Tanzania Photographic Tour
24 February – 4 March 2027 | Southern Serengeti & Ndutu
10 Nights | Maximum 6 guests | hosted by Matt Yardley
 See the itinerary Register your interest
This is not a safari with a camera.
This is our Tanzania Photographic tour, akin to the ultimate private photography experience in the greatest classroom on earth.
Every February, something happens in the short-grass plains of Ndutu that has no equal anywhere in the natural world.
Half a million wildebeest calves are born in the space of a few weeks. The plains erupt with new life and with the predators that follow it. Cheetahs hunt in the open, lion prides work the herds at dawn, and hyena move through the grass in the half-light. And above it all, the Serengeti sky turns gold, then pink, then the kind of blue that makes you forget you are holding a camera.
This is the calving season. And it is the reason we built the Tanzania In Focus: Small group photographic tour.
Why February? Why Ndutu? Why now?
Most people know the Great Migration for its river crossings, the chaos and drama of wildebeest plunging into crocodile-filled water in Kenya’s Masai Mara. Those moments are extraordinary. But ask any serious wildlife photographer where they would rather be, and many will tell you the same thing.
Ndutu. February. Every time.
Here is why.
The short-grass plains of the Ndutu Conservation Area, on the southern edge of the Serengeti ecosystem, offer something the river crossings rarely do: space, light, and access. The grass is low. The sightlines are open. The animals are everywhere, and they are not going anywhere. The herds stay for weeks, which means you are not chasing a single moment. You are immersed in an ongoing, ever-changing story.
And the photography conditions are exceptional. The open plains catch the golden hour light in a way that feels almost designed for a camera. The dust, the movement, the sheer density of life, Â it creates images that are impossible to replicate anywhere else on earth.
This is where we are taking you.
Your host: Encompass Africa’s very own Matthew Yardley
There are guides who know the bush. And then there are guides who feel it.
Meet Matt Yardley, Encompass Africa’s Pro Photo Safari Guide and he belongs firmly in the second category.
His journey began at one of Africa’s most prestigious reserves, &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve where he earned his Advanced Field Guide and Lead Trails Guide qualifications. In the fourteen years since, he has accumulated hundreds of hours on foot in Big Five territory and led private photographic safaris across Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Brazil. He has worked as an Expedition Leader and Wildlife Photographer with Wild Eye Destinations, &Beyond and National Geographic Expeditions.
But what truly sets Matt apart is not what is on his CV. It is what happens when he picks up a camera.
Matt is drawn to the unpredictable, those fleeting, unrepeatable moments that nature offers without warning and takes away just as quickly. He has spent years learning to read the bush with a photographer’s eye, understanding not just where the light will fall, but when the moment will arrive. Monochrome and fine art photography are his signature styles. His editing process is as considered as the shot itself, drawing out emotion, deepening atmosphere, transforming a beautiful moment into something truly haunting.
Now based in Perth, Matt brings all of that experience to every In Focus departure. He will be with you on every game drive. He will sit beside you at the evening image review. He will help you understand not just what you captured, but what you almost captured, and how to get it next time.
This is not a tour where you are handed over to a local guide and wished well. Matt is there, every day and for all of it.
What you’ll experience
The game drives
Morning drives depart before sunrise to catch the golden hour when predators are most active, and the light is at its most extraordinary. Afternoon drives run from mid-afternoon through to after sunset, capturing the day’s final colour. You will spend more time in the field than you ever imagined possible, and every hour will be different from the last.
Your vehicle is a private, open-sided 4×4 purpose-built for photography, with unobstructed sightlines in every direction, a pop-up roof for elevated shooting positions (yet protection from the sun when needed), and individual space for your equipment. You will never share your vehicle with guests from another camp. It is yours, with Matt and your expert local Tanzanian guide, for the duration. AND we have 3 people per vehicle and no more than 2 vehicles on the tour and Matt spends equal time in each vehicle. AND the vehicles have the ability to lie down flat and shoot at eye level!
The Camps
You will stay in two carefully selected camps in the Ndutu and southern Serengeti area, chosen not just for their comfort, but for their positioning. Proximity to the action matters enormously during calving season. We’ve selected camps that put you in the right place at the right time, with the flexibility to move with the herds and with the ability to off road responsibly.
Expect tented accommodation with ensuite bathrooms, hot showers, charging points for all your equipment, and the kind of stillness at night, broken only by the sounds of the wild, that reminds you exactly where you are.
