THE WEST… REDEFINED with Bobbie Goodrich & Susan Lei Burns
presents
Africa… Redefined: The Great Photographic Wanders of Africa:
Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia
November 5 – 18, 2012
PLEASE JOIN US FOR A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME PHOTO ADVENTURE INTO SOUTHERN AFRICA! Always looking for new photo venues in Africa, and because of all the inquiries regarding a workshop in the famed Okavanga Delta in the magical country of Botswana, we are pleased to announce that we will be working with Travel & Leisureʼs “Best of the Best” safari outfitters, Explore, Africa … to bring you next yearʼs workshop: AFRICA, REDEFINED.. The Great Photo Wanders of Africa: Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. We are combining three countries: Botswana, renowned for itʼs unspoiled beauty and home to almost all of Africa’s big game and wildlife; Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s most beautiful countries, finally opening up with fabulous new lodges and access to wildlife never before experienced; Zambia, and the Lower Zambezi, where we will photograph wildlife from the perspective of the Lower Zambezi River, renowned for itʼs herds of elephants crossing the river, and The Lower Zambezi National Park for photographing wildlife living in a unique ecosystem of palm trees and mopane woodlands.
Click here to Register Now to Reserve your place!
If you’ve already registered and paid the deposit amount click here to make a second or final payment.
We are also adding another dimension to our African experience, with a day visiting the villages along the Lower Zambezi, where we will visit a cultural center, some schools and sustainable farming and other projects that Cherri Briggs and Richard Wilson, owners of EXPLORE AFRICA, have been instrumental in funding with their Direct Impact Africa project. We will also visit their private camp, Ndorochena, along the Lower Zambezi, for sundowners and photograph the elephant herds and other wildlife that visit their camp daily.
This will be a fast-paced and exciting safari, with an overnight at the famous Victoria Hotel, located next to one of the Great Natural Wonders of The World.. Victoria Falls. Our accommodations will all be luxurious and fabulously appointed and situated to experience wildlife in close proximity … and our guides will be top-notch and experienced. We hope you will mark your calendars and join us for this once-in-a-lifetime photographic journey!
Below are more details of our itinerary:
Monday-Wednesday, November 5-7
Okavango Delta/ Chitabe Camp
Upon arrival in Maun, you are met and escorted to your charter flight to Chitabe Camp, situated in a private concession area on a beautiful island in the south-east of Botswana’s famed Okavango Delta. The Okavango Delta qualifies as one of the most unique and beautiful environments on Earth. Hundreds of tiny islands are formed as the Okavango River fans out over the flat Kalahari sands of Northwestern Botswana, creating a verdant Eden-like utopia for wildlife. While playing host to the diversity of wildlife, birds and habitats which only the Okavango Delta can offer, this area is a breathtaking mosaic of open floodplains, waterways, marshlands, dry acacia and mopane woodland, riverine forest and open grasslands which is notably in contrast to the areas further north.
Chitabe Camp’s eight spacious Meru-style tents are built on elevated wooden decks amongst the trees of the Okavango Delta. Each tent has twin beds, en-suite facilities, and an indoor, as well as an outdoor shower. The thatched dining area, pub, and lounge area are built on raised decks to provide superb views across the Okavango Delta floodplain, and a pool allows guests to cool off in the heat of the day. Activities at Chitabe Camp include day and night game drives in open 4×4 vehicles, nature walks, and spectacular birdwatching. The multiplicity of habitats surrounding Chitabe Camp means there is an abundance of wildlife to be seen including elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, tsessebe, impala, and occasionally, wild dogs. Night drives also provide opportunities for guests to see nocturnal mammals such as civet, serval, genet, porcupine, and aardwolf. The Okavango Delta and the magnificent wildlife here provide a plentitude of excellent opportunities for photography.
Thursday-Saturday, November 8-10
Linyanti Wildlife Reserve/ Duma Tau
After breakfast and your morning game activity, you are flown by scheduled charter to the Duma Tau Camp in the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve in northern Botswana. The Linyanti Wildlife Reserve lies on the southern banks of the Linyanti River and encompasses a massive 308,000 acres. Although the concession lies within the greater Chobe National Park, it has a distinctly different eco-system with many varied habitats. Here the marsh subsides into lagoons and steadily flowing papyrus-lined rivers with riverine forests of jackalberry, leadwood, and sausage trees, which lead to open grasslands and dry inland wooded areas. This natural creation in turn has become home to aquatic species such as sitatunga and red lechwe, and handsome roan and sable antelope can be seen all year round. During the dry months, the swamp lures vast herds of thirsty elephant, zebra and wildebeest. Other plains game includes Cape buffalo, eland, southern giraffe, hippo, impala, warthog, common waterbuck and Burchell’s zebra.
