Extend your stay in Southern Africa

The below extensions range from adventurous camping in Mana Pools to the best luxury African photo safaris, like the Meerkat photo safari and the Okavango Delta extension. All extensions offer you the best private Africa photo safari experiences. The Hoanib Skeleton Coast extension specifically offers you the very best private Nambia wildlife photo safari.

These extensions are booked on a ‘per request’ basis and are the perfect addition to your Okavango Delta photo safari or your big cat photography workshop or the Leopards of Londolozi. You can also book one or more of these extensions to create your own stand-alone photo safari.

Each of the listed extensions are guided by African wildlife photographer, Greg du Toit. Simply fill out the form at the bottom of this page and book one or more of these exciting extensions NOW.

See guest testimonials and have all your questions about African photographic safaris answered on my FAQ pages.

3 or 4 night Meerkat Photo Safari Extension

Our most popular to date is the Meerkat photo safari extension. This extension can be booked as a 3 night Makgadikgadi meerkat photography extension, in which case it is best to add it to your Okavango Delta photo safari. Alternatively this can be a 4 night South Africa meerkat photography safari extension to visit Tswalu in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert. In this case your Meerkat photo safari extension is added to your South Africa and Botswana Africa photo safari or your Leopards of Londolozi safari.

Either way, whether a Botswana Makgadikgadi meerkat photography extension or a South Africa meerkat photography safari, these adorable animals will creep into your heart and fill your memory card.  The time of year is also perfect for this Meerkat photo safari and the travel logistics are easy. Just imagine photographing big cats on your South Africa photo safari and meerkats all on one ‘best South Africa photo safari’!

The South Africa meerkat photography safari extension is the best chance you have of seeing pangolins and aardvarks in Africa. Your lodge on this Meerkat photo safari extension makes this a ‘best luxury African photo safari’.

The Botswana Makgadikgadi meerkat photography extension offers you a chance to do zebra aerial photography over the salt pans and to enjoy a San cultural photography experience making this a ‘best private Africa photo safari’.

Which ever way you do this, whether you add it to your Okavango Delta photo safari or to your big cat Africa photo safari or your Leopards of Londolozi safari, this Meerkat photo safari extension is easy to do and promises to fill your memory cards. Watch this YouTube video made with my iPhone documenting just one day on safari in the Kalahari…

meerkat photo safari - a family of meerkats in the golden sunlight of the Kalahari desert

3, 6 or 9 night Okavango Delta Photo Safari Extension

This exciting extension can be added to your best big cat photography workshop which ends with a Mashatu photo safari. A short flight to the north of the country takes you to the Okavango Delta, quite possibly the top location for the ‘best private Africa photo safari’, and where your big cat photography continues. Alternatively, if you are already in the Okavango, having just completed your Okavango Delta photo safari, you can continue on and explore more of the Okavango and make this your own ‘best private Africa photo safari’. This extension also dovetails very nicely with Leopards of Londolozi.

There is simply nowhere else like the Okavango and it offers a wild freedom and exclusivity that cannot be matched. Housing the most pristine savannah wilderness in Africa, it is also one of the most beautiful places left on earth. It is truly the place where the river, desert and sky meet, offering unique and highly exclusive wildlife photographic opportunities. I recommend spending 3 nights at each camp and you can choose whether you do a 1, 2 or 3 camp combination. I like to do one water-based camp, one land-based camp and one ‘combination of both’ to give you the full Okavango Delta experience. If your time or budget does not allow for this then one ‘land and water camp’ can give you a true Okavango Delta experience.

If you are wanting to escape the crowds and get deep into the wild heart of Africa to do some exceptional photography, then this Okavango Delta extension is for you. There are a number of incredible camps and concessions to combine, and after over a decade of exploring, I am now offering this new and exciting extension.

Please note that the camps in the delta are 3x the cost of other camps in Africa but they offer 100x the exclusivity and give you a ‘best luxury African photo safari’ experience. The Okavango really is the last great wilderness in Southern and East Africa and it is one of the best places in Africa to combine African wild dog and big cat photography.

This Okavango Delta extension is the perfect addition to your safari and the time of year is perfect for it. Fill out the form at the bottom of this page to receive your own Okavango itinerary.

best big cat photography workshop - a lioness leaps over water in Botswana's Okavango Delta

5 night Hoanib Skeleton Coast Photo Safari Extension

If after your Botswana and South Africa big cat photography workshop you want your safari to continue, then this Hoanib Skeleton Coast extension is the perfect way to do it. This is the best private Namibia wildlife photo safari you can do and the landscape is completely different to your South Africa photo safari and your Botswana Mashatu photo safari leg, making for dramatic animal-scape imagery of desert-adapted wildlife.

