[email protected] | +230 452 3731

Mashatu – Overnight Hide & Predators Photo Safari 2025

US$8,625 person sharing

Spaces Available

1 Jul 2025 – 6 Jul 2025

ORYX is proud to present a carefully crafted photo tour to Botswana’s Mashatu Game Reserve and Lala Limpopo overnight hide.

 

This is a land where huge herds of Elephants roam free, where the roar of a Lion punctuates the night, and where ancient and mighty Baobab trees tower like swollen sentinels over the wild savanna. Your Mashatu photo safari is sure to be unique to anything you have previously experienced in Africa. Mashatu offers amazing hide photography with alluring waterholes attracting mighty beasts to quench their thirst, offering close-ups difficult to imagine, but a joy to photograph! Hides are sunken into the ground, allowing you to photograph from ground level. Your time in the hides is as much a sensory experience as it is a photographic one. No glass separating you from the wild allows you to see, smell, feel and hear the wonders of nature from a worms-eye perspective. Game drives offer superb predator photography (Lion, Leopard and Cheetah).

Located within the heart of Botswana’s Northern Tuli Game Reserve, the Lala Limpopo Hide has been subtly integrated into the landscape, allowing you to observe and photograph wildlife from the privacy and comfort of your own secluded sanctuary, from dusk till dawn.

 

 

Why this Photo Tour is for You

Hide Photography

Visit the renowned sunken ‘underground’ photographic hide to photograph wildlife from ground-level. To make the very best of this opportunity, we have secured 3 hide sessions and we will spend 2 nights in the new Lala Limpopo overnight hide during our stay.

Predators & Elephants

Mashatu is known for its remarkable opportunities to photograph lion, cheetah and leopard! Game drives will be dedicated to tracking these big cats. However, we will also appreciate and photograph other species (big and small) that call Mashatu their home, such as the resident elephants. We will photograph these magnificent giants during game drives and from the underground hide if we are indeed lucky enough to have them visit while we are there!

Night Sky

Spend time admiring Africa’s starry night sky while photographing the milky way.

Small Group Size

Limited to only 3 participants, with own row in the private open safari vehicle.

Photographic Tuition & Guiding

Local knowledge of the region coupled with a strong relationship with the ground team, ensure the ultimate photo tour experience. We will take you to the best locations while assisting you with your photography.

Mike Dexter - Photo Tour Leader

ORYX LEADER
Mike Dexter

6 Days
3 Guests + 1 ORYX Leader
Classic
Wildlife
  • Destination
    Botswana
  • Departure
    Polokwane
  • person sharing
    US$8,625
  • Single Supplement
    US$1,360
  • Photographic Highlights
    Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Night Photography, Underground Photographic Hide
  • Guide
    Mike Dexter

Watch the Video

From our gallery

Best of Mashatu

Mashatu photo safari
Mashatu photo safari
1

Day 1: Arrival in Polokwane and road transfer to Mashatu

Today we will fly from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to Polokwane Airport. After our arrival in Polokwane, we road transfer to Pont Drift border post (+-2 hours) and after a short stop at border control, we enter Botswana, and hop onto our private open safari vehicle and make our way to  Mashatu Private Game Reserve. Our first night is at the Lala Limpopo overnight hide.
2

Days 2: Tuli Safari Lodge

Upon arrival at Tuli Safari Lodge Mashatu, you will enjoy welcome drinks beneath tall trees, rolling lawns and sandstone outcrops. Our team will assist with your luggage and show you to your luxury tented suite. It’s then time to indulge in high tea overlooking the serene gardens before embarking on an afternoon game drive in the unique landscapes of Tuli with mighty rock formations and ancient Baobab trees.
3

Day 3-5: Mashatu Game Resever

ORYX’s Photo Tour will offer a superb combination of activities at Mashatu, namely hide photography, exciting game drives and visits to key areas with the intention of capturing the starry night skies of remote Botswana. Hide photography takes centre stage as we await the arrival of thirsty mammals and birds. The Matebole Hide is sunken photographic hide placed at a waterhole in prime Elephant habitat, and inside, you are seated so that your head is at ground level, and everything you see will be from the perspective of lying on your stomach looking upwards! A variety of creatures come to the waterhole to quench their thirst (Elephant, various antelope, Chacma Baboon, lots of birds and with a lot of luck even a big cat or two!), and here the ORYX photographic guide will teach creative techniques to best capture the animals as they go about their business. Game drives focus on the cats of the reserve, and Mashatu is gaining a reputation as a superb reserve for Leopard with a number of relaxed individuals! This ideal combination of photographic hides, game drives and scenic exploration while learning new photographic techniques makes this expedition one that you will never forget.
4

Day 6: Road transfer to Polokwane, flight to Johannesburg and depart

This morning after an early breakfast, we depart on our last morning game drive, followed by a road transfer back into South Africa via Pont Drift border post and to the town of Polokwane. This is sadly where this incredible photo tour concludes!
    Our mailers are sent once a week at the most, and promise to deliver inspiring wildlife, culture and landscape photo tours. Please uncheck this if you don't want to receive mailers.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

You don't have permission to register