Duma Tau Camp is a ten-roomed luxury tented camp located in the private 125,000-hectare Linyanti Wildlife Reserve which borders the western boundary of Chobe National Park in northern Botswana. It is situated close to the source of the Savute Channel on one of the many lagoons within the Linyanti Swamp system, which makes game drives along the Savute one of the highlights of a stay here. The camp lies under a shady grove of mangosteen trees, raised off the ground to overlook a large hippo-filled lagoon. The tents are spacious, under thatch with canvas walls, en-suite bathroom facilities, and an outside shower. There is a dining room, pub, lounge, swimming pool, and a special guest bathroom with a fantastic view.
Wildlife viewing is the primary activity at Duma Tau Camp, either on day and night game drives or while on foot and on the water (levels permitting). Short nature walks can be taken along the Linyanti River and Savute Channel, while the camp’s boat takes visitors along the waters of the Linyanti, with hippo and waterfowl alike to entrance. There are also a number of platforms and hides from which to view and photograph animals and birds. One of the best hides is right at the source of the Savute and many species of game and bird life can usually be seen and photographed from this hide.
Sunday – Tuesday, November 11-13
HWANGE NATIONAL PARK / DAVISON’S CAMP
After breakfast and your morning game activity on November 11, you are flown by scheduled charter to the Kasane where you clear customs/immigration before continuing on to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. In Victoria Falls, you clear Zimbabwe customs and immigration before connecting to your scheduled charter to Hwange National Park. Upon arrival in Hwange, you are met and transferred to Davison’s Camp. Davison’s Camp lies deep in Hwange National Park, in the southeastern Linkwasha Concession – one of the best game viewing areas of the entire park. It is a classic African tented camp, with the units tastefully hidden beneath a grove of false mopane trees, overlooking a waterhole and open plain.
Named after the founder of Hwange National Park and its first warden, Ted Davison, this camp, with its 8 tents and a family tent, offers a wonderful bush experience. Both the tents and the separate main area, comprising a lounge, dining room, and open campfire area, look out over the productive waterhole. Activities include game drives in open 4×4 vehicles, or guided walks in the early mornings, while during the siesta hours, guests can view wildlife coming down to the waterhole to drink from their tent veranda or the main area.
Game viewing is productive year-round in the Linkwasha Concession and wildlife frequently encountered here includes lion, large herds of elephant, buffalo, leopard, white rhino, spotted hyena, southern giraffe, sable, blue wildebeest, impala, common waterbuck, and reedbuck. There are a number of large, open plains areas which make for excellent game viewing; in summer, wildebeest, zebra, and eland are found in abundance here, while in winter the waterholes are magnets around which elephant in enormous numbers congregate to drink. Bird life in the area is prolific (400+) and varied, with species frequenting the teak woodlands as well as those typical of the drier Kalahari being present.
Wednesday, November 14
VICTORIA FALLS / VICTORIA FALLS HOTEL
After breakfast and a morning at leisure, you are transferred to the airstrip for your flight to Victoria Falls. Upon arrival in Victoria Falls, you are met and transferred to the Victoria Falls Hotel, a beautiful hotel designed in the colonial tradition and an African landmark. Established in 1904, The Victoria Falls Hotel is set in The Victoria Falls National Park with a private path to the Victoria Falls. The elegant lounges offer serenity and seclusion. The corridors reflect all the past glories of the Empire, and the suites and rooms are superbly furnished in Edwardian-style. The Courtyard entrance to the hotel overlooks lily ponds, lush flowering shrubs and palm trees. Traditional high tea is served every afternoon on the Terrace with a spectacular view of the Victoria Falls Bridge and gorge in the background.
