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Mashatu – Hides & Predators Photo Safari 2023

US$6,995 person sharing

1 Space Available

12 Aug 2023 – 17 Aug 2023

ORYX is proud to present a carefully crafted photo tour to Botswana’s Mashatu Game Reserve.

 

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).

 

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 5 hide sessions 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$6,995
  • Single Supplement
    US$1,600
  • 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 tour
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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 our home for the next 5-nights of our Botswana Photo Safari: Mashatu Private Game Reserve.
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Days 2 to 5: Mashatu Game Reserve

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.
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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!
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