Northern Escarpment 1-6 March 2021 | R27 500

You do not need to be very fit for this workshop, as there is little hiking involved.
Ideally, you shouldn’t have extreme vertigo as most of the shooting of the canyon happens on cliff edges.

The major concern is at Magoebaskloof, where shooting of rivers and waterfalls is on slippery rock shelves. You have to be relatively agile and you cannot be of the health or age where a slip and fall might lead to serious injury.

If this is the case, you do have the option to stick to shooting the forests rather than the streams and waterfalls. We will never force participants to do anything that they’re not comfortable with.

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact us.

Meeting Point on Day 1 - Haenertsburg, Limpopo
Departure Point on Day 7 - Kampersrus, Mpumalanga
Total Distance Travelled - est. 1300km
4x4 Required - Yes 
Ride Along Opportunity - Read Below

The vast majority of the road driven will be on good paved roads, with interdestination distances as below - 

Gauteng to Magoebaskloof | 370km
Magoebaskloof to Blyde River Canyon | 180km
Blyde River Canyon to Mariepskop | 126km 
Mariepskop to Gauteng | 480km

The Magoebaskloof forestry roads are good if dry, but with a bit of rain it turns into a snotty mess that requires a 4x4 to navigate. 
The road to Mariepskop is also primarily a forestry road that is poorly maintained and a nightmare if wet.
An experienced driver with a 2WD with good clearance will probably be able to manage, but we strongly advise that you come prepared for wet conditions. 

Ride Along Opportunity

The guide will be flying from Cape Town and renting a 4x4 vehicle at OR Tambo. Anyone flying in or without a 4x4 vehicle is welcome to drive with the guide and split the cost of the rental car. Landscape Travel is not a registered transport operator and it is not a service provided. You will merely travel with the guide as a friend and pay your fair portion of the rental cost. 

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

The accommodation at Mariepskop is very far from luxurious. 

It is with good reason that no one ever visits Mariepskop. It is a 2-hour drive on a terrible, unmarked road and there has never been any accommodation, so shooting sunset there and driving back in the dark through Kudu country is dangerous. The department of forestry, who administrates the reserve, recently created two very basic self-catering chalets at the forestry station halfway up the mountain.

We will be guided by a local tour operator from Hoedspruit who does frequent birding tours on Mariepskop and knows the area and its administrators well. They have assured us that although basic, the chalets are clean and the kitchens have all the basics.

Each chalet has a bedroom with a double bed and another bedroom with multiple beds. We will allocate the double-bed rooms to couples and the singles will have to share the rooms with multiple beds, but we will divide people by gender. It might feel a bit like you’re back at a school camp, but this epic location is very well worth the compromise. These chalets are a 15-20 minute drive from the mountain top where we shoot, so in terms of location, it doesn’t get any better. If you are equipped for camping and you would prefer to camp next to the chalets and just use the bathrooms, we have absolutely no problem with that.

During this course we will focus on capturing the best possible images and our time and energy will be prioritised towards being out in the field as opposed to sitting indoors doing presentations. While shooting, Hougaard, will be looking over your shoulder to answer any questions and help you out, whether it is a simple issue like which filter to use or a complex one like how to compose the scene. The small group size allows a lot of in-depth tuition tailored for each person's needs and skill level.

In spare time we will download, edit and review the images captured up until that point.

Difficulty Level

This is a photo tour, which means that our time and energy will be focused on shooting, exploring compositions and discussing the destination and images captured. You should have a decent amount of experience shooting landscapes and be 100% comfortable operating your camera in manual mode. 

Do not expect presentations on technical basics like how to use manual mode or jpeg vs. RAW.

It’s always a fine balance between doing just the right amount of effort with the catering so that we have a good time, while not spending more time eating and cooking than we do shooting. All meals and groceries for the meals are included in the price of the workshop, but we always advise participants to supplement what we offer with some snacks of your choosing.

Each person is responsible for their own beverages and water, including coffee, tea and alcoholic drinks.

