BOTSWANA

16 - 26 May 2026 - 1 place left

11 DAY LANDSCAPE & WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

Botswana is widely regarded as the world's top wildlife photography destination. Thanks to vast expanses of pristine African bush and an incredible variety and density of wildlife. Combined with a forward thinking government which prioritised conservation and low-impact, high-value tourism decades ago, it is now the ultimate destination for photographing African wildlife.Join us for this exciting new 10-night itinerary that will deliver a unique new astro destination, combined with Botswana's ultimate photo-destination; Mashatu. This lodge in the far south-east of Botswana offers not only a massive 80000 acre private reserve teeming with everything from Leopard and Elephants to rare predators, many antelope species and birds, but also several purpose-built photographic hides.

Wildlife is a key part of this tour, but we've also included one of Africa's best kept secrets for astro photography - Kubu Island. We're still trying to decipher how it came to be, but this amazing destination is pretty much unknown to the global nature photography community. Kubu Island is a tiny outcrop of granite hills in the middle of the vast Makgadikgadi salt flats. It's beautiful granite boulders are dotted with countless ancient Boabab trees. This simple combination of geometric rocks and the stark shapes of the boabab trees are a landscape- and astro-photographer's paradise..

We will be taking 12 participants with 3 guides - Andy Mumford, Hougaard Malan and Jandre Germishuizen. This will allow us to split all shooting into 3 x groups of 4, each with a guide. This guarantees small groups that get lots of 1-on-1 attention from the guides and also flexibility to tailor everything we do to several different needs/desires on what to shoot. Kubu Island has about 5 really photogenic areas that are far apart, which will allow us to split into smaller groups and also for a few people to wander off and do their own thing. This is ideal for the advanced astro shooters who want to do panoramas or stacking.

At Mashatu, we will have 4x private vehicles allowing each guest to get their own row in the vehicle and photograph on both sides. This also means that on each drive you can choose which animal you want to go looking for; elephant, leopard or birds, etc and then we can split the group up according to those wishes. We’ll also have access to Lala Limpopo Hide, Mashatu's brand new flagship hide as well as the other normal hides included in your price.

A strong focus on all our workshops is on the quality of experience. From the accommodations and food to the photographic support, we want you to go home felling that not only has the trip helped you grow photographically, but has also created memories you’ll keep forever, as well as some great friends.

PRICE

$16500

(price is for shared occupancy. Single room supplement $3000)

Non-photography partner price $14500

GROUP SIZE

12

EXPERIENCE

Amateur, enthusiast and semi-pro photographers.

PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY

Easy, although participants should be prepared to deal with heat

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
All ground-transport from Maun to Kubu Island and Mashatu to Johannesburg
Charter Flight from Kubu Island to Mashatu with 20kg Luggage
All accommodation on a sharing basis, unless single supplement exercised
All meals and all beverages (excluding premium wines and liquors)
3 x Guides (max 4:1 client:guide ratio)
Exclusive game drive vehicles with max 3 guests per vehicle
1 x night in new Lala Limpopo overnight Hide
Unlimited access to original Mashatu Photo Hide
Continuous assistance with your photography and editing
All park permits and fees
NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
Airfare to Maun (Botswana) and from Johannesburg (South Africa)
Premium beverages and snacks
Credit Card surcharges
Travel Insurance

3 PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDES

A RATIO OF 4:1 MEANS YOU GET PLENTY OF SUPPORT

Lala limpopo hide

STAY ONE NIGHT IN MASHATU’S NEWEST PREMIERE PHOTOGRAPHY HIDE

4 private vehicles at mashatu

choose which animals you go looking for

OPTIMAL MOONPHASE FOR ASTRO PHOTOGRAPHY

access to multiple incredible astro spots

Getting to Botswana

Our tour starts in the North of Botswana in the town of Maun and ends in Johannesburg, South Africa. We are crossing from the North-West of Botswana all the way to the South-East and we have put together some driving and a charter flight to offer the simplest and fastest means of getting between destinations.

Your international flights should be booked to Johannesburg, South Africa and then a one-way ticket from Johannesburg to Maun with a local airline called Airlink.

Itinerary Breakdown

Arrival Day Maun | 16 May | 1 Night

On arrival in Maun, our team will be waiting for you at the airport and a private transfer will take us to the luxurious Thamo Telele lodge, where we'll spend our first night. After a welcome briefing on the days to come, we'll have dinner and get to bed.

Maun - Kubu Island | 17 May

After breakfast, we'll hit the road in a convoy of 4-wheel drive vehicles. A drive of about 5-6 hours will get us to Kubu Island.

