Botswana & Zambia Safari Adventure
June 1 – 12, 2024
June 14 – 25, 2024
June 6 – 17, 2025
Dates:
June 2024 - Sold Out
June 6 - 17, 2025
Your Pros:
Juan Pons
Jaclyn Merica
Tuition:
2024: $13,495.00 USD
2025: $16,995.00 USD
Location:
2024: Botswana, Africa
Fitness Level:
Easy
Availability:
8 Seats Available
Dates:
June 1 - 12, 2024 - Sold Out
June 14 - 25, 2024 - Sold Out
June 6 - 17, 2025
Your Pros:
Juan Pons
Jaclyn Merica
Tuition:
2024: $13,495.00 USD
2025: $16,995.00 USD
Location:
Botswana & Zambia, Africa
Fitness Level:
Easy
Availability:
8 Seats Per Workshop
Botswana and Zambia's Unique Wilderness
Exciting new locations announced for 2025: see Itinerary Section below for full details
Join us on a wildlife photography adventure of a lifetime to the beautiful countries of Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, Africa. Together, we will scout for the iconic African Big 5, as well as species like the wildebeest, warthog, crocodile, giraffe, baboons, red lechwe, kudu, oryx, hippopotamus, hyena, jackal, African wild dog, zebra, mongoose, an abundance of bird species, and much, much more.
For 12 adventure-packed days, we explore areas like Chobe National Park, the Kalahari Desert, Okavango Delta (UNESCO World Hertitage site), Victoria Falls, and South Luangwa National Park by land, sea, and air. We travel to a variety of unique environments that offer distinct creative compositions and photo opportunities at each remarkable location.
Our newest destination on our 2025 safari itinerary includes the remote wilderness of South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. With the densest concentration of leopards in the world, visitors have a distinct advantage of seeing these elusive and mythical beauties in a place called “Leopard Valley”, where many others have never visited before. Zambia is known as “The Land of the Living Night”, and our groups has the opportunity for nighttime game drives to spot the more elusive species as they hunt and navigate this awesome terrain.
This workshop is an all-inclusive experience, with all aspects of your trip organized for you. Our team has arranged top-notch accommodations, comfortable private air and ground transportation, and quality dining every step of the way. On this photography workshop, our small group will enjoy private safari excursions, river cruises, and helicopter rides to witness the magnitude of the landscape and its incredible species that inhabit the region during the transitioning of seasons.
This workshop offers both in the field instruction, as well as image reviews and editing sessions while at basecamp, so we can best hone in your images and streamline your creative visions while on our adventure.
Our accommodations offer unparalleled comfort and amenities, despite the remote locations of our camps. Wake up to zebra and giraffe grazing outside your door, enjoy private pools as hippos and elephants swim by in the mid-day sun, and enjoy a sundowner along a scenic gorge after a day well spent photographing astounding wildlife.
Additionally, our dining options during our gathering are incomparable. Just like every photography workshop I lead, food is always top quality. Private chefs cook delicious, local cuisine for us at each location. We prioritize good meals and great group dinners at the end of each day.
I believe that in order to truly enjoy your experience, and to receive the most out of an adventure photography workshop, we must keep groups small and have a very high ratio of instructors to participants. We’ve limited this workshop to a maximum of 8 participants, a photo instructor, and a team of very experienced local wildlife guides.
This is a unique educational excursion, and by capping the number of participants, we are ensuring everyone gets the attention and one-on-one instruction they need to make once in a lifetime images while visiting this bucket list destination.
You will be accompanied by Juan Pons and Jaclyn Merica during this Photo Safari. Juan is an accomplished professional wildlife and travel photographer and photographic educator who has a deep passion for the outdoors and conservation. Jaclyn is Juan’s assistant, co-leading workshops in places like Chile, Madagascar, Costa Rica, Cuba, Alaska, and more.
Juan and his team believe the best way to teach is by demonstrating, and to this end, we will be shooting alongside you, showing you our technique, and sharing our love and knowledge of wildlife and the landscape. However, our priority is always YOU, and assisting you to get the best images YOU can get.
The biggest advantage of having small groups is the flexibility they provide for customizing and adjusting our schedule to accommodate both to the unpredictable weather and the unique interests of the group as a whole. This allows us to cover only those topics that you are all interested in, including:
• Techniques for creating exciting and captivating wildlife images
• Digital darkroom demos to enhance the quality of your images
• Best use of your equipment
• Image reviews
Juan’s workshops are fairly intensive experiences, and as such, you should not expect this to be a leisurely vacation. Our collective goal is to capture the best images we can during our time in this remarkable location. This means there will be days we begin very early and return to camp very late. However, we will always have breaks and long lunch rest hours.
You should expect to receive important details to secure your flights to Kasane, Botswana 7 months prior to the workshop. Most flights from the US will connect through Johannesburg, South Africa.
Then, about 3 months prior to the workshop, you will start hearing from me and my team on a regular basis. I will provide you with a Workshop Information Packet with all relevant details, as well as go over more info regarding the workshop to get you inspired and thinking about the images you want to capture during the workshop. At this time, you will also receive from me a list of recommended clothing, equipment, and even discounts for equipment you may want to acquire for this excursion.
