the untouched wilderness of Southern Tanzania, and stay in remote camps that are only accessible by air 
  • Travel in intimately sized groups with photography workshops tailored to your level of experience
  • Learn about the unique wildlife, geography, and history of the area from your expert guide
  • Grow and develop as a photographer whilst building an incredible portfolio of wildlife images

Quick Facts

Tanzania
Oct 2 - 13, 2024
Wildlife Photography
Photography Guide: Alan Hewitt
Group Size: Max 6

PRICING OVERVIEW

USD $8490GBP £EUR €ZAR RAUD $
USDGBPEURZARAUD

At the current exchange rate. Please note final quote might vary slightly


per person sharing

INCLUDING

  • Accommodation
  • All meals
  • All internal flights
  • All transportation & Airport transfers
  • Entrance fees
  • Photographic tutoring

EXCLUDING

  • International Flights
  • Personal travel insurance
EXPLORE

Photography in Tanzania

Prepare for a real experience of untouched African wilderness.

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WHAT TO EXPECT IN TANZANIA

Your Photographic Experience

Situated in Southern Tanzania are some of the largest and most remote National Parks in all of Africa, along with most of the country’s protected areas. So, prepare for a real experience of untouched African wilderness. You’ll visit Tanzania’s largest and second largest national parks: Nyerere National Park, with its 500 species of birds and the Rufji River sprawling across it; and Ruaha, with its thousands of ancient baobab trees and the continent’s largest population of lions. You’ll also visit the Mikumi National Park, home to endemic species of primate, huge herds of buffalo and elephants, and healthy populations of leopards. Due to their position on the globe, these parks host an extraordinary variety of wildlife and nature. At a convergence zone between Sub-Saharan Africa’s Southern and Eastern wildlife areas, Southern Tanzania sees wildlife from both. Further, sitting between the northern and southern hemisphere, these parks see an incredible array of migratory birds and greatly varied topography. We’ll be staying at three locations that all offer a slightly different experience in terms of setting, activities, and game viewing opportunities. Ruaha National Park is one of the best reasons to come to Southern Tanzania. The park contains many species of antelope that can’t be found further north. It has the largest Lion population of any national park in Africa, containing one-tenth of the world’s lion population. You can expect great encounters with other predators too: striped and spotted hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, jackals, and wild dogs. The area is amazing for bird photography too, as it’s home to over 500 bird species. Nyerere National Park, a world heritage site, offers photographic opportunities of a slightly different nature. Bisected by the Rufji River, Nyerere is the only game area in Tanzania to offer boat cruises and walking safaris along the river. Expect to photograph crocodiles, hippos, pythons and monitor lizards. It also holds half Tanzania’s population of elephants and the highest density of wild dogs of anywhere in Africa. Packs as large as 56 have been seen in the past, twice the average size. Mikumi National Park, surrounded by mountains on all sides, has the world’s largest population of eland and plenty of wildebeest, impala, and zebra. The park has plenty of predators too, with great chances of encountering all big cats. In addition, our lodge offers plenty of opportunities for spotting the nocturnal wildlife that roams around our rooms — like porcupines, civets, and genets. It’s also not uncommon for the occasional elephant to roam through. Throughout this photo safari, you will be guided by Alan Hewitt; seasoned wildlife and conservation photographer and official UK ambassador for FUJIFILM. With a wealth of experience and expertise for you to learn from, Alan is a fantastic person to have around on a photo safari. Not only will he be there coaching you on the practical side of things out on game drives, you’ll also benefit from theory sessions between excursions. What’s more, due to the small group sizes on this tour, Alan can cater workshops to photographers of all levels of experience. So, whether you’re semi-pro or just starting off, this Tanzania photo tour could be a great way to take your photography to the next level.
SPECTACULAR COMFORT

Your Accommodation

photo safari accommodation in tanzania

This Tanzania photo safari has you staying in a series of Foxes Safari Camps: well-equipped, carbon-negative, luxury safari lodges and camps in stunning locations. Your first stay in Mikumi National Park is the Vuma Hills Tented Camp. Perched on a hillside, the camp overlooks the Mkata plain, so expect stunning views from the veranda. The camp has comfortable permanent safari tents raised on wooden platforms, all dotted around the camp’s restaurant, bar and swimming pool. Whilst well-sheltered, tucked away in a shaded woodland, this camp is actually inside the park and regularly sees wildlife wandering through.

Your next stay is at the Ruaha River Lodge. Perfectly situated alongside the Great Ruaha River, the lodge offers spectacular panoramas of the riverbanks and the wildlife that are drawn there from neighboring hills. Hippo and croc sightings are guaranteed here and there have been several sightings of lion and leopard kills from the lodge. Your final camp, the Rufji River Camp is positioned alongside the Rufji River with views of the sprawling waterways and their resident wildlife. It has 24 tents, each individually sited with their own verandas.

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WORKSHOP LEADER

Alan Hewitt

Alan Hewitt

WORKSHOP LEADER

Alan Hewitt

Alan Hewitt is a wildlife and conservation photographer, writer, and workshop leader. Mainly driven by his appreciation for and fascination of wildlife, Alan’s aim with his photography is to document our natural world and use this as a tool for conservation. His work has been used to support wildlife conservation organisations in Kenya, as well as ones closer to his home in the UK, including campaigns to save nature reserves that are home to iconic and endangered species. Alan is an official UK ambassador for FUJIFILM.