There are no lodges at Kubu Island, which has obviously played a major role in keeping this amazing place unknown to the international photo community. We have contracted a luxury mobile camping operator to build a home for us for the three nights we spend there. Each participant will get their own large tent (large walk-in tent, not dome tent) with en-suite bathroom and hot water.

Kubu Island | 17 - 20 May | 3 Nights

During our full days here, the focus will be on sunset followed by long astro shoots. The most photogenic trees are on the Western side of the island, which are composed to the east and north. This means that mornings aren't worth shooting astro, so we will likely just do short sunrise shoots while the light is good. If we get nice clouds then the plan will change, but Botswana very seldom gets any clouds in winter months (which is ideal for astro and wildlife).

We will dedicate time during the day to review everyone's astro from the night before just to make sure everything is sharp and that panos and stacks stitch as they should.

The best part of Kubu Island is that there is no access restriction and the trees are all within walking distance of camp - so you can shoot astro all night if you wish. Kubu Island has no wildlife danger, so whether you stick with the group or go walking on your own, there is absolutely no limitation to how much or when you can shoot.

Kubu Island to Mashatu | 20 May

After a final morning shoot and breakfast, we'll have a 45 minute drive to a nearby airstrip. Here we'll board a chartered plane and take a 2-hour flight across Botswana to arrive at Mashatu. This flight saves us two days of driving on Botswana's reputably bad roads, where endless mining trucks and elephants in the road are par for the course.

Mashatu | 20 - 26 May | 6 Nights

Mashatu is a wildlife paradise situated on the Limpopo river, with a long and rich history of photography. It is a photographer's eden for so many reasons - well known as a prime destination for photographing leopard, lion, elephants and so many other iconic African species. It also has two purpose-built photographic hides, both sunk into the ground so you can shoot at water level for reflections and unmatched eye-contact with the animals.

As already mentioned, we will have our pick of the hides as well as 4x private game drive vehicles. Over 6 nights here, you will capture a notable portfolio of African wildlife, while being wined and dined and indulging in the luxury accommodation and service of this famous African destination.

Sunrise - In the mornings you'll either go for an early game drive or go to one of the hides.
Breakfast - After the morning shoot, we'll be back at the lodge for a delicious full breakfast
Editing Session - After breakfast we'll download and review the morning's images to make sure everything is sharp and well-composed.
Mid-day break - Once all of this is wrapped up, you'll get a few hours to rest and recharge batteries
Lunch - We'll reconvene for lunch around 14:00
Sunset Drive - After lunch we'll head out again for a drive or to one of the hides
Dinner - On return from the drive, we'll give you chance to put your gear down and freshen up, before we meet at the bar for a drink, followed by dinner
Night Drive - On at least one evening you'll have the option to head out for a night drive after dinner to see what lurks in the darkness

On our final night at Mashatu, we'll do the usual "show and tell" evening that our participants have come to love, where each person presents their 5 favourite images for discussion. Afterwards we'll have our final dinner to celebrate the trip.

Mashatu - Johannesburg | 26 May

On our final day we'll hit the road to Johannesburg early in the morning. Its about a 6-hour drive on good paved roads and we should reach OR Tambo international by 2pm. You can fly out from South Africa on the afternoon/evening of the 26th or spend a night at the Intercontinental if necessary to fly out the next day.

camping on KUBU ISLAND

As our list of invitees for this tour have all been to Namibia with us, we will explain the Botswana camp setup relative to the camping experience in Namibia's dunes.
Firstly, you can expect a much more luxurious sleeping tent, each with it's own ensuite bathroom and (limited) hot water. Expect a much better bed and linen and more space for your luggage and other things. As we are staying there for three nights, it will feel more like a hotel than a tent and you can expect three good nights of rest (after a long astro shoot). Another major difference is that we don't drive with the camp and watch it being pitched - it will all be ready for us on arrival. On departure day, we just hit the road with our luggage and the crew will pack up after our departure.
The big difference between Kubu Island and Namibia's dunes is that the camp equipment doesn't have to be driven over massive dunes, making it possible for the operator to spoil us a bit more and take a few extra luxuries.
There will be a large mess/dining tent, a campfire in the evenings and plenty of gin and beer on offer.
MEALS
Botswana's food is primarily of British influence - expect bacon and eggs in the mornings, something light and fresh for lunch and barbecued meat with some starch and veggies in the evenings.
ELECTRICITY
Unlike in Namibia's dunes, we recommend that you bring a laptop with you on this trip. We cannot charge it 3 times a day while at Kubu Island, but we'll make sure you have enough power to review your images. Cellphones and camera batteries can be charged as much as you want - there will be a charging station at the main tent.
CELLPHONE SIGNAL/WIFI
There is no reception/signal at Kubu Island. We will have a satellite phone for emergencies. We cannot make concrete promises, but it’s very likely that the camp operator will have starlink by 2026, though that might come at an extra fee.

