Tours in chronological order.

1. HELGOLAND; a tour to the north of the Europe to the island, where the use of automobiles and motorbikes is forbidden, the most frequent means of transport are your feet, and on the northern part of the island you can find nests of northern gannets. These gorgeous birds start nesting in April, and you can see all day long how these beauties take off and land, therefore it is much easier to take a photo while they are flying. If wind – which can quite cool the air in spite of late spring – is on our side, then it is even possible to take photos of the birds hovering in the air for couple of seconds. That it wouldn’t get to boring, there are other bird species, curly sheep, which are pastured free all over the island, and on the nearby small island, which is 10 minutes away by boat, there are (mainly) two colonies of seals. They are used to people, therefore you can approach them up to 30 m – it isn’t allowed to get nearer.

Departure is scheduled on 15 April 2013 with catamaran from Hamburg, and return to Hamburg on Friday, 19 April. If you plan to arrive by plane or if we arrange transport with a van, we will arrive to Hamburg on 14 April and leave on 20 April.

The price includes accommodation for 4 nights on the island, 2 nights in Hamburg, transport with catamaran, taxes and entrance fees on the island.

Transport to Hamburg and back isn’t included and food and drinks are not included in price.

Price: 840 EURO/person.

Min 6 persons, max. 8 persons.

Gallery from Helgolanda

2. ZAMBIA – photo tour for adventurers – KAFUE National Park – safari and VICTORIA FALLS

Black Africa as it should be. Photo safari for real nature lovers. Without any fences and without any fear, 7 days in luxury Hippo Lodge camp in Kafue National Park with unspoiled wilderness. Luxury chalets are located by the river bank, they are 100 – 300 m apart from each other, and there are only 6 chalets, therefore there you can enjoy peace and there is no crowd. We have our own transport throughout the tour, because we need it to take good photos; we will spend the most of our time there in the boat, some also in the car and if you want to, we can also walk but then we want have so many great opportunities for taking photos.

After safari, we will travel through Lusaka to Livingstone and Victoria Falls, where we will stay for 4 days in 3* hotel, see the falls and take an two trips to the falls – all included in price. Afterwards you can choose among many individual trips and adrenaline challenges. Panorama flight with helicopter, ultra-light aircraft, bungee jumping, one day Chobe-Botswana visit, safari in the nearby park…

Hippo Lodge and activities video

Itinerary: Departure from Lusaka on 10 August 2013 and return to Lusaka on 17 August. Min. participants: 4; max participants: 7.

· Option: Victoria Falls – Lusaka to Livingstone on 17.08.2013 and return To Lusaka on 21.08.2013

Victoria Falls video

Included in price: guidance of an photo-expert, transport from Lusaka to Kafue National Park, Hippo Lodge, transport  to Livingstone and back to Lusaka; full board accommodation in Hippo Lodge, all activities (two per day), accommodation in Livingstone (breakfast included) and 2 activities (Victoria Falls visits).

Not included in price: transport to Lusaka and back home, meals on Victoria Falls, activities in Livingstone, anti-malaria drugs and other medications, visa (purchased at the arrival on the airport – approx. 50 USD), tips for guides and costs for activities that are not mentioned above.

Price: 2,690.00 EURO for Hippo Lodge and 990 EURO for Victoria Falls. Additional payment for single room is 400 EURO.

Gallery from Zambia

3. SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC – GREATER KRUGER PARK AND KGALAGADI PARK IN KALAHARI

This photo tour has two parts. The first one is safari in the private part of the Kruger National park (6 days), where all animals are literally at hand – lions, elephants, rhinos… As usually, we have our own car; camp is protected from elephants, rhinos and other animals with a low fence. Houses are set closely one to another, camp receives small number of guests (max. 15) and we have our private car for taking photos. In price is included full board accommodation, all activities, transport from the airport in Hoedspruit and back. Drinks are not included in price.

