Kalahari Adventure
May 4th - 13th, 2026
10-day wildlife photography expedition in the wild heart of the Kalahari.
Trip highlights
Predators of the Red Dunes
Track lions, cheetahs, and leopards in one of the most predator-rich areas of Southern Africa. With early morning and late afternoon game drives, we'll focus on light, behavior, and composition to capture powerful wildlife scenes against the red sand and golden grass of the Kalahari.
Self-drive safari, redefined
Experience the thrill of photographing wildlife from your own 4x4 setup. Traveling in rooftop-tent vehicles, we’ll explore the park in full autonomy—choosing the best routes, angles, and moments to create impactful images while developing real skills for future self-driven photo trips.
Wild camping under the stars
Sleep in remote, unfenced campsites surrounded by silence, stars, and the occasional call of a lion. This is safari at its most raw and immersive. Evenings are spent around the fire, reviewing shots, sharing stories, and soaking in the rhythm of the wild.
Only 6 spots available in this once in a lifetime photography experience!
Priority members get first access before public launch. Only 6 spots available.
When?
May 4th - 13th, 2026
Group Size
Max 6 guest + 2 guides
Price
€3,900
€3,200 for early bird bookings*
*Only for Priority List contacts
PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY
Easy to moderate. No strenuous activity is required and we’ll mostly shoot from inside our vehicles, but participants must be comfortable with camping in remote areas, handling heat (up to 40°C at midday, with evenings/mornings being cooler and more pleasant), and contributing to camp life—like setting up tents, helping with meals, and managing gear in rugged conditions.
EXPERIENCE
Open to all levels - from curious beginners to experienced photographers seeking a more raw and immersive adventure. This trip focuses on developing storytelling skills, adapting to real-world wildlife situations and growing confidence in remote conditions.
What makes it special?
Paolo designed this workshop to give you a true taste of wilderness photography—the kind that few travelers ever get to experience. This trip isn’t built around luxury or tourist routes. It’s about being in the right place, at the right time, in one of the wildest and most predator-rich corners of Southern Africa.
We’ll travel in fully equipped 4x4 vehicles with rooftop tents, sleeping in remote and unfenced campsites, waking up to the sound of jackals or the roar of a distant lion. The self-sufficient style of this trip allows us to move freely through the park, follow light, adapt to animal movement, and get to prime locations when others are still inside fenced lodges.
The group is limited to six participants with a guest-guide ratio of 3:1, ensuring personal attention throughout. Paolo will be with you in the field every step of the way—helping with camera settings, composition, and most importantly, how to read the scene and anticipate moments. Each day will include reviews, tips, and targeted feedback tailored to your goals and experience level.
We’ve chosen this period (early dry season) for a reason: it’s a time of incredible photographic contrast, with newborn animals, golden backlight and dramatic predator-prey interaction. It’s a season that challenges you as a photographer—but rewards you with images and memories you’ll cherish for a lifetime.
Finally, this workshop isn’t just about photography—it’s about understanding the wild. Cooking over the fire, sharing stories under the stars, learning to travel light and see deeply. You’ll come home not only with a stronger portfolio, but also with new skills, new friends and a renewed sense of what it means to be out in true wilderness.
What will I see?
Locations include:
Central and southern regions of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, one of Africa’s wildest protected areas
The Auob and Nossob riverbeds, famous for predator sightings, especially lions and cheetahs
Open Kalahari dunes, dry pans, camelthorn groves, and stormy desert skies
Expect to photograph the black-maned Kalahari lions plus cheetahs, bat-eared foxes, oryx, springbok, jackals, raptors, and if lucky—leopards, brown hyenas and even caracal.
What will I learn?
How to read and adapt to wild, dynamic light, from harsh sun to backlit storms
Camera settings for fast-moving wildlife, dramatic skies, and high-contrast desert scenes
Framing and storytelling techniques to build a cohesive photo series in an open, minimalist landscape
How to shoot from a 4x4—vehicle positioning, window rigs, and lens support
Approaches to anticipating animal behavior and working ethically with distance and patience
Camp-life photography: storytelling beyond game drives
Learn the foundations of self-reliant travel in the African bush, including basic 4x4 driving techniques, camp setup, gear management, and safety protocols—giving you the confidence to independently explore other self-drive destinations across Africa in the future
Optional Lightroom/Photo Mechanic sessions: editing, organizing, and protecting your work on the go
Our itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival & Drive into the Wild
Arrival at Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport (latest landing time: 08:30). After a quick stop in Windhoek for supplies, we begin the 5 hours journey south to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. We'll cross into South Africa at Mata Mata, set up our first camp, and unwind after the long drive with a sunset beer and the first sounds of the Kalahari.
