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Mashatu Green Season Photo Safari 2026

6 February 2026 - 10 February 2026

USD $4 700,00 pps / USD $5 500,00 single

This webpage offers you a glimpse of the safari. For the full details of the safari with a day to day itinerary, full logistics, details of accommodation and a comprehensive list of what is included and excluded, please download the full brochure.

SAFARI OVERVIEW

  • Your Guide: Darren Donovan
  • Group Size: Maximum 4 participants.
  • Recommended for: Photographers of all levels that want to experience and photograph the best of African wildlife in pristine wilderness while improving their photographic skills.
  • Fitness level: Low to Average - You will be required to climb onto and off a safari vehicle and do some short walks. The terrain over which you drive is unpaved and can be bumpy and dusty.
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  • The C4 Experience: This itinerary has been curated by our highly experienced team to maximise your photographic opportunity. Our guides are amongst the most acclaimed photographers in the photography world - guaranteeing you expertise, experience and service. We take care of every detail from the moment you arrive until the end of your safari. This trip takes you to the greatest show on earth.

Enjoy the immaculate views of vibrant and lush green that makes a beautiful backdrop.

There is a little secret about Mashatu that not many people know: It looks it’s finest during the quietest tourist season; the month of January/February. The beginning of the year is when zebras give birth to the new generation, and Kudu start calving, the migration of large elephant herds into the area can be seen taking advantage of the new vegetation. Cheetahs normally make their appearance, drawn to the area by concentrations of impala moving from the woodlands into the open plains. The impala are lured out by the tender new grass shoots, which cover the plains in delicate shades of green, especially to the north and east of the Majale River. Expect verdant scenes of elephants walking through the grassy valleys, lion, leopard and cheetah in green backdrops and water in the rivers for elephants top play in during the hot hours.

HIGHLIGHTS

Safari Highlights
  • 4 nights accommodation at Mashatu Lodge.
  • Darren Donovan as your C4 Photo Safaris specialist photo guide.
  • Use of a private vehicle throughout your stay.
  • Photograph wildlife against green contrasting landscapes.
  • The opportunity to spend long amounts of time with predators and elephants in beautiful backdrops.

Photography Highlights
  • Close quarter photography of predators like lion, leopard and cheetah.
  • Excellent, open sightings and photography of very relaxed elephants.
  • General game is content and easy to photograph.
  • Beautiful plains against green contrasting backdrops.
  • Amazing interactions between animals as there are lots of babies.

Testimonials

What C4 Photo Safaris guests say

This was our third visit to Mashatu all expertly organized and hosted by C4, but the first time seeing it during the summer green emerald season we visited Jan 27-Feb 2, 2022. As expected, it was not quite as productive as the dry season e.g., July to September, but we still had many great sightings and photographic opportunities. I was also happy that I had booked 6 nights instead of our usual 3-4 nights, as the first couple of days were very wet due to the remnants of tropical storm Ana that were passing through. Despite the heavy rain on those days, we still managed to get out on most game drives during that time. A big plus with all of that rain is that it made the grass greener and the yellow flowers all come out and bloom during the last few days of our visit. We had several great sightings of leopards, lions, cheetahs including a chase hunt!, elephants, elands, and even bat-eared foxes including with the surrounding yellow flowers!. We had Kaizer again as our Mashatu ranger and he is a super nice and knowledgeable guy with great spoken English. He takes direction from others well e.g., about vehicle positioning for best photography and he understands some of the important nuances regarding photography e.g., position for best backgrounds in images. We booked the C4 photo vehicle again and Aubrey was our C4 photo host and this was our first time meeting him. He was great – very knowledgeable about the reserve and its animals, good suggestions regarding photography, and we experimented with some creative photography e.g., rimback-lighting, panning, high-key. He was a joy to have on the vehicle and interact with in camp. The Mashatu Lodge main camp staff e.g., Lobs, Nancy, Cecilia were all fantastic and the food has improved dramatically over the years. Overall it was a great and worthwhile visit, and we hope to visit Mashatu again soon! Thanks again C4!

Mark and Holly Needham

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YOUR GUIDES

Darren Shaun Donovan
6 February 2026 - 10 February 2026