After breakfast at the hotel, return to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) for your internal flight to Hoedspruit Airport (HDS). Upon touchdown, you’ll be transferred to your first safari lodge stay, in the renowned Kruger National Park – one of the largest and most popular reserves in the continent. Depending on the time of your arrival, a light lunch will be served at the lodge.
Signature Accommodation: Imbali Safari Lodge
Imbali Safari Lodge is an intimate retreat of just 12 suites, each a cocoon of comfort styled with subtle African-inspired design. Floor-to-ceiling French doors stretch the length of every suite, inviting the wilderness in without ever compromising on luxury. Stone and marble ensuite bathrooms feature Victorian-style bathtubs, while plush king beds promise a good night’s rest.
Between adventures, unwind by your private plunge pool on the sun-drenched deck – yours to savour beneath Kruger’s clear skies. To complete the experience, all-inclusive meals and free-flowing local wines, beers and spirits ensure you won’t go hungry or thirsty for a second.
Signature Highlight: Kruger game drive with Jason Edwards
Jason Edwards will be with you every step of the way this afternoon as you set out on your first game drive across the open savannah. While searching for the Big Five – lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino – Jason brings each moment to life with photography tips, field stories and wildlife spotting advice. April marks the end of the green season, with clear skies and drying landscapes, and newborn impala and wildebeest darting through the grass. Regardless of the season, the bush is alive with activity. As the sun paints the sky pink and orange, pause for sundowners before heading back to the lodge for dinner.
Signature Highlight: Icebergs to Iguanas – with Jason Edwards
This evening, Jason Edwards takes the stage for an exclusive presentation, sharing the story behind his photographic journey featuring some of his favourite National Geographic images. Jason will offer insight into his life on the road documenting wild places, ancient cultures and deep connections to nature that have defined his career with National Geographic.
Travel time: Flight – approx. one hour / Drive – approx. two hours
Kruger game drive with Jason Edwards
Icebergs to Iguanas – with Jason Edwards
Rise early for your first game drive of the day, setting out at 6am to catch the sunrise. Jason Edwards will join you either this morning or later this afternoon on your second game drive for the day.
Return for a hearty breakfast, with everything from fresh fruit and flaky pastries to hearty hot options, then recharge in the seclusion of your private suite. Soak in your bathtub, stretch out with a book on your deck or enjoy a drink as you swap stories with fellow travellers.
After lunch, embark on your second game trip for the day. As the bush begins to stir, explore the wild landscapes of Mpumalanga – from Kruger National Park’s ancient granite kopjes to its dense forests and the distant Lebombo Mountains – all to the soundtrack of nearby wildlife.
This evening, indulge in a boma dinner – an open-air feast under the stars, often shared around a crackling fire. Please note, the boma dinner is weather-dependent and may be moved to Day 2 or 4 if necessary.
Tonight’s fun will continue with a smartphone photography session run by Jason Edwards.
Signature Highlight: Smartphone Photography & Wildlife Photography – learning with Jason Edwards
Join Jason for an engaging session on smartphone photography. This practical presentation will show you how to utilise your device to create better images. Discover simple tips and creative techniques to enhance your travel photography.
In the second half, the focus shifts to wildlife photography. Jason discusses the guiding principles he applies in the field to capture authentic, powerful animal images – regardless of the camera in hand. The emphasis is on instinctive shooting, ethical storytelling and making the most of the moment.
Smartphone Photography & Wildlife Photography – learning with Jason Edwards
Another day of safari exploration awaits. Once again, with your private guide leading the way, you’ll set out in a rugged open 4×4 Land Cruiser to navigate the private concession nestled within Kruger National Park.
After tonight’s expert-led session, rest well and prepare for an early rise – tomorrow begins your once-in-a-lifetime trip to Victoria Falls.
Signature Highlight: Landscape & People Photography Tips and Techniques – learning with Jason Edwards
This session explores Jason’s signature approach to photographing landscapes and the natural world. Learn how to frame scenes with purpose, harness natural light and produce impactful imagery with any device – while staying true to what you see.
In the second half, Jason delves into people and cultural photography, offering thoughtful guidance on photographing people with sensitivity and intent. The session focuses on building trust and telling honest visual stories about humanity.
Landscape & People Photography Tips and Techniques – learning with Jason Edwards
Rise early this morning for your approx. 5am transfer to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP). Breakfast boxes will be provided on the way. From here, take to the skies on your flight bound for Victoria Falls.
On arrival, you’ll be met and transferred to your handpicked hotel. At Pioneer Victoria Falls, settle into the tranquillity of a boutique lodge with just 50 rooms, set among sprawling manicured gardens alive with resident ducks – all just 2.5km from the thunder of the falls.
The afternoon is yours – take a refreshing dip in one of the lodge’s two pools beneath the African sun or choose to explore the nearby Chinotimba township on an optional guided tour.
This evening, a Zimbabwean feast at Zulu Bistro Bar awaits. Savour a five-course tasting experience celebrating African hospitality and culture, complete with a curated selection of local wines, spirits, beers and non-alcoholic drinks. Traditional music and dance performances during dinner bring the evening to life.
Signature Highlight: Creative breakout sessions with Jason Edwards
Throughout your Southern African journey, you’ll enjoy rare access to Jason in small-group creative breakout sessions. These informal gatherings are a chance to dive deeper into your personal photography goals, receive tailored feedback, and explore the art of visual storytelling with one of National Geographic’s leading photographers.
