Hwange and Mana Pools Photo Safari
1 Spot Left 2026
From $10,950 pps
9 Days
Zimbabwe
1 Spot Left 2026
We have teamed up with African Bush Camps to offer an amazing multi-destination safari, visiting Hwange National Park and the iconic Mana Pools in the company of a Pangolin Photo Host. This 9-day itinerary starts and ends in Victoria Falls, then spends 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. 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
Please note: 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 to fully participate in this photo safari.
2026 Prices
Date: November 13th to 21st, 2026 | Cost: $12,450 per person sharing | Single: $14,450
Please note: 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 to participate fully 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!
EXCELLENTVerified Pangolin provided a "one of a kind" India experience beyond just tigers I just returned from the Pangolin India Tiger Safari. It was an amazing experience. Before the trip Daniella at the office was very helpful and answered any email question promptly. The tour Hosts, Sabine and Charls, are very knowledgable regarding wildlife photography, both how to properly photograph the animal and then processing techniques. This old curmudgeon was able to learn and retain a couple of new techniques from them. The lodges are some of the nicest that I have stayed in. They were Bagh Tola, Pench Tree Lodge, and the Bori Safari Lodge. The were Bandhavgarh NP, Pench NP, and the Bori Wildlife Sanctuary at Stapura NP. I liked the first and last parks the best, but had incredible Wile Dog sitings at Pench. One important items that I learned is that unlike some lodges in other locations that allow you to include gratuities on your credit card in India that was not possible and currency exchange outside of the airport or ATM use was not convenient. The local "handler", and lodge owner of Bagh Tola, Jason Fernandes, was an extremely gracious and made the trip one of a kind by providing a life altering experience during the "Holi" holiday. Almost all of the naturalists/drivers were great, but my personal favorite was TK at Bori Safari Lodge.Posted onVerified Professional, Luxurious, Safe High quality experience that left me wanting to experience Botswana again. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable about both the wildlife and photography. Hands on experience was next level as they guided us on how to use camera equipment properly and capture the best shots. I’m profoundly grateful for my time there and will return with more friends/family. We were treated with respect, and our group felt very safe.Posted onVerified Experience of a Lifetime for everyone - Must do for Photographers Booking: My wife and I went on the Pangolin Chobe, Delta, Kalahari (CDK) photo safari in September 2025. The best way to describe the experience is SURREAL! I am a nature photographer and visiting Africa and photographing the wildlife was a bucket list trip for me and my wife. I have followed Pangolin photo safaris through their YouTube channel and website for a few years. When we decided to go on this trip, I filled out the form and Samantha McDonald, a lovely agent contacted me via email. After several weeks of email & phone conversations wit Sam, I booked us for the 10 day CDK safari experience a full year in advance! Sam was an amazing resource of knowledge, tips and patiently answered all our questions for the next whole year and throughout the trip! I highly recommend her! Experience: Pangolin is a first class operation. It is run by photographers for photographers. If you are a photographer, don't think twice - Book this trip now before they fill out for 2027. If you are not a photographer, don't worry. Just simply watching these animals and birds in their natural habitat is breathtaking. Their goal is to send us home with world class wildlife photos which your family and friends will think are worthy of being in magazines! To that end, they have an experienced Canon photographer with us offering excellent coaching on exposure, shutter speed and angles to get the best shots for that particular scenario. They give everyone interested a professional camera (Canon R6 MKII in 2025) and a great lens (Canon RF 100-500 in 2025) and abundant training. Our coach Sara Jenner was amazing and her energy and enthusiasm was infectious. Accommodations: The places where we stayed were 5*! The new Pangolin Voyager houseboat, The luxurious and spacious tents at Shinde Footsteps and Dinaka camp were incredibly well appointed for a place in the middle of wilderness! The food was amazing with a lot of local fare and it catered to everyone's needs, which included some Indian curry for me and many dishes for the guests who were vegetarians. Wildlife: The guides at Chobe, Delta and Kalahari were amazing! They knew where the animals and birds were and what the best locations for getting the best photos! They are expert trackers and follow footprints to locate the wildlife! We got to see so many varieties of birds and mammal species. Every day we did two game drives that were 4 hours in duration. The day starts with a 5:30 am breakfast, 6:30 am game drive for 4 hours, 11:30 lunch, a short break, 3:30 tea, 4 pm game drive, 8 pm dinner. The days are jam packed with opportunities to see wildlife. We saw a leopard, cheetahs, a rhino, so many hippos, lions & cubs, Hyenas, the endangered wild dog, wildebeest, elephants, elephants and elephants, giraffe, baboons, and hippos to name a few. Cost: This Chobe, Delta, Kalahari trip is not inexpensive. At $13,500/person for this and the round trip airfare from the US costs a good chunk and required a lot of planning and saving. I thought that it was expensive. Having completed this trip, I will confidently say that the experience was worth every penny and you'll end up with amazing memories and so many awesome pictures. I am an extremely value conscious, comparison shopper and I highly recommend that you do your own research about these safaris. I did mine. There is NO ONE that provides such an exclusive small group 5* experience at this price. I found that even those through Costco (We travel a lot through them) were almost twice the cost for a similar length and those did not include such intensive game drives. We are looking forward to booking our next Pangolin Safari in 2027. Hope to see you there!Posted onVerified I cannot recommend more highly this wonderful week - immersed in the wildlife of Botswana. We had