Namibia: Landscapes of Light and Shadow
April 13 – 24, 2026
Zambia Zimbabwe Safari
Sold Out
At a Glance
Location
Zambia and Zimbabwe
Tuition
$27,000
Dates
August 7 – 18, 2027
Fitness Level
Availability
Limited to 9 Guests
Collections
Zambia Zimbabwe Safari Photography Workshop
11-Day Ultimate Photo Safari: South Luangwa & Mana Pools
August 7 – 18, 2027
- Two countries and two camps surrounded by wildlife
- One pro in each of the three vehicles
- Small exclusive safari camps with incredibly friendly staff
Set along two of southern Africa’s most remarkable ecosystems, South Luangwa in Zambia and Mana Pools in Zimbabwe offer a wildlife photography journey shaped by big skies, river valleys, and some of the continent’s most charismatic species. In South Luangwa National Park, the broad Luangwa River, its ox-bow lagoons, and winding channels create a classic African backdrop for photographing leopards, lions, elephants, and rich birdlife. Farther west on the Zambezi floodplain, Mana Pools National Park invites a different style of fieldwork, where walking safaris and low-angle perspectives allow for intimate wildlife compositions rarely possible from a vehicle. Together, these two reserves form an ideal pairing for a diverse Africa photo safari, blending open-vehicle photography with opportunities to work on foot, refine tracking skills, and make the most of golden light, backlit scenes, and the atmospheric conditions that define this region.
On this 11-day workshop, you will split your time between these complementary ecosystems, building a diverse portfolio that ranges from close predator encounters to quiet, watchful moments with the prey they stalk. In South Luangwa, you will work from open vehicles in prime wildlife areas renowned for exceptional densities of leopards, lions, elephants, and diverse birdlife. In Mana Pools, you will spend time on the Zambezi floodplain and in the surrounding forests, with opportunities to photograph elephants, lions, wild dogs, and other species in beautiful backlit conditions, often working on foot for more intimate perspectives.
Learning is a constant throughout this workshop, with a focus on techniques such as anticipating animal behavior, working in low and high contrast lighting, using longer lenses for clean compositions, creating environmental portraits of wildlife, and capturing movement. We will also work on practical skills that are crucial on safari, including choosing the right shutter speeds, managing autofocus for fast-moving subjects, and building efficient workflows for editing large numbers of images. Your pros will be beside you in the field and in the classroom, helping you improve composition, camera technique, and post-processing so that each game drive and image review strengthens your visual storytelling.
This workshop also offers the rare opportunity to work with multiple pros, which means you’ll benefit from diverse perspectives and experiences across every aspect of wildlife photography, from composition and timing to fieldcraft and post-processing. As always, each guest will have their own row in the vehicle for unobstructed wildlife viewing.
You will return home with a portfolio that reflects the character of both South Luangwa and Mana Pools, and with a deeper understanding of how to see, anticipate, and photograph wildlife in some of Africa’s most remarkable landscapes.
Your Pros
Itinerary
About the wildlife: This workshop offers significant opportunities for photographing wildlife, and while we do our best to maximize our wildlife encounters—based on past experiences, local knowledge, and the current conditions—we need to impress upon you that the wildlife really is wild and that we don’t control it.
This itinerary is subject to change due to weather, local conditions, and other factors.
August 7, 2027: Arrival in Lusaka, Meet Safari Group, Hotel Stay
Fly into Lusaka, Zambia where you’ll be greeted upon arrival and driven to a beautiful hotel near the airport for the night. You will meet with everyone in our group. After a meet and greet, you’ll have dinner in the hotel and pack everything for your safari.
August 8–13, 2027: Flight to Mfuwe, First Safari Adventure, Night Drive Excitement
We’ll depart early for the regional terminal at Lusaka Airport to catch our flight to Mfuwe. Upon arrival, our camp guides will greet us and transport us through the bush to our campsite. Once settled, our safari adventure begins.
Each day kicks off with an early start, beginning with a light breakfast before heading out with your driver-guide to explore the surrounding wildlife until mid-morning. Depending on the sightings and your leader’s recommendation, you may enjoy a bush meal or return to camp for a break. After lunch and some downtime, you’ll venture out again for more wildlife photography opportunities.