Magoebaskloof 

Where there are decent restaurants, we will make use of them. Haenertsburg has great restaurants, so we will not be doing any cooking while in Magoebaskloof.

Blyde River Canyon

We will all be staying in a house with a well equipped kitchen, so here we will do an evening braai and a large brunch by ourselves. We will buy all the groceries, but ask everyone to take turns helping with some part of the cooking. Those who have been on one of our Arniston courses know the drill.

Mariepskop

Our kitchens at Mariepskop are extremely basic, so we will keep the cooking similar. En-route, we will stop for lunch and groceries in Hoedspruit. For dinners, we will do a basic tapas style braai of things one can eat without having to sit down at a set table. Breakfasts will be very basic – fruit, yoghurt, cereal, sandwiches. We will also make sure that we have everything required for lunch sandwiches for our full days there.

Both chalets at Mariepskop have microwaves and a refrigerator.

If you have any questions or allergies, please let us know.

Day 1 - Sunday 28 February: Meet and Greet

We need everyone in Magoebaskloof no later 14:00. We’ll do an introductory talk and then go for our first shoot in the forests. After the shoot, we’ll go to a local restaurant and discuss the days to come.

Day 2 + 3 – Shoot Magoebaskloof

During our full two days at Magoebaskloof, the schedule will go roughly as follows, but we do chop and change things depending on what the weather is doing.

Sunrise is at 05:50, which means that we will likely have coffee at 04:30 and make sure we’re on location by 05:30. After sunrise we’ll head back to the guesthouse, clean up, download, edit and then head to Haenertsburg for brunch, followed by an afternoon break. If it’s cloudy, we can start shooting the forests fairly early, so we will aim to head out at about 14:00-15:00 each afternoon. Sunset is at 18:20.

After sunset We’ll go for dinner in Haenertsburg and make sure we’re in bed in time for a 04:30 wake up.

Star Shooting – This workshop does not include any astro photography. This area is in the close vicinity of three very large towns/cities – Tzaneen, Polokwane and Nelspruit, so there is a lot of light pollution. We will focus on what makes this area special instead of wasting energy on mediocre images of the milkyway.

Day 4 – Wednesday 3 March: Depart Magoebaskloof

After sunrise, a shower and packing, we need to leave Magoebaskloof no later than 10:00. The 170km drive takes about 2 hours and we will stop in Tzaneen for groceries and brunch.

Once checked in at Blyde River Canyon, we will go for an afternoon recce of our sunrise location to familiarize you with the escarpment edge where we'll be shooting the following morning. 

After sunset, we’ll light the fire and pour a glass of wine, while making sure we get to bed in time for an early wake up.

Day 5 – Thursday 4 March: Shoot Blyde River Canyon

We want to make sure we're in position for sunrise by 05:00, which means coffee at 04:15. We will shoot sunrise overlooking the canyon, followed by download, edit and then brunch. After an afternoon break, we will spend the afternoon shooting some of the waterfall scenes along the panorama route. After sunset, we’ll do another braai and get to bed in time for sunrise.

Day 6 – Friday 5 March: Depart Blyde River Canyon

After sunrise and a light breakfast, we’ll try to leave no later than 09:00. The 250km drive to Mariepskop forestry station normally takes about 4 hours, but we have to stop in Hoedspruit for groceries and lunch.

Once checked in at Mariepskop, we’ll head up the mountain and get ready for the sunset shoot. After sunset, we’ll do a dinner braai.

Day 7 – Saturday 6 March: Shoot Mariepskop

We will make sure we’re at the Mariepskop viewpoint in time for sunrise. If the light isn’t great, we’ll head into the forest trails in search of some forest photography.

As the accommodation does not offer much in the way of an area to relax and it’s our last day, we’ll make the most of this hard to reach location and either explore the forests or shoot the unique flora and landscape of the mountain top.

We will once again shoot sunset at the epic viewpoint.

Day 8 – Sunday 7 March: End of Tour

After a final sunrise overlooking the canyon, we’ll pack up, say our goodbyes and everyone will hit the road home.

