NAMIBIA LANDSCAPE SAFARI 2016 WWW.C4PHOTOSAFARIS.COM INDEX SAFARI DETAILS & PRICING �������������������������������������������������� 3 INTRODUCTION �������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 ITINERARY ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 BREAKDOWN ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 YOUR SAFARI ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8 YOUR GUIDE ��������������������������������������������������������������������������14 ACCOMMODATION . 15 TRAVEL CHECKLIST . 19 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ����������������������������������� 20 PAYMENT & CANCELLATION TERMS ������������������������������24 TERMS & CONDITIONS ������������������������������������������������������25 SAFARI DETAILS & PRICING Cost (USD) Per person (sharing) $ 6 650 Per person (single) $ 7 170 Please note: Maximum of 9 clients. Flight We can arrange flights to Windhoek and accommodation in Windhoek if requested. Please note that our tours are costed in the currency of the destination and the price in that cur- rency is fixed. The price for this tour in USD is $6650 pp sharing and $7170 pp single and a 30% deposit confirms your spot. The Namibian N$ is equal to the South African Rand. It is your respon- sibility to determine the current price in your preferred currency when making payment. Please note that this safari will be ground handled by CapturEarth and all payments will be made to CapturEarths bank account. Payment terms • 30% deposit confirms your booking after receipt of completed booking form. • Balance payable 8 weeks prior to the trip for final confirmation. Equipment Digital SLR cameras. A wide-angle lens is pretty important for landscapes. 16mm or 10mm lenses with small apertures will be beneficial. If you are familiar with them, graduated filters are a great help. sturdy tripod is very important. Cleaning liquids and cloths are important as Namibia is a very dusty and sandy place. If you would like more information on graduated filters and what they do, please contact Hougaard Malan or read this excellent article here. Don’t have all the equipment you want? Read more about rentals here! The above costs include • Two professional photographers guiding you throughout the workshop. • Images and presentations on light, composition, camera techniques and more, data projector for viewing on screen and coverage of digital workflow. • Accommodation and transport for the whole trip. • 120 Minutes of doors-off Aerial photography over the world’s highest dunes, from a helicopter. Costs not included • International flights. • Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. • Gratuities to staff and guides.. • Extra activities not included. • Personal expenses • Travel insurance • Travel visas 3 INTRODUCTION amibia is a massive, desolate landscape and boasts the title of the 4th least populated country in the world. With an average distance between towns of 200km, its endless vistas will be permanently Netched into your soul. Namibia’s desert winds have sculpted the world’s highest dunes out of red sand and it is these dunes that make the Namibian landscape like no other on earth. In some places the dunes rise out of endless fields of grass and in others the dunes are as high as mountains. In a special place the sand cut off the water supply to a seasonal wetland and today the result is the petrified trees of Deadvlei. In the far South, fine silica sands are now reclaiming what was once the site of a great diamond rush - the ghost town of Kolmanskop. To the West, a special combination of rocky ground and hot, arid conditions have created one of the most alien plants on earth; the Quiver Tree. Where the Fish River flows over an ancient plateau, it has cut the 2nd largest canyon on earth into the rock. Join us for an opportunity to experience and photograph these one of a kind landscapes under top professional guidance, from the ground, road and air. Nowhere is the change that water brings more apparent than where it is needed the most and we’ll be visiting in the rainy season, hoping to witness a few thunderstorms sweeping their dark curtains of rain across the landscape. Join C4 Photo Safaris’ guide Isak Pretorius and Hougaard Malan from Capturearth in this fascinating destination. Both Isak and Hougaard have been travelling to Namibia for many years, capturing its amaz- ing beauty. They are experienced and knowledgeable about the country, its landscapes and where to be for the best photo. They know the country intimately will share and show these to you in the best light available. Expect excellent tuition, guidance and tutoring that will take your images from good – to great. Additionally, you will also find that Isak and Hougaard, who have worked many times together excellent working partners while in the field, which ensures that you will be taken care of expertly and professionally. This is simply the ultimate way in which to photograph Namibia. INTRODUCTION (CONTINUED) Photographic Highlights • Ultimate convenience - All you have to do is pack your bags and book your plane tickets. • Fourteen days of photography in some of the world’s most unique landscapes. • Travel in style - Transport in Land Rover Discovery 4’s. Only 3 passengers per vehicle. • Tutoring by two highly experienced guides. • 120 Minutes of doors-off Aerial photography over the world’s highest dunes, from a helicopter. • Small group of only 9 participants for maximum creative freedom. • Visiting in late summer - Good chance of thunderstorms, green grass and rainbows, without the ex- treme temperatures of high summer. 