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Johannesburg, South Africa / Johannesburg, South Africa
8 Days/7 Nights
Level 1 - What's This?
Up To 8 Guests
Exclusive Access to Mashatu Game Reserve: Spend six days exploring a 72,000-acre private reserve known as the “Land of Giants,” offering unparalleled opportunities to photograph Botswana’s rich and diverse wildlife.
Incredible Wildlife Encounters: Capture three of Africa’s Big Five—leopard, lion, and elephant—alongside cheetahs, giraffes, elands, ostriches, and unique species like the aardwolf, honey badger, and African wildcat.
Birdwatcher’s Paradise: Enjoy photographing over 350 bird species, including the striking lilac-breasted roller and the majestic Kori Bustard, Africa’s largest flying bird and Botswana’s national bird.
Comfortable Safari Experience: Relax in spacious, elevated safari tents with private en-suite facilities, and share stories with fellow photographers under the expansive, starlit skies of wild Botswana.
Botswana remains one of the greatest countries on the continent of Africa for wildlife photography. It’s remote, seemingly limitless wilderness is vast and untrammeled by the hand of man. Lions, leopards, cheetah, zebra, giraffe, and herds of African elephants roam the expansive plains of this land-locked country situated between South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Explore the wilds of an Africa that remains in a time gone by.
Our ‘Botswana: Land of Giants’ tour will take us to Mashatu, a picturesque and privately owned 72,000-acre game reserve, where we’ll spend six days photographing a wide-array of wildlife found inside the preserved wilderness. Mashatu means “land of the giants,” which is a reference to the huge trees that dominate the landscape.
Mashatu will provide Backcountry Journeys photographers a more serene and exclusive experience as we enjoy its sanctuary to the largest herds of elephant on the continent. Picture yourself, and your camera, so close to those elephants that you feel as if they might be breathing down your neck.
While on our game drives we’ll have the opportunity to photograph the world’s tallest mammal, the giraffe; the world’s largest antelope, the eland; the world’s largest bird, the ostrich. The biodiversity of wildlife here is incredible. Three members of the ‘Big Five,’ namely the leopard, the lion, and the elephant are found here, and are complemented by some lesser well-known, but interesting, species, including the aardwolf (or “earth wolf”), the bat-eared fox, the African wildcat, the honey badger, the spotted hyena, and the black-backed jackal. Cheetah’s roam far and wide on the landscape of Mashatu and this is likely the best safari on the planet for big cat photography.
Birders will delight as Mashatu is home to more than 350 bird species including the enchanting lilac-breasted roller, and the Kori Bustard, which is not only the largest flying bird native to Africa, it is also the national bird of Botswana.
Return each night to your well appointed safari-style “camp,” where you’ll find comradery with your fellow photographers under the starry African skies. The private tents themselves are spacious, comfortable and large enough that there’s no need to duck to get around. Each is mounted on a raised platform and has its own private en-suite facilities.
If wildlife photography is your passion then a trip to ‘The Land of Giants’ with Backcountry Journeys needs to be on your list. Our meticulous scouting, camp selection, and world-class logistics leave no stone unturned in creating the most memorable travel experience to the continent of Africa.
All listed meals and non-alcoholic beverages during the workshop
All transportation during the workshop
All lodging during the workshop
Airport transfers
All permits and park fees
Professional photography guiding and instruction
Gratuity for service staff and drivers
Flights to and from Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB)
Meals not listed as included on the itinerary
Lodging outside workshop dates
Alcoholic beverages
Souvenirs and personal items
Gratuity for photography guide(s). Please refer to our FAQ section for more details about gratuities
Trip Insurance & Medical Evacuation Insurance (required) - see plans here.
Most meals included – (B,L,D) denotes Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 1 (Travel Day) (D)
Arrive in Johannesburg in the evening. After clearing customs, you will be met by our tour representative and transferred to your hotel. Meet and greet dinner along with orientation this evening.
Day 2 (B,L,D)
Today we will transfer to Mashatu, a privately-owned preserve that will be our home for this trip! Mashatu is a true hidden gem, a throwback to Africa of yesteryear yet combined with luxury. The diverse landscape of the preserve includes wide open plains, grassland, riverine forests, rocky hills, marshland, and majestic sandstone ridges. Perfect for safari! This afternoon we will have our first game-drive in Mashatu.
Days 3 - 6 (B,L,D)
The next four full-days will be dedicated to game drives in Mashatu – which features some of the best big cat photography in Africa as well as massive elephant herds & unique photographic blinds. Aside from game drives we will have access to world-class wildlife “hides” which allow for incredible up-close photography of most of the species found in the region. Afternoons and evenings in-between drives will be spent at our stunning safari camp or luxurious lodge.
Day 7 (B,L,D)
We’ll awake early on our final morning at Mashatu and take advantage of the soft light of morning to make some final images on one final game drive. Following our game drive, we’ll pack up and depart for Johannesburg, where we should arrive just before 7pm. We will have a farewell dinner in Johannesburg, South Africa before departing either late this evening or the next morning. Flights can be booked anytime 10 pm or after tonight. For anyone departing the next day, we will have rooms for you to stay in overnight.
Day 8
International flights home.
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.
Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.