Wild Namibia
2025
10 days wildlife photography expedition to the best locations of Namibia.
Trip highlights
Desert elephants tracking in Damaraland
Encounter Namibia’s rare desert elephants in their natural habitat. Guided by expert trackers, we’ll position ourselves for unforgettable photographic moments that highlight these majestic creatures against dramatic desert backdrops. If we are lucky we might even see the rare and elusive desert rhinos and lions!
A close up look on leopards
Get a close up view of leopards, the most elusive of the big cats. We will visit a private game reserve with a high density of these majestic cats, joining researchers as they track the animal’s movements, with incredible photo opportunities.
12 game drives in Etosha National Park
Discover the wonders of one of Africa’s oldest and largest national parks. Spanning over 22,000 square kilometers, Etosha’s vast salt pans and diverse ecosystems are teeming with wildlife, offering unparalleled opportunities to capture unforgettable moments with Paolo’s expert guidance.
Only 6 spots available in this once in a lifetime photography experience!
When?
Oct 6th - Oct 16th, 2025
Group Size
Max 6 people
Price
5490 €
4940 € EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT
PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY
Easy, although participants should be prepared to deal with heat.
Experience
Amateur, enthusiast and semi-pro photographers.
What makes it special?
After many trips to every corner of Namibia Paolo gained a deep knowledge of the country. This allowed us to design a tour that will make the most of your time there, ensuring that you will always be in the right place at the right time. Plus, we will have access to locations at times that are usually closed to normal tourists, giving you the chance to take unique photos at the best time of the day.
We aim to take you to beautiful locations and give you every opportunity to get great images while improving your technique throughout the workshop. We limit the number of participants in our workshop to just six which gives us plenty of time with everyone in the field, meaning Paolo will be close at hand to provide you with any advice or help you need, from lens choice to composition and camera settings. From day 1 Paolo will assess your photographic level and what you’d like to focus on, then tailor the sessions accordingly.
We selected the dates of our workshop to ensure we are in each location at the best time of year. The trip takes place at the peak of the dry season when water is very scarce and wildlife activity tends to gather around waterholes, increasing a lot our chances of amazing sightings.
Finally, we want to share with you our passion for nature and wildlife photography in this incredible place. Travelling in such small groups means we can quickly build a great learning environment where people feel comfortable together and at ease with asking questions and making the absolute most of the trip. We aim to make your experience here in the beautiful landscapes of Namibia a memorable one and a trip from which, as well as getting some great images from amazing locations, you’ll also go home having had a true adventure with great company in a very special place.
What will I see?
Locations include:
Damaraland, home to desert elephants, rhinos and lions
Etosha National Park
Onguma Private Game Reserve
Okonjima Private Game Reserve
Expect to see and photograph plenty of giraffes, zebras, various species of antelopes, elephants as well as lions, leopards, black and white rhinos, cheetahs, hyenas and many more
What will I learn?
Understanding natural light and choosing the best exposure
Learn how to adjust your camera settings for different scenarios
How to frame natural scenes, from wide landscapes to tight wildlife portraits, to create balance and harmony in your images
How to use shutter speed and aperture settings to create unique images
What lens to choose based on your vision
All the basics to capture images of animals in a truly wild landscape
Post-production basics, how to organize your files and backup strategies to make sure you won't lose your precious files
Our itinerary
Day 1
After meeting at Hosea Kutako International Airport and a brief stop in a mall in Windhoek, where you have the chance to buy everything you might need for the trip, we start the drive north towards our first destination, a small lodge in the wild Damaraland. We will reach our destination in time to check in at our lodge and to go out for a first game drive. We will have an open safari vehicle where each guest will have a “window seat” to make sure everyone can make the most out of the situation. Our private safari guides will follow a dry riverbed tracking desert elephants; if we are lucky we might even see desert lions and black rhinos.
Day 2
The animals living in these dry lands cover great distances to find water and food. Our day will start early, a cup of coffee and we are out for a first game drive where our guides will follow the tracks in search of these elusive animals. Back at the lodge in late morning for breakfast, we will have some time to rest before going out again on our second safari of the day, that will end after dark. Dinner at the lodge.
Day 3
After a last game drive around the lodge it’s time to hit the road for our next destination, Etosha National Park, one of the largest parks in the whole of Africa. The transfer will be around 4 hours to the gate of the park - Namibia is a really big country! After registering at the gate we will keep driving for about 75km to reach our destination, in the heart of the Etosha.
With a surface almost as big as Switzerland, the Etosha is home to a wide range of mammals and birds. While this is still wild nature and not a zoo, it’s almost guaranteed to see large herds of antelopes, elephants, rhinos and lions, and with a bit of luck we might even see leopards and cheetahs. The dry season is at its peak and as the water becomes more and more scarce in the bush, animals are coming to the waterholes to drink. That’s where we are going to find them, targeting some of the best waterholes where rhinos, elephants and lions usually come to drink.
After checking in to our accommodation for the next 3 nights we head out with our 4x4 to check some selected waterholes where predator activity tends to be higher. Once back at our camp, we will have 24-hour walking access to an artificially lit waterhole, where we can see animals during the night hours when they are most active. Expect giraffes, elephants, rhinos and lions to be here between sunset and sunrise. The scenes here are so good that the waterhole appears for a long chapter in the “Night on Earth” series by Netflix!
