9 Days / 8 Nights
Dates: July 16 – 24, 2028
Cost: $7,350 per person
- Initial Deposit: $2,000
Maximum Number of Participants: 6
Safari Leader: Buddy Eleazer
Email contact to sign up: [email protected]
I Keep Coming Back to Zimanga for a Reason
I’ve been to Zimanga many times.
And I’m going back again.
That probably tells you more about this safari than anything else I could write.
There are many excellent places in Africa to photograph wildlife. But Zimanga is different. It was developed with serious wildlife photographers in mind, and it gives us something that is difficult to find on a traditional safari: the ability to combine outstanding game drives with purpose-built photographic hides designed to put us in the right position for exceptional images.
After many visits, I know the reserve, I know the photographic opportunities, and I know what makes a July visit special.
For 2028, I have put together another seven-night Zimanga experience because I believe it remains one of the best places I know to concentrate on wildlife photography.
And this time, we’re staying at Doornhoek Homestead, giving us an intimate base for the experience.
This Is a Safari Built Around Photography
A traditional safari is primarily about finding wildlife.
This safari is about finding wildlife and photographing it well.
That distinction matters.
At Zimanga, we can spend time tracking animals from an open safari vehicle, following behavior and looking for the best photographic opportunities. But we can also leave the vehicle behind and photograph from specially designed hides positioned at locations where wildlife naturally comes to drink, feed and interact.
That gives us two very different photographic experiences during the same safari.
One is unpredictable, mobile and exciting.
The other is patient, intimate and highly controlled.
We get both.
And that variety is one of the reasons I keep returning.
Why Zimanga?
Zimanga was created specifically with wildlife enthusiasts and photographers in mind. The reserve encompasses more than 6,500 hectares of varied KwaZulu-Natal habitat, including bushveld, riverine areas, fever-tree forests and rolling terrain. It is home to an impressive variety of wildlife and more than 400 recorded bird species.
But the wildlife list isn’t what makes Zimanga special to me.
It’s the photographic opportunities.
The reserve combines excellent off-road game viewing with a collection of professionally designed photographic hides. The hides allow us to get low, unobstructed perspectives and, in many cases, photographs that simply aren’t possible from a conventional safari vehicle.
The result is a much more diverse photographic portfolio.
- Wide environmental portraits.
- Intimate close-ups.
- Animals at water.
- Birds photographed at eye level.
- And, when conditions cooperate, wildlife after dark!
The Photographic Hides
Zimanga’s hides are one of the biggest reasons I consider this a photographer’s destination rather than simply another game reserve.
Depending on seasonal conditions and the reserve’s schedule, our experience can include several different hide environments, including reflection/birdbath hides, the Lagoon hide, the Scavenger hide and overnight hides.
Each is designed around a different photographic opportunity.
Reflection Hides
These are particularly exciting for bird photography, but they can produce much more than birds.
The low perspective and water reflections can turn even a familiar subject into a completely different photograph.
Lagoon Hide
The Lagoon provides opportunities for water-associated wildlife and birds, with reflections and low-angle perspectives adding another dimension to the images.
Scavenger Hide
This can be an action photographer’s playground.
Vultures and other scavengers competing for food can produce interaction, flight, aggression and behavioral images that are difficult to anticipate on a normal game drive.
Overnight Hides
For me, these are among the most unusual photographic opportunities at Zimanga.
Instead of returning to the lodge when the sun goes down, we can spend the night in a purpose-built photographic hide and wait for wildlife to appear.
No safari vehicle.
No chasing.
Just patience and anticipation.
Nocturnal species can include hyena, civet, porcupine and other nighttime visitors, depending on what comes through.
There are no guarantees in wildlife photography—and that’s part of what makes it exciting—but these hides give us an opportunity that simply doesn’t exist on a conventional safari.
And Then We Go on Safari
I don’t want this to become a hide-only photographic experience.
Some of my favorite Zimanga photography has happened out on the game drives.
We will spend time in open safari vehicles, tracking wildlife and looking for behavior rather than simply checking animals off a list.
Zimanga’s off-road access allows us to work our way into good photographic positions and, when conditions permit, spend time with animals rather than rushing from sighting to sighting.
Elephants, buffalo, rhino, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, nyala, impala, warthog, cheetah and numerous other species can be encountered.
Predators including lion, hyena and cheetah are present, while leopard is considerably more elusive.
The goal isn’t to promise a particular animal.
The goal is to give us the time, access and photographic flexibility to make the most of whatever the bush gives us.
That is what good wildlife photography is really about.
Why July?
I deliberately choose late July for Zimanga.
It is the dry season, when vegetation is generally thinner and wildlife becomes more concentrated around dependable water sources. This can make animals easier to locate and photograph.