an incredible week on the Chobe river with Pangolin Photo Safari. The wildlife was astounding and we were given excellent instruction and detailed description of all the birds and animals we were seeing. The Riverboat was wonderful - so comfortable and quiet (all electric). We then moved to the Chobe Hotel, which was first class with excellent food and delightful staff. In fact the staff throughout the whole week were amazing - so friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Thank you all for making my holiday such a happy and memorable one.Posted onVerified Pangolin Photo Safaris - the very best! An unforgettable experience. I recently completed the Chobe River/Okavango Delta/Kalahari with Pangolin. The trip exceeded my hopes and expectations. Excellent accommodations at every step. The brand new (July 2025) houseboat on the Chobe was extremely comfortable, and the staff/service was excellent. We saw an amazing amount of wildlife almost constantly, and the river guide, Laskey, was fantastic. The river experience was uncrowded and we were able to go where we wanted without having to compete with other tour boats The Ker & Downey camp on the Okavango was very comfortable, and again excellent staff/service/food. The drives through the delta were an unforgettable experience, with plentiful animal and bird life. A great guide again, Bobbie, who really added to the experience, and we saw a tremendous amount of wildlife throughout the visit The Kalahari visit was at another Ker & Downey camp, this time very luxurious and comfortable. The same excellent experience, plenty of wildlife, good food and service at the camp, all in all another great stay. Our local guide, KLB, was again absolutely first-rate. The overall trip management by Pangolin was first rate. They had people to help us at every stage on the tour, to ensure we had the best possible experience. Our trip host, Karolina, was fantastic - her friendly and positive approach contributed greatly to the group experience, and she gave all of the guests, regardless of experience level, really useful photography pointers. I can’t recommend Pangolin highly enough. If you are looking for a photo safari outfit, look no further!Posted onVerified Best Trip We've Ever Taken This trip, by far, was the best trip my wife and I have been on. Everything was top notch. From planning our trip with our Pangolin Safari Planner, to the photo host, guides, and staff on the Pangolin Voyager II and the Pangolin Hotel, everyone was friendly, courteous and helpful. We felt that an African Safari would be a once in a lifetime experience, but I'm already thinking about a return trip. Our photo host and guide worked to position us to get the best positioning for photo's, offered suggestions on composition, and assisted in whatever questions we had. Back at the Voyager II and hotel the food was great, and accommodations very comfortable. I highly recommend Pangolin Photo Safaris!Posted onVerified Fantastic Chobe, Delta and Kalahari Photo Safari Tour My husband and I utilized the services from Pangolin Photo Safaris who arranged the details for a pre-excursion visit to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwa and then joined our fabulous tour leader, Janine, and spent 10 days on their Chobe, Delta and Kalahari Photo Safari tour. Their attention to detail was fantastic. And Janine's guidance to hobbyist photographers on taking wildlife pictures was phenomenal. I know her voice will be in my mind whenever I look to take any fast action pictures to note the lighting, adjusting your exposure, and always remembering to check my ISO. Thanks Janine! Needless to say, I would highly recommend Pangolin for your future wildlife photo trips.Posted onVerified All round winner of a tour Wow! I am so glad I did this safari. After a Covid delay of five years we finally made it to the "Chobe, Delta and Kalahari" 10 day safari. My partner and I started this trip as "phone photographers" basically, and after the ten days tuition and guidance on provided cameras we are hooked. This tour has three nights on the Voyager houseboat , four nights at Okavango Delta, and two nights on the edge the Central Kalahari. These two camps were at Ker & Downey establishments and every place was fantastic. The Pangolin houseboat is a little bit old and is getting replaced soon, but on board everything was clean and comfortable. The staff were amazing - so friendly and meals were delicious. Up early for morning river trips or game drives with our wonderful photo host Will, for whom nothing was trouble, we were astounded by the wildlife and the skill of our driver/guides. Their placement of vehicles to get good shots, and Will's technical guidance helped us come home with memorable good photos. Afternoon brought another trip out for photographs and sundowners as the magical African sunsets coloured the sky. All arrangements booked through Pangolin were well planned and communication with our consultant was always timely. I have no hesitation in recommending Pangolin Photo Safaris and hope I can return one day.Posted onVerified Great Safari Product. Already booked my trip for next year. Pangolin has a great photo safari product. I had a group of 17 at the Pangolin Hotel. We were at Pangolin before starting our main safari in the Okavango Delta. The set ups in the boat with the gimbals and the swivel seats was brilliant! My guests who were not as interested in photography were loaned canon cameras and lenses and they had a professional photographer on the boat helping them with their settings. It was the best way to start a safari. By the time my guests were in the Okavango Delta, they already had a good foundation for wildlife photography.Posted onVerified Yet another amazing week with Pangolin Photo Safaris Yet another amazing week with Pangolin Photo Safaris on the Chobe river and National Park. Walter, out photo host, was encouraging us to stretch our photographic skills, always ready to give advice as to getting the best shot. Dan, our wildlife guide, boat driver and boat pilot, kept us safe even when charged by a hippo. We saw wild doge just having killed and eaten, a malachite kingfisher on our boat with a frog in it's beak and many other animals and birds. The staff at the Pangolin Chobe Lodge were as always, friendly, welcoming and providing excellent food. Thoroughly recommend this company for anyone interested in wildlife photography, beginners and experts.
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