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Kruger National Park is one of the world’s greatest wildernesses. At around 20,000 sq km, it is one of the largest national parks in Africa. Its varied landscapes are home to the Big 5 of African wildlife and much much more. Huge herds of elephants and buffalo. Stealthy leopards. Mighty rhinos. Powerful prides of lions. Add the superfast Cheetah and the social African Painted Dogs to the mix and we have the Magnificent Seven! The rich diversity is enhanced by giraffes, zebras, hippos, hyenas, antelopes and many colourful birds.
This specially crafted wildlife photography tour balances an unforgettable wilderness experience with incredible wildlife spotting and photography opportunities. Over the first part of the tour, we explore the unbounded wilderness over 4 full days in the park in a safari vehicle well suited for photography. On the last 3 days of the tour, we stay at Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve in the Greater Kruger area. It shares an unfenced border with Kruger National Park and is renowned for its excellent wildlife sightings. An action-packed way to end the tour!
Join us on the Wildlife Photography Tour to Kruger National Park in July 2020. This is an African safari experience that will leave you spell-bound. And your camera overflowing with photographs from the great wilderness.
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Tour Dates
July 25-August 02, 2020
Tour PriceUSD 3,460/-Max. Participants – 5
Tour Highlights
Dates & Itinerary
Tour Dates: July 25-August 02, 2020
Day 01 – (Saturday) Arrive in Johannesburg. Overnight stay in hotel close to airport.
Day 02 – (Sunday) Drive to Kruger National Park. Evening drive in Kruger National Park. Overnight at Lower Sabie Rest Camp.
Day 03 – (Monday) to Day 06 (Thursday) Explore various areas around Kruger National Park for wildlife opportunities. Overnight at Lower Sabie (Day 3),Satara (Days 4,5) and Olifants (Day 6) Rest Camps in Kruger
Day 07 – (Friday) Morning walking trail near Olifants to photograph wildlife. Drive to Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve that shares an unfenced boundary with Kruger National Park. Evening drive in Nature Reserve.
Day 08 – (Saturday) Morning and evening drives in Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve.
Day 09 – (Sunday) After morning drive, checkout and drive to OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg. Tour ends.
Scroll down to Detailed Itinerary for more details on each day of the tour.
Frequently Asked Questions
This tour is for wildlife photographers and wildlife enthusiasts who want to explore and photograph the wildlife of Africa. Note that the participants are not required to be experts in photography or carry professional equipment. Due to the small group size, beginners as well as serious photographers benefit through our personalized attention to photography sessions and on field assistance. Non-photographers, interested in exploring wildlife of Kruger National Park, are welcome too.
Where would we be staying on this tour?
We’ll be staying in the most sought-after Rest Camps – Lower Sabie, Satara and Olifants – located inside Kruger National Parks. The accommodation will be two-bed perimter-facing bungalows at Lower Sabie, two-bed bungalows at Satara and two-bed river-view bungalows at Olifants. All these places will have fully-equipped kitchens should you choose to prepare your own meals. These camps are among the most sought-after in Kruger due to the rich biodiversity and varied landscapes around them. At Manyeleti Private Game Reserve, we’ll be staying in luxury tents. At Johannesberg, we’ll stay at a hotel close to the airport to allow for an early departure to Kruger National Park.
How do we reach Johannesberg?
O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) at Johannesberg is well connected from most international airports. It is recommended that you take a flight that reaches before 5:00PM on July 22. Please note that flights to and from Johannesberg are not part of the tour price.
Are Visa and Vaccination needed for South Africa?
Indian citizens need a Visa to travel to South Africa. In India, VFS Global manages the Visa application process. If you are not sure whether you need a Visa, please visit Department: Home Affairs website.
Vaccinations are not required by the authorities for travel to South Africa from India. Malaria vaccination is sometimes recommended; Kruger lies at the southern-most tip of the malaria belt and mosquitoes are almost non-existent in winters.
What would be mode of transport during safaris?
On this tour, you’ll be in an open safari vehicle that is great for wildlife viewing and photography. The number of participants is limited to ensure that everyone in the vehicle gets ample space to photograph the wildlife of Kruger and to manage their photography equipment.