5 ITINERARY Dates Tranfers Accommodation Day 1 Road transfer to River Crossing Lodge River Crossing Lodge Day 2 Road transfer to Fish River Lodge Fish River Lodge Day 5 Road transfer to Nest Hotel Nest Hotel Day 7 Road transfer to Sossus Dune Lodge Sossus Dune Lodge Day 10 Road transfer to Wolwedans Day 13 Road transfer to River Crossing Lodge River Crossing Lodge Day 14 Road transfer to Windhoek International - Airport. BREAKDOWN Day 1 Arrive at Windhoek International Airport where you will be met and transferred to Riv- er crossing Lodge. Day 2 Early morning transfer to Fish River Lodge. Day 5 Arrive at Nest Hotel, Lederitz. Day 7 Leave from Luderitz for Sossus Dune Lodge. Day 10 Arrive at Wolwedans, Dunes Lodge. Day 13 Leave from Dunes Lodge to River Crossing Lodge for your last night. Day 14 You will be transferred to Windhoek Interna- tional Airport. This is the end of the trip. 7 YOUR SAFARI Day 1 - 2 River Crossing Lodge, Namibia. Upon arrival on the 6th of April, you will be collected from Hosea Kutako airport by a private driver and taken to our guest house, just outside Windhoek city. Once the whole group has checked in, we’ll go for dinner at one of Windhoek’s best restaurants. Everyone will have a chance to tell their photographic story and the guides will give a breakdown of the days to come and what to expect. *If you wish to fly in a day or two early to sleep off the jet-lag, we are more than happy to arrange all the logistics for you. Day 2 - 5 Fish River Lodge, Namibia. QUIvER TREE FoREST After breakfast overlooking the hills of Windhoek, we’ll hit the road south to Quiver Tree Forest. This will be the furthest drive on the trip, totalling just over 500km, which should take about 5 hours to cover. Found only in Southwestern Africa, Quiver “Trees” are actually very large succulent plants. With their cracked golden-white bark and remarkable shape, they make great photographic subjects. We’ll arrive at our destination early afternoon, leaving plenty of time for everyone to familiarize themselves with the trees. After sunset we’ll have dinner at the lodge and get to bed early. The next morning, we’ll get up around 4am to capture Quiver Trees with the starry Namibian skies above. As darkness fades to twilight we can capture the red predawn glow on the trees and prepare to capture the colours of sunrise. YOUR SAFARI FISH RIvER LoDgE – The World’s 2nd Largest Canyon After a delicious breakfast at Quiver Tree Forest, we’ll head West on Namibia’s most desolate paved road. Along this road you will see some captivating expanses. About 150km from the coast, we’ll turn South on a small road and head to the 2nd largest canyon on the planet. Most visitors usually go to the national park’s viewing points, but we’ll be visiting one of Namibia’s best kept secrets: The Fish River Lodge, which is perched on a cliff edge overlooking the depths of the canyon. This hotel is constantly rated as one of the most breathtaking in Namibia and it offers brilliant photographic opportunities. We’ll spend the afternoon exploring the cliff edges for foregrounds that complement the endless expanse of the canyon and shoot the transition of sunset colours over the landscape. This location also offers great opportunities to photo- graph quiver trees in case you feel you didn’t get enough at the forest. The mornings at this lodge will be the highlight of convenience on the workshop as we photograph a quiver tree on the cliff edge from the lodge’s pool deck. After breakfast we’ll have a relaxing day for classroom sessions, getting to know each other and just taking in one of the best views in Namibia. 9 YOUR SAFARI (CONTINUED) Day 5 - 7 Nest Hotel, Namibia. KoLmANSKoP – The ghostly Remains of a Diamond Rush After departing the Fish River lodge on the morning of the 4th day, we’ll head back North and then further West to the coastal town of Luderitz. We’ll spend a long afternoon familiarizing ourselves with the many colourful, sand filled rooms of Kolmanskop. Situated just 5 minutes inland from Luderitz, Kolmanskop is the long forgotten site of one of the greatest diamond rushes in human history. Just after the turn of the 19th century, German mining companies invested a fortune to build an entire town in the middle of nowhere.