Best time for predators?

All-year round, though winter (dry season) is generally considered a better time of year, when sparse vegetation and fewer water sources make wildlife easier to spot. Ask your Travel Designer when the dry season occurs in your chosen destination.

Ideal number of days?

We’d recommend at least a week in the wild with us to truly get a sense of the destination, and to ensure you’re savouring it, rather than rushing through the journey.

What are the luggage limits?

On our chartered airline, Wilderness Air, the weight limit for your luggage is 20kg (44 lb), and when packing your gear, keep in mind that only soft luggage is allowed.

Yes, but it is up to your guide to determine if it’s safe for you to get out of the game drive vehicle and set up a tripod. Your safety is our top priority, so all photographic setups are at the discretion of your guide, who follows rigorous safety protocols.

Is there power in the game drive vehicles?

Only a select few of our vehicles have charging stations, so it’s best to arrive for your game drive fully charged – preferably with a power bank on hand just in case.

Drone use is only allowed with a permit and a license, and regulations differ from place to place. Be sure to plan around drone regulations with your Travel Designer well in advance.

CAPTURING YOUR SAFARI

Photography safaris in Africa

Q: Can I charge my equipment in camp?

Yes, you can charge your devices in your tented suite. Most of our camps have 220V multi-plug adaptor points, but it is advisable to bring an additional adaptor just in case.

Our camps are located in some of the most remote, wild places in Africa, making them dream destinations for landscape and wildlife photographers. With sightings shared between just a few people, guides who go the extra mile, and hides that bring you up-close to wildlife, our safaris were made to be captured.

Plan your journey

Our camps are located in some of the most remote, wild places in Africa, making them dream destinations for landscape and wildlife photographers. With sightings shared between just a few people, guides who go the extra mile, and hides that bring you up-close to wildlife, our safaris were made to be captured.

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Our destinations

With access to vast swathes of wilderness across eight countries, we offer our guests a diverse range of wild landscapes, from savannah and wetland to rainforest and desert. And with a range of activities available during your journey – walking safaris, game drives, helicopter flips and boating – you can capture the wild from many different perspectives.

Explore Africa

Wilderness Camera Tips Photography On Safari

A photographic experience

Private concessions

Expert guides

Access

Hides

Wilderness Little Ruckomechi Zimbabwe Private Dining

Private concessions

Only Wilderness guests can access our expansive areas, ensuring there are far fewer vehicles than in public reserves. This means the wildlife are given more space to roam, and you have the privilege of seeing them in relative isolation. You’ll also never experience tourist crowds when you travel with us.

Expert guides

Wildlife photography often involves an element of luck. But our guides are well-versed in reading the land and animal behaviour, making it that much easier to locate your subject. They go out of their way to accommodate photographers, adjusting the vehicle to help you get the shot you want. If you’d like a guide who’s passionate about photography, be sure to let your Travel Designer know.

Exclusive access

While night drives are not always possible in public reserves, many of our private areas allow nighttime game drives for those unforgettable after-dark wildlife shots. Ask your Travel Designers which camps offer night drives.

Hides

Discover our sunken and log-pile hides at select camps, which are set up at waterholes frequented by wildlife. Hides make it possible for you to get much nearer than a game-drive vehicle would allow, creating the perfect opportunity for safe wildlife close-ups, with your guide at your side.

FInd out more about our Hides

Private concessions

Only Wilderness guests can access our expansive areas, ensuring there are far fewer vehicles than in public reserves. This means the wildlife are given more space to roam, and you have the privilege of seeing them in relative isolation. You’ll also never experience tourist crowds when you travel with us.

Expert guides

Wildlife photography often involves an element of luck. But our guides are well-versed in reading the land and animal behaviour, making it that much easier to locate your subject. They go out of their way to accommodate photographers, adjusting the vehicle to help you get the shot you want. If you’d like a guide who’s passionate about photography, be sure to let your Travel Designer know.

Access

Exclusive access

While night drives are not always possible in public reserves, many of our private areas allow nighttime game drives for those unforgettable after-dark wildlife shots. Ask your Travel Designers which camps offer night drives.