As dusk approaches, we return to camp for dinner, and there’s the option for a thrilling night game drive. Drivers will be equipped with red lights, ideal for locating nocturnal animals and capturing dramatic high ISO black-and-white photographs. You’ll have 4 full days of safari before packing up and leaving for your next camp in Zimbabwe.
We have created an efficient itinerary that will get you from Zambia to Zimbabwe in less than a day. Enjoy your final safari photo drive in Zambia, pack up, and head for the airport in Mfuwe before flying through Lusaka and on to Zimbabwe. It is planned to arrive at our next camp, located in the Mana Pools National Park, with time to still partake in an afternoon-evening safari photo drive.
August 13–18, 2027: Final Safari in Zambia, Transition Flight to Zimbabwe, Mana Pools Exploration
After an early morning game-drive, we’ll have breakfast and pack up to move to our second camp. You’ll be driven to the Mfuwe airport to board a flight to Lusaka where you will board your second flight into Zimbabwe.
Once you land in Mana West airstrip in Zimbabwe, your camp guides will greet you and drive you to your new camp for four nights. Again, you’ll have a similar daily routine of waking early and venturing out into the bush to photograph the local wildlife, including hippos, elephants and much more. We have arranged for everyone to partake in a walking safari. This is highly recommended to experience and photograph from the ground, while your senses are abuzz with excitement. The guides are highly skilled and will explain more about the wildlife and fauna during your walk.
August 18, 2027: Early Game Drives in Mana Pools, Zimbabwean Bush Walks, Wildlife Photography
After our final safari photo shoot, you’ll have time to pack up, enjoy a great breakfast before your flight back to Harare airport in Zimbabwe.
We can reserve you a dayroom in a hotel near the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport as well as transportation to and on to the airport. This can be reserved following your flights home are confirmed.
Safari Camp Life–What To Expect
We've handpicked both camps for comfort, knowledgeable and friendly staff, great food, and convenience to our main objective, the wildlife. We also place considerable value on isolation and exclusivity. You won't find us in areas where dozens of other vehicles are at a sighting—you'll feel like you own the land, and the animals are there just for you! Typical tented accommodations feature twin beds or a queen bed, high thread-count linens, storage for clothing, a sitting area, a verandah, and of course, en-suite bathrooms with toilets, hot water, and showers. They are enormous in size, bright, open, and airy.
Our days start early, before sunrise. We'll have a quick coffee or tea, maybe a cookie, and off on our first game drive of the day. The animals start to stir as the day begins, and we want to be there in the best light. Depending on the sightings, we'll stay out for a few to several hours. After a mid-drive coffee break, we'll continue until mid to late morning. We typically have breakfast in the field to maximize our game-viewing and photographing time. Back in camp, it's time for offloading cards, one-on-one instruction, or just relaxing and doing nothing. Read a book, take a walk, or take a nap and recharge. Of course, there will be lunch, and then In the mid to late afternoon, we'll again head out for another game drive, chasing the best sightings. Enjoying your favorite drink while watching and photographing the sunset is popular. Arrive back at camp after sundown, enjoy a hot shower if you like, and then join us by the campfire or in the living area for cocktails, followed by dinner.
Food in our camps is superb—you'll be served both dishes you know and local specialties, too. Of course, any dietary needs can be accommodated.We've arranged for the best safari vehicles—custom Land Cruisers that feature ample room for you and your gear and excellent visibility. And only one photographer per row of seats (note that the front seat next to the driver counts as a row). Our camps feature optional daily laundry service (but not on days we travel between camps).
On this safari there will be one pro per safari vehicle, ready to assist and teach on every safari drive throughout the entire trip.
Why a Muench Workshops Safari?
We understand you can spend less on other photog-safaris. We aim to give you the best possible experience, maximizing your time and minimizing the hassle while providing the best photographic experience and instruction available anywhere.
Photography and Safari Guiding: We've personally chosen only the best local safari guides for this photographic safari.