Lala Limpopo Hide

This is Mashatu's brand new flagship hide (unveiling Oct 2024). It is a sleepover underground hide situated on a waterhole with a full modern remotely controlled studio lighting system which allows you to control the brightness, colour, angle and diffusion of lighting on the waterhole during the night. The hide has been constructed especially to maximise the photographic potential of the animals in the reserve. Next to a natural watering hole with viewing slots at eye level above the water, it gives photographers an opportunity to capture images of the different animals at the watering hole completely oblivious to our presence. It enables you to capture incredible images of animals behaving naturally.

Each participant gets a night in this hide included, 4 participants at a time, and you will also have access to the other normal hides included in your price.

WHAT WE DO (AND WHAT WE WANT YOU TO GET FROM this WORKSHOP)

Our aim is to take you to beautiful locations and give you every opportunity to get great images while improving your technique over the course of the workshop. We direct out time to being outdoors and we limit the number of participants on our workshop which gives us plenty of time with everyone in the field, meaning either Hougaard, Jandre or myself will be close at hand to give you any advice or help you need, from composition to whether to use a filter. From the beginning of your time with us we can identify your photographic level and what you’d like to focus on, and then tailor the sessions accordingly.

We carefully select the dates of our workshops to try and make sure we are in each location at the best time of year. In Botswana, May means cooler temperatures and a respite from the searing desert heat, as well as earlier sunsets which means we have the opportunity to shoot Kubu Island’s incredible dark skies without having to stay awake till the middle of the night.

Finally, we want to share with you our passion for nature and landscape photography in this incredible place. Travelling in such small groups means we can quickly build a great learning environment where people feel comfortable together and at ease with asking questions and making the absolute most of the trip. We aim to make your experience a memorable one and a trip from which, as well as getting some great images from amazing locations, you’ll also go home having had a true adventure with great company in a very special place.

SOME OF THE PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES COVERED
- Understanding the light and choosing the best exposure
- Composition. Balance and harmony, leading lines and creating depth.
- Wildlife photography. Creating a connection with the subject
- Astro photography. From composition to exposure and processing
- Lens choice. From the wide-angle vista to shooting landscape abstracts with a telephoto lens
- Controlling light in scenes with a wide dynamic range using graduated filters and/or multiple exposure
- Post processing - getting the best out of your images with contrast and colour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Botswana Safe?

Botswana is one of the safest countries in Africa with very little petty or violent crime.

Do I need a VISA to enter Botswana?
No western countries require a visa to enter Botswana.

Will I have cellphone reception or wifi?
There is no cellphone signal at Kubu Island. We will have a satellite phone for emergencies.

There is good Wifi at Mashatu

What about medicines, diseases and vaccinations?
Mashatu is a low-risk malaria area. We are visiting after the rainy season, which makes it even lower-risk. All of that being said, we recommend you consult a your doctor for a professional recommendation.

Will there be fresh water available?
Bottled drinking water is included at all destinations.

Will I be able to purchase snacks?
You can do so in Johannesburg or Maun. We do not set foot in a town or shop for the full 10 days from leaving Maun until driving to Johannesburg

What food can I expect?
Food in South Africa and Botswana is primarily British-influenced. There won't be anything too exotic or scary. The lodges and camps we use can cater to all allergies and dietary preferences. .

Are there any luggage restrictions?
Yes - as we take a charter flight to get from Kubu Island to Mashatu, each participant will be limited to just 20kg (44lb) of luggage, including camera gear. We know this can be challenging, but the flight saves us from two days of driving on bad roads.

Do I need to bring spending money along?
Not really - you can pay for everything with a card or tap-to-pay.
Tipping
It is customary in Botswana to tip porters and guides. We recommend a tip of at least $100-$300 (in total for the crew/staff) at each destination, so you can budget around $500 for tips.

Do I need a laptop?
Yes, we strongly recommend bringing a laptop or tablet to check photos during the trip. Unlike our frantically-paced Namibia tours, this will be more relaxing and we'll make time on most of the days to download en review photos.

