Project Description
Hwange and Mana Pools Photo Safari
We have teamed up with African Bush Camps to offer an amazing multi-destination safari, visiting Hwange National Park as well as the iconic Mana Pools, in the company of Pangolin Photo Host, William Steel. This 9-day itinerary starts and ends in Victoria Falls, then spend three nights at Somalisa Expeditions Camp in Hwange and another four nights at Nyamatusi In Mana Pools.
Both of these parks offer the opportunity to blend game drives with time outside of the vehicles on foot to get shots that only being at ground level can achieve. As there will be an element of walking on the safari, a moderate level of fitness and mobility will be required to attend.
We thought we would start this photo safari adventure with everyone meeting up Victoria falls for a night before getting on the charter to Hwange. Apart from the fact that The Falls are going to be at their fullest at this time of year It makes sense with a group safari to allow everyone a bit of a buffer for late flights or delays. In addition to that with Victoria Falls being so close to the Chobe we have a couple of Botswana based safaris that can dovetail with these dates for an extended photo safari.
The group will be staying at the charming Ilala Lodge, which is in a secluded neighbourhood of Victoria falls Town and a short drive from The Falls. We will be having a welcome dinner cruise on The Zambezi River!!
Our first safari stop is Hwange National Park which Is rather an underrated photo destination for reasons that are beyond us. It is teaming with game and like Mana Pools we are able to conduct walking safaris as well as spending time on the vehicles. This will allow for some low level photography opportunities which you can’t get at most other destinations…even in The Okavango!
We will be staying at Somalisa Expeditions Camp which Is owned and managed by African Bush Camps – an excellent safari outfit and a company we thoroughly enjoy working with.
While in Hwange we will have use of two game viewers with William alternating between them on each drive. We will tend to stick quite close together on the drives calling each other in to sightings and walking opportunities. Hwange has excellent elephant and predator sightings as well as plenty of wide open spaces for atmospheric landscapes…so bring a wide angle lens in your camera bag!
We have decided to visit these parks a month after the rains should have ended as we want to have some greenery around…which, we are sure you will agree, makes for much nicer imagery. Well fed happy animals (lots of young around) with verdant backgrounds and plenty of summer migratory bird species still in residence!
Mana Pools (as you will have watched In William’s video) is a very unique photo safari destination. It’s most famous for its “acrobatic elephants” stretching into the trees but its so much more than that.
We will be staying at Nyamatusi Camp which William has chosen for its location and style. It’s a very nice camp indeed but more importantly its close to all the places where William had his best sightings and encounters.
Once again we will have the use of two game viewers with four photographers in each with William rotating between them. Mana pools will probably afford us more “on foot” photo opportunities including some with the resident predators should the conditions allow. We will hope to run into some of the local superstar elephants like Boswell and Fred Astaire but William will also be encouraging you to think wider and taking more atmospheric shots – this is very much his forte!
The mixed and varied landscape of Mana Pools is uniquely recognisable and William will assist you throughout to get all the shots you need and would expect to get here.
As a reminder, a moderate level of fitness and mobility is required to make the most of this safari as the real advantage is being able to get low for the best angles…and on occasion making a strategic retreat to the vehicles!
On the last morning the group will fly back to Victoria Falls to connect with your international flights. Alternatively you could return to The Chobe with William for some water based photo safaris on The Chobe River!
On the final day, you will fly back to Victoria Falls where you can meet your international flight home. Alternatively you can carry on the photo safari by coming over to the Chobe which is less than two hours by road. After Chobe there are options to head further south to The Okavango Delta or even as far as Cape Town. Our dedicated safari planners will be more than happy to suggest all manner of add ons to this incredible safari!
2025 Prices
Date: November 13th to 21st, 2025 | Cost: $10,950 per person sharing | Single: $12,950
As Mana Pools and Hwange allow you to leave the vehicle and walk in the National Park (with a qualified guide) a reasonable level of fitness and agility will be required for you to fully participate in this photo safari.
Transfers to/from Victoria Falls Airport.
1 night at Ilala Lodge (dinner bed and breakfast).
Dinner cruise on The Zambezi.
Charter flight from Vic Falls to Hwange to Mana Pools to Vic Falls
3 nights Somalisa Expeditions Camp in Hwange (Full Board).
4 nights Nyamatusi Camp (Full Board).
All meals and selected drinks
Day time image review and editing sessions.
Park fees and tourism levies
Twice daily photo safari activities with William Steel throughout.
Laundry, gratuities and items of a personal nature
Visa fees if required
International flights
Customary tips for guides and camp staff.
Single supplement for solo travellers ($2,000)
The game viewers in Hwange and Mana Pools don’t have bean bag mounts so we suggest a monopod might be a good accessory to bring with you. this will also double up as a handy walking stick and camera support when you are on foot…which is what Hwange and Mana Pools is all about!
