MASHATU 3 - 9 AUGUST 2018 | Wildshot Safari

WEEK PROGRAM

3 August: meeting at OR Tambo International airport ( Johannesburg ) at 6h30am and departure for Mashatu. The transfer will take around 5h30 by private minivan. Quick custom formalities to enter Botswana and check in at the camp, after a short transfer through the reserve. After lunch, first afternoon game drive with private vehicle, guide and photographer at your side. It is possible to set a return flight from Joburg to Mashatu at an extra cost.

4 – 8 August: every day 2 long and flexible game drives at sunrise and sunset, 2 hide sessions ( in the famous hide where Greg Du Toit shot his winning image of the blue elephants ) are included.

9 August: after the morning game drive, breakfast and checkout. Private transfer by road back to Johannesburg International Airport. Please reserve your flight after 9pm

Breakfast, light lunch, dinner, water, coffe and tea included

Mashatu, ‘Land of Giants’ takes its name from the locally-revered Mashatu tree and the giants that roam this prodigious land. As the largest private game reserve in Botswana and one of the largest in southern Africa, Mashatu is, at 29000 ha (72 000 acres), a gem nestled between Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.It is from any towering vantage point that the great, primal stillness of Africa takes your breath away. For down in the valleys, to the north and south, east and west, lie the flattened and sweltering mopane plains of Mashatu, “Land of Giants”. For three hundred and sixty degrees these awesome sweeping wilds rise and fall, and merge into clean horizons. This land is lovelier than any imagining. Mashatu is an utterly unpeopled wilderness in eastern Botswana, at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers. But take a moment to listen to the rhythms of a land that beats to a different drum and you’ll soon unearth a diverse paradise thrumming with birds, plants, wild animals and insects. One that unfolds into savannah, riverine forests, marshland, ample plains and sandstone outcrops.

OUR PHOTO-SAFARI STYLE

Our photographic safaris and workshops are designed for photographers of all levels, from beginners to experts. There will always be one of our professional photographers to assist you. Our photographic safaris are focused on tracking wildlife, according to the experience of our guides and of the wildlife photographer who will host the group. To maximize the photographic aspects, there will never be more than two people in each row of the car, which will always be reserved for our small group. Our vehicle will always be positioned in the best way possible, thinking both about composition and light, to allow you to take great shots. We will look for interesting scenes and stick to them as long as possible, in order to make the most out of every possible interaction. During this trip we will experience hide photography, where waiting in silence for animals to show up will be very well rewarded.

ONE WEEK IN THE LAND OF GIANTS

3 - 9 AUGUST 2018

WE GIVE YOU OUR BEST FROM

USD 2990

NOT TO BE MISSED

RESERVE NOW

TRANSFER INCLUDED

Private transfer from and to Johannesburg included

PHOTOGRAPHIC HIDES

We will have the opportunity to shoot at ground level from 2 different photographic hides.

OFF ROAD

We will be allowed to drive off road to get as close as possible to our wild subjects

PHOTOGRAPHIC TARGETS

As the largest private game reserve in Botswana and one of the largest in southern Africa, Mashatu is an appropriate setting for the world’s largest mammal, the elephant; and the world’s tallest mammal, the giraffe. Mashatu also provides a sanctuary to the world’s largest antelope, the eland; the world’s largest bird, the ostrich and the world’s heaviest flying bird: the kori bustard. Add the lion, the king of the beasts and the iconic baobab and we present to you Mashatu’s Giants! Guests will also find, at over 700 individuals, Africa’s largest elephant population on private land! This special spot under the African sun proudly boasts an ecological diversity uncommon in other reserves. Complementing three members of the Big Five – leopard, lion and elephant – are some of the more surprising species, including healthy populations of cheetah, the aardwolf, bat-eared fox, African wild cat, honey badger and black-backed jackal. Mashatu is also an ornithological paradise, and plays host to over 350 bird species, including the enchanting lilac-breasted roller (whose plumage features no fewer than seven different shades of blue). Two long and flexible game drives a day and the possibility to spend one morning and one afternoon in 2 different photographic hides.

One of our professional wildlife photographer will be at your disposal 24/7, helping you with your camera settings.

Bring your laptop for some Lightroom editing sessions!

ACCOMMODATION

There can be few tented camps in Botswana with the wilderness ambience of Mashatu Tent Camp. Located in the remote northern part of Mashatu Game Reserve on the boundary of the Tuli Circle Area in Zimbabwe, this is a camp that lends itself to the true African wildlife experience. Whilst the camp has subtle comforts such as fans, a plunge pool and electricity, the experience is that of close proximity to the sounds and signs of the wild, without being rustic. Eight completely private tents are tucked under the branches of enormous trees, accessible via meandering pathways. The tents themselves are spacious and comfortable and large enough that adults need not duck to move around in. Each is mounted on a concrete platform and has its own private outdoor en-suite facilities, including W.C. and shower. Imagine showering under the stars!

THE RATE EXCLUDES: international flights and airport taxes; visa; travel and medical insurance ( compulsory ); tips and any item of a personal nature. Any other items not specified in “the rate includes”

The trip is open to only 5 or 6 guests

Rates: $2990 for 6 guests and $3400 for 5 guests group

Reservations close 3 May 2018