I am not a keen photographer. But I want to visit Kruger with your group. Can I still join?
Yes. If you are interested to explore African wildlife, you are welcome to join this tour. Please note that we do not offer a separate non-photographer pricing.
Can I bring my non-photographer partner with me?
Yes, you can. We visit one of the most awesome wildlife destinations in the world on this photography tour. Your partner will enjoy the journey with the group. Please note that we do not offer a separate non-photographer pricing.
What photography equipment is needed for the tour?
We recommend telephoto lenses reaching up to at least 400mm focal length to photograph wildlife at a distance. And please carry a shorter focal length lens to photograph the landscapes of Kruger. Please talk to us to decide on the photography equipment that you need to carry for the tour.
Also refer to our tours faq for more information.
Tour Price
Tour Price: USD 3460/- (approx. Rs.2,52,580/-*) per person (inclusive of all applicable taxes)
*Tour Price in Indian Rupees is indicative only (as of August 28, 2019). We’ll communicate any changes due to exchange rate fluctuations at the time of registration/final payment.
The tour price includes
- One night’s accommodation in a three-star hotel in Johannesburg on a twin-share, bed-and-breakfast basis on 25-Jul-2020.
- Five nights’ accommodation on a twin-share basis, meals excluded, in rest camps at Kruger National Park
- Two nights’ accommodation on a twin-share, full-board basis, at Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve
- Ground transport from pickup at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg on 25-Jul-2020 through the tour till drop at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg on 02-August-2020
- Safaris in Kruger National Park and Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve
- Services of photography mentor and wildlife guide through the tour
- All applicable taxes and fees
The tour price does not include
- Travel from your location to Johannesberg and back
- All meals are excluded from the tour price, other than those at Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve on July 31-August 01, 2020. Rest camps at Kruger offer a choice of food and we’d like to give you the flexibility during all-day safaris (please budget around USD 30 per day for all meals). Rest camps are well equipped with a kitchen and barbeque should you choose to cook. We’ll stop at a shopping mall on the way to Kruger on 26-Jul-2020 to stock up on supplies.
- Visa Fees
- Travel Insurance
- Additional water bottles, food or beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic
- All expenses of personal nature (laundry, telephone calls, etc.)
- Tips and Gratuities
Please note:
- The itinerary mentioned in this page is subject to favourable weather, road and other conditions. In case of bad weather and inaccessibility to a destination, we will do our best to make alternate plans. The tour price or any part of it will not be refunded in the event of unfavourable conditions anytime during the tour days.
- Wildlife sightings depend on various factors, including weather, availability of food and the animal showing up in our vicinity.
- No refunds will be made if a participant is unable to complete the tour owing to medical conditions or any other reasons, after starting the tour.
- All participants would have to sign a Release of Liability, Assumption of Risk & Arbitration Agreement before joining the tour.
Wildlife Photography Mentor – Shreeram M V
Shreeram is a professional wildlife photographer and passionate naturalist. He has photographed wildlife across India, as well as various parts of the world, including Africa, New Zealand and Antarctica.
His approach to wildlife photography is to bring back photographs that tell stories – about the place and its habitats, the diversity of flora and fauna and human interactions with the wilderness. He works on assignments with magazines and corporates that have been enriched by this approach.
His personalized style of mentorship, where he works with the participants’ individual interests and strengths, has been much appreciated over the years. View some of his photographs from Africa here – www.shreeram.photography
Detailed Itinerary
Day 01. Arrive in Johannesburg. Overnight stay in hotel close to airport.
You will be met in the arrivals hall of OR Tambo International Airport by a local guide and escorted to your accommodation in Johannesburg for the night on a twin-share, bed-and- breakfast basis at the three-star Metcourt Hotel at Emperor’s Palace. The Metcourt Hotel at Emperor’s Palace is conveniently situated alongside OR Tambo International Airport and provides a direct easterly route out of Johannesburg towards the Kruger National Park. There are numerous restaurants within the Emperor’s Palace complex for dinner.
Day 02. Drive to Kruger National Park. Evening drive in Kruger National Park.
