Testimonials on our Excursions:

We Loved Every Minute!

MANY thanks Buddy for such an amazing trip to Africa.  We LOVED every minute of it and are so grateful for all your efforts to make it special.  We had an amazing time in Cape Town.  We had no idea of what to expect, but it’s
such a beautiful area!  Our guide, Justin, was fabulous and we had a wonderful time with him.   We love some of the shots we got and can’t wait to share them.  Many thanks for the advice you gave us – we definitely learned a lot and are really
appreciative.  Also, thank for letting me use the camera.  I hope we can all get together sometime and share pictures and stories.  It was such a memorable trip.

Again, Thank You!
– Nancy from Pennsylvania (2023 Chobe, Madikwe, Cape Town)

 

So Many Things To Photograph

Thanks for a wonderful trip.  I must have taken over 10K photos and we have started to downsize….now at 3200.

– Dave from Pennsylvania (2023 Chobe, Madikwe, Cape Town)

 

Thank You

We had a great time, will be looking at images and reflecting tomorrow after much needed showers and sleep.  Thank you for everything,

Maryellen and Bob from Kansas (2023 Chobe)

 

Amazing!

Hi buddy! Our trip has all been great!! But we arrived yesterday at Shinde and decided we don’t ever wanna leave. You can arrange that, yes? This is Africa as we imagined it! Love love love! Thank you so much for all your expertise!

– MaryAnn, from Texas (2023 Cape Town, Chobe, Shinde)

Amazing Svalbard

“We had an amazing trip exploring Svalbard with Magnum Excursions on the R/V Kinfish.  While I expected close encounters with wildlife, the scenery blew me away.  Glaciers, snow covered mountains, several types of ice and the beautiful fjords.  We had several close encounters with walrus and seals and a wonderful time photographing a polar bear as she walked along the edge of the fjord and up and down the snow-covered banks.  The guides were excellent and crew friendly and helpful.  Another pleasant surprise was the cuisine.  I was expecting fish and boiled potatoes and we got gourmet meals with matching wine every night.  If you are looking for an adventure to a place few people get to experience, I highly recommend Svalbard with Magnum Excursions.”

– E. Loken from Pennsylvania (2023 Svalbard)

Svalbard was an absolute wonderous experience

“Svalbard was an absolute wonderous experience. What really sticks in my mind, was one morning after waking up and going out on deck with my camera I found myself surrounded by giant jagged mountain peaks and deep blue glaciers. It was like nothing I have ever imagined. There was beauty around every corner. The crew aboard the R/V Kinfish were a pleasure to work with and very accommodating. The naturalists were very knowledgeable and held educational sessions every evening. I still talk about the food to anyone who asks about my trip. Fine dining every night with accompanying wine. The chef was excellent. This expedition is for anyone with an adventurous spirit and a camera. I recommend going a few days early and checking out the town of Longyearbyen, you wont regret it. This was my second trip through Magnum Excursions and I can’t wait to book a third trip with them.”

— J. Stewart from Pennsylvania (2023 Svalbard)

A Big Thank You

Thank you for introducing us to Africa. I am so glad Don and I could experience all it had to offer. I will never forget the trip. I see the youthful enthusiasm on my husbands face with each photo he shares. They bring us both joy. We both enjoyed the adventure.

— Nancy Snyder, Orefield, PA – (2019 Kenya Great Migration Safari)

Wonderful

Wonderful Trip. Thanks so much for all you did to make the trip great.

— Ruth Nations, Easley, SC – 2019 Kenya Great Migration Safari

I want more!

Please keep me updated on future trips. I’m truly enjoying the images from our trip. I just have way too many images to search through, all 16,000 images 🙂

— Ceasar Sharper, Manassas, Virginia – May 2019 Safari to Chobe River, Botswana

Trip of a lifetime! – May 2019 Chobe Safari

Thank you for giving Attila and me the trip of a lifetime! Everthing was run so well thanks to you. I am bragging to all that they should use Magnum Excursions for their trips to Africa – I hope you get more business as a result.

— Jacki Spearly, Coopersburg, PA – May 2019 Safari to Chobe River, Botswana

Like You Never Imagined – July 2016 Trip

You’re in for an experience like you never imagined. Last July was our first African experience. Our first morning in Madikwe, before the sun was up, we were walking from our “tree-house” to the lodge for our first safari excursion. We heard a tremendous lion’s roar at about the time we were to meet. I thought – Nice touch to call us with a recorded lion’s roar, but isn’t that a bit “Disney”? When we got to the lodge, we were immediately asked if we heard the lion roaring nearby. Yes, it was real. That’s the first time I ever heard a lion roar – really roar. Now less than 10 months later, it almost seems like a story-book adventure. Were we really there? Don’t forget to pinch yourself to make sure you’re not just having a fantastic dream. It’s a truly amazing experience. We’re starting to plan for our next trip. Previously, we never thought that Africa would even make it to our “bucket list” – and now it’s high on our list to go again, next year.