Travel time: Flight – approx. two hours / Driving – approx. 4.5 hours
Creative breakout sessions with Jason Edwards
After breakfast, prepare for a day of awe and adventure as you witness the sheer, untamed force of otherworldly Victoria Falls, providing countless moments to capture with your newly honed photography skills.
Signature Experience: Victoria Falls guided tour
Today, embark on an extraordinary tour of Victoria Falls, one of the original Seven Natural Wonders of the World. David Livingstone was the first European to visit the Falls and named it after Queen Victoria. To the locals, it is known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘the Smoke that Thunders’ – an accurate description of what happens when the waters of the Zambezi River plunge over the 1,700-metre-wide and 100-metre-deep chasm, creating a shower of spray and deafening noise.
Your private guide will take you on an exploration of the Zimbabwean side of the falls, the best vantage point of the booming cascade, where 70–80% of the water can be seen. Along the way, you’ll learn about the unique flora and fauna that inhabit this rainforest region. You might also pass ‘the Big Tree’ along the way – one of the largest and oldest African baobabs, standing as a symbol of this region’s natural heritage and resilience.
After your tour, take a moment to soak it all in with lunch at the Wild Horizons Lookout Café. Set on the edge of Batoka Gorge, this semi-open-air restaurant serves sweeping views of Victoria Falls Bridge, the gorge below and the mist from the Falls. Savour one main and one dessert from the curated menu – a meal to remember in a setting you’ll never forget.
If you’re up for a thrill, the legendary ‘Flight of Angels’ scenic helicopter trip is not to be missed. This optional experience is an adventure like no other, revealing Victoria Falls from a breathtaking new perspective over a 13-minute flight, with bubble windows framing views of the Zambezi River and the Falls’ awe-inspiring expanse (surcharges apply).
Signature Highlight: Victoria Falls sunset river cruise with Jason Edwards
There’s truly no better way to end a day in Victoria Falls than with the Zambezi Sunset Cruise – made even more special by the guaranteed expertise of Jason Edwards. Departing at approx. 4pm, board your vessel and drift along the river, sipping complimentary sundowners and enjoying snacks as Jason shares insider information. Golden hour brings a different kind of magic – and with Jason alongside, you’ll see it through the eyes of a professional, navigating shifting light and changing wildlife behaviour. Search for hippos, crocodiles, elephants and flocks of birds skimming the river as the African sunset lights up the horizon in a spectacular display of colour – a scene that simply demands to be photographed.
Victoria Falls sunset river cruise with Jason Edwards
After a hearty breakfast, you’ll be transferred to your next accommodation – Cresta Mowana Safari Resort & Spa, on the banks of the mighty Chobe River in Botswana. Enjoy lunch and settle into your luxury accommodation at your own pace before this afternoon’s cruise.
Signature Accommodation: Cresta Mowana Safari Resort & Spa
With its signature thatched roof, the lodge feels both rooted and refined – a stay you’ll remember forever. Herds of elephants, antelope, giraffes, zebras, lions, leopards and more roam freely nearby in Chobe National Park, while the floodplains shimmer beneath sunrises and sunsets.
With countless riverside paths, a pool framed by the Chobe River, a 9-hole golf course, a spa boasting a jacuzzi and infinity pool and all-inclusive dining prepared for you, downtime at Cresta Mowana Safari Resort & Spa is an experience in its own right.
Signature Highlight: Chobe river cruise with Jason Edwards
This afternoon, Jason Edwards will join you for a cruise along the majestic Chobe River, renowned for its vast herds of elephants – up to 85,000 roam the park during the dry season, many gathering along the riverbanks. With decades of field experience, Jason brings real-world know-how to the safari, sharing insights into animal behaviour and the art of anticipating the perfect shot. Beyond the elephants, the landscape is alive with lions, leopards, buffalo and a variety of antelope. The river itself brims with pods of hippos and some of Africa’s largest crocodiles. Glide quietly aboard the lodge’s solar-electric safari boats, enjoying a peaceful, eco-friendly cruise where wildlife encounters come in abundance.
Return to the resort for a bountiful buffet dinner of Western and African favourites, set against the river’s twilight glow, and share stories deep into the night.
Travel time: Driving – approx. 2.5 hours
Chobe river cruise with Jason Edwards
Signature Highlight: Chobe game drive with Jason Edwards
Begin your day at first light with a 6am Chobe game drive led by the expert eye and photography skills of Jason Edwards. Over approximately three hours, explore the park’s rich ecosystems and unique wildlife. Seek out elephants feeding and bathing, herds of buffalo on the move, hyenas evading majestic lions, and abundant antelope, including the rare semi-aquatic puku, red lechwe and sitatunga.
Return for a well-earned breakfast, then claim a poolside lounge overlooking the Chobe River for some relaxation or unwind with a tension-melting massage at the Mowana Spa.
Later this afternoon, choose between a second game drive or another Chobe River cruise at sunset.
Tonight is one for the books – savour an African BBQ feast as you farewell Jason Edwards and your fellow travellers. Raise a glass and share stories to the soundtrack of nature. There’s no better way to wrap up your whirlwind adventure.
Chobe game drive with Jason Edwards
After breakfast, bid goodbye to your fellow travellers as your once-in-a-lifetime safari journey comes to an end. Wave goodbye to Africa’s rugged beauty as you return to either Victoria Falls Airport (VFA) or Livingstone Airport (LVI) this afternoon for your onward journey.
Travel time: Driving – approx. two hours