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A journey to photograph the South African Wildlife of Zimanga

Posted on June 21, 2018August 9, 2018 by Pui Hang

21
Jun

Last month I had the pleasure of guiding a great group of guests on our South African Wildlife of Zimanga photography holiday. This tour is the perfect blend of traditional safari game drives coupled with some extraordinary hide sessions. There was something for everyone – majestic mammals, beautiful raptors & little birds.

Zimanga, the South African wildlife reserve is a 3-hour drive from Durban airport. Upon arrival at the reserve entrance, we transferred to the lodge by a land cruiser. We were greeted by giraffe, buffalo, impala, warthog, kudu & nyala as we drove the short distance to our accommodation – what a great start to the trip!

Warthog welcome party as photographed on the NaturesLens South African holiday

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5.0

NaturesLens

Ann James

2018-08-28T17:56:44+0000

Great set up, so accomodating to individual needs, leaders have a wealth of knowledge and experience - re camera setup, angles, lighting etc that they are so happy to share, brilliant locations, and generally all round value for money

David Jones

2018-07-17T15:44:04+0000

I have been on a number of trips with NaturesLens and this one was like all of my previous ones: well organised with excellent leaders, at the correct time for maximum photography and generally provided a great time.

Susie Cro

2018-07-07T14:53:38+0000

What a fabulous experience. I was looked after from start to finish by our guides Sean and Jayne who made this, my first photographic holiday, one to remember. I enjoyed my time so much that I booked two further trips on my return and I’m now off to Wales and then Greece. We had a fabulous group of people on our excursion and I have made good friends, some of which I will meet up with on my next trips. If you ever wanted to join a photo tour but weren’t sure who to use then look no further, NaturesLens will do you proud!

Laura Galbraith

2018-06-25T20:32:28+0000

Recently went to Skomer with Natures Lens. Excellent guides, well organised, great group. What more can you ask for.

Ali Basil

2018-06-21T16:18:53+0000

First time on a trip with Naturelens to Skomer, great organisation and prices. David and Pui were very helpful prior to going on the trip. The trip was guided by Sean and Jayne which were helping us all the time, learned a lot from them and got some nice photos that I couldn’t manage to get before. We struggled a bit with the weather but the guides handled it well. It was my first time also to be with a group and it was a nice & fun � Can’t wait to go on another trip with Naturelens soon.

Kuruma Sangam

2018-04-08T08:49:27+0000

Tony Caseiro

2018-03-23T20:39:10+0000

Mark Jankiewicz

2018-02-23T04:31:35+0000

Just sitting in the airport in Tokyo waiting for my flight home after finishing the Japanese Winter trip with #Natureslens.Wow - what a trip. The team lead a flawless trip that encompassed stunning scenery, superb local accommodation through to the main reason for being here, the stunning wildlife.Everything was as promised but with so much more. I won't go into detail about the wildlife here as that will be evident from the photos posted on the site.What I do want to do is document what an exceptional company #Natureslens are. It starts with the initial communications and unlike most companies they respond almost immediately to emails and are always at the end of the phone. The help, assistance and honest guidance they provide is exemplary. During the trip they use local contacts that have been cultivated over many years and the team and the contacts fully understand the special requirements that photography puts on location and travel. We stayed in some of the best hotels that range from superb western style, to very traditional Japanese accomodation. Each place being ideally suited close to the 'viewing locations' so that travel is minimised and time at site is maximised. They go out of their way to fulfil any dietary requests, with all the locations being able to cater for mixed requirements, at no point was it 'it is that or nothing'.On this trip there were two that made up the team and three guests. At no point did I have to wait for any guidance or assistance, which was freely and generously given. We had a mixture of photographic skills on the trip and Dave and Ian were more than able to provide us all with help. Equally as important as the help was the fact that that if you wanted to do your own thing then that was fine as well.I was so impressed with this holiday that I am now booked on my next trip in South Africa on safari with these guys, so it is 'out of the freezer into the frying pan' (or something like that).

George Reekie

2018-01-24T19:13:16+0000

Great trip to see Dalmatian Pelicans at Lake Kerkini. Leader, Sean, was great as was the boatman. The group was probably the most fun I have ever been on a trip with! The hotel and boatmen were excellent. All in all it was a very good three days of photography.

Annette Webersinke

2018-01-17T10:05:43+0000

...loved it! Perfect organization, wonderful guide, beautiful location, gorgeous models, breathtaking early morning boat trips, nice people, good food and a lot of fun...what more would you want...

Csaba Tökölyi

2017-07-21T08:16:40+0000

Just returned a few days ago from a trip to Skomer island, Wales with NaturesLens, and I wish I would be heading back again tomorrow. One thing that location was fantastic, it also came through that they had a lot of planning put into the trip. The guides were friendly and helpful and had extensive knowledge of the place, therefore always could recommend a place for any time of day and kind of light. Those little extras that food was plentiful and great were the cherry on the cake. If you are into puffins, think no longer!

Annette O'Connell

2017-07-19T19:40:57+0000

Just returned from my first visit to Skomer Island with Natureslens. From start to finish it was an exciting well organised trip.Sean and Kevin our host photographers were fun, knowledgeable and most importantly extremely helpful. In fact Kevin let me try out one of his lenses over 2 days.Despite not having the knowledge and experience of my fellow travellers through their help and that of Sean and Kevin I've come home with some much improved images. I plan on joining Natureslens again especially if either of these talented photographers are leading it.