The Hoanib Skeleton Coast is one of the best private Africa photo safari destinations and the capital city of Namibia, Windhoek, is just a short flight from Johannesburg. From there you take a small plane to quite literally another planet, affectionately called ‘The Hoanib’, which is in fact an ancient river that winds its way through the northern reaches of the Namib Desert. Along its way this river is the lifeblood of the ecosystem, before ending in the Atlantic Ocean and on the famed Skeleton Coast.

The concession we use gives us exclusive use and entry into Skeleton Coast National Park and access to the best private Namibia wildlife photo safari. You will photograph along the river, which being the only water source in the area, attracts desert-adapted wildlife like desert giraffe and desert elephant. You will follow the ancient Hoanib River all the way through the desert and to the coast. This is the only place in Africa where in the same day I have seen a whale and a giraffe! These are no ordinary giraffe though; everything that you will photograph on this best private Africa photo safari is desert-adapted.

Over the next few days you will explore one of the remotest and otherworldly destinations on the planet. Desert elephant frequent the riverbed close to camp but to find the desert rhino we will penetrate Damaraland, another otherworldly landscape, and the furthest place from civilisation (or at least it feels like it). The possibility of seeing desert elephant and desert rhino from one location is what makes this the best private Namibia wildlife photo safari you can do. The elusive brown hyena (see the gallery of images at the bottom of this page for a photo of one) is also a photographic possibility. You will get to photograph the king of the dunes, aka the Oryx and the camp we use is excellent and comfortable, making this a ‘best luxury photo safari’. The area is wild and untamed with the environment being totally unique and therefore so are the wildlife photos, making this the best private Namibia wildlife photo safari you can do. Fancy photographing desert-adapted giraffe in the rolling fog of the desert, then this is the extension for you! Fill out the form at the bottom of this page to receive your personal Hoanib Skeleton Coast itinerary.

The Hoanib is one place you just have to see and photograph because it quite simply is like nowhere else on earth – you will feel like you are on another planet. A 5-night stay is all that is required for this extension, which includes a night in Windhoek or Johannesburg depending on flight times.

best namibia wildlife photo safari - desert elephants

7 night Mana Pools Photo Safari Extension

When I describe Mana Pools to photographers, I describe it as being the place where safari guides go on holiday, which is exactly what it is. Think about it, this says an incredible amount about the place and it could even qualify as the ultimate Africa destination and the best private Africa photo safari on the continent. Zimbabwe is a great safari country but Mana Pools is the jewel in its safari crown and this Mana Pools extension is the best Zimbabwe private photo safari you can do.

Just a short flight from Johannesburg or Maun either after or before your Botswana and South Africa predator workshop or your Okavango Delta photo safari is Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. From there you take a small charter plane into Mana Pools National Park where your best Zimbabwe photo safari begins. Based in the heart of the park you will explore the woodland that is the best place in all of Africa to see and photograph wild dogs and elephants on foot. The incredible thing about Mana Pools is that photographing whilst out of the vehicle is allowed and that is exactly what you will do! Imagine sitting on the ground next to a pack of wild dogs. Now imagine the low angle shots you will get! Now imagine doing the same with elephants. This is why this is regarded as one of the best private Africa photo safaris you can do.

Our mobile canvas camp is right on the banks of the Zambezi River with elephants often walking right through camp. Canvas and bucket showers are the order of the day in our mobile camp as Mana Pools offers an authentic and wild safari experience. Typically you will spend 4 nights in a basic mobile camp on the Zambezi River and inside Mana Pools National Park on this ‘best Zimbabwe private safari’. Then for the last 3 nights, you will transfer to a luxurious lodge further downstream, where you will enjoy photographing and boating on the Zambezi River in a private concession.

If you prefer your entire best Zimbabwe private safari to be only a luxury safari, there are now a number of permanent luxury camps that we can use throughout to give you the full Mana experience. Simply state your preference when filling in the form at the bottom of this page and you will receive a bespoke Mana Pools itinerary. The standard itinerary on this best Zimbabwe private photo safari is 4 nights mobile camping, followed by 3 nights of luxury.

This Mana Pools extension is the perfect addition to your big cat workshop.

best Zimbabwe private photo safari - wild dog pack

Great White Sharks Photo Safari Extension

The predator workshop coincides with the time of year that the great white sharks breach off the Cape coast of South Africa. We can arrange an extension for you to go photograph great white sharks performing breaches. This is the only place in the world where natural breaches of sharks hunting seals occurs and a good time for this is from April – September.

