Trogon Photo Tours

SOUTH AFRICA

October 6-20, 2020

 Botswana Pre Tour Sep 28-Oct 5, 2020

Photo Tour: This tour visits Zimanga Game Reserve, a photo reserve that has specialty blinds for bird and mammal photography where many award winning photos have been taken.  It also encompasses the Garden Route of South Africa from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town.  On this tour we should have excellent photo opportunities with Elephant, Lion, Buffalo, Hippo, Meerkats, several species of Antelope and a host of bird species including Knysna Turaco, Blue Crane, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers and several species of stunning sunbirds.  Wild Dogs, Cheetahs and Leopards are all possible as well.  We start out in Johannesburg, fly to Durban, spend 4 nights at Zimanga, then fly to Port Elizabeth and work our way back from there to Cape Town over the course of a week.  The accommodations are comfortable, the food is very nice, the scenery beautiful and the photo opportunities should be spectacular. 

Tour leader:  Charles Gangas, Chuck co-led our 2018 South Africa tour with Nate Chappell.  He is an award winning photographer from Stowe, Vermont.  This is the 5th tour that Trogon Photo Tours has led to South Africa. We will also be working with an excellent local birder and guide on the Port Elizabeth to Cape Town section and we will have our own guide at Zimanga as well.  

Maximum participants:  6 photographers plus nonphotographer spouses/companions.

Cost: $7,950 per person sharing includes all accommodation, meals, transportation within South Africa including in country flights, drinking water, guiding and park fees.  It does not include airfare to and from Cape Town, South Africa from your home, tips or personal expenses such as beverages, laundry service, departure fees and phone calls.  Single supplement $1,000.   $800 Nonphotographer spouse/companion discount.  Deposit to reserve your spot is $1,900.  Botswana information at the bottom of the page.



Itinerary:

October 6th - Arrive to Johannesburg, South Africa.  There are a number of birds in the garden at our lodge including Pied Barbet and African Olive Pigeon.  If you wish to arrive a day early there are day trips around the Johannesburg area we can schedule for you.   Accommodation: Outlook Lodge, Johanesburg.

October 7th - Morning flight from Johannesburg to Durban, South Africa.  Then about a 3 hour transfer from Durban to Zimanga Private Game Reserve.  We will have an afternoon game drive Accommodation: Zimanga

October 8-10 - We will have 3 full days of bird and mammal photography at Zimanga.  Zimanga has specially built photography hides including the amazing lagoon hide which gets you eye level with water birds, hippos and other wildlife, all while being inside a secure building with high optical quality, sound proof glass.  The scavenger hide with vultures, birds of prey and jackal is amazing.  There are 2 small bird hides as well which attract beautiful species such as the Blue Waxbill and Firefinches.  We should have excellent opportunities at Zimanga with Lion, Buffalo, Elephant and many birds as well as a good chance for Wild Dogs and Cheetahs during our game drives.  Our time will be split between game drives and hides.  October is prime time for wildlife photography at Zimanga, activity at the blinds should be excellent. Accommodation: Zimanga

October 11th - Morning photography session at Zimanga followed by mid-day transfer to Rain Game Lodge near the Durban airport.  We will have an afternoon game drive to photograph Giraffes, birds and various antelope. Accommodation: Rain Game Lodge

October 12th - Morning bird photography on the grounds at Rain Game Lodge followed by flight to Port Elizabeth.  We will be picked up by our guide and transferred to Addo Elephant National Park where we will have an afternoon game drive.  For Cape Town and the Garden Route this is the breeding season for birds so they are active and singing. Accommodation: Chalets, Addo Main Camp. 

October 13th - Full day of photography at Addo Elephant Park.  As the name suggests it's excellent for Elephant but also good for a variety of small birds in camp and larger birds such as Pale Chanting Goshawk and Secretarybird on the game drives. Accommodation: Addo Main Camp

October 14th - We will spend most of the day photographing in Addo Park then in the afternoon we will transfer to Wilderness, South Africa. Our lodge in Wilderness has feeders which attract Knysna Turaco, Forest Canaries, Chorister Robins and lots of other nice birds.  It's amazing being up close with these beautiful turacos.  Accommodation: Lodge in Wilderness. 

October 15th - In addition to photographing in the garden there are local hides which are very good for photography of Pied and Malachite Kingfishers as well as African Rail. In the afternoon we will transfer to Oudtshoorn for our accommodation.

October 16th - This morning we will be treated to photographing a Meerkat colony, these animals are habituated to humans and spend the first hour of the morning warming up by their dens.  After that we will spend some time photographing the weavers, whydahs and other birds at our lodge before transferring to our next lodge in the Overberg. Accommodation: A comfortable local lodge.

October 17th - This time of year our lodge attracts large numbers of Cape Sugarbirds to it's feeders.  Stunning portraits and great action shots are likely. It also has feeders which attract Speckled Mousebird so closely you can photograph them with a macro lens as well as a nice variety of other species.  In the surrounding fields Blue Cranes and a few species of Bustards can be photographed. Accommodation: Lodge near DeHoop Nature Reserve

October 18th - We will photograph at our lodge before heading to Cape Town.  We will spend this afternoon visiting the African Penguin colony in Simonstown.   Accommodation: Quayside Hotel, Simonstown. 

October 19th - This morning we will visit Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens which is a great location to photograph the endemic Orange-breasted Sunbird as well as a wide variety of other species.  In the afternoon we will visit the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve with endemic Bontebok antelope and a variety of shore and land birds.  Accommodation: Quayside Hotel, Simonstown.

October 20th - Morning transfer to airport for your return trip home.  

BOTSWANA PRE TOUR

September 28 - Arrival to Johannesburg International Airport, transfer to accommodation:  Outlook Lodge.  

September 29 - Half day bird photography trip near Johannesburg, photography of birds in the garden. Accommodation: Outlook Lodge

September 30 - Morning flight to Kasane, Botswana.  Transfer to Panagolin Chobe Hotel.  Afternoon boat safari on the Chobe River.  Accommodation: Chobe Pangolin Hotel.

October 1-4 - Four full days of boat safaris on the Chobe River and game drives in Chobe National Park.  The bird and mammal photography on the Chobe River is some of the best in the world.  The Pangolin boat is mounted with gimbal style tripods and specially designed to get you close to the birds and wildlife.  Herds of Elephant, Antelope and other mammals visit the Chobe to drink during the dry season.  The game drives add good chances for Lion, Leopard and beautiful Lilac-breasted Rollers Accommodation: Chobe Pangolin Hotel

October 5 - One more safari in Chobe followed by check out and afternoon flight back to Johanesburg.  Accommodation: Outlook Lodge. On the 6th you can do another half day bird photography tour as we prepare for the South Africa portion of the trip. 

Cost of Botswana extension: 4,950 per photographer, 800 single supplement, $4,450 per non photographer spouse/companion.  This includes 5 nights in Botswana, 3 nights in South Africa, all meals, in country transportation, guiding, entry fees, drinking water.  It does not include round trip airfare from Johannesburg, South Africa to Kasane, Botswana and back, tips, other drinks and items of a personal nature.