Umzantsi Afrika Tours

5 Day Photographic Safari

At a Glance

• Tour duration: 5 days / 4 nights
• Group size: to 6 people per tour
• Tour departs from: Port Elizabeth
• Price: On request

Tour Highlights

• Kariega Game Reserve
• Safari

Suitable for those interested in Big 5, Photographic, Wildlife

Itinerary

1. DAY 1: Port Elizabeth to Kariega Game Reserve

   Arrive at Kariega GR at 12h00 via your own transport (or contact us for options) where you will be greeted and shown to your rooms. Once everyone has arrived we shall meet on the deck of the lodge for a pre-drive evaluation of photographic goals and skills to target and develop during this photographic safari.
   Lunch will be served at 14h30 and the afternoon game drive will start at 16h00.
   Driving from west to east, using an open 4×4 safari vehicle we shall first encounter a variety of plains game before we focus our efforts on finding lions about to start the nightly prowl, or and elephant relishing the cool coastal breeze as the heat dies down, or an alert rhino headed to the next water body to quench his thirst. At some point during the afternoon we will stop for a brief drink and some nibbles.
   Making the most of the light and dictated by how the game sightings and photographic opportunities unfurl, we will arrive back at our accommodation at around 19h30 for dinner.
   

   OVERNIGHT: Kariega Game Reserve

2. DAY 2: Kariega Game Reserve to Karieqa Game Reserve

   After an early wake-up call at 05h00 we will gather for tea, coffee, fresh fruit juice and freshly baked muffins. Before sunrise (06h00), we will set off on another game drive, this time targeting specific species with the best available light, close encounters with giraffe feeding on acacia trees, roosting secretary birds, or wallowing hippo typify the mornings.
   Sightings dependent we will return for breakfast at 10h00. After breakfast you will have ample time to sit down, relax, download your pics and process a few images. Jacques will be available for any help regarding software, editing and general questions you may have up until lunch at 14h30. At some stage before lunch, the aims and objectives for the afternoon drive will be discussed, in order to allow you take a deserved rest after lunch before the afternoon game drive.
   At about 16h00 we will drive into the hills and gullies of Kariega once more. Being in a vehicle with like-minded photographer's means there is no need to rush from one sighting to another. A “keeper” shot takes time to craft, but fortunately at Kariega your patience never goes unrewarded. Flexibility is a key ingredient of our itinerary and this trip will revolve around animals and light – both of which are somewhat unpredictable!
   We return at 19h30 to a hearty dinner.
   

   OVERNIGHT: Kariega Game Reserve

3. DAY 3: Kariega Game Reserve

   Once again, wake-up call at 05h00 and off by 05h30 to reap whatever the morning has on offer aboard our trusty safari vehicle. Getting up early can be awful but once you're awake, driving down the track, soaking in the views and fresh morning aromas, you'll forget that soft pillow back at the lodge. We'll harvest the golden hour as perfect light bathes our subjects, morning mists providing mystery and crisp clear sky providing total clarity. Conditions dependent, this morning we may be able to test, polish and focus on action photography, perhaps using some of the more spectacular and predictable moving species about, or perhaps going over the setup required to capture that perfect landscape shot.
   Sightings dependent we will return for breakfast at 10h00. After breakfast you will meet up for a de-brief where you will discuss the different drives possible, sites and game viewing opportunities possible for the afternoon drive. Once more, Jacques will be available for any help regarding software, editing and general questions up until lunch at 14h30. Weather and sightings dependent a slow river cruise has been planned for one of the afternoons. Leaving from the lodge, headed downstream and all the way to the rivers' mouth, we hope to encounter a variety of kingfishers, herons, cormorants, African oystercatcher and the magnificent African fish eagle.
   The challenges of reflected light bouncing off the water's surface as the sun dips will be explained and tamed during this spectacular river drift. By the end of it, everyone should be able to confidently handle the light conditions as they hit the stark white feathers of egrets or a pied kingfisher, or tame the brilliant hues emanating from a jackal buzzard or soaring crowned eagle.
   After some pre-dinner drinks and a wholesome dinner we will set off on a night drive starting at 19h00 and returning around 21h30. Preference will be given to observing lion activity as well as nocturnal landscape photography if the weather and atmospheric conditions allow it. Our eyes and spotlights will scan eagerly for other nocturnal quarry such as the rarely seen African Porcupine, retiring aardwolf and mythical aardvark!
   

   OVERNIGHT: Kariega Game Reserve

4. DAY 4: Kariega Game Reserve

   We will wake up again at 05h00 and set off at 05h30 for our game drive, this time to target specific species with the best available light. Sometimes it is the hidden secrets of the bush that may startle us and absorb, such as the amazing intricacy of a spider's web, or the monumental efforts of a dung beetle, a snake on the prowl, or a chameleon in hiding. Either way, there is never a dull moment in the bush, with a skilled guide. Again Jacques will be available for advice and assistance until lunch at 14h30.
   Following lunch you will leave around 16h00 for the open plains, where great opportunities abound to shoot silhouette images against a sunset sky.
   We shall return at 19h30 to River Lodge for a hearty dinner. Being with a group of like-minded photography enthusiast's means you kick-off with a common addiction. Sharing views, trick, techniques and stories over a delicious dinner after a full day's shooting is one of the truly greatest pleasures of such a trip.
   

   OVERNIGHT: Kariega Game Reserve

5. DAY 5: Kariega Game Reserve

   Your last morning will begin in identical fashion to all others, setting off at 05h30 for your game drive. The aims of the morning will be distilled from what has been seen and what is still on the wish list. We may set off on a frantic search for something specific, or spend a session perfecting our panning technique as wildebeest frolic, springbok rut and ostriches stagger and sway across fields. Who knows what's in store for us on this last morning? …and THAT is the beauty of Kariega, there is never telling what it will be…but there is always something new and fascinating waiting to be photographed.
   You will return your lodgings for breakfast by 10h00 and thereafter have a chance to reflect on this safari and the experience, check-out and bid farewell to new friends and the beautiful Kariega Game Reserve.
   

   OVERNIGHT: Kariega Game Reserve

   TOUR ENDS