The evening reviews
Each evening, after the dust has settled and the sundowners have been poured, Matt leads a group image review session. Your shots from the day on the big screen, discussed openly, celebrated honestly. What worked. What did not? What to try tomorrow. These sessions are where the real learning happens, and past guests consistently describe them as the highlight of the entire experience.
The Photographer’s Library
Every In Focus guest receives exclusive access to something we’ve begun working on and curating carefully. It’s called our Photographer’s Library. Â This will be a comprehensive digital resource bank built specifically for our In Focus guests, and you’re the first! Whether you are picking up a camera seriously for the first time or you have been shooting wildlife for years, the Library meets you where you are. Now it’s early days, but it will soon have something for everyone!
Beginners will find plain-English guides to camera settings, composition fundamentals and more.
Intermediate shooters will find advanced autofocus guides, light and mood masterclasses to name a few.
Advanced photographers will find premium exposure techniques, Matt’s guide to presenting and printing your work and more.
The Library is yours from the time you book to after you travel!
This is your Tanzania Photographic Tour if…
You are a beginner who has always dreamed of photographing Africa, but worried you are not skilled enough. You are not just welcome here, you are exactly who this tour was designed for. Matt will meet you where you are, and you will leave with images that will astonish you.
You are an intermediate photographer who has hit a ceiling and wants to break through it. The calving season will push you in the best possible way. The action is relentless, the light is extraordinary, and Matt’s guidance will take your work to a level you did not think was possible yet.
You are an advanced photographer who wants a serious, uncompromising photographic experience in one of the world’s great wildlife destinations. Eight guests maximum. Private vehicle. Expert host. No compromises.
You are a solo traveller who wants to share this experience with like-minded people. Our groups are small, carefully curated, and consistently described by past guests as one of the unexpected joys of the journey.
What’s included?
- All accommodation for the safari portion of your journey
- All meals throughout the safari (you buy your own drinks so it helps keep the price down)
- All game drives in your private vehicle with Matt and your expert local Tanzanian guide
- All national park fees and conservation levies
- All transfers between airstrips and camps
- Daily photographic mentorship and evening image review sessions with Matt
- Access to the In Focus Photographer’s Library from the moment you book
- Pre-departure Zoom session with Matt for a gear check, Q&A, meet your fellow travellers
- Welcome dinner on arrival
- Light aircraft flights in and out of the Serengeti
- Emergency communication equipment in all vehicles
Not included: International flights to and from Tanzania, Tanzania visa fees, travel insurance (compulsory), drinks, gratuities for local guides and camp staff, items of a personal nature, oh and a hot air balloon safari, that’s optional, so chat with Matt when you’re ready to book and ask about whether it’s worth adding it in!
The Details
| Departure | 24 February 2027 |
| Duration | 10 nights |
| Group size | Maximum 6 guests |
| Fitness level | Suitable for all, no strenuous activity required |
| Photography level | All levels welcome |
| Price from | USD 8,725 per person  | Approx AUD13,425* |
| Deposit | 30% deposit to confirm your spot |
| Single supplement | USD530 per person | approx AUD815* |
A Note on numbers
Six guests. That is the maximum. Not eight, ten or twelve, just six.
This is a deliberate choice, not a marketing line. Six guests means one row per photographer in two custom-built vehicles. This means Matt can work with every single person on every single drive as each drive is divided into two parts with a break in the middle. It means you can stay at a sighting for as long as the moment demands. It means the group becomes a community rather than a crowd.
We will not increase the group size. When the six seats are filled, the tour is closed.
If you are considering this, the time to act is now.
What Matt’s past clients say
“Matt is outstanding! Â I loved his patience in helping everyone. His extensive knowledge of the area created an engaging trip, and we learnt so much.”
“Matt’s expertise, passion for wildlife and deep knowledge of ecosystems made every game drive an absolute delight. He effortlessly shared his insights about the animals, their behaviours and the overall conservation efforts in the region, making the safari not only exciting but also highly educational. “
Ready to secure your space on our Tanzania photographic tour?
Six seats. One departure. The greatest wildlife photography event on earth.
Talk to us today. Matt will walk you through every detail of the tour, answer every question you have about gear, fitness, experience level or logistics, and help you understand exactly what to expect. There is no pressure and no obligation, just a genuine conversation about whether this is the right experience for you.
Because we think it might be.
 See the itinerary Register your interest
In Focus: Tanzania is part of the Encompass Africa In Focus: Photographic Safari Collection — a series of small-group, expert-hosted photographic journeys across Africa, led by Matthew Yardley. Each tour is strictly limited to 6 guests.