Hides

Discover our sunken and log-pile hides at select camps, which are set up at waterholes frequented by wildlife. Hides make it possible for you to get much nearer than a game-drive vehicle would allow, creating the perfect opportunity for safe wildlife close-ups, with your guide at your side.

FInd out more about our Hides

Photographic hides

Discover a wildlife photographer’s dream: our collection of hides.

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A beautifully set table on a wooden deck overlooks a tranquil body of water at sunset

Wilderness King’s Pool

Watch elephant trunks skim the water’s surface from a sunken hide.

Visit King's Pool

Wilderness Savuti

Stand just paces away from elephants and warthogs that come to drink.

Visit Savuti

Wilderness Mokete

Watch a wildlife parade from the hide on the permanent marsh.

Visit Mokete

Wilderness Linkwasha

Hide in plain sight while wildlife gets up close in the waterhole.

Visit Linkwasha

Photography in the field

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All day

Every hour here offers a new perspective and subject, each more captivating than the last.

First light

Capture the soft morning light at sunrise, when wildlife is active and the birds are in flight.

Golden hour

Clear, crisp atmospheric conditions and proximity to the equator mean golden hour is dazzling in wild Africa.

After dark

Our remote, wild locations are free of excessive light pollution, so you can enjoy brilliant star-strewn skies.

Wilderness Kings Pool Botswana Accommodation Main Lounge Sunset

The stars light up the night when there is no light pollution

All day

Every hour here offers a new perspective and subject, each more captivating than the last.

First light

Capture the soft morning light at sunrise, when wildlife is active and the birds are in flight.

Golden hour

Clear, crisp atmospheric conditions and proximity to the equator mean golden hour is dazzling in wild Africa.

After dark

Our remote, wild locations are free of excessive light pollution, so you can enjoy brilliant star-strewn skies.

Seasonal opportunities

Every season transforms the wild, from the changing colours of the landscape and skies to the shifting behaviour of wildlife.

Green season young

Capture lush greenery after the rains, plus an abundance of newborn wildlife.

Wilderness Botswana Vultures & Buffalo At Waterhole

Herds at the water hole

When pans dry up elsewhere, wildlife consistently gathers at remaining water sources.

Thousands of wildebeest making a river crossing in Tanzania

Migrations

Seasonal wildlife movements like the Great Migration are sought after opportunities for photographers.

Dramatic skies

Green season is popular for photographers looking to capture verdant landscapes and dramatic skies.

Where in the Wilderness

Destination inspiration

Each of our destinations contains many worlds within its borders. While cross-country itineraries reveal Africa’s sheer diversity, you can see and do so much within just one country, too.

Botswana

Namibia

Zimbabwe

Zambia

Rwanda

Tanzania

Kenya

Tanzania

Photography in Tanzania and Kenya is widely regarded as some of the most rewarding wildlife and landscape photography in the world. Both countries offer vast open ecosystems, abundant wildlife, dramatic light, and iconic African landscapes that translate exceptionally well into powerful images.

Kenya

Discover the iconic Masai Mara. Its vast, untamed open plains and acacia are threaded dramatically by the Mara River – home to one of the highest wildlife densities in Africa, and the site of the spectacular annual Great Migration.

Botswana

Namibia

Zimbabwe

Zambia

Rwanda

Tanzania

Photography in Tanzania and Kenya is widely regarded as some of the most rewarding wildlife and landscape photography in the world. Both countries offer vast open ecosystems, abundant wildlife, dramatic light, and iconic African landscapes that translate exceptionally well into powerful images.

Kenya

Discover the iconic Masai Mara. Its vast, untamed open plains and acacia are threaded dramatically by the Mara River – home to one of the highest wildlife densities in Africa, and the site of the spectacular annual Great Migration.

Tips from the experts

The best advice for safari photography is more simple than you think: understand your equipment, practice with it before you arrive, and exercise patience. It’s all about coming prepared and tapping into your guide’s knowledge so you’re in the right place at the right time.