Clothing - Due to the weather on the escarpment and the fact that it's still summer, you need to pack for all 4 seasons. We could get a hot, humid sunny day, we could end up in a thunderstorm and we could also get a freezing misty day, so come prepared for all weather. Make sure you have a light rainproof layer that you can carry in your camera backpack. 

Shoes - We will be walking on plenty of uneven terrain and in tall grass, so make sure you bring hiking boots with good ankle protection as well as comfortable hiking trousers. At Magoebaskloof there will definitely be oppourtunities where you'll want to get in the water to capture a "looking upstream" perspective. For these situations we find an old pair of takkies works best. You can also just take your hiking boots off. 

TICKS/BOSLUISE - We will be spending lots of time in the heart of tick territory, particularly the tiny red pepper tick, which can hide away on your skin for days. The best preventative measure is wearing trousers instead of shorts, but you can also consider repellants. 

Headlamp - This is extremely important. All our morning shoots will start out with a walk in complete darkness. Please make sure you bring a headlamp and a set of spare batteries. 

Camera Body - There was a time when we could simply say you need a Nikon or Canon DSLR, but times have changed with the massive variety of cameras now in use. You need a camera, preferably digital, with manual mode. A full frame with good high ISO performance, Live View and Focus Peaking makes landscape photography much easier, but pretty much anything goes. 
Lenses - The most important lens is a wide angle in the range of 16-35mm. A 24-70mm and 70-200mm (or similar) will be extremely useful for panoramas and more close-up scenes within the landscape.

Backpack - We will be walking a lot, so it is critical to have a comfortable backpack to carry your gear in. We are big loyalists of f-stop gear, which is widely regarded as the world's best camera carry solution. 

Tripod - Please make sure you have a solid tripod with an easy-to-operate head that reaches up to your eye height. We will be shooting amongst rocks and on slopes, where you will need some extra length. We recommend Leofoto.

L-Bracket - An L-Bracket is the simplest, greatest tool out there for landscape photographers. It makes portrait and pano shooting a dream. Get in touch to find out which model you need. 

Filters - The only filter you need at Magoebaskloof is a circular polariser. For Blyde River Canyon and Mariepskop, you will need 0.9 and 0.6 Soft and/or Medium Grads. A 10-stop will also be useful if we get the right clouds for long exposures. 

Laptop and Editing - This course focuses on shooting, not on editing, but there is always some time in the morning to download and look at images as well as to play with some quick editing. A laptop is not a must, but we recommend you bring one along to review your images. 

Payment

In order to secure your spot on this tour, a deposit of R7 500.00 is required. This deposit can be paid by EFT or using any VISA or MASTERCARD card via Payfast. Please note that your spot on the workshop is NOT confirmed until we have received the deposit payment. 


Full Payment must be made 35 days prior to the start of the tour. We will send out a final invoice for the full amount to remind you of the due date in safe time. If we have not received your full payment 35 days prior to the start of the tour and you did not inform us of a valid reason for a late payment, Landscape Travel reserves the right to consider your booking as cancelled.

You will need to complete and sign a standard liability disclaimer in order to participate in this tour. 


When booking within 35 days of the start of the tour, immediate full payment will be required to 
secure your spot. 


If you have a valid reason for a late payment like being out of telecommunication or waiting for 
investments to be cashed out, please inform us. 


Medical & Camera Insurance

We do not require participants to take out any insurance to participate in this tour/workshop. but we strongly recommend that you update your camera insurance and add all your filters under all-risk. Clifftop shooting and cold fingers are a recipe for disaster. 

Cancellation

The deposit is not refundable under any circumstance. When you book a spot on the tour, we make all the necessary bookings with all the third parties and pay their required deposit. Most of the deposits we pay are not refundable and thus we cannot refund your deposit. Whatever we still hold is used to defray the administrative work of changing all the bookings made on your behalf. The only exception will be if you can find a substitute to attend the workshop in your place. 


If you need to cancel your participation once you have made full payment, a 75% refund (excluding deposit) will be given up to 30 days prior to the start of the tour. 