Day 2 – Mata Mata: First Encounters
Morning and afternoon game drives in the red sand dunes and riverbeds around Mata Mata. This area is known for giraffes, bat-eared foxes, and the possibility of early predator sightings. Back at camp, we’ll begin our first review session and prep for the days ahead.
Days 3, 4 – Twee Rivieren: Shifting Light, Shifting Tracks
We move southeast to Twee Rivieren, exploring a different ecosystem with acacia groves, sandy roads and open riverbeds. Expect cheetah tracks, black-backed jackals and spectacular raptor sightings. Two game drives per day, 4 hours each, will provide plenty of time for sightings, with time during the heat of the day for relax, technique improvement and image review.
Days 5, 6, 7 – Nossob: Predator Country
Deep in the Kalahari, Nossob is a remote and iconic camp surrounded by lion territory. These are our most wild days. We'll chase good light, track the big cats and refine your storytelling both in the field and around the campfire.
Day 8 – Northbound: The Journey Back
A final game drive in Nossob before making our way back with a longer drive through the park, arriving at Mata Mata in the late afternoon. We’ll share a final wild night under the stars and prepare for reentry into the “real world.”
Day 9 – From Sand to City
After one last sunrise safari session in the Kalahari, we exit the park and return to Windhoek with approx 5 hours drive. We’ll stay in a comfortable hotel and enjoy a good shower, real bed, and some well-earned rest.
Day 10 – Recap or Explore
Depending on the group’s mood and energy, we’ll either dive into a full photo review and editing session, or enjoy a relaxed tour of Windhoek’s most interesting corners. In the afternoon, we’ll transfer to the airport for your international flight home—bringing back not only images, but real stories and wild memories.
Only 6 spots available in this once in a lifetime photography experience!
Priority contacts get first access to early bird bookings before public launch.
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Continuous assistance with your photography and image processing by Paolo Sartori and local guide and photographer Roberto Kruger
15 private game drives across the best predator areas of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, with 2 vehicles (maximum 3 participants per car) to ensure everyone has optimal space and access for shooting
8 nights in rooftop-tent equipped 4x4 vehicles at campsites inside the park, plus 1 night in a comfortable guesthouse in Windhoek on the final night
Shared accommodation (2 people per vehicle/tent)
All ground transport with fully equipped off-road vehicles for the entire duration of the expedition, including airport pickup and drop-off
All tourism taxes and park entry fees
All meals during the safari: breakfast, light lunch, and dinner from the evening of Day 1 to lunch on Day 9 (in Windhoek, dinner on Day 9 and meals on Day 10 are not included)
Snacks and beverage during game drives
Shared participation in camp setup and cooking duties, with help from Paolo and the group—a core part of the wilderness experience
Plenty of time for Q&A and one-on-one learning with Paolo
Access to a private Whatsapp and Facebook group to share, plan, and collaborate with Paolo and other attendees leading up to, and after the workshop
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Airfare to and from Windhoek, Namibia
Mealtime drinks
Non-mealtime snacks and drinks
Credit Card surcharges
Any purchases of a personal nature
Tips and optional extra activities
All wines and liquors
Travel Insurance (highly recommended)
Personal transfer to catch up with the group in case you will arrive in WDH later than 10AM on Day 1
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The workshop is limited to 6 seats. Apply via the button at the end of this page. If there is still a spot available, you will be given instructions to make your deposit to secure your spot.
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The price of the trip is 3900 €.
A deposit of 900 € will be due to confirm the booking.
The remainder will be due 90 days before the trip departs.
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To reserve your spot we do require a 900€ deposit. That deposit is only refundable for 48 hours after booking.
Once you pay for the rest of your trip you can receive the following refunds on the rest of the trip (deposits not included):
More than 90 days before the trip = 100% refund.
Between 90 and 60 days before the trip = 50% refund.
Less than 60 days before trip departure = 0% refund.
We highly recommend trip insurance.
We may cancel a trip prior to the start date for reasons including (but not limited to) insufficient participation, weather conditions, or other instances that may impede trip operations. In this case, you will receive a refund for funds paid towards the trip cost. You will not receive any refund for hotels, flights, or transportation you booked before or after the trip.
A legal language version of our trip cancellation is this...