Karen Jehan

2017-07-18T22:02:17+0000

Have been with them on 2 occasions to Skomer to photograph the Puffins, their trips are well organised with detailed information about what is included in the trip. The guides are knowledgable in making sure you get the shots you want and are great fun to be around.....their cooking isn't bad either! :-) Looking forward to the next trip to Greece.

Simon Armstrong

2017-07-06T18:58:20+0000

I’ve been on numerous Natures Lens workshops here in the UK and around the world, and can’t wait to go on my next one with them. The communication they provide is top notch, and ensures that the lead-up to the trip is as smooth as possible, you know what to expect on the trip, and most importantly, what to take with you!Once there, it’s clear that long and careful planning has gone into the trip in order to give you the most and best possible opportunities to photograph wildlife in their natural environments. They obviously take great pride in seeing what photographs their clients can achieve, and arevhappy to have some flexibility, if the trip permits, so that you can try and get that one shot you’re after. As always, the tour leads are experienced photographers and are more than happy to give you any help and advice you may want with your gear, composition, technique, etc.Most of all, a photography trip with Natures Lens isn’t a workshop - it’s a photography holiday. It’s an opportunity to share your wildlife photography passion with like minded people, take great photos, learn new things, see nature and wildlife at it’s best, and have lots of fun and make new friends in the process.

Trevor Firth

2017-07-04T08:54:43+0000

This was my first experience of an organised trip to Finland for the Brown Bears and I was not disappointed! It was a pleasure to be in the company of like minded passionate photographers quickly falling into a relaxed and enjoyable environment, apart from the damn mosquito's!As with all things nature there are dynamics outside human control and despite these challenges the Natures Lens Team of Pui and Sean kept us on the straight and narrow enhancing the experience with ad-hoc photography one on ones. I particularly enjoyed the portrait workshops in the low activity periods provided by Sean!The location and wildlife were stunning combined with some great people and new friends I cannot recommend this team enough and five stars do not seem enough for the experience.

Tamara Cartwright-Loebl

2017-06-29T02:43:52+0000

Brett Lewis

2017-06-26T10:29:43+0000

I've joined NaturesLens on just two occasion and each time we visited the natural history spectacle that is the puffin colony on Skomer island.For each trip the communications have been excellent and the details provided ahead of the adventure have enabled me to be well prepared for each trip.Once on the island the accommodation has been exactly as expected and the hospitality provided by the hosts has been excellent. Great, friendly banter and helpful in every way.The photography opportunities are boundless and the advice on offer is always close to hand. The team are considerate and are always checking to make sure the needs of their clients are met, with 1-2-1 opportunities for beginners and those looking to get the best out of their equipment. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time on the island and I'd highly recommend it.

Wayne Tuckwell

2017-06-26T10:19:49+0000

Have been on a couple of events with NaturesLens and have found them to be professional and well organised each time. Communication prompt and all details communicated in a timely fashion.Excellent photographic knowledge to help you get the best shots in the time you have.If you are in the market for a photographic trip, then NaturesLens are well worth looking at.

Ian Roberts

2017-06-26T09:38:12+0000

I've been on several NaturesLens holidays and workshops and never had a bad experience. Not sure what I'm most impressed with: Their planning is meticulous and they try to anticipate every eventuality beforehand. The locations are extensively researched and are difficult to better. Local contacts, guides and drivers are experienced, high quality, and know the best places to go to get the sightings. The 'tour leaders' are experienced photographers and can offer advice on settings and composition, but it does help if you are already familiar with your equipment. Accommodation and dining is high quality, even when it's simple and stripped back. Most of all, you're going to have fun with like-minded people. I can thoroughly recommend NaturesLens

Jane Hodges

2017-06-25T23:43:33+0000

I attended a two day Red Deer Workshop last Year which was superbly run. From start to finish, ease of booking to having a great tutor for the weekend in Sean Weekly. I managed to capture some great images despite the rather wet conditions. It certainly did not stop us as a group from having a brilliant time. I have made some lovely friends and I have already booked other trips with Natures Lens.

Peter Martin Bentsen

2017-06-25T21:17:04+0000

Very well organized, with all the right information before, under and after the trip. Often smaller groups which is a big advantage. Always ready to answer questions if you have any. They always strive to put the clients in the best possible situations for them to make some really nice shots. Natureslens is highly recommended and just really nice people too :-)

Vedant Dubey

2017-06-25T15:14:10+0000

One of the best tour company, with great photographic opportunities,

Sorcha Lewis

2017-06-25T14:53:56+0000

I did a wonderful birds of prey photography workshop with Natureslens. There was so much help and I learnt so many new photography skills. Everything was taught as you went along and at a natural speed and much of what I learned has really helped with my wildlife and general photography. So I'm just about to embark (today) on the bears of Finland trip. I'm really excited and know I'm in very capable hands as everything is so well organised by NaturesLens. I'm already looking ahead to which wonderful trip I should book in 2018. Love meeting like minded people on trips like this as well.Thank you for all your hard work; you guys are doing an amazing job.UPDATE: Wow Finland was amazing, we were provided with so many opportunities to capture and watch these amazing animals in the wild. I was really pleased with my pictures and had great help and advice with how to achieve the most from my camera and photos from Pui and Sean. Would definitely recommend.... enjoyed watching the red squirrels near the accommodation; so these were delightful to photograph.....

Alan Grant

2017-06-25T14:18:11+0000

Always good trips, with great photographic opportunities, and lots of camaraderie. Recommended.

Frederic Falconnier

2017-01-18T12:32:49+0000

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A journey to photograph the South African Wildlife of Zimanga

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