Arno Pietersen is 33 years old and has been working in the Kruger National Park for the last 12 years guiding. He then became a photographer and birder in the last 6 years of his career.
“I had many images published and took a few very famous images in my last 6 years of Guiding Tourists through the bush.”
Everyone starts somewhere with a small camera and builds themselves up by experience and passion. For me it is a great pleasure to be working with nature and helping others understand the balance thereof. I am an Olympus Pro camera user and we strive to provide guests with the best experience by guiding/tutoring them to be a better photographer with the gear they have.
Kruger National Park has some of the best wildlife and birding photographic opportunities in Africa, and I am here to guide you through it and make it an unforgettable experience!
Come and join me on a Multi-Day Safari through the Kruger national Park in the South and the North, and become one with your equipment and your surroundings!
With a quarter of a century experience guiding wildlife safaris through Southern Africa, I have developed a particular passion for birding.
My tours not only take me coast to coast in South Africa but throughout Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe and even into Uganda and Tanzania.
“I am a registered National guide in both Nature and Culture. Looking forward to sharing my Knowledge and Passion with you!”
Clients with more time to spare can add on 3 Nights to the Great Northern region. From here we explore the great North, the famous Luvuvhu rivers and Crooks Corner where Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa meet.
The regions is vast and remote and great for photographic safaris. Predators are more commonly found within the Southern and Central Kruger, but The North is the home to rare antelope species, like roan, eland and Tsesebe. The majestic baobab trees and large herds of buffalo and elephants are an unforgettable experience. The area also offers incredible bird life.
Expect to see packs of lion and leopard as very few people visit this area.
Cost and validity
PP Sharing (Min 2 clients)
Best Season
Departure & Return Location
Please note: OR Tambo shuttle/bus terminal (Johannesburg) at 6:45 am daily
Price Includes
Transfers to and from Johannesburg OR Tambo international Airport.
Transfer to Hazyview where you will meet the guide for your safari. We make use of Umbhaba Eco lodge in Hazyview as the meeting venue.
Private vehicle and guide for the duration of your safari.
Accommodation is air-conditioned chalets within the various camps designed specifically for your safari and special requests.
Dinners and Breakfast will be at the rest camps restaurants, and your guide will have flasks of coffee and rusks for those early morning departures.
Professional guide as per safari booked.
Excluded from Price
Drinks and beverages
Gratuities
Flights
What to Bring
Comfortable shoes
Warm jackets
Sunhat and sunglasses
Sun cream
Cameras
Personal belongings
Personal medication
BERG EN DAL OR PRETORIUSKOP REST CAMPS
Kurt safari Shuttle departs Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport and lodges within a 5 Km Radius early in the morning and travels east towards Hazyview where you will meet your Guide. You will then travel in an open safari vehicle and this is where the true adventure begins.
We enter the park in the afternoon for the first safari, 2 Nights are spent in the Southern Kruger. We enjoy our safari until the gates closing times. Dinner will be at the local rest camp offering a variety of dishes.
Accommodation is in air-conditioned En-suite Rondawels a traditional Kruger experience.
BERG EN DAL OR PRETORIUSKOP REST CAMPS
We depart before sunrise every morning. Different times of the year will mean different areas traveled.
We rest every day between 11-2PM, and swim and relax before the afternoon safaris. Our aim is to photograph during the best lighting. This region is the best for finding the great and threatened Rhino.
One has the option of experiencing optional night safaris booked through the rest camp.
SATARA REST CAMP
This will be our last morning safari before heading north towards the Central regions of the Kruger.
This is a long day as we spend most of the time on safari. Our Camp for the next 2 nights will be Satara – a special and different part of Kruger.
We get to Satara around midday, check into our rooms and depart on an afternoon safari. We have a few dams that are great for late afternoons as
wildlife come to drink.
SATARA REST CAMP
We depart before sunrise every morning. Different times of the year will mean different areas traveled.
Satara is centrally situated so there are 4 directions to choose from in the mornings – making it a really exciting destination.
We rest every day between 11-2PM, and swim and relax before the afternoon safaris. Our aim is to
photograph during the best lighting.
This region is the best for finding Lion. One has the option of experiencing optional night safaris booked through the rest camp.
Today is a long drive passing the Olifants and Letaba rivers, then the Mopani woodland region and we finally head towards Shingwedzi Camp on the banks of the Shingwedzi River.
This region of Kruger is truly special and remote, the camp is quiet and one will spend the next 2 days exploring this magical region.
Today we will spend the morning exploring the Mphongolo River loop, the special Boyela Waterhole and Babalala Rest Stop. In the afternoon we will visit the Red Rocks loop to the
South West.
Between October and April the afternoons can be very warm so the mid-day is spent relaxing at the pool or having a sleep with the cool air-conditioning units.
Today is a really exciting day as we experience a full day expedition in the great Crooks Corner. We enjoy a braai at The Pufuri RestStop on the Luvuvhu River, watching elephants drink from the water.
The Yellow Fever Tree forests and the massive Baobab trees makes this one of the most beautiful and unique areas the park has to offer, yet one of the least visited. It is also one of the best birding
regions of Kruger.
The last day will be an early morning safari and transfer through the park hoping to see those last few animals or birds.
One can catch a return flight from Phalaborwa airport to Johannesburg, and this is a preferred option as it will take no less than 5 hours to reach Phalaborwa from Shingwedzi. Flights depart midday to Johannesburg. The second option is to continue to Hoedspruit with your guide and there we catch a shuttle back to Johannesburg, this is a very long day.
Please book accommodation in Johannesburg as flights can be delayed and one can miss the connecting flight.