The weather is another major advantage.
Mornings are cool, afternoons are generally warm and dry, and the low winter sun produces beautiful directional and golden light.
For photographers, that combination can be exceptional.
The cooler temperatures also mean that wildlife can remain active during more of the morning and afternoon photographic periods.
And there is another advantage to July that isn’t found on a specification sheet:
the light.
Winter in southern Africa produces that wonderful combination of low sun, long shadows, warm color and atmospheric depth that can make an ordinary wildlife encounter into a memorable photograph.
Seven Nights at Doornhoek Homestead
For this safari, we’ll spend seven nights at Doornhoek Homestead within the Zimanga experience.
The goal is to avoid unnecessary moving around.
Once we arrive at Zimanga, we’re there to photograph.
Rather than packing and unpacking every couple of days, we’ll have seven nights to settle into the environment, learn its rhythms and concentrate on photography.
That matters.
Some of the best wildlife photographs don’t happen because you saw more animals.
They happen because you were patient enough to wait for something better to happen.
Seven nights gives us that opportunity.
A Safari Led by a Photographer
One of the things I think is important when choosing a photographic safari is knowing who is actually leading it.
I’ve spent more than 15 years photographing Africa and have made roughly 90 safaris across the continent.
I’ve photographed Zimanga repeatedly.
I know what it is like to sit in the hides.
I know what it is like to work from the vehicles.
I know the importance of focal length, background, light, shutter speed and positioning—but more importantly, I know that getting the photograph often means waiting for the right moment rather than simply taking the first photograph available.
My role isn’t to tell you what animal you’re looking at.
It’s to help put you in the best position to photograph it.
- Sometimes that means changing position.
- Sometimes it means changing settings.
- Sometimes it means waiting.
- And sometimes it means recognizing that the photograph you really want is about to happen.
The Experience
This isn’t a safari where photography is simply an activity added to the itinerary.
Photography is the reason we’re going.
We’ll have opportunities to work on:
- Wildlife portraits
- Environmental compositions
- Action and behavior
- Birds and small wildlife
- Low-angle photography
- Reflections
- Close-up detail
- Motion and panning
- Golden-hour photography
- Night photography
- Creative use of light and background
You don’t need to be a professional photographer.
Experienced photographers will have plenty to work on, but photographers at other skill levels are equally welcome.
The common denominator is simple:
You want to come home with better photographs.
The 2028 Itinerary
July 16 — Ballito, South Africa
The safari begins in the Ballito area, north of Durban.
We’ll meet, have dinner together and prepare for the following day’s transfer to Zimanga.
July 17 — Zimanga Game Reserve
Transfer to Zimanga and settle into Doornhoek Homestead.
Our photographic safari begins.
July 17–24 — Zimanga
Seven nights devoted to wildlife photography.
Our days will combine game drives, photographic hides and opportunities to respond to the conditions and wildlife activity we encounter.
The exact hide schedule will be finalized with the Zimanga team closer to the safari, allowing us to take seasonal conditions and wildlife activity into account.
July 24 — Departure
Morning activity followed by departure from Zimanga.
Who Is This Safari For?
This safari is particularly well suited to photographers who want more than a conventional game-drive experience.
It is for you if:
- You want photography to be the focus of your safari.
- You enjoy spending time waiting for behavior rather than simply collecting sightings.
- You want both traditional safari photography and hide photography.
- You appreciate small-group experiences and the flexibility they provide.
- You want to photograph African wildlife from perspectives that aren’t normally available on a game drive.
And perhaps most importantly:
- You want to travel with someone who has been to Zimanga many times and is choosing to go back.
Why I’m Going Back
I’ve photographed wildlife in many of Africa’s great destinations.
I’ve been to places with enormous concentrations of animals, spectacular landscapes and incredible predator encounters.
But Zimanga continues to hold a special place in my photographic travels.
It isn’t because every visit produces the same photographs.
Quite the opposite.
Every visit is different.
Wildlife changes.
Light changes.
Weather changes.
Behavior changes.
And I have learned that the real attraction of Zimanga is the opportunity to spend enough time in the right environment for something special to happen.
That is why I’m going back in 2028.
And I’d like you to come with me.
Zimanga Game Reserve — July 16–24, 2028
9 Days / 8 Nights
Seven nights at Zimanga’s Doornhoek Homestead
Wildlife photography led by Buddy Eleazer
Game drives + photographic hides
South Africa’s winter dry season
A safari designed for photographers
If you’ve been looking for a safari where you can concentrate on photography rather than simply photograph whatever happens to appear in front of the vehicle, I believe Zimanga is an exceptional choice.
I’ve been there many times.
I’m going back.
I hope you’ll join me.
Contact Buddy to reserve your place or to discuss whether this safari is right for you.