Sardine Run

If you are into underwater photography, then head down to the East Coast of South Africa to photograph one of Nature’s great events, the annual sardine run (best in June and July). This incredible experience involves photographing from the boat plus lots of free diving. Seeing sharks, whales and dolphins with gannets dive bombing, is one of Africa’s ultimate wildlife experiences. All that is needed is a wetsuit and a simple waterproof camera housing, with a wide angle lens. As the sardines head north they attract marine predators from afar including great white sharks. This is one of South Africa’s best kept secrets and featured on the BBC’s ‘Nature’s Greatest Events’ series.

Any one or combination of the safari extensions can be arranged to make this a safari of a lifetime.

Your photographic possibilities on these African Photo Safari extensions

Guest Testimonials

To Greg, Thank you for giving us such a wonderful safari in Amboseli and the Masai Mara, and for letting us see Africa through your eyes. We were enamoured by your extraordinary life and your total love of Africa and the bush. Thank you for all your amazing stories of your adventures and the weird and wonderful people you have met (there's nowt so queer as folk!). As a token of our appreciation we hope you will enjoy this book by a fellow great photographer. We hope our paths will cross again.

Flemming and Sonia (Scotland)
'Good morning Greg. I trust you got home safely. Thanks for being such an incomparable guide and company. See you in February, if not before (maybe October).'

Stephen and Eric Cheek (UK)
'It was such a privilege to spend a week with Greg. On all levels he is a joy to spend time in the bush with. Its really apparent through his passion, knowledge and talent why he was The Wildlife Photographer of the Year. We had some amazing sightings. From following mating leopards for 5 hours on my birthday to packs of wild dogs, cheetahs, and 19 different leopards. Oh, and two snakes! And of course, spending some time with Claire was very special to us.'

Deborah Keener Brown (USA)
'Dear Greg, the training and experience with you has been even better than we expected. You bring out the best of Africa as you teach us each day to appreciate the animals and capture the best moments with pictures. You are patient and professional and we look forward to another journey with you. Best to you, Bob 'the camera caddy' and Jacquie.'

Bob and Jacquie Paul (USA)
'Hey Greg, It took three days to download and organize my 5412 files! You blew me away with your kindness, graciousness, and expertise. Okay, so now I am bit and I can't wait to go back. The wild is the only thing that makes sense and I understand what motivates you. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for introducing me to your world and for sharing your experience, strength, and hope for the future of conservation.'

Nell Dickerson (USA)
'Greg, thanks so much for the outstanding private safari in the Okavango Delta. The itinerary that you developed gave us a terrific mix of magical Delta experiences, with fine camps and excellent local guides. The most important ingredient in this terrific experience, however, was you. On the photographic front, we were inspired by your commitment to artistic creativity and excellence, as well as ethical practices, in the capturing of wildlife images and greatly appreciated your graciously shared world class photographic expertise. We were delighted to find that you are also a knowledgeable naturalist, with wide-ranging expertise and engaging stories (and a voluminous reference library on your phone!) about both the fauna and the flora of Africa. We were encouraged by your commitment to conservation! We look forward eagerly to joining you in the Masai Mara next year and in the South Rift Valley!'

Mark and Bonnie Overgaard (USA)
'Since our very first contact, Greg gave me lots of advices about safari destinations and about photography. He always answered my hundreds mail (sorry Greg 😉 ) helping me to find and book the best travel for shooting hippos and to buy some photographic stuffs I have never seen before. I have known a man who really loves Africa and wildlife and most important, who knows lot of things about Africa and wildlife, but at the same time you can talk to him as you talk to one of your friend. I dont write about his knowledge of photo gears and technique as it would be superfluous. I can only say that my skill level is increased by several steps. His advices during safaris were, in my opinion, the best part of my entire time spent in Kenya. During my time spent in the bush, I really feel myself like a photographer, not like a tourist. Thank you, thank you so much!'

Nicola Cappelletti (Italy)
'We all really enjoyed our family photographic safari with you in Zambia. The Lower Zambezi is a beautiful destination and the most scenic we have seen so far. Robin and I have improved our photographic capabilities which we hopefully won't lose till we see you again😁. Thank you for the personal message in your wonderful AWE book. Have fun with your next trips and hope to see you again soon.' See the adventure on YouTube

Ute, David and Robin (Germany)