You are invited to join NaturesLens during April 2023 for a fabulous photography holiday to photograph the wildlife of South Africa & Namibia – with a particular focus on the leopards.
We will be staying within a private reserve with a fantastic lodge in an area of Sabi Sands; Vuyatela Lodge is the flagship luxury lodge of Djuma reserve, & is quite simply one of the most breathtaking & refreshing safari destinations in South Africa. Located on a small rise overlooking a dry river bed & dam where an endless variety of wildlife comes to drink every day, Vuyaltela is shrouded in the wilderness & embodies the essence of what it is to be African.
Vuyatela Lodge in all its splendour is arguably one of the most luxurious African bush experiences available, & towers above its bushveld counterparts with a unique & extraordinary combination of modern luxury & traditional African culture.

You will be accommodated in one of five luxury suites, all with en-suite bathrooms, Vuyatela has redefined the meaning of an African safari, breaking the mould of “traditional” colonial-style décor by combining sleek modern design with innovative, funky African art & lots of vibrant colours. Collectively these suites can accommodate ten people, but we will not be filling the lodge, we will have a maximum of 7 photographers, including any guides, in the safari vehicle so for that reason we will have a maximum of 7 people only in Vuyatela.
Each guest suite has a private plunge pool, expansive viewing deck & freestanding “khaya” – a lounge with a tea & coffee station & wood-burning stove for those cold winter’s mornings & evenings.
The main lodge area features a cosy indoor lounge & enormous fireplace (perfect for cold winter’s evenings), fabulous dining room with its hallmark chandelier made from Coke bottles opening onto an extended deck & boma area, complete with firepit, swimming pool & funky steel & timber viewing “tower” overlooking the dam. If we’re lucky, we might spot one of Djuma’s famous leopards stalking here!
For the duration of our stay, between the dates of 29th April - 14th May 2023, we will have the services of a chef on-site, who will be preparing some delicious meals for our group!
Djuma offers more than 7000ha of private land, bordering right onto the western boundary of the Kruger National Park. This part of the African bush is a hidden gem, offering some of the most beautiful game viewing in Africa. This is the home of the legendary Big Five which roam these unspoilt lands, Lion, leopard, elephant, rhino & buffalo can be spotted from the comfort & safety of our open game viewing vehicles, accompanied by some of the most experienced safari guides & trackers in the business.
As the dawn begins to break at the start of another magical day in the African bush, we will head to the vehicle & it is time to head out into the wilds to see what’s happening, making the most of the coolest part of the day & the magical early morning light.
At the end of the day, as the sun begins to dip, & the heat of the African day decreases, we will head out as this is the perfect time to spot the predators that call Djuma their home, taking in the magical “golden hour” of light for the ideal photographic opportunities.
Following our departure from Djuma, we will travel, with a brief overnight in Johannesburg, to Namibia, where we will spend time capturing images of the impressive wildlife of Etosha National Park, you will be photographing the wildlife of this massive area as they thrive in their natural habitat; the waterholes offer the area’s best opportunities for both large & small game sightings.
Etosha National Park is home to some of the most common & at the same time some of the rarest wildlife species. Etosha means “place of dry water” & refers to a flat pan of about 5000 square kilometres which can be seen from space!

The massive pan that makes up Etosha National Park provides a stunning, parched, silver-white backdrop of shimmering mirages to an area of semi-arid grassland & large camel thorn trees mixed with Mopani trees.
The park boasts numerous waterholes, including both natural springs & fountains & others fed by human-made boreholes. During the dry winters, the wildlife relies on these waterholes scattered throughout the park, so sightings are far more reliable than anywhere else in Africa. Extensive treks of zebra & springbok can be seen mingling with oryx & bathing elephants at the larger waterholes. If we are lucky, we may even see rhino, elephant & lion drinking from the same pools.
Four of the Big Five can be seen amongst the Wildlife of Namibia within Etosha National Park. The areas with thicker vegetation are home to elephants, black rhino & even leopard. The lions are camouflaged in the pale-golden colour of the savannah.
The fleet-footed cheetah, rare black-faced impala, hyena, jackal, bat-eared fox, warthog & giraffe are just some of the other species that can be found here.
We will stay in an intimate tented camp that is a study in contrasts. Textures such as stone, suede, linen & steel have been used to create a setting that is sleek & modern but also inherently of the earth. All the tents are situated around a busy waterhole, where the wildlife come to quench their thirst directly in front of your tent.
The surrounding nature lends itself to long lazy afternoons spent relaxing on the sofas in the lounge watching the wildlife go by. When things heat up, cool down in the sparkling rim-flow swimming pool.
With a stunning main building & just seven luxury tents with en-suite bathrooms providing private, exclusive accommodation for our guests, coupled with the warmest of hospitality, sumptuous meals & first-class guides, this is the perfect trip for photographers wishing to capture images of the wildlife of Namibia.
The activities will be a mixture of traditional safari game drives & use of their fabulous water-level hide which has been placed in front of a waterhole offering a pretty impressive viewpoint & some fantastic photography of the wildlife of Namibia that comes to visit.

Photographable Species: bat-eared fox, buffalo, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, hyena, impala, jackal, leopard, lion, oryx, rhino, springbok, warthog, zebra