After an early breakfast at the Metcourt Hotel, we drive from Johannesburg to the Kruger National Park (around 5 hours). The journey traverses excellent tarred roads and passes through some of South Africa’s most spectacular scenery as the wide-open grass plains of the ‘highveld’ are gradually replaced by the craggy mountains, rivers and dense vegetation of the ‘lowveld’. The route is interspersed with modern roadside diners and adjacent toilet facilities when the need to stretch one’s legs and/or a comfort break arises.
Early/mid-afternoon arrival at the Kruger National Park followed by park entry/formalities. The group will meet its guide and board the open safari vehicle. The remainder of the afternoon will be spent getting our first glimpse of Kruger National Park, as we make our way to Lower Sabie Rest-camp by sunset.
Lower Sabie graces the banks of the Sabie River, one of the few perennial rivers to flow through the Kruger National Park. It is one of the most sought after Rest Camps in the park due to the abundance of the Big 5 – Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo and Rhino – in the area.
Dinner and overnight at Lower Sabie in the Kruger National Park.
Day 03 to 06.Explore various areas around Lower Sabie, Satara and Olifants.
Camp gates open at 6:00 am and we head out on a full day’s guided game-viewing in Kruger. The old adage –the early bird catches the worm – rings particularly true in Kruger. The first visitors are often handsomely rewarded with the best opportunities of viewing Kruger’s predators. Mornings are great for birds too.
As the heat of the day descends upon the park, we’ll make our way to a nearby rest camp for brunch. All of Kruger’s rest camps have prolific birdlife and present excellent opportunities to photograph the park’s avian residents. We’ll head out into the park after brunch to explore and photograph wildlife till sunset.
Satara is situated in the open savannah of Kruger’s central plains. It is home to the reserve’s highest concentration of zebra and wildebeest. Due to the abundance of herbivores, the Satara region is well-known for its lion, leopard, cheetah and spotted hyena sightings.
The day’s route will be planned so as to be in the vicinity of rest-camps and/or picnic sites at meal times. Dinner and overnight at Lower Sabie (Days 2-3), Satara (Days 4-5) and Olifants (Day 6) in the Kruger National Park.
Day 07. Drive to Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve that shares an unfenced boundary with Kruger National Park. Evening drive in Nature Reserve.
This morning, we start early and go for a walk on the Olifants walking trail. It’s a great opportunity to view wildlife on foot, including the rare Pel’s Fish Owl that often shows up on this trail.
After breakfast and drive to the adjacent Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve (around 3 hours). The reserve forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park and shares an unfenced border to the west of Kruger. We’ll work on specific target species and photography opportunities as the resident guides would have in-depth knowledge about the resident wildlife in the Nature Reserve.
The Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve its guests a more pampered and personal experience, with included breakfasts, lunches and dinners prepared by the resident chef. Morning and evening game-drives are conducted in open safari vehicles which can – unlike Kruger – leave demarcated roads in order to gain closer proximity to wildlife. There is no specified time-limit as to when vehicles need to return to camp. Evening game-drives continue after dark affording guests the thrill of night-drives in the African bushveld.
Overnight at Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve.
Day 08. Morning and evening drives in Nature Reserve.
After a pre-sunrise wake-up call, we head out on a guided morning game-drive (approximately three hours). Breakfast/brunch at Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve (included). Late morning/early afternoon at leisure in camp. Guests may join their ranger for a bush-walk.
After lunch, we head out for the afternoon/evening guided game-drive (approximately three
hours). Overnight at Manyeleti Private Nature Reserve.
Day 09. After morning drive, checkout and drive to OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg. Tour Ends.
The last morning of the tour is here. After a pre-sunrise wake-up call, we head out on a guided morning game-drive (approximately three hours).
We head out after breakfast/brunch, with our memory cards teeming with photographs. We’ll stop for lunch on the way before making our way to O.R.Tambo International Airport at Johannesberg (around five and a half hours by road).
Sign Up
Contact us at the email/numbers below to book the tour. This wildlife photography tour to Kruger National Park will have a maximum of 5 participants. We recommend booking early, which also helps you get cheaper flight tickets.
email: photography@darter.in
Tel: +91-97400 83260 (Shreeram) / +91-98800 06460 (Arun)