BEST of NAMIBIA Photo Safari April 2016
Posted by Wild4 Photo Safaris on 10th May 2016
The first of the 2016 Namibian photo safaris offered a great variety of both landscape and wildlife photo opportunities although the trip did focus more on the landscapes of Namibia and particularly those of the Namib desert.
The two visits to Kolmanskop Ghost Diamond Mining town were great fun, we were so lucky to not have any wind, this is unusual for Luderitz, but it was great for photography. The many houses and rooms at the ghost town, now partially engulfed by sand offer a variety of creative opportunities.
Next stop was Namtib Reserve and one of the most beautiful clear night skies in the world, star photography is a must here. The Quiver tree forest also offered some great opportunities to combine this iconic Namibian succulent tree in the arid landscape.
Wolwedans is a stunningly beautiful stop on this itinerary and we had a great time working compositions for both sunrise and sunset. It also offers a great chance of seeing the magnificent Oryx in a true desert landscape covered in red sand dunes, rolling hills covered in short yellow grass and rocky mountain backdrops.
A highlight of the trip is always the big Red dunes of Sossusvlei and the the unique ancient Camel Thorn Trees of "Deadvlei" photographing in Deadvlei in both the morning and the afternoon and evening offers some excellent photo opportunities.
We retreated out of the desert for a cool and refreshing stop at the coastal town of Swakoipmund where we had anothe enjoyable morning photo shoot with some of the smaller inhabitants of the desert. The only desert adapted chameleon, a Peringuey's Adder, the adorable Web-footed Gecko and the speedy Shovel Snouted Lizard were all photographed.
Leaving Swakopmund we headed north to Henties Bay before turning inland towards Camp Kipwe in Twyfelfontein. Desert Adapted Elephants were seen with the unique Damaraland setting in the background.
Final destination was Etosha National Park for a fix of some larger species of wildlife, Lions, Elephants, Kudu, Black Rhino, Giraffe, Zebra, Springbok and Oryx were all seen and photographed. A treat awaited us on our final game drive as we came across a rarely seen Caracal in the middle of the road !
Thanks very much to Bob & Jeanie, Stev & Lesley and Rita for joining us on this trip around Namibia.
Also a huge thanks to Ultimate Safaris for putting together a great trip for us and especially to our lead guide, Usco, who was simply outstanding and to Francois for taking care of vehicle no2 as we arrived for the Etosha section.
Here are some photos from the trip ... Enjoy
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This was our first out of country photography trip. We were very excited and nervous. We did our research. Could this be for real? Was it too good to be true? Where was the catch?
Let us give you a clue…there was no catch! We were treated in a warm and friendly manner from our first inquiry to our final wave goodbye at the airport. Everything was handled totally professionally! It was like a dream come true….days spent on wildlife photography…and being tutored by someone who really knows how to do it. Obviously Stu, Justyna, Ann and John love what they do.
The only downside is sorting out several thousand photos in Lightroom ! . There are just some tasks you don't mind doing. It will be a labor of love.
Will we go on photo safari again? Only with Wild 4 folks!!!
Michael & Toni Anderson, USA
We couldn’t have enjoyed our trip with Wild 4 more. We were made to feel extremely welcome right from our very first e-mail contact, something which continued throughout our trip and beyond. We’d like to thank Stu, Justyna, Ann, & John for being such wonderful and enthusiastic hosts. Being looked after by such a friendly and caring family was a delight and we were very reluctant to leave after two weeks.
Stu is a very knowledgeable, hard-working and helpful guide, always on hand with useful pointers and offering us plenty of encouragement to experiment with our photography. Having a whole row each of a specially adapted safari vehicle was a real find, ensuring we didn’t miss out on any of the action. Being able to stay out in the bush all day was also a real bonus. While many other vehicles drove off after only a few minutes, we were able to spend hours observing groups of lions and other wildlife.
As this was our first African safari, Stu suggested we spend the first few nights at the Big Cats reserve and this proved to be a magical experience, with some great close-up action that resulted in some beautiful shots. It is a great place to hone your existing skills & learn some new ones.
Given the opportunity we would go again tomorrow without any hesitation. Simply perfect!
Arnoud & Lynsey Van Foreest, NETHERLANDS
What a beautifull pictures and what a great place to be.
Jos Garthoff - June 06th, 2016 at 2:41pm