In addition to our passion for Africa’s wild areas we are wine, golf, scuba diving and photography enthusiasts. With our extensive hands on knowledge of Africa we are able to easily arrange an exciting array of special interest trips for clients (see examples below).

Please don’t hesitate to inquire regarding your own interests – whether steam trains or ancient rock paintings we can suggest areas to visit and accommodations that are sure to please!

IMPORTANT: Most of the safari lodges and camps we recommend are small, exclusive and dearly sought after. To ensure availability we suggest planning and booking your travel arrangements at least 12 months in advance.


Ultimate Photography Trips: Imagine - Africa’s vast plains teeming with wildlife in the company of an expert photo guide. You are in an open 4x4 Land Rover... there is no rush as you wait for the right light...the action. This is an Ultimate Africa “Pro Photo” Safari. Ultimate Africa’s 44 pound luggage limit (on most southern African “Pro Photo” safaris) will allow you to bring all the gear you desire (most safaris in east and southern Africa limit you to 26 lbs. of luggage). Guests are limited to 3 to 4 per vehicle (many photo safaris have 6 or more people in one vehicle which is absolutely unacceptable if you are serious about photography).

Why Ultimate Africa ProPhoto Safaris: There are basically two types of photo safaris available - There are safaris that are marketed as photo safaris with 6 or 8 people per vehicle with a basic driver / guide and a luggage limit of 26 to 33 pounds per person (Most companies refer to their standard safaris as photo safaris as travelers from Europe and America bring their point and shoot cameras and take wildlife photos). These trips offer no real benefits to serious photographers. The second type of photo safaris are those offered by well known professional photographers who travel to Africa once a year (or once every other year) and invite groups of 4 to 12 guests to join them on their specific departure. Most of these trips offer serious photographers great photographic opportunities however the professional photographer / trip leader often has very limited hands on knowledge of Africa's different wildlife and wilderness areas. In addition you must travel on the dates they suggest. At Ultimate Africa we have specific hands on knowledge of Africa's numerous and varied wildlife and wilderness areas (All our employees have lived and worked in Africa. We spend 6 to 8 weeks each and every year inspecting lodges, camps, hotels, and exploring Africa's wildlife and wilderness areas so we can offer our clients the latest, detailed information). In addition we have hands on photography experience as we are serious photographers ourselves (managing director Ian Proctor shoots with a D60 and numerous lenses including the Canon 100-400L IS, Sigma 17-35 and Canon 28-105 IS). We offer private tailor-made photo safaris based on your suggested departure dates. We are able to include the services of a professional photographer and local guides and the 44 pound luggage allowance.

Where to go: The number one question we are asked is "which African country offers the best photographic opportunities?" The answer is not Kenya as many will tell you. Botswana is the perfect destination for a specialist photo safari. Not only is it one of Africa’s most stable and safe countries; it is home to Africa’s most abundant wildlife (Botswana's Okavango Delta is home to the highest density of lion in Africa / Chobe is home to over 60,000 elephant - more than Kenya as an entire country) and Africa's leading wilderness areas (Chobe, Moremi, the Okavango, Savute / Linyanti). Unlike in east Africa where safaris are often limited by park regulations saying you must be inside your lodge or outside park borders between sunset and sunrise and where you must stay on roads (as an example at Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater you have to wait until sunrise and commute over an hour into the crater following in other vehicle's dust...in the afternoon you have to leave before the best light to be back at your lodge by sunset) at most camps and lodges in Botswana you may start and end your days as early or as late as you wish and your guide is not restricted to roads. This helps in positioning the vehicle for the best light and getting you close to the action. The Kenyan and Tanzanian governments have allowed mass tourism and it is not uncommon to find a pride of lion or herd of elephant and you are unable to take a perfect picture due to the large number of vehicles also viewing the animals. In Botswana the government has a policy of low volume / high revenue tourism and, outside of the Chobe National Park which has some busy areas, you rarely see other vehicles. Although professionally guided walks are possible (especially on tailor-made photo safaris designed around your needs), our photo safaris focus mainly on drives as on walks animals are more wary and tend to keep their distance. A walking safari is generally not a productive photo safari.

Despite the negatives noted above at the right time of year Tanzania is superb and offers incredible scenery and wildlife. Please don’t hesitate to inquire. From the world's oldest desert - the Namib, to the endless plains of the Serengeti, Africa offers serious photographers an endless array of opportunities.

