NAMIBIA

aerial photographic workshop

INTRODUCTION

Far at the southern tip of Africa lies a fascinating and surreal place. The jewel of Africa, the magical Namibia.

Namibia is a photographer’s dream with an endless variety of photographic potential. Join professional aerial photographer Jan and Jay Roode on an intensive six-day aerial photographic workshop, where you will experience first-hand the mind-boggling beauty of this vast desert country as seen from above.

Immense red dunes rising off the stark desert pavement in the world’s oldest desert, wandering herds of nomadic Oryx, petrified trees, ship wrecks of the Skeleton Coast, strange and wonderful salt pans in a myriad of hues, vast legions of flamingo, ancient sand rivers and the cape fur seal colonies on the edge of the icy Atlantic.

You will see and capture these and more, from the ground and from the air, under top professional assistance and dedicated guidance.

Main Features:

Professional aerial photographic tuition and guiding
Small private groups ensuring one on one tuition and guiding
Specialised aircraft that will allow you to get the best shots
Experience Namibia in a way that few people can
Access to some of the most unique and beautiful locations this surreal desert world has to offer from a bird’s eye perspective
Superlative exploratory ground-based experiences where photographers will also have the opportunity to photograph landscapes, wildlife, night skies, marine environments and the macroscopic world of sidewinders, palmetto geckos and Namaqua chameleons in the Dorob dunefields.
Receive an aerial photographic handbook with tips and pointers on how to get the best shots from the air.
One on one post processing tuition each day

PHOTOGRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS

Exclusive use of a private helicopter
Photograph the oldest and highest dunes on earth at Sossusvlei on a dawn and dusk flights
Capture wandering herds of oryx, springbok and ostrich on the stark red sands of the Naukluft from above.
Revel in landscapes that defy description in one of the most pristine areas left on earth; a world of vast open spaces, endless horizons, dramatic desert-scapes and jagged mountain heights.
Be in the unique position to photograph the shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast from above including the famous Eduard Bohlen, the Otavi and the Ziela.
Experience the otherworldly waterscapes of the Walvis Bay lagoon and wetlands speckled with hundreds of thousands of migratory and resident birds.
Be awed at the psychedelic colours of the brine pans and enormous colonies of roosting birds.

DOWNLOAD ITINERARY

DAY 1 : WALVIS BAY / SWAKOPMUND

We arrive at the small coastal village of Swakopmund situated on the edge of the rolling dunefields of the Dorob National Park and the icy Atlantic Ocean. This will be our launch pad to some of the most spectacular scenery Namibia has to offer.

Checking into to our accommodation for the evening, we will spend the afternoon exploring Swakopmund before settling down to a scrumptious dinner and a briefing session of what the next few days has to offer.

Accommodation suggestions: The Strand | the Delight | Swakopmund Luxury Suites or similar depending on availability. All accomodation will be confirmed before bookings are finalised

Included: Bed & Breakfast

DAYS 2-3 : SOSSUSVLEI

After breakfast we will head to the Swakopmund airfield where our Bell Jet Ranger helicopter and crew will be waiting to fly us to Sossusvlei. Brace yourself for a spectacular flight over the pale coastal dune fields, along winding sand rivers, craggy mountain ranges and into the Naukluft where the dunes turn a deep orange and rear off the white desert pavement reaching heights of over 300m.

Arriving at our destination late morning we transfer to our accommodation where we will have lunch and some down time before heading out over the Sossusvlei and Tsondab dune fields for a late afternoon 1.5 hour photographic flight. This flight is a photographers dream that makes the most of the golden hour just before sunset, with rich colours and long shadows.

The next morning we are up early to make the most of a 1.5 hour morning light and take off to discover and photograph the changing dunefields of the Naukluft, Tsondab vlei, northern Namibrand and with our intimate knowledge of the area photograph Oryx on the giant dunes.

Returning for a late breakfast, photographers can then opt to either explore the Sossusvlei dunefields on a guided photographic drive in the afternoon or head into the skies again to explore more of what the desert can offer from above.

Accommodation suggestions: Sossus Dune Lodge | Wolwedans |Kwessiegat or similar. Dependent on availability *All accommodation will be confirmed before bookings are finalized.

Included: All meals and activities | Avgas **

** Avgas for set number of hours (confirmed before all bookings)

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DAYS 4-5 : THE SKELETON COAST

Day 4: Departing after breakfast we helicopter to the quaint coastal town of Swakopmund. This is one of the most beautiful flights on earth which takes you over the Namib Sand Sea until the dunes kiss the shores of the icy Atlantic.

Arriving mid-morning we transfer to our accommodation for the next two nights, enjoy a delightful lunch at one of the beachside restaurants before meeting our crew at the airfield for an afternoon flight to Sandwich Harbour and Conception Bay.

On this flight you will have the opportunity to photograph Pelican point, the pale coastal dunefields of the Dorob as they meet the ocean, the psychedelic salt fields, the spectacular hues and large flamingo colonies of the Walvis Bay Lagoon and the famous Eduard Bolean and Otavi shipwrecks.

Arriving back at dusk, we will spend the evening enjoying some true German hospitality at one of the quaint restaurants available in Swakopmund.

Day 5: Waking up early we head out into the dunes on a specially modified 4x4 Unimog to discover the Living Desert with specialist guides. Here you will come up close and personal with some of the hidden life of the desert such as sidewinders, chameleons, geckos, spiders, unusual bird species and fascinating geology and landscape photography opportunities.

Alternately, a marine day is available on a chartered catamaran where we will have the opportunity to photograph cape fur seals, pelican, flamingo and a variety of ocean life such as dolphins, whales and sunfish.

Returning from our morning photographic trip at lunch time, we will have a few hours down time before heading our for our afternoon photographic flight which will take us up the stark Skeleton Coast over the Cape Cross seal colony before heading inland over spectacular mountain ranges, sand rivers and the surreal moon valley returning to Swakopmund at dusk for a de-brief and dinner.

Accommodation suggestions: The Strand | The Delight | Swakopmund Luxury Suites or similar. Depending on availability. All accommodation will be confirmed before bookings are finalized.

Included: Bed & Breakfast / Avgas**

** Avgas for set number of hours (confirmed before all bookings)