We reserve the right to cancel any trip, at any time, prior to the scheduled departure date for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation, insufficient participation, local weather conditions or logistical problems that, in our sole judgment, may impede trip operations. In the event we cancel your trip for any reason whatsoever other than a force majeure event, your sole and exclusive remedy shall be the refund of all payments we received from you as of the date of cancellation. The payment of the refund shall release us from any and all other or further liability in any way related to such cancellation. We may make payments to our suppliers (permits, transportation companies, etc.) far in advance of the scheduled trip departure date. Accordingly, if a trip is cancelled due to a force majeure event (e.g. war, labor strikes, earthquake, flooding or any other cause beyond our control), we will undertake commercially reasonable efforts to promptly refund the portion of any amounts paid by you that have, in turn, not already been advanced to suppliers. In addition, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to recover and refund to you the balance of your payment amounts that were advanced to suppliers, less our expenses, if any, of such recovery, as promptly as possible. However, we do not guarantee you recovery of any portion of advance payments made to our suppliers. We are not responsible for, and you hereby release and forever discharge us from, any expense or cost incurred by you in preparing for or arising or resulting from a cancelled trip. If you cancel your trip, we will refund your payment as follows: (a) cancellation 90 days or more prior to trip departure – 100% of your payment will be refunded, with the exception of the deposit amount; (b) cancellation between 90 - 60 days prior to trip departure - 50% of your payment will be refunded, with the exception of the deposit amount; or (c) cancellation less than 60 days prior to departure, or during trip – no refund will be made.
Camera Equipment
While the focus is on wildlife, this trip will also offer unique opportunities to photograph the wide-open desert landscapes and dramatic Kalahari skies. Ideally, you’ll want to cover a focal range from 16mm to 600mm, with your main focus on telephoto lenses.
Wildlife
The majority of our shooting will happen from our customized 4x4 vehicles, using bean bags for camera stability (tripods are not needed or recommended).
The main subjects will be Kalahari lions, cheetahs, raptors, jackals, springbok, oryx, and other desert-adapted wildlife in striking, open terrain.
We recommend bringing:
A zoom lens in the 100–400mm or 200–600mm range as your primary wildlife lens
If available, a prime telephoto (400mm f/2.8, 500mm f/4, 600mm f/4) for low-light and shallow depth of field shots
Teleconverters can also be useful for added reach
If you’re interested in renting gear for the trip (such as a telephoto lens), feel free to contact us—we’re happy to assist you with local rental partners.
Landscapes
To capture the vastness of the Kalahari a wide-angle zoom (16–35mm or 20–70mm) is ideal. This will also allow you to document camp life, scenes around the fire, and storytelling moments beyond just wildlife.
Batteries & Memory cards
Although we’ll have regular access to power, we strongly recommend bringing enough batteries and memory cards for at least one full day of shooting—which can easily mean several thousand images during active wildlife encounters.
Laptop to review and edit images
Bringing a laptop for photo review and basic editing is highly encouraged. Paolo will guide you through a simple and effective post-processing workflow, including how to organize your files, manage backups, and keep your data safe in remote conditions.
We suggest carrying at least one external SSD or hard drive for redundancy.
YOU WILL RECEIVE A MORE DETAILED INFORMATION DOCUMENT WITH ALL THE INFOS ABOUT WHAT TO PACK 90 DAYS BEFORE YOUR TRIP. THE DOCUMENT WILL INCLUDE SPECIFICS OF WHEN AND WHERE TO MEET, GEAR AND CLOTHING RECOMMENDATIONS AND ALL THE VARIOUS INFORMATIONS YOU MIGHT NEED.
Getting there
Even though the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park lies in South Africa, this workshop will begin and end in Windhoek, Namibia. This might seem counterintuitive, but it's by far the easiest and most efficient option.
Traveling from South Africa would require:
An overnight stay in Johannesburg
A domestic flight to Upington (with limited availability)
And still several hours of driving to reach the park
By contrast, flying into Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) allows us to:
Pick you up directly at the airport on Day 1 (latest arrival: 08:30 AM)
Drive straight to the park in about 5–6 hours via the Mata Mata border post
Skip internal flights, airport layovers, and hotel overnights
There is no time difference between Namibia and Central Europe, so jet lag won’t be an issue for most travelers.
If you're flying in from a different time zone or can’t land before 08:30 AM on Day 1, we highly recommend arriving the day before. We’ll be happy to assist with transfer and accommodation in Windhoek.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Over the last year we had an incredible high rate of delayed flights, especially the Discover flights from Frankfurt. It seems that whenever the flight is not full enough it gets canceled and passengers are moved on the following day flight. For this reason, we highly suggest to plan being in Windhoek 1 day prior to the tour departure. This will give you peace of mind and also some more time to rest and get ready for the adventure. Our team will be happy to help with your accommodation. If you will not be there by day 1 the tour will start without you; you can then join the group later but the additional transfer cost to rejoin the group will be on you.
Only 6 spots available in this once in a lifetime photography experience!
Priority contacts get first access to early bird bookings before public launch.