Trip Name: “Images of a Timeless Land”
12 days, departs on any dates, from US $tba per person + international air
Highlights: Day and night wildlife viewing drives in open vehicles with private photography guide, walks, mekoro (canoe) and boat excursions, Victoria Falls tour, and double luggage allowance (44 pounds per person)
Countries Visited: South Africa, Botswana, Zambia
Trip Outline:  
DAY 1 JOHANNESBURG, The Grace Hotel, bed and breakfast
DAY 2 VICTORIA FALLS, The River Club, all inclusive
DAYS 3, 4, 5 SAVUTE / LINYANTI, Duma Tau Camp, all inclusive
DAYS 6, 7, 8 OKVANGO DELTA, Duba Plains Camp, all inclusive
DAYS 9, 10, 11 MOREMI, Mombo Camp, all inclusive
DAY 12 EN ROUTE, transfer to Maun Airport


Ultimate Wine Trips: Surprisingly to many, there are vineyards throughout Africa. Algeria and Morocco have been producing wines for decades as have Zimbabwe and Kenya. But it is in South Africa, the Cape region more specifically, where climactic and topographic conditions simulate those of the old wine countries. It is here that the continent's finest wines are produced.

The Cape's wine culture goes back 350 years. In 1655, three years after his arrival in Table Bay, commander Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East-India Company planted the first vines. In 1659 he wrote his famous report: “Today, praise the Lord, wine was pressed from Cape grapes for the first time.” Thus began a wine tradition with its roots in the classic "Old World" of France, Germany and Italy. Today there is an acute awareness of the contemporary consumer, as has been defined by wine-making in the "New World" of California and Australia.

Internationally, the industry is small and accounts for 3% of the world's wine. 21% is chenin blanc, followed by colombard and chardonnay. Cabernet sauvignon comprises the majority of red varieties (a mere 8% of total vineyard plantings), followed by pinotage and shiraz. White varieties still represent more than two-thirds of the total, but this has moved from an imbalance of 15% red and 85% white in 1990. Some of the Cape’s wineries and winemakers have, over the years, built up considerable international stature. Nominations to lists in influential American publications such as Wine Spectator, Robert Parker and Wine Enthusiast, and UK magazines Decanter and Wine, have put names such as Meerlust, Kanonkop, Glen Carlou, Thelema, Rustenberg, Rust en Vrede, Simonsig and Muldersbosch in the limelight.

It has often been noted that the Cape Winelands are probably the most scenic in the world. For this reason wine tourism is one of the country’s growing industries. Each year in May the vibrant Victoria and Alfred Waterfront hosts the popular Wine Festival. Taste your way through sparkling wine, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, viognier, cabernet, merlot, shiraz ... paired with oysters, crostinis, snails, sushi, charcuterie, caviar, cured meats, smoked salmon, chocolates, cheeses, pestos, pastries, breads and much more. A feature of the festival is its intimate and friendly ambience. The annual festival represents the entire spectrum of Cape wine producers, from top-notch estates to superb boutique wineries which in 2006 included 75 leading wineries such as Graham Beck, Jordan, Kaapzicht, Ken Forrester, Klein Constantia, Steenberg, Villiera and Warwick who presented more than 300 wines for tasting.

May of 2007 will be the Festival’s 15th year. In addition the Wine Festival coincides with the internationally acclaimed Cape Gourmet Festival.

In August each year wine enthusiasts may enjoy the Stellenbosch Wine Festival. Over 400 wines from over 90 of South Africa's foremost wine cellars are available for tasting, along with a comprehensive program of festivities, including historic tours, tutored wine-tastings, food, crafts and a Brandy Emporium.

Trip Name: “Wines and Wildlife”
12 days, departs on any dates, from US $tba per person + international air
Countries Visited: South Africa
Highlights: incredible food / wine, 15th Annual Victoria and Alfred Wine Festival, overnight at Nelson Mandela’s former home, private full day Cape Peninsula / Table Mountain tour, Cape Town sunset champagne cruise, day and night wildlife viewing drives in open vehicles, walks
Trip Outline: 
DAY 1 JOHANNESBURG, The Saxon, bed and breakfast
DAYS 2, 3, 4 KRUGER, Singita Boulder’s, all inclusive
DAYS 5, 6 CAPE WINELANDS, Constantia Uitsig, bed and breakfast
DAYS 7, 8 CAPE WINELANDS, Le Quartier Francais, bed and breakfast
DAYS 9, 10, 11 CAPE TOWN, The Cape Grace Hotel, bed and breakfast
DAY 12 EN ROUTE, transfer to Cape Town Airport