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Hosted small-group trips
Some trips run on set dates with a small group, hosted throughout by the photographer, in places like Mashatu, Hwange and Mana Pools. A good choice if you enjoy the company of other photographers.
Behind the lens
Photographic safaris, planned around the light
A photographic safari is a trip shaped for the camera: a private vehicle, a guide who understands light and positioning, and the patience to wait for the moment. We plan them with a professional field guide and wildlife photographer from our partner network, who hosts guests across Southern and East Africa.
What changes
What makes a safari photographic?
On a shared vehicle, the drive moves on when most people have seen enough. On a photographic safari the vehicle is yours, and the day is built around early and late light, the angle of the sun and where the animals are likely to go next. Your guide positions the vehicle for the photograph, not just the sighting.
It suits keen amateurs who want to improve as much as experienced photographers who know exactly what they are after. Expect help with composition, light and camera settings in the field, and honest advice on what kit to bring.
Where to point the lens
Four places built for photographers
Mashatu, Botswana
Wide, open country in Botswana's eastern corner, with predators and big landscapes that give a picture room to breathe.
Mana Pools, Zimbabwe
Floodplains and tall trees along the Zambezi, soft dusty light, and the rare chance to photograph on foot with a guide. Often paired with Hwange, where a waterhole hide brings you down to eye level.
Ndutu and the southern Serengeti, Tanzania
In February the herds gather on the short-grass plains for the calving season, and the predators follow. Busy, dramatic and endlessly photogenic.
Greater Kruger and the Kalahari, South Africa
Leopards close up in the private reserves beside Kruger, or the red sand and space of the Kalahari for something quieter and wilder.
Sample journeys
Two ways to travel with a camera
Each one is a starting point. The places, the season and the pace are shaped around what you want to photograph.
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A private photographic safari
The photographer guides you privately across one or several reserves, and the route is built around your subjects and the season. It works well for couples or families where only one of you is behind the camera.
Gift voucher
Give a photographic safari
For a birthday, a milestone or the person who already owns every lens. Tell us who it is for and what you have in mind, and we will put together a gift voucher towards their own photographic safari. Ask about a gift voucher
From a recent trip
★★★★★
When you make your exclusive customised travel booking with Marula Hill you can expect friendly, swift and professional service. Also expect honest, clear and continuous communication with regards to the arrangements.
EC RW, on their second booking with Marula Hill
The process
Safari planning, done properly
There is no algorithm picking your lodges. From the first message to the day you fly home, you deal with real people who care about this as deeply as you do.
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A real conversation first
We start with a call or a long message. No commitment, no quote forms. We want to understand the trip you are imagining, your travel history, your budget, and what you have always quietly wanted Africa to give you.
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A proposal that surprises you
We do not just suggest the obvious. We bring options you would not have found on your own: the newly reopened concession, the off-peak rate at the lodge that is usually full, the combination of regions that works for your dates.
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We refine until it is right
We iterate together. There is no pressure. Some clients take three conversations to land a trip, others take two weeks. We only confirm the booking when you are completely certain.
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We are with you the whole way
Pre-trip prep, packing notes, what to expect on the ground. A direct line to us while you are travelling. If anything changes on the trip, we handle it before you have to think about it.
Ready to start?
The safari you have quietly been thinking about
No commitment. No quote forms. Just a conversation with people who know the continent and know how to get you there in style.
Send a quick WhatsAppCommon questions
Photographic safari questions
Do I need to be an experienced photographer?
No. Many guests are keen amateurs who want to get more from their camera. Experienced photographers come for the positioning, the time at each sighting and the private vehicle. The guiding adjusts to you.
What camera kit should I bring on safari?
A longer zoom lens is useful for wildlife, and a wide lens helps with landscapes. Bring kit you know well rather than something new. Light aircraft often have strict luggage rules, so we will help you plan what to pack and how.
What if my partner does not take photographs?
A private vehicle means you can stay with a sighting for as long as you like, which partners often enjoy too. We build in time at the lodge and other activities, so nobody spends the trip waiting.
When is the best time for a photographic safari?
It depends on the subject. February in the southern Serengeti for the calving season, the dry months across Southern Africa when animals gather at water, and the green season for dramatic skies, colour and young animals.
Who leads the photographic safaris?
A professional field guide and wildlife photographer from our partner network, with many years of guiding in some of Africa's best reserves. We plan the rest of the trip around the time in the field.
From the journal
Reading before you pack the camera
Guides
Sabi Sand Game Reserve: South Africa's leopard country
The Sabi Sand has the highest leopard density of any protected area in South Africa. Here's what makes it genuinely different, and how we plan trips here.
Read the guide
Guides
Where the herds are: the Great Migration month by month
The migration moves all year. Here is where the herds tend to be in each season, and how we plan a trip around them.
Read the guide
Guides
Is a safari worth it? An honest answer
Honest answer for first-time safari travellers. What you actually get, when to go, and how to plan it well.
Read the guide
Owner-led
A planner, not a call centre
On the ground
Based in Greater Kruger
Plan it properly
Tell us what you are imagining
Tell us roughly what you are thinking. Vikki or Sian will reply personally.
Plan it properly
Tell us what you are imagining
Three ways to begin. Pick whichever feels easiest.
By note
Start with a note
Tell us roughly what you are thinking. Vikki or Sian will reply personally.
Send a noteBy email
Send us an email
Write to Sian directly, with Vikki copied. No forms in between.
Email usBy WhatsApp
Send a WhatsApp
Quickest if you have a short question. We answer between game drives and meetings.
Open WhatsApp