My assistant, Jaclyn, and I are always available to answer any questions you may have leading up to the workshop- simply call or email and we can help you as best we can.
Additionally, we will schedule a Zoom meeting 8-10 weeks prior to the start of our workshop. There, you can meet your fellow workshop participants, ask any questions before traveling, receive insights and recommendations for reference books, and much more.
2024
Tuition for the workshop is $13,495 USD for double occupancy per person.
On this workshop, there is limited availability for single occupancy rooms due to the limited lodgings of our remote bush camps. 2 of the 4 accommodations do not offer single rooms due to limited accommodation space. If you would like to enjoy a private room, that can be arranged for an additional supplement of $1,200 USD.
If you would like to reserve your spot on this workshop, you can do so with a $6,995 USD deposit. The balance of the workshop fee ($6,500 USD), is due 5 months prior to the first day of the workshop.
If you are in need of a special payment arrangement, please reach out and we are happy to work with you.
2025
Tuition for the workshop is $16,995 USD for double occupancy per person.
On this workshop, there is limited availability for single occupancy rooms due to the limited lodgings of our remote bush camps. If you would like to enjoy a private room during our excursion, that can be arranged for an additional supplement of $4,000 USD.
If you would like to reserve your spot on this workshop, you can do so with a $7,995 USD deposit. The balance of the workshop fee ($9,000 USD), is due 5 months prior to the first day of the workshop.
If you are in need of a special payment arrangement, please reach out and we are happy to work with you.
• All Lodging
• All safari excursions
• All privately chartered flights within Botswana and/or Zambia
• All meals and snacks during the workshop
• Non-alcoholic beverages during the workshop
• All permits, fees, and gratuities
• In-the-field instruction
• Inspiration
• Camaraderie
• An unforgettable time
• Inbound and outbound air travel from your home to Botswana and/or Zambia
• Supplemental private helicopter rides
• Any applicable passport and visa fees
• Items of a personal nature, such as laundry and alcoholic beverages
• Travel, Medical, and Trip Cancellation Insurance (optional, but highly recommended)
• Anything else specifically not listed as included
• You are responsible for making your own flight arrangements to and from Botswana and/or Zambia. We will assist you with flight arrival times and departures prior to your booking. Please do not book your flight reservations until you receive explicit instructions from our team.
• Deposit is fully refundable up until 5 months prior to the start of the workshop, NO REFUNDS are permitted within 5 months prior to the start of the workshop.
• Dates are subject to slight changes as we finalize our itineraries.
• Make sure to check the Terms and Conditions for all my workshops.
We highly recommend Travel Insurance from a reputable insurance company. I have partnered with Squaremouth, a website that allows you to compare multiple travel policies from multiple providers to choose the best one for you based on your needs and costs. Check them out here: https://www.squaremouth.com/
When photographing wildlife, the key is to remain flexible and open to adjustments in order to maximize our daily itinerary as needed to observe the behavior of the wildlife and weather conditions.
Our workshops are purposefully scheduled at an optimal time of year to observe the spectacular wildlife in each habitat. One of the biggest benefits of visiting Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia during June is there are less crowds compared to other times of year, plus we have a greater chance of encountering a more lush, greener environment. Therefore, we’ll witness the incredible wildlife congregating around the watering holes, and have greater chances to capture stunning images of that scene.
We have arranged impeccable accommodations in each stop of our trip, and have planned multiple day stays at each location. Our locations and number of nights are set as follow:
2024
Chobe River Houseboat
3 nights along the Chobe River cruising on a houseboat
Daily outings in custom built photo boat with rotating chairs and built in gimbal mounts
Shared cabins
Optional camping set up on the top deck under the stars
Okavango River Delta
3 nights at a rustic and impressive bush camp
Private charter flight to and from our camp
AM/PM game drives through this famed landscape
Optional scenic helicopter ride for aerial photography
Shared tents
Kalahari Deset
3 nights in a luxurious desert bush camp
Private charter flight to our camp where we will check into our luxurious glamping accommodation before heading out to our first overland safari
Two bunkers, one underground, for game photography
Private accommodations available
Chobe National Park
2 nights in a photography-focused lodge on the outskirts of Chobe National Park, equipped with a workroom for image reviews after action-packed days
AM/PM safari excursions into Chobe National Park
Underground hide for nighttime photography
Private accommodations available
2025
Okavango River Delta
3 nights at a remote yet remarkable bush camp
Private charter flight to and from camp
AM/PM game drives through the world famous Okavango River Delta
Optional scenic helicopter ride for aerial photography
Bush walks with local tribes
Shared tents
Chobe National Park
3 nights in a photography-focused lodge on the outskirts of Chobe National Park, equipped with a workroom for image reviews after action-packed days
AM/PM safari excursions into Chobe National Park
Underground hide for nighttime photography
River cruises in custom built photo boat with rotating chairs and built in gimbal mounts
Private accommodations available
Overnight in Victoria Falls
1 overnight in Victoria Falls, en route to Zambia
80 KM ground transfer included
Private accommodations available
South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
3 nights in a luxurious bush camp
Private charter flight to and from camp
Visits to the most densely populated region of leopards, called “Leopard Valley”
Optional nighttime game drives to view nocturnal species come to life in the “Land of the Living Night”
Private accommodations available