Day 4 & 5
We spend two whole days in the park, heading out well before sunrise on our private game drive. Early morning and late afternoon are the moments when most animals are more active so we will try to spot some wildlife while it is still dark so that we are ready to take our photos when the first light will arrive.
After the drive, we go back to our camp for breakfast and we go take a look at the waterhole; the central hours of the day are usually the ones with less wildlife activity, but sometimes animals show up even at midday!
In the afternoon we will have some time for a photography review and Q&A before heading out on another safari session where we will explore the surrounding waterholes looking for predators coming out of the Etosha pan.
Day 6
Today we move again. After our usual early morning game drive (and a good breakfast) we pack our car and we drive about 80km to the eastern border of the park. We will see the landscape change, with less vegetation and more wide, open plains. We will check-in in a private reserve bordering the main park, where for the next 3 days we will have a premium access to wildlife. After taking place in our rooms we are ready to head out for a game drive inside the reserve, where our guide will have permits to drive off road, positioning the vehicle to give us the best angle for photography.
Day 7 & 8
We spend the next two days rotating between game drives in the private reserve, game drives in the main park and sessions at a private photography hide where we will have the chance to photograph the animals from ground level.
We will also have plenty of time for a photography reviews and Q&A between the safari sessions.
Day 9
After our last game drive we leave Etosha and we start heading back south. We have a final stop before heading back to Windhoek: we will spend the night on a reserve known to have a very high leopard population density. We will go out on a game drive looking specifically for these elusive predators; while it’s still possible that we cannot find any (it’s still wild nature), the chances here are as high as they can get. Here you can also expect to see a wide variety of smaller mammals that are usually more difficult to spot in the Etosha: jackals, bat-eared foxes, duikers, dik-dik, steenbok, as well as lot of orix, kudu, zebra and springbok. If we are very lucky we might even find some white rhinos!
We will stay out until dark before having dinner at the lodge.
Day 10
For our final game drive of the trip we will choose: we can track leopards once again or we can go looking for rhinos, with our guides leading us quite close to these giants.
We will then drive back to WDH, reaching the airport by 2PM. If this is too late for your flight, we will be happy to host a farewell dinner at the famous Joe’s Beerhouse in Windhoek. We will be happy to assist with accommodation for the night and with an airport transfer the next day (dinner and accommodation are not included and come at an extra cost).
Only 6 spots available in this once in a lifetime photography experience!
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Continuous assistance with your photography and image processing by Paolo Sartori
18 private safari game drives; we will have a dedicated vehicle where each guest will have a “window” seat, giving you the best chances to see and photograph rare animals like desert elephants, lions, leopards, cheetah and rhinos
9 nights in lodge
Two persons per room (i.e. shared double occupancy), unless single supplement option is exercised and secured at the time of payment of deposit; note that in some locations single option might not be available
Ground transport for the entire duration of the tour; our vehicle will be a Land Cruiser specifically modified to fit our 7 people group
All tourism taxes and park entry fees
Two meals a day (breakfast and dinner) commencing with dinner on Oct 6th and finishing with breakfast on Oct 16th; the dinner on Oct 16th is optional and not included
Snacks and beverage during game drives
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 5490 €.
A deposit of 1500 € 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 1500€ 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, you will also have plenty of opportunities to capture stunning landscape views, so you will want to cover a wide range of focal lengths, ideally from 16mm to 400mm. You will need a dSLR or mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses. The best option for this type of photography is one of the latest mirrorless systems with advanced autofocus, but if you already have a dSLR system you should be good to go.
Wildlife
Wildlife is the primary focus of this trip; in addition to the iconic orix we will see plenty of spingboks, mountain and plains zebra, various species of antelopes, brown and spotted hyenas, wildebeest, ostriches, jackals, giraffes, black and white rhinos, elephants and big predators like lions, cheetah and leopards. These encounters will happen in the wild and we will be shooting from an open safari vehicle, with sometime limited possibilities to change our position relatively to the subject. As main lens for these situations we recommend a zoom in the 100-400 or 200-600 mm. If you also have a prime telephoto (400mm f2.8 to 600mm f4) we highly recommend that you bring it along.
If you want to rent a telephoto lens for the trip do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to assist you with our on-site rental partners.
Landscapes
During the trip we will also have plenty of opportunities to photograph wider landscapes; for this a wide angle zoom in the 16-35mm range, or alternatively a 20-70mm lens, will be perfect.
Batteries & Memory cards
We will have regular access to electric power; however we recommend to bring enough batteries and memories for at least a full day of shooting - that might be several thousands of images per day, depending on the situations.
Laptop to review and edit images
Together with your laptop we highly advise at least one external small hard drive for storage and backup of your photos. Post processing workflow, backup and storage strategies will be discussed by Paolo during the trip.
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
We will pick you up on day 1 at Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) which is located around 40 minutes out of Windhoek. There is no time difference between Namibia and Europe so you will be good to go.
If you are travelling from different time zones or landing later than 9 AM on day 1, we recommend flying to Windhoek one day prior to the start of the workshop in order to get rested and adapt to the new time zone. Let us know if this is your case and we’ll be happy to arrange airport transfer and accommodation for you.
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.