Namibia

We start in the Trans Frontier Park

The park ruins north to south along an underground water source.  Animals and birds live in and around the valley giving us plenty of opportunities to capture action filled photographs in great light.

Our camp is located right in the middle of the valley where all the action happens. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, African wildcat, and caracal can be seen hunting, playing, and relaxing. You Will love seeing the meercats interacting and keeping watch.  Owls, bee eaters, secretary birds, and horn-bills are among the amazing avian species found here.

Next stop…The ancient Quiver tree Forest and Giant’s Playground for Quiver Trees and Rock Formations

The landscape opportunities in these 2 areas are infinite!   Sunrise is amazing!  Dusk is equally beautiful, but the night sky filled with the Milky Way is a scene of unparalleled beauty

On to our Lodge inside the park at Sosusvlei. Here we have a drive through the park for views of the oldest sand dunes in the world.  The winds from the Atlantic blow the runoff sands from the Orange River back to create the huge, deep red/orange dunes.  Your guide will share the amazing natural history as you photograph from the vehicle on this one of a kind drive.  Select your favorite dunes are so you can stop and do further exploration on foot the following morning. A long lens is recommended for this drive as you are likely to see oryx, springbok, bat-eared fox and more.  The long lens also will also create compressed views of the fantastical, ever evolving shapes of the dunes.

There is nothing like a drive out to the end of the dunes for a hike into Deadvlei.  This unique area was a lake 900 years ago when the water source was cut off by moving dunes.  The floor is fossilized salt, and the dead trees are ancient acacia trees.  We will talk about shooting strategies and lens choices later.  Timing and light are crucial for this location, and we will discuss shooting strategies and lens choices.

Our next destination is the Atlantic Coastal city of Swakopmund.  Here we will have a chance to compare the red dunes with these, the largest dunes in the world.  Fronting the Atlantic, the cream colored dunes are home to amazing desert life including shovel nosed gecko, Dancing white lady spider, sidewinder, and desert chameleon.  Greater and lesser flamingos abound here with wonderful chances to photograph them in the dunes and ocean.

Our adventure will include  a morning shoot at the coastal salt pans for pied avocet, flamingos, and plovers.

Onward to Cape Cross.  Keep your camera gear handy as there will be lots to see and photograph on the way!  Cape Cross is on the wild Atlantis coast where roughly 200,000 Cape fur seals live.  Our lodge is 3 minutes from the colony making for easy access and loads of amazing action.  The pups have just been born so there will be lots of interaction as they play and nurse.  The red rocks are a great place for them to joust for dominance, and the huge waves make a great backdrop for family groups.

We will have another chance at the fur seals in different light with new behaviors before loading the vehicles for the drive to Trieful Fountaine and the Bushman petroglyph site.

Dramatic 6000 year old bushman art depicts lions, elephants, rhino, wildebeest, and even a penguin!  We will overnight at a spectacular desert lodge.

Our next stop is Etosha National Park for the beginning of our wildlife safari.   We will be staying in three different beautiful lodges originally established as outposts in the early 1900s.  Each lodge has its own watering holes where it is possible to see elephants, kudu, giraffe, oryx, rhino, zebra and more at any time of the day or night! 
Our time in Estosha will include both morning and evening game drives in the surrounding bush are fantastic for all these animals and more.  Sunrise and sunset are always spectacular due to the arid environment and the air qualities.

We will also visit the Central Pan in Etosha, one of the most remarkable places on Earth.

AM and PM game drives

Our final stop will be a conservation area that specializes in lions, leopards, cheetahs, and the rare Pangolin! Photographing the pangolin is a unique opportunity for us all.