Our Reviews
Verified
Woodson642024-04-07Beyond awesome!! I just returned home from a fabulous 6 nights at the Pangolin Chobe Hotel in Kasane, Botswana. Everything was as expected. The room was comfortable with reliable internet and air conditioning. Lots of work space to edit photos, multiple international plugs (no need to bring a converter) and a comfortable bed. The food was outstanding at every meal and the staff was excellent. Many of the trips were on the river and the photo opportunities were endless. The boats are equipped with gimbals which helped with managing long lenses. Our guide was always looking to put us in the best positions to get great images. All of the guides there are outstanding and if you are into wildlife photography, booking a trip with Pangolin is a no brainer. I am eagerly looking to return next year and will bring along some of my photographer friends.Verified
Chris B2024-02-17Out of this world. Much much more than one could ever have expected This was the most amazing 5 days photography of my life. I was pretty reasonable before the trip but Janine's tuition / moving wokrshop ! turned something brilliant into something amazing. In addition my wife had previously rarely picked up a camera but having borrowed one of theirs came away with a thouroghly respectable 'portfolio' of wildlife shots, some of which I failed to capture. Am hoping to return one day. Oh and in addition the accommodation and full board etc was just perfect for the style of trip we were seeking. Only downside was that British Airways had my hold luggage for the whole of our 12 day visit to Africa however that did not spoil how good Pangolin are. Oh and we met a great couple from Ohio and are still in touch with themVerifiedbeegal2024-02-15An incredible experience top to bottom I can't say enough about Pangolin. We stayed for two weeks, complete with gourmet meals (including vegan options for my husband) in portions that were too large, open bar, pool, free laundry services, comfortable beds, amazing staff, and safaris that were exciting yet exhausting. They arranged a day trip to Victoria Falls for us. And we were only rained out of one boat safari in the entire two weeks (in rainy season!) We learned from the photo hosts and guides. You get your money's worth and more here.VerifiedJamie C2023-11-29Pangolin Photo safaris - a fantastic place to stay and to enjoy the Chobe We had a fantastic time at the wonderful Pangolin, everything was terrific. The staff were wonderful, both in the hotel and the Bush and all clearly well trained and very welcoming and helpful led by Dan. Charl was just what was needed on tour and with the photographing, we feel we all learned a lot as well as having fun. The food was delicious and the Chef great fun as well with his theatrical intros! I enjoyed the pool’s pond like qualities, which felt just right for the bush! Highly recommend this for photographic enthusiasts as well as everyone who enjoys the excitement of the Chobe wild life.Verified
lumenstein940022023-11-25No place is perfect, until you go here When I had an issue with a safari in the Okavango Delta, the company I had booked through pivoted and made arrangements for me to stay here for two nights. I have but one complaint, it was ONLY two nights. There cannot be anything said about this place that is not incredible. First, the staff is friendly from the pick up, to the in house staff to the team that works to make sure that your time here is as if you are family that you have known a lifetime. Because I was not originally planning on being here, I went in blind. Well, I can tell you that if you are thinking for a second of going here you have already thought too long. Just book it! I have already spent time looking at my next trip and it will be 100% with Pangolin. The boats are amazing, the team made you look better, spent time teaching me editing tips, and just cannot say enough about this company, the people and oh, the food!! The food each night was amazing.VerifiedMPA2023-11-14Fantastic all the way around 10/10 Wow these folks do it right! We just returned from leading our clients through Pangolin for our photography tour on the Chobe. I can't say enough about them. Everything from the staff and our guide (Richard) to Dan at the front desk and Guts with operations as well as the entire team are fantastic. We are for sure going to be working with them again in the future and look forward to it!Verified
Sheree R2023-11-01How wrong was I, Totally! As it turned out. This was a holiday that my husband wanted to do. I was very sceptical about doing it. After all how much were you going to see from a boat anyway. I was afraid of using my camera, so thought this may help. It was awesome, we had 3 days on the Houseboat and 3 days in their Lodge. Whilst in the boat we got to see 2 Lions bring down an Impala, only meters away from our boat. Jarco & Ray, our guides, were awesome. The people we met were lovely and we got some great photos. This is a holiday that we have and will continue to recommend. It was totally worth it.VerifiedCuthahotha2023-10-24Photography instruction to go from zero to hero in a few short days! With plenty of tips for the more experienced of us I'll make this short, there are no superlatives good enough to describe our time with Pangolin. We booked the Best of Chobe safari as my wife's first foray from North America. I had been watching all of the phenomenal YouTube content put out by Pangolin and knew they were the company to go with. They met and exceeded every expectation I had, and I had a lot. Our guides, Ray and Charlies, were excellent, knowing the game well and how best to position our boat or game drive vehicle for the best photos. Walter served as our photo host. Not only is he an excellent photographer, but he's an outstanding teacher. I do a lot of wildlife photography, and my wife is/was a complete novice at digital photography. By the end of the trip she was turning out outstanding images, and I learned more than a few tips. Well worth it for both of us. Typically, you'll do two game drives per day, either by custom-designed photography boats or game vehicles. We had four meals daily, and the evening meals were some of the best I have ever had. Also, while on the game drives, there are snacks, water, coffee, or sodas. You won't go hungry! While we both had gear (Nikon for my wife. I carry Canon R3 and Canon R5 ) they do have a loan department from which they will provide (free of charge) Canon 80Ds and 150-600mm lenses. The photo hosts are well-versed in the major camera manufacturers and models. Again, I can't begin to praise Pangolin, Toby, and Guts for the incredible customer service and photo safari.
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