— Don Darby, Stuart, FL – July 2016 Safari to Chobe NP & Jaci’s Treehouse, Madikwe

2016 Trip to Chobe and Madikwe

My husband and I traveled to South Africa and Botswana with Buddy in the summer of 2016.   It was a most extra-ordinary trip.  In fact, we would both say the trip of a life-time.   We had been searching for a tour group with which to visit Africa for a very long time and from the moment we met Buddy, it was clear that we had found our tour leader.  He is quite versatile, being warm and knowledgeable about a myriad of pertinent subjects.  From the start of the process, he included us in making specific plans, being especially attentive to areas or aspects of travelling that we wanted or didn’t want.   The upshot, we had a trip that was pretty much custom designed for us both in timing and in having the experiences that were important to us.   

Buddy is a wonderful photographer and gracious and helpful in teaching us budding photographers.  At one of the locations, he even arranged to have us provided with really good quality cameras. 

Buddy has been to all the places (many times) that he takes his clients and knows the people and the systems (hotels, car transfers, guides) intimately.  In fact, the local guides are not only his business partners but also his friends. In each place we went, we were treated like extended family.  Oh and as a side benefit, Buddy is a real foodie and the meals were all excellent.  We ate really well.  His pricing is also extremely fair and quite a bit less than the “big box” tour companies.  We both look forward to taking another trip with Buddy (soon we hope!) 

— Janet (and Marty) Rudolph, Long Island, NY, July 2016

True Africa

Buddy led us on a true African Photo Safari – an absolute adventure that exceeded all of our expectations. “The number of animals we observed and photographed was incredible.” All connections were right on time and accomodations were outstanding. With Buddy’s guidance, we were able to come home with thousands of great images. This photo safari was a good value and we would love to go again.

— Butch & Linda VanSetters, Phillipsburg, NJ, July, 2019

Fantastic

I went on this Photo Safari in S. Africa and Botswana May 2014 with Buddy “FANTASTIC trip”
The Safari was well organized and reasonable priced plus the knowledge of Buddy and guide staff was exceptional. I took better pictures than I could image, from the tips provided on game drives by Buddy. I look forward to another trip. A+++ .  The accommodations which were first class in an African bush setting. The food was simply amazing.

–Rob Haitmanek, Lehigh Valley, July, 2014

A Photo Trip, a Chance to Learn

I traveled to Timbavati, South Africa for a photo safari with Buddy Eleazer and Magnum Excursions in May of 2012. We stayed at the Leadwood Camp lodge. This trip exceeded my expectations in every way. The accommodations and food were just right for our trip. More importantly, there were photographers of every level on the safari and all of the most experienced were very free with help to those of us just getting started. The range of game we saw was awesome! We saw four of the ‘big five’ in ONE two hour session.

I also really appreciated the chance to meet the South African members of our party. I have fond memories of sharing stories around the boma every evening and getting to know them in an atmosphere that couldn’t be found in a conventional hotel. I am already planning my return trip next year!

—- Bill Crawford, Emmaus, PA 1 Aug ‘17

Into Africa

Most of my friends thought I was crazy when I told them I was planning a trip to South Africa to focus on wildlife photography.  Even I thought I was crazy!  I have never done any wildlife photography in the 42 years that i have been making photographs.  But, after discussing and seeing the wonders of African wildlife of Buddy Eleazer, I was hooked.  He and Paul Salvado put together a memorable experience that was life changing.  Not only was the lodge pleasant and immaculate and right in the middle of the  game reserve, but the food was superb and expertly prepared by Paul’s wife, Patsy.  

This trip was truly a photographic paradise.  We had wonderful, experienced guides, daily expert photographic critique and instruction, and magnificent animals on which to focus our attention.  Buddy was extremely helpful prior to the excursion and tolerated my incessant questions!  He recommended clothing, lenses, all types of camera equipment, and most definitely a second camera body, lol.  He was always able to see the positive side of just about anything!

I shall be planning to take another trip for sure!!

— Lee Levin-Friend, Allentown, PA – May ’13

A Rookie Feels at Home

Okay, I admit it. I’ve not taken a destination photo workshop prior to this and I’ve definitely never been to Africa. I heard Buddy speak at our local camera club and decided to take a chance on the Magnum Excursions Timbavati destination. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Buddy and Paul are always willing to help in getting ready for the trip and in making sure this trip was all I had hoped for.

I didn’t realize the difference in going into a private reserve compared to driving in a park like Kruger. For a photographer, that difference is critical. In the private reserves, guides are allowed to go off the road and through the bush to track or follow any of the big 5 (rhino, leopard, lion, cape buffalo or elephant). Our group leaders, working with the guides, were able to use this advantage to get us in the right light, right angle and in settings with minimal obstructions to get the shots we really wanted.

 Also important on the trip was advice of lens choices and camera settings. We were coached on important techniques like pan shots, shooting silhouettes at sunset, tips for better panoramas. We were also given helpful advice on lens choices, iso settings and recommendations on dof and minimum shutter speeds for various encounters.

—Justin Davis, Statesville, NC, July ’16