NAMIBIA UNTAMED
Namibia… even the name evokes images of the exotic. It is a country of stark beauty where cheetahs and elephants roam wild and free and ochre skinned Himba still live traditional tribal lifestyles. Dry Season wildlife photographic is absolutely incredibly and different (because of the deserts) to any other part of Africa! It is wildlife photography dream destination.
Join professional photography and qualified Safari Guide James Gradwell on an 11 DAY JOURNEY through the wilds that make Namibia so special. James has been leading photo tours to Namibia since 2011 and has locations that aren’t on any other photo tour. This photo tour focuses on the wildlife, landscapes and people that make Namibia a photographer’s paradise. Please not the Tour can be adapted and days extended to photographic preferences.
BEST TIME: June- October the dry season, April/May for best weather, end summer (Feb/March/April) for green season photography + migrant birds
GROUP SIZE:|Min 2 – max 7 participants (non-photographer travel partners are welcome).
ACCOMMODATION: A combination of comfortable 3* guest houses and 4* lodges strategically located for optimal photographic opportunities
LEVEL OF FITNESS: Easy to Moderate | Most locations are easy walking unless you wish to tackle the dunes. There is a 20 minute hike into Deadvlei over soft sand but it is mostly level with a short sandy uphill at the end.
SEASONS
Spring (Aug-Oct): Highly recommended can be windy from August and very hot in October but dry conditions concentrate wildlife to waterholes like you’ve never seen before!
Winter (June-August): Highly recommended, start of the dry season with cooler winter temps. Good for ight sky photography too
Autumn (April/May): Highly recommended, its a beautiful time of year, may still be good color in the landscapes April, if it has been a good rain year.
Full Summer (Oct-Jan): Not recommended for landscapes as the light is harsh almost immediately after sunrise and it is extremely hot!
End Summer:(Feb/March): Green Season, Etosha is transformed into carpets of green often with stormy sky backdrops, and all the migrant birds are back. There are few tourists, little dust and low season rates. Its a great time but the wildlife is scattered and does not concentrate waterholes like it does in the dry season.
RATES
Accommodation rates change according to season. High season is July to Oct and major holidays like Xmas and Easter. Rates below are approximate and can change during peak times and by the same token, during off peak times, the rate can come down.
2 PARTICIPANTS: $9 999USD p/p sharing.
4 PARTICIPANTS: $6 999USD p/p sharing.
6 PARTICIPANTS: $4 999USD p/p sharing.
SINGLE ROOM: $1000 extra over and above per person sharing rate
.Namibia is a huge country, bigger than most realize, you would need at least 17 days to photograph all the highlights, this is a collection of the best wildlife, culture & landscapes that make Namibia so uniquely special in just 11 days!
Date | 21 Any time for private individuals and hosts for international photography groups
Length | 11 days
Start/Finish | Windhoek Namibia
Level | Any level from Beginner to Pro
Reviews | Trip Advisor Reviews For Photography Tours Here
Group Size | Maximum 7 Participants
We are able to offer competitive prices as we are the tour operator here and don’t need a ground handler to facilitate this tour. Many international led photo tours are substantially more
expensive as they need local assistance to organize accommodation, drive vehicles, hire local guides etc. We’re fortunate with 10 years of Namibia Photo Tour experience we can do this independently and offer you a better deal. Also Namibia was part of South Africa until its independence in 1990 and as such, the Namibian dollar is fixed to the South African Rand.
DAY 01: You will be collected from your hotel at 10am. It’s a 5 hour drive hour to Etosha one of the Africa’s Finest Game Reserves
DAY 02: Full day of Game Drives Safari experiences in Etosha
DAY 03: Full day of Game Drives Safari experiences in Etosha
DAY 04: Early morning departure for a cultural photo experience with the ochre skinned Himba Tribe. Following this we drive to Namibia highest mountain for an afternoon Desert Elephant safari drive
DAY 05: The cultural, wildlife and landscapes around this area are exceptional we spend a full day exploring the region with early morning and late afternoon photo sessions
DAY 06: Sunrise shoot of the Brandberg mountain. Then we head to the ocean stopping at Cape Cross for the largest land based colony of seals, finished the day at Swakop with seascape sunset shoot.
DAY 07: Living desert tour into the permit only Namib Desert to find the fascinating little desert adapted creatures. Afternoon sunset shoot Flamingos of Walvis Bay
DAY 08: 5 hour scenic drive to Sossusvlei, the landscape gem of Namibia for afternoon and sunset red dune shoot
DAY 09: Sunrise at the incomparable deadvlei, midday rest, afternoon and special night sky shoot deadvlei
DAY 10: Optional helicopter doors off shoot ($300) or red dune sunrise shoot. Followed by breakfast and 5 hour scenic drive back Windhoek with final dinner at a legendary Windhoek restaurant.
DAY 11: After breakfast tour ends with Airport transfers
This is the basic Itinerary, which is flexible and can be adapted to suit preferences.
COST INCLUDES:
All Accommodation (3 and 4 star lodges optimally located for photo opportunities)
All Meals (to value of R250 p/meal when eating at restaurant)
All Transport (including 4×4 excursions at lodges)
All Guided Activities and Excursions (as per itinerary)
All Park Fees, Permits and special concession fees
Professional photographer guide, in the field photography tips, techniques & tuition
Pre and post nights can be arranged
COSTS EXCLUDES:
International flights, drinks outside of meal times, snacks, gratuities, fees for passport, visas, immunizations, insurance and airport taxes. Cost of hospitalization and evacuation if necessary, laundry, phone and other items of a personal nature, any optional activities
COVID-19 TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR SOUTH AFRICA
For entry into South Africa (as per current requirements) guests are required to present a negative, PCR-based COVID-19 test, taken within 72 hours of boarding their international flight. And require a PCR test, before flying back, which will be arranged in Cape Town.
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
All guests will be required to practice social distancing in public areas. Masks or face shields are compulsory in areas where social distancing is not possible.
To book this tour or request more info please full in our booking form here
- SPECIAL PERMITS FOR SUNSET & EARLY NIGHT SKY PHOTOGRAPHY
(DEADVLEI PAN A PLACE FEW PHOTOGRAPHERS HAVE PHOTOGRAPHED) - WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP (IN THE FIELDS TIP & TECHNIQUES)
- ETOSHA OKAUKUEJO ONE OF AFRICA’S MOST PROLIFIC WATERHOLES
- HIMBA TRIBE AUTHENTIC CULTURAL VILLAGE
- DAMARALAND UNIQUE SELDOM SHOT LOCATIONS NOT ON ANY OTHER PHOTO TOUR
- LIVING DESERT TOUR AMAZING PHOTO OP’S OF SELDOM SEEN LITTLE DESERT CREATURES
* Walvis Bay & Flamingos
* Swakopmund coastal tour with living desert tour
* Namib (World’s Oldest Desert)
* Brandberg highest mountain in Namibia
* Damaraland unique location for culture and landscapes
* Desert Elephant
* Etosha staying Okaukuejo camp