Details Matter: Our itinerary is set to bring you the best game viewing and all the region offers. We arrange things so that we're in areas that are not overly crowded with many other safari vehicles, and we get off-road when possible so we can get close to the action and our subjects.
Photography Instruction: This is a workshop, not just a tour. We will work hard on this safari, with instruction in the field and camp. Many evenings feature image reviews and post-processing instruction after dinner, and during the daytime, we offer one-on-one instruction as needed. You'll come away with a wealth of new knowledge on creating fantastic imagery and how best to process those images in Lightroom and Photoshop.
Years of Experience—Happy Repeat Customers: We've been leading, guiding, and teaching photographers for a long time—and we have thrilled customers who come back on our workshops again and again to prove it. If you'd like to speak to someone who has been with us on a workshop or safari, just let us know, we'd be happy to arrange a phone call.
Fitness
Easy:
Flights
Arrive at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN), Lusaka, Zambia before 4:00 PM on August 7, 2027. Depart at Harare International Airport (HRE), Harare, Zimbabwe after 5:00 PM on August 18, 2027. Air travel delays are common. Please arrive early, possibly even the day prior, so you don’t miss any of the workshop.
What to Bring
Please see our page How To Prepare For Your Workshop. We will send you a detailed information document 90 days before your workshop. This document will include specifics of where and when to meet, gear and clothing recommendations, and more.
What’s Included
- Double occupancy lodging. Single available for $4,000 supplement.
- All meals, soft drinks, and snacks during the workshop.
- All permits and park fees.
- Internal flights during the workshop.
- All transportation during the workshop.
- Tips for crew, drivers, and local guides.
- English-speaking local guide throughout the workshop.
- Photographic guiding and instruction from 3 pros.
- Image reviews and post-processing instruction.
- Adventure, fun, inspiration, and a great time!
Not Included
- Travel to Lusaka, Zambia and from Harare, Zimbabwe.
- Unscheduled airport transfers.
- Passport and visa fees (if applicable).
- Any meals or accommodations before or after the workshop dates.
- Items of a personal nature.
- Alcoholic Beverages.
- Medical Evacuation Insurance (required).
- Travel Medical (required).
- Travel Medical and Trip Cancellation Insurance (optional, but recommended).
- Anything else specifically not listed as included.
- Single rooming available for $4,000 supplement.
Payment Terms
- Your non-refundable deposit of $10,000 will hold your space in this workshop.
- Further non-refundable payment of $9,000 is due by December 1, 2026.
- The non-refundable balance is due not later than April 1, 2027.
- In addition to our standard Terms and Conditions, for this workshop all payments are non-refundable, and this is why we recommend comprehensive travel insurance including trip cancelation.
- Need special payment arrangements? No problem, just ask us.
Frequently Asked Questions
You'll have the opportunity to photograph a diverse range of wildlife, including leopards, lions, elephants, wild dogs, and rich birdlife in South Luangwa and Mana Pools. Both parks offer unique perspectives, with open-vehicle photography and walking safaris for intimate wildlife compositions.
You'll learn to anticipate animal behavior, work in low and high contrast lighting, and use longer lenses for clean compositions. The workshop also covers creating environmental portraits, capturing movement, choosing the right shutter speeds, managing autofocus, and building efficient editing workflows.
All payments for this workshop are non-refundable under any circumstances. We highly recommend purchasing comprehensive travel insurance that includes trip cancellation coverage.
The workshop has a maximum capacity of 9 participants, ensuring a personalized experience. You'll benefit from the guidance of 3 professional photographers, with one pro per safari vehicle to assist and teach during every game drive.
You'll stay in handpicked safari camps featuring spacious tented accommodations with twin or queen beds, en-suite bathrooms, and verandahs. The camps offer comfort, isolation, and exclusivity, ensuring a unique and immersive wildlife experience.
Bring a range of lenses, including longer lenses like 100–400mm for wildlife and wide-angle lenses for landscapes. A sturdy tripod or monopod, extra batteries, and memory cards are also essential for capturing the diverse scenes and wildlife encounters.
All necessary permits and park fees are included in the workshop. However, medical evacuation insurance and travel medical insurance are required, while trip cancellation insurance is optional but recommended.