EXPERIENCE

Your Photo Tour Itinerary

Day 1HELLO Dar Es Salaam
After arriving in Dar Es Salaam, we’ll spend a night in a hotel to recover from the flight and prepare for the journey ahead.
Day 2Flight to Mikumi National Park
Air transfer to Vuma Hills Tented Camp in Mikumi National Park. We’ll waste no time once we arrive and after dropping off bags, you’ll head out on your first game drive.
Day 3 - 4VUMA HILLS IN MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK
You’ll spend a further two days in Mikumi National Park. You’ll visit different parts of the park, go on game viewings, enjoy great meals at camp in the evenings, and maybe see some nocturnal species wandering about.
Day 5Flight to Ruaha National Park
We’ll move on to Ruaha National Park with another short air transfer and settle in to Ruaha River Lodge. In the afternoon, we’ll start exploring this stunning wilderness on a sunset game drive.
Day 6 - 8RUAHA RIVER LODGE AT RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
We’ll spend some full days exploring the Ruaha National Park. Here, you’ll be in the company of the largest population of lions in any national park in Africa — in prides sometimes as big as twenty— and what is thought to be the largest population of elephants in Tanzania.
Day 9 FLIGHT TO SELOUS NATIONAL PARK
Another quick flight to the final accommodation of our Tanzania photo safari, Rufiji River Camp. This camp occupies a stunning position overlooking the vast waterways of the Rufiji, which attracts a wealth of wildlife. We’ll enjoy a first game drive or boat safari on our first afternoon.
Day 10 - 11RUFIJI RIVER CAMP At SELOUS NATIONAL PARK
We’ll be treated to some full days in Selous National Park, where game drives will be mixed up with walking safaris and boat cruises, to give a full range of angles and photographic opportunities.
Day 12Good Bye & Departure from Dar Es Salaam
After a last game drive, we’ll take the short flight back to Dar Es Salaam, where we’ll say our goodbyes and head off home – or on other travel adventures.

Tanzania Photo Safari

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Tanzania photo safari
Tanzania photo safari

At Penda, we're all about creating incredible photographic opportunities.

Our photo tours and safaris will take you to the right place, at the right time, to get that epic shot. You'll be guided by a professional photographer, who will help you take your photography to the next level, and we keep our trips exclusive by traveling in small groups. Whether it's in Kenya's sprawling savannahs, Yellowstone's snowy interior, or the jungles of India, your journey will be filled with photography magic.

Why travel with us

Feedback from our guests

Alan was a friendly supportive professional guide throughout keeping us aware at all times. Wildlife – better every day! Leopards with kill up trees, lions female and male doing what they do, big five in first 24 hours, bee eaters and roller birds, close proximity overnight to wild sounds, great colleagues, and friendly staff. I really enjoyed the overall experience.

Derek Bridel

Derek Bridel

The wildlife was amazing and photo opportunities were many and varied. For my first safari it was incredible. There were three highlights. Firstly the silence being remote from human intervention, secondly eagle rock and the crossings we witnessed of elephants, giraffe, wildebeest, impala, baboons and storks across the dry river bed and thirdly the lions and leopard with an impala kill up a tree. And of course lots and lots of memorable elephants. A truly memorable experience. Thank you.

Keith Mead

Keith Mead

I cannot say enough positive things about my workshop experience. Every aspect was absolutely superb — shoot locations and time of day, attention, help and extremely valuable feedback from our leader Emil, logistics, organization, and communication. Hands down, I’ve never learned so much from a photo workshop before. Also, Emil’s passion, enthusiasm, and energy are infectious and, coupled with his eagerness to share a deep knowledge of photography (creative AND technical) and of the places we visited, made the workshop an experience of a lifetime.

Richard Silver

Richard Silver

This trip definitely reached my expectations; I got exposed to much more than I expected. The particular care and attentiveness of the instructors was a couple steps above my previous experiences with photo workshops. I would recommend Penda.

Val Mahan

Val Mahan

Extraordinary experience – trip of a lifetime. Thank you for everything. Highlights were all the animal encounters, and just being immersed in the bush with nice people.

Axel Elfner

Axel Elfner

Without doubt it was one of the best photographic trips and adventures that I have undertaken in the last 15 years. Emil was outstanding as the lead for the group and the other two members were really good as well so all in all it made for a fabulous journey. The variety of both animals and landscapes made the trip so interesting and we had one or two wow moments when we encountered something really special.

MIKE HALL

MIKE HALL

I had fun, met new people from different parts of the world, saw many wonderful animals, was well taken care of and felt safe within each of the two lodges. Photography workshops were full of good help and advice where it was needed. I left this holiday with a light and satisfied heart.

Chris McConnell

Chris McConnell

This trip far surpassed my expectations. Having such good guides/trackers, and such an experienced approachable photographer ensured that we saw plenty of wildlife and photographed them in the best conditions and positions. Had such a wonderful time.

Annette O’Connell

Annette O’Connell

It was FANTASTIC! The food was plentiful and delicious and the accommodations were quite comfortable. Sam is an excellent teacher and I would HIGHLY recommend his workshop to photographers of any skill level. It’s truly amazing what we accomplished in one short week. I just wanted to let you know, it was an unforgettable experience and I’m very grateful to Penda Photo Tours.

Suzanne Evans

Suzanne Evans

The game drives were first rate and the opportunities they presented plentiful. In particular the number and variety of leopard sightings were simply outstanding. Alan Hewitt was a first rate tutor and coach as well as being an engaging and committed host.

David Callaghan

David Callaghan

The whole experience was exceptional from start to finish. Everyone involved was amazing, especially Marleen, Andrew and Andy. I would not hesitate in doing it all again. A highlight for me was conquering my fear of taking street portraits.

Trevor Bancroft

Trevor Bancroft

Up Close with Wildlife

Up Close with Wildlife

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