Spend the afternoon photographing the magnificent Victoria Falls (park fees included), where the Zambezi River opens out into an extravaganza of roaring, spray-tumbled water, known to the locals as “Mosi oa Tunya” (the smoke that thunders). Here at the brooding statue of David Livingstone, who in 1855 named the Falls after his Queen, the raging river is compressed into a massive surge of green-white water known as the Devil’s Cataract. Few sights are as awe-inspiring as this when the ground rumbles with the forces of the water.
If you are into adventurous eating there is a great restaurant called the “Boma” located at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge (15 min from VFH). Check with the concierge because a VF Safari Lodge shuttle comes by the VF Hotel numerous times a day. It’s worth going to the Safari Lodge for a drink before dinner. The Boma has wild game on the menu as well as traditional dancing. The Livingstone Room restaurant in the VFH is also excellent!
Thursday-Sunday, November 15-18
LOWER ZAMBEZI REGION / ROYAL ZAMBEZI LODGE
After breakfast at the Victoria Falls Hotel on November 15, you are transferred by road across the border to Livingstone, Zambia where you board your scheduled ProFlight to the Royal Airstrip (via Lusaka) in the Lower Zambezi region in Southern Zambia. Upon arrival at Royal, you are met and transferred to the Royal Zambezi Lodge, located on the banks of the Zambezi River. The Lower Zambezi is unquestionably one of the most beautiful places in Africa and home to a plentitude of wildlife, especially elephants.
The Lower Zambezi region is remote and unspoiled with a diverse range of eco-systems, offering stunning scenery and varied wildlife viewing. Until recently it was the private reserve of Zambia’s President, so it is extremely untouched. This area is home to large herds of elephant and buffalo, and lion are also common. Regular plains game sightings include kudu, zebra, impala, warthog and bushbuck. There are large “pods” of hippo in the river as well as crocodile. Hyena, porcupine, civet, genet and honeybadger can be sighted during night excursions. The area is also well known for its excellent sightings of serval, a medium sized spotted cat. Wild-dog and Leopard do occur in the Lower Zambezi National Park, but are not commonly sighted.
Royal Zambezi Lodge is located on the bank of the Zambezi River, at one of its broadest points. The lodge is a striking combination of contemporary style and comfort in a completely unspoiled bush environment situated directly across river from the famed Mana Pools World Heritage Site in Zimbabwe. Offering king-size beds in large, fully netted, canvas tents under thatched canopies, comfortable sofas in front of roaring open fires and airy verandahs, the lodge is a luxurious base from which to explore this beautiful area.
Our stay here will feature a day in the Lower Zambezi National Park, a day photographing wildlife from the river perspective and a day visiting the villagers and a cultural center along the Lower Zambezi. We will also spend time here reviewing images and doing demonstrations of raw capture… to transformation using Nik filters and elements in Photoshop. Other optional activities while here are some downtime for luxurious massages overlooking the river, where elephants, crocs and hippos come for daily visitations .. and fishing for bream, tigerfish, canoeing, and other river-related activities.
Monday, November 19
LUSAKA/ JOHANNESBURG / DEPART
After breakfast and a morning at leisure, you are transferred to the airstrip where you board your scheduled flight to Lusaka. Connect to your flight to Johannesburg where you transfer to your international flight homeward.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Bobbie and Susan will be providing in-field camera instruction, including tips on camera settings, unique camera perspectives, composition, lighting and the best settings to capture wildlife on exciting night drives. They will also be offering personal attention on workflow, editing, and demonstrations of how to transform your wildlife images into unique and individual works of fine art photography.
EQUIPMENT: A laptop is optional as space and weight on these safaris are limited and camera gear takes top priority. Please bring a small external hard-drive, however, extra batteries and as many memory cards as you can possibly afford! We also recommend two lens, one long lens, ie. 70-200 and a wide-angle for landscapes. More details will follow upon registration.
DIRECT IMPACT AFRICA: 50% of the profits from this photo safari will go to DIA, which is pioneering a highly successful new model for small scale, rural community development in Zambia. We will visit some of their conservation-compatible projects, which include fish and produce farms, craft and sewing cooperatives, chicken farming and apiaries. We will also meet Cherri Briggs and Richard Wilson, owners of the renown safari tour company, EXPLORE AFRICA and founders of DIA, who personally oversee all these self-sustaining, community-owned projects.
General Information
Price: $12,950 per person based on double occupancy. A non-refundable deposit of $1800 is due upon registration to hold your space.