WHAT TO BRING

A dSLR or mirrorless camera

We feel that by 2026 DSLR cameras should be pretty much phased out. There is one very good reason to invest in a latest-generation mirrorless camera for this trip - AI Focus tracking; this makes an incredible difference in wildlife photography, especially for beginners. It makes it extremely easy to ensure that your focus remains on the animal's eye when tracking or in tricky images where there are other elements like foliage close to the animal's face.

Lenses

When it comes to wildlife, a long lens is absolutely critical. It is no longer so important to have a fast super tele like a 400mm f/2.8 or 500mm f/4 as camera's low-light abilities have improved so much. A good super-tele zoom like Sony's 200-600mm/ Nikon's 180-600mm/ Canon 100-500mm/ Fuji 100-400mm is sufficient.

This needs to be paired with a fast standard telephoto like a 70-200mm for full frame users or 50-140mm for Fuji XT users.

A wide angle is also essential for landscapes at Kubu Island as well as elephant photos in the hides (yip, you'll be that close)

For astro at Kubu Island, a ultra-fast wide angle makes a world of difference as the difference between e.g. f/2.8 and f/2.0 is massive when shooting the night skies. This should be something like a 20mm f/1.8 or f/1.4.

Filters

Just bring a circular polarizer for your mid-range lens (in case of nice clouds at Kubu Island)

Cleaning

Botswana is dusty, but not sandy. A blower and a paintbrush will help you keep your gear spotless during the trip.

Tripod

A tripod is essential for astro photography. Botswana has very little wind, so you don't need a big tripod. Something that makes a big difference with astro (and we highly recommend) is a leveling base and indexing rotator - this makes shooting panos of the night sky a lot easier. Affordable options for this are Leofoto's LB-60N and PAN-02, but there are a lot of options on the market.

Backpack
We recommend travelling with a good camera backpack like that of fstopgear or shimoda. We do a lot of walking at Kubu Island, but it’s all on a flat, rock-hard salt pan. A good backpack will allow you to easily carry all your gear, some drinking water and a snack or two.

The Guides

ANDY MUMFORD is a Lisbon based professional landscape and travel photographer. Andy grew up in the UK loving nature and travel and took up landscape photography over fifteen years ago. Since then he has travelled extensively photographing all over the world and his photography and articles have featured in publications and books worldwide. He is a passionate photographer teacher and has been leading both group and one-to-one workshops for over five years.

He is a Fuji X Photographer and a brand ambassador for Fujifilm in Portugal, although he also has extensive experience with Nikon and Canon cameras.

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Hougaard Malan is an award winning South African photographer who has been guiding and organising photo tours to Nambia for a decade. He has taken people from every corner of the planet to every corner of Namibia. His own photos of Namibia have won him awards like the 2016 International Landscape Photograph of the Year and his clients have also won numerous awards with the photos captured on his tours. All the images on this page were captured by Hougaard.

Hougaard believes the essence of a landscape photograph is allowing the viewer to experience that place without ever being there. When the light, clouds and land combine to produce scenes so beautiful that they etch a profound place in viewers’ memories, and witnessing such moments unfold over earth’s most beautiful landscapes is, for me, one of the highlights of living.

Hougaard’s work has been published in countless media all over the world, from books and magazines to calendars and coffee table books by the likes of National Geographic. Licensing and commission clients include global and local corporates like Samsung, Toyota, SAB Inbev, FNB, Standard Bank and Europcar.

www.hougaardmalan.com

Jandre Germishuizen based in Namibia backed up by over 10 years of photography travel and tours in the country. Jandre studied nature conservation and guiding in South Africa and soon started leading groups all over Namibia. He is currently a full-time photography guide specialising in wildlife, accompanying some of the world’s greatest photographers like National Geographic photographer Art Wolfe and leading wildlife photographer Isak Pretorius through Namibia. Jandre has an incredible and expansive knowledge of the landscapes, wildlife, geology, history and nature of southern Africa which he is happy to share and use to help his clients both capture and understand this beautiful country better.

www.jandrephotos.com

Our Workshop Partner - C4 safaris

The ground-handling operator for this tour is our long-time partner, C4 Safaris . They are the longest standing photo-tour operator in Africa with locally registered and insured operations in South Africa, Botswana and other African countries. They handle all logistics in Sub-Saharan Africa for countless notable companies and photographers including Art Wolfe, Frans Lanting and Joe van Os Safaris

REGISTRATION

To register for the workshop we require a $3000 deposit. Please complete the form below to sign up or for more information, and please read the Terms & Conditions by clicking on the link below.

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