Many systems allow you to shoot multiple frames when you squeeze the shutter, which will help you to ensure you capture a sharp image and to select the best frame… This nifty feature takes the pressure off you to react to the action, without worrying about missing the shot.

Photographer and videographer Joe Hanly recommends shooting in bursts.

Most professional photographers will tell you that the best time for landscape photography is during the golden hours of the day – 15 to 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes to an hour after sunrise, and then 15 to 30 minutes before sunset up to 30 minutes after sunset. Make sure you have a wide-angle lens, too, and bring a bean bag for stability in place of a tripod.

Study and understand the behaviour of the animals.

Says former National Geographic instructor and photographer Andrew Ling. Impala give clear warning signs like snorting, stamping, or freezing while staring in one direction, often signalling lions or leopards nearby. Lean on your guide’s awareness of these cues so that you always have your camera ready.

Set the ISO to AUTO and set the camera to shutter priority using a fast shutter speed.

Michaela Skovranova, National Geographic contributor.

To avoid frightening your subject, use a long telephoto lens to maintain a safe distance, a silent shutter, and keep that flash off at night.

To capture birds in their stunning breeding plumage, try to visit during Botswana’s summer.

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Shoot from every angle

Shooting on your game drive or from a hide is always fruitful, but there are countless other perspectives on the wild you can gain with us.

Nature walks

On foot, the details come alive, and you get a sense of the wildlife’s point-of-view.

Nature Walks

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Boating

Mokoros, speed boats, pontoons, and barges; wildlife viewing from the water is unforgettable.

Boat Safari

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Helicopter flips

Appreciate the true scale of our destinations on a scenic flight.

Helicopter Safari

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Drone photography

With the right license and prior travel arrangements, you can capture exceptional stills and video from above.

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Customisable safaris

Planning your trip

To get the most out of your journey with us – and make your trip preparation as easy as possible – reach out to our expert Travel Designers. They’ll advise you on the best time of year to visit, choose the right camp for you, and help you with all the logistics.

We can help you plan

Seasonality

Baggage limits & packing

Power & charging

Drones & permits

Seasonality

Once you’ve chosen your destination, chat to your Travel Designer about what each season offers. Migrations and calving season happen at specific times of year, so you want to ensure you’re in the right place at the right time. Seasonality also effects the availability of activities like boating and walking safaris, so consider what you want to photograph.

Baggage weight limits & packing

On our chartered airline, Wilderness Air, the weight limit for your luggage is 20kg, and when packing your gear, keep in mind that only soft luggage is allowed.

Power & charging

Most of our camps have 220V multi-plug adaptor points, but it is advisable to bring an additional adaptor as a back-up for your camera gear. Don’t forget to bring your memory cards, power banks, and chargers, too.

Drones & permits

Drone permits are different across each destination and each camp, so be sure to secure the right licensing far in advance. Our Travel Designers will happily advise on the regulations in different countries and areas.

Seasonality

Once you’ve chosen your destination, chat to your Travel Designer about what each season offers. Migrations and calving season happen at specific times of year, so you want to ensure you’re in the right place at the right time. Seasonality also effects the availability of activities like boating and walking safaris, so consider what you want to photograph.

Baggage limits & packing

Baggage weight limits & packing

On our chartered airline, Wilderness Air, the weight limit for your luggage is 20kg, and when packing your gear, keep in mind that only soft luggage is allowed.

Power & charging

Most of our camps have 220V multi-plug adaptor points, but it is advisable to bring an additional adaptor as a back-up for your camera gear. Don’t forget to bring your memory cards, power banks, and chargers, too.

Drones & permits

Drone permits are different across each destination and each camp, so be sure to secure the right licensing far in advance. Our Travel Designers will happily advise on the regulations in different countries and areas.

Ethical photography

Our guides will go to great lengths to help you capture the perfect shot, but as guardians of the wild, they are dedicated to ensuring the wildlife and the land are respected. We keep a safe distance from wildlife and treat their habitats with respect, with limited off-roading to preserve the integrity of each wild place.

Respectful photography on safari