www.African Safaris and Travel - Dedicated Photographic Safaris at MalaMala!
It is all about The Wildlife!
“Not even Tanzania’s famed Serengeti Game Reserve or the awesome Ngorongoro Crater fills your camera viewfinder faster with Africa’s legendary Big Five – at MalaMala, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros and elephant appear magically, as if on cue,” says acclaimed wildlife photojournalist Geoff Dalglish in his Sunday Times review. “Nor could Hollywood script the wide-screen wildlife encounters any more dramatically or frequently than nature does routinely in the private game reserve that is arguably South Africa’s most famous internationally.”
Photo Credit:- MalaMala
Lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhinoceros are the most sought after and dangerous of the world’s big game. Folklore and legend are rich regarding the Big Five, encompassing beliefs such as: “The Great One put the animals here for us to use wisely and respect, even as we hunted them. But he knew that without fear we might lose our respect for these creatures, so he put the five here to help us remember. The lion and leopard taught us fear of the night, that only the daytime was ours. The buffalo, the elephant and the rhino taught us to fear their strength, that we might respect the strength of nature.”
* Due to the vulnerability of rhinos as a result of rampant poaching in Southern Africa, MalaMala Game Reserve will not publish statistics of rhino sightings in the reserve. Mala Mala is committed to doing what they can to see an end to this abominable practice.
This modified vehicle offers privacy and your very own experienced photographic ranger.
- Three rows of two bucket seats
- A sliding camera mount per row
- Bean bags for camera stability
- Storage boxes for camera equipment
- Under-seat lighting
- A dedicated photographic ranger
- Rate: US$700 per vehicle per day (midday to midday)
Photo Credit:- MalaMala
Wildlife photography and traditional safaris don't often mix. As a photographer, it's always frustrating when your guide, or the people on your safari vehicle, are uninterested in subjects that you would like to photograph. Wildlife photography requires patience, preparation, dedication and a guide that understands how to get you into the right position for that perfect capture. You also need lots of space and equipment to move in your vehicle. In short - you need to go on a dedicated photographic safari!
MalaMala Game Reserve is the benchmark for the luxury safari industry in Southern Africa. It is one of the largest private Big Five game reserves in South Africa and is world-renowned for offering the finest and most consistent Big Five game viewing this side of the equator.
Location, Location, Location - comprising 13 200 ha (33 000 acres), MalaMala shares a 19 km (12 mile) unfenced boundary with the world-famous Kruger National Park (KNP) and lies strategically sandwiched between the KNP and the Sabi Sand Reserve. Importantly, MalaMala has 20 kms (13 miles) of Sand River frontage. This perennial river acts as a magnet for animals in this pristine wildlife area and is the foundation of MalaMala’s unrivalled game viewing and wildlife experience.
Preserving and protecting the environmental integrity of this special piece of Africa has always been at the core of MalaMala’s existence. This philosophy has paid off and international photojournalists and film-makers have made MalaMala their wildlife destination of choice.
Photo Credit:- MalaMala
Why Malamala
MalaMala Game Reserve was the first privately owned and commercially operated game reserve in South Africa and is the model on which all other private game reserves now operate.
A map of the reserve demonstrates the significance of MalaMala’s size and location in relation to the Kruger National Park. The unfenced eastern boundary with the Kruger National Park allows wildlife to move freely onto MalaMala and many of the territorial animals such as leopard, lion and rhino will have territories overlapping on both reserves.
MalaMala’s river frontage, running north to south, is the
lifeblood of the reserve and acts as a natural drawcard for
animals, especially in the dry winter months. The wildlife moves
from the Kruger National Park, across MalaMala, to the river and
back again, resulting in two-way traffic across the reserve
where we conduct our safaris
The land to the east of the
river has no human habitation, no access roads, no electricity
pylons and no telephone poles and this area is left exclusively
to the wildlife for upwards of 16 hours a day.
Photo Credit:- MalaMala
There is no shared traversing on 70% of the MalaMala property allowing guests to enjoy exclusive, uninterrupted game drives. There is no time limit on sightings and no “queue-to-view” on this enormous tract of land.
Due to the superior environmental policies of MalaMala over a long period of time, the land has remained in pristine condition resulting in a prolific abundance of tertiary grasses. This attracts the herbivores which in turn attracts the predators.
Rangers and game viewing rules:
MalaMala has over 55 years of game viewing experience and was the first game reserve to transition from hunting safaris to photographic safaris. This not only gives us many generations of animals which are accustomed to the game drive vehicles, but also superior knowledge on how to manage sightings with the utmost respect for the animals.
Our rangers are expertly trained and all have accredited field guide qualifications. Most of the rangers studied the natural sciences at university and as a result we have specialists in many different scientific fields e.g. Ornithology, Entomology and Zoology.
The strictest protocols are followed when viewing animals to ensure they are relaxed and behave naturally.
Our rangers use headsets so that there are no radio interruptions to disrupt the game drives.
We allow a maximum of 3 vehicles per sighting.
We have a dedicated photographic vehicle that can be reserved for individuals, families or small groups travelling together. It is ideal for both enthusiastic amateurs as well as seasoned veterans.
Photo Credit:- MalaMala