Landscape Travel reserves the right to cancel the tour if it is necessary or advisable due to events such as outbreak of conflict, government intervention, expiry of concessions or access right or insufficient booking numbers being available. The operation of the tour is at the sole discretion of Landscape Travel, having in mind the welfare of all participants and the safe and prudent operation of the itinerary and program. In such a case all monies paid by participants for the tour, in holding by Landscape Travel, will be refunded to the participants. This excludes deposits or full payments made to 3rd parties involved in the tour like lodges, charter companies or travel agents. 
 

1. The client who signifies his acceptance of a booking does so on behalf of himself and persons under his authority, which means that all are bound by the terms and conditions of Landscape Travel as if they had made the application themselves.

2. Landscape Travel - HM Landscape Photography (PTY) LTD trading as Landscape Travel is a company registered in South Africa with sole director CH Malan. Landscape Travel  participants on the tour advertised in this document only in a photographic capacity. 

3. Payment Terms

This tour will start on the date stipulated in the product title and again repeated under the section 'Itinerary', listed below the introductory paragraph for the product. The cost is R27 500.00 per person on a single or sharing occupancy basis.

The cost for a non-photographic participant/friend/spouse is R15 000.00 and such a person has to share a room with a photographic participant.

This tour is costed in RAND and that is thus the only constant price. 

As stipulated in the payment and cancellation terms, a non-refundable deposit of R7 500.00 is payable when booking.

A final payment of R20 000.00 will be payable 35 days prior to the start of the tour and we will send you a reminder several days before the deadline.

4. Included in the Tour

Single Occupancy Accommodation at Kuhestan Organic Guest Farm and Forever Resorts Blyde River Canyon. Shared occupancy as explained and shown under the accommodation section at the Mariepskop forestry station.

Meals and Drinks as stipulated under 'Food and Catering'

Continuous assistance with your photography and image processing by the guide.

A highly experienced tour leader with great knowledge and experience of landscape photography and the destination.

5. Not Included in the Tour

Transport to and from the destinations visited.

Transport at the destinations visited.

Non-meal-time snacks and drinks

Optional activities not indicated as included above.

Alcoholic beverages

Travel visas and associated costs, if applicable.

Expenses of a personal nature, not specifically included above.

Guarantee of any specific weather conditions. We always do our absolute best to make sure we visit a destination in the ideal season and this tour is planned in hope of dramatic summer sunsets, lush green foliage, water in forest streams and the occassional misty morning. 

6. Health Considerations

This photo tour is designed to be within the capabilities of average people in good health. Some of the time participants may be required to walk over uneven terrain or trails and occasionally hiking short distances of max. 1km. All with a load of sometimes heavy camera equipment. If you have concerns about your own capabilities and/or fitness as it relates to this photo tour, please contact us to clarify any uncertainties.

By paying the initial non-refundable deposit, you warrant that, to the best of your knowledge you do not have any physical or other disability that would create a risk for you or other participants.

Landscape Travel assumes no responsibility for medical care. We will advise the lodges/hotels of any dietary requirements or restrictions for individual participants, if sufficient notice is provided, but we do not assume responsibility for the delivery of such special dietary requirements.

If you sustain an injury or become ill on the photo tour, Landscape Travel reserves the right to continue the photo tour for the benefit of other participants. Landscape Travel will make every effort to assist you while at the same time trying to minimize interruption to the photo tour.

Landscape Travel reserves the absolute discretion, in the event of behaviour detrimental to other participants, to decline any person’s participation at any time during the photo tour and cancel that person’s participation in the photo tour, in which case any refund will be on a recoverable cost basis only.

7. Liability

Landscape Travel does not accept any liability of whatever nature, whether in contract, tort or otherwise, for the acts, omissions or default, whether negligent or otherwise, of third party providers. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Landscape Travel disclaims liability in contract, tort or otherwise for any injury, damage, loss (including consequential loss), delay, additional expense or inconvenience caused directly or indirectly by force majeure or any other event which is not preventable by reasonable diligence on the part of Landscape Travel.