Balance payment of $11,150 may be made by credit card in two installments:
$5,575 will be due on May 15, 2012.
$5,575 will be due on July 15, 2012.
If you are paying by check, the final balance of $11,150 is due on July 15, 2012.
If you cancel within 30 days of the final due date of July 15, 50% of the total balance amount of $11,150 will be forfeited. If we do not receive the first installment by May 15, 2012 (we will send out reminders), your reserved space will be canceled.
It is mandatory all our participants obtain travel insurance, which is inexpensive, and will cover your travel costs if cancellation is necessary.
THE WEST, REDEFINED requires A MINIMUM OF 8 PARTICIPANTS for our Safari.
We advise that you wait until April to book your airline reservations upon trip confirmation from TWR.
You will be notified no later than April 28th and if the trip is filled earlier, you be notified via email. In the unlikely
chance of cancellation, all payments made to TWR will be fully refunded. TRAVEL INSURANCE is mandatory.
TWR WILL NOT CANCEL THE TOUR AFTER THE CLIENT HAS PAID IN FULL UNLESS IT BECOMES NECESSARY
AS A RESULT OF HOSTILITIES, CIVIL OR TERRORIST UNREST, NATURAL OR NUCLEAR DISASTER,
ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS OR OTHER CONDITIONS OUTSIDE THE CONTROL OF TWR. FULL PAYMENT
MINUS NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT WILL BE RETURNED IN CASE OF THE ABOVE IF ALTERNATIVES CANNOT
BE FOUND. IN THE EVENT OF CANCELLATION, TWR WILL INFORM THE CLIENT WITHOUT DELAY AND USE
ITS BEST ENDEAVORS TO OFFER SUITABLE AND COMPARABLE ALTERNATIVES.
Inclusions: All ground and air charter transportation upon landing in Maun, Botswana; accommodation, guides and vehicle throughout; tourism taxes; park fees as stated below; meals, beverages, and activities stated below; ONE extra seat on air charter flights in Botswana & Zimbabwe for excess luggage/photo equipment;
Chitabe Camp: All meals, local beverages, safari activities, park fees, and laundry
Duma Tau: All meals, local beverages, safari activities, park fees, and laundry
Davison’s Camp: All meals, local beverages, safari activities, park fees, and laundry
Victoria Falls Hotel: Breakfast, airport transfers, park fees for ONE visit to the falls
Royal Zambezi Lodge: All meals, safari activities, 2 days park fees, and laundry
Exclusions: U.S. domestic and international airfare; internal commercial flights; medical immunizations; passport fees; visa fees for Zimbabwe ($35 per person) and Zambia ($50 per person); accident/baggage/ medevac & cancellation insurance; individual transfers; excursions deviating from the scheduled tour; excess baggage charges; medical expenses; airport departure fees and taxes ($30 per person for international departures from Zambia and $8 per person for domestic departures in Zambia); spa treatments; telephone or fax charges; room service; gratuities to guides and staff; and other items of a purely personal nature.
Chitabe Camp: Premium wines and imported spirits
Duma Tau: Premium wines and imported spirits
Davison’s Camp: Premium wines and imported spirits
Victoria Falls Hotel: All beverages, lunch, dinner, additional activities, laundry
Royal Zambezi Lodge: All beverages and additional park fees
HOW TO GET THERE: MOST OF OUR PARTICIPANTS WILL OVERNIGHT IN JOHANNESBURG AFTER THEIR FLIGHTS FROM THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. WE WILL RECOMMEND HOTELS LOCATED CONVENIENTLY NEAR THE AIRPORT. THE NEXT MORNING OF THE 5TH, NOVEMBER, WE WILL MEET AT JOHANNESBURG’S TAMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FOR OUR FLIGHT TO MAUN, WHERE OUR PRIVATE CHARTER WILL TAKE US TO THE FIRST CAMP AT CHITABE.
RETURN: WE WILL RETURN TO LUSAKA FROM THE LOWER ZAMBEZI ON THE 19TH OF NOVEMBER BY PRIVATE CHARTER. FROM HERE WE ALL FLY TO TAMBO INTERNATIONAL IN JOHANNESBURG TO CATCH OUR FLIGHTS BACK HOME.
Click here to Register Now and Reserve your place!