5-Day Mashatu Eye Level Hide

You will arrive at Pont Drift Border crossing before 1-oclock to meet with your safari guide and be ready to cross the border. After passing through passport control, a member of the Mashatu team will meet us and drive us across the border, where we will pass through border control on the Botswana side. After that is done, we will be driven through to Mashatu Lodge in an open vehicle where we will check into our rooms, hear a briefing from the Mashatu team, and then take high tea. After leaving this location, we will set out on our first game drive in an open game vehicle in search of excellent photo possibilities. We will return to the camp after the safari (which lasts for about 3.5–4 hours) to clean up before a drink in the bar and dinner in the boma.

Day two begins with a coffee and light breakfast at the resort. Fresh fruit, cereal, and yogurt are ready to go with your hot cup of coffee or tea. Then, before it gets dark, we leave the lodge in an effort to be at the main game viewing location just before sunrise. Our main objective is to try and find animals in Mashatu’s stunning landscape and capture different species in this extraordinary environment. Incredible and distinctive images are created by the combination of open plains, dry and wet riverbeds, and Croton woods. We will head back to the lodge after the game drive, where we will have brunch, do some light editing, take a dip in the pool, and rest up for the next high tea and afternoon game drive. We once again set out on the afternoon game drive in search of good photographic sightings, stopping at several species along the route. We’ll head back to the camp after a sundowner stop to clean up before heading to the bar and boma for dinner.

The third day begins at the lodge with coffee and a modest breakfast. Then, before it becomes dark, we set out to obtain the Matabole hide before sunrise. The first of our private hiding sessions will take place here, during which we will capture images of elephants, birds, and a variety of other mammal species that visit the water to drink. If necessary, tea and coffee will be provided in the hide. We will head back to the resort after about 4 hours for brunch, a swim in the pool, and some downtime before the next high tea and our only afternoon hide session. The afternoon sessions provide a little bit different lighting and the opportunity to capture certain species that aren’t there in the morning. On a hot day, there’s a chance that the elephants will go swimming in the afternoon.

Please keep in mind that the hides are seasonal and are closed for maintenance from the 1st of December to the 28th of February each year.

Today begins similarly to day three, with a coffee and light meal at the lodge before a morning hides session. We set out on our fourth game drive in the afternoon, looking for nice picture opportunities while stopping to observe a variety of species. We’ll head back to the camp after a sundowner stop to clean up before heading to the bar and boma for dinner

Our final day has arrived, but not before we take one last morning game drive. The best light will allow us to set out in search of the animals, and we’ll come back to camp for brunch before packing up and starting the journey home. At approximately 11.30 a.m., an open game vehicle will pick us up from the lodge and take us to the Pont Drift Border Crossing.