$17,900/person sharing | $3,500 single supplement
Laura is an award-winning wildlife photographer with many years’ experience exploring Earth’s wildest places from the plains of Africa to the frozen ice of the polar regions, with images published in Africa Geographic, Outdoor Photographer, Getaway, Wild Planet, Forbes and more.
Having grown up in South Africa, Laura spent all her free time in the bush and has an extensive knowledge of wildlife behaviour. With 20 years of safaris under her belt she knows how to anticipate, visualise and capture the perfect shot.
“I love teaching guests how to capture those perfect moments on safari and seeing their faces light up when using a new technique or nailing a shot for the first time – creating memories that last a lifetime. It is a real privilege for me to see and be a part of these experiences and I absolutely love it.”
Charlie is passionate about taking photographs of the world’s wild places and the spectacular wildlife that resides within them. His love for the natural world began at a young age memorising the names of the world’s most charismatic creatures, and continued through time spent counting orang-utan nests in Borneo and eight months traveling throughout the wilds of Southern Africa. He is now an award-winning photographer with images published in The Telegraph (UK), CNN, The Atlantic (US), Africa Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, and more.
In 2020, Charlie created a foundation dedicated to supporting the long-term protection of threatened wildlife and ecosystems around the world, called the Preservation of At-Risk Wildlife (PAW) Foundation. He uses the conservation work conducted by the foundation as a platform to tell impactful stories about the natural world.
Charlie is proud to now guide on-location photo workshops to some of the wild places he holds dear and to help guests capture fantastic moments.
ITINERARY
Accommodation at Wilderness Rukomechi in Mana Pools.
Twice daily photographic activities by vehicle with optional, personalised, Lightroom and editing sessions in between.
After the last morning drive and breakfast we will depart from Rukomechi Camp by vehicle for the airstrip to catch our scheduled flight to Hwange (Shumba Airstrip).
At Shumba Airstrip, we will be met by our guide and transferred through the park to Camp Hwange
Accommodation at Camp Hwange in Hwange National Park.
Twice daily photographic activities by vehicle with optional, personalised, Lightroom and editing sessions in between.
Situated in a large private concession in the heart of the Zambezi Valley’s Mana Pools National Park, Wilderness Ruckomechi looks out from the banks of the mighty Zambezi River, gazing out towards Zambia’s evocative escarpment. Its broad-canopied albida trees create glorious shade throughout the camp, and are much loved by the elephants for their rich, nutritious seeds. Ten spacious and beautifully decorated tents (including two family rooms), along with a generous central living space, enjoy the broad vista of the Zambezi River. There is a separate pool area, a unique outdoor “bath with a view” in a secluded, scenic spot, and a romantic Star Bed by a busy waterhole.
As a private conservation area bordering Zimbabwe’s iconic Mana Pools, Ruckomechi provides a stable buffer zone for precious wildlife in this productive riverine belt. Tune in. Breathe out. Listen. With hippos bobbing in the river and elephants wading through the water, know that your stay enables the lodge to continue to make a meaningful impact on this wild, wonderful land.
Our group will have two vehicles to ourselves which means there will be plenty of space for our gear.
The very mention of Mana Pools conjures images in travellers’ minds of golden light and dust filtering through an ancient forest full of wildlife, while one of the park’s legendary elephants is silhouetted reaching up for a branch. It’s all that and more.
One of Mana’s main draws are the wild dogs made famous by BBC documentaries. While elusive by nature and rare as a species, the wild dogs are regularly spotted on the move around Mana’s floodplains. No visit to Mana is complete without spending time with the charismatic bull elephants that can sometimes be spotted standing on their hind legs for food. August maximises our chances of seeing this behaviour, with the widespread presence of the tree pods that these elephants seek.
Our focus will be on taking advantage of Mana’s magical dry season light to capture dramatic images of these species on the floodplains while using the option to shoot low from ground level (since being on foot is allowed).
We will do a morning and an afternoon activity with early mornings dedicated to finding predators and leaving camp as early as possible to give ourselves the best opportunities. In between, there will be an optional image review and editing session where we will be on hand to provide personal assistance and help you learn to edit your photos, or discuss new skills or techniques learnt or practiced during the morning.
A rustic, traditional camp of 8 canvas-walled units beneath cooling thatch, Camp Hwange overlooks one of the natural waterholes that make this part of Hwange National Park special. Located on open savanna in a private concession in the central part of Hwange between the rugged Mopane woodlands to the north and the sandy soil Teak forests to the south-west, means that game viewing is as diverse as its habitat types with fantastic game viewing, especially in the drier months from April through to November.
In addition to the annual fee paid for this private concession, included in the nightly rate are guest park fees and a conservation levy that helps fund the operation of the national park. The primary conservation focus at Camp Hwange has been collaboration with independent research and conservation organisations working within Hwange. These range from Bhejane Trust, Hwange Lion Research and Painted Dog Conservation who they are able to support as a result of guests staying at the camp.