The second part includes flight from Johannesburg to Upingotne, we get 4×4 car and drive to Kgalagadi Park. We stay there 6 nights – accommodation with breakfast, transport from the airport and back are included in price. We drive ourselves in Kgalagadi, we can make our own meals or we can eat in restaurants in the camps (if available). But we will arrange for the melas and drinks on our way to camp.

Included in price: guidance of an photo-expert, transport from Hoedspruit to Kruger camp and back, transport from Upington to Kgalagadi and back, transport in Kgalagadi Park, transport to airports; full board accommodation in Kruger Park (hotel 4*), all activities (two per day), accommodation in Kgalagadi and all activities – drives during the day.

Not included in price: transport to Hoedspruit and Upingtone (all airflaights), meals and drinks in Kgalagadi and travelling from one place to another (Kruger to Kgalagadi), anti-malaria drugs and other medications, visa (purchased at the arrival on the airport – approx. 50 USD), tips for guides and costs for activities that are not mentioned above.

Price: 3,600.00 EURO. Additional payment for single room is 500 EURO.

Date: arrival to Hoedspruit on 31. August 2013 to 14. September 2013.

Min. 5 participants, max. 7.

OPTION: VICTORIA FALLS – Look into Zambia program.

Gallery from Greater Kruger Park

Gallery from Kgalagadi / Kalahari

Click for more info

4. PHOTO NAMIBIA

The longest tour and yet one of the most beautiful. If tours above are meant especially for animal lovers (birds and mammals), is this one meant also for those who love nature, landscape, plants, animals and adrenaline activities (Swakopmund). The tour starts in Windhoek, continues towards the south in Quiver Tree Wood, Fish River Canyon, than towards the west to the Naukluft National Park, where you can see the biggest dunes in the world, Swakopmund, sea animals (seals and birds), desert animals (lizards, insects), than continues toward the north in Damaraland, Himbe and then in Etosha, special wild animals park, which is unique for its landscape and animals. Then it continues across the Waterberg Plateau to Windhoek and back.

We are going to travel with an off-road vehicle with 16 seats, special place for luggage and a refrigerator. Because we plan to take photos, only 8 seats will be taken, each has its own window and therefore you can take photos from the car – if you want to invite someone (non-photographer) with you, they can seat on the seat next to you. We are going to sleep mostly in chalets and hotels, only 5-times in tents – because of the location for photographing (we will spend 3 nights in camp in the Naukluft National Park, because external visitors can enter the park one hour later than those, that spent the night there, and that would be much too late if we want to take good photos). 90% of meals are included in price – we have altogether 40 meals and 5 of them are not included.

Dates are not set yet; we plan it end of October till beginning of 2013. Tour lasts 14 days and you need to count in 2 days for flights to Namibia and back home. Min. 8 passengers and max. 12 – but only 8 photographers.

Price: 2,990.00 EURO for the program above. Flight to Namibia (and back) and visa are not included . Additional payment for single room is 250 EURO.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
2012 International Photography Awards Announces Winners of the Competition

GORAZD GOLOB was Awarded: 1st place in Nature – Wildlife category for the winning entry “POWER”

About Winner:
Gorazd is a pro wildlife photographer and photo tours leader. His second home is Africa, where extremes rules. Deserts, jungles… that is where he enjoys and there he leads his tours… www.nature-phototours.si/en

About IPA:
The 2012 International Photography Awards received nearly 15,000 submissions from 103 countries across the globe. IPA is a sister-effort of the Lucie Foundation, where the top three winners are announced at the annual Lucie Awards gala ceremony. The Foundation’s mission is to honor master photographers, to discover new and emerging talent and to promote the appreciation of photography. Since 2003, IPA has had the privilege and opportunity to acknowledge and recognize contemporary photographers’ accomplishments in this specialized and highly visible competition. Visit www.photoawards.com for more details.

Contact:
GORAZD GOLOB:
gorazd.golob@amis.net

http://www.gorazd.si

IPA Contact
Jade Tran
Competition Director
International Photography Awards
jtran@iawardsinc.com

Tours in chronological order.

1. HELGOLAND; a tour to the north of the Europe to the island, where the use of automobiles and motorbikes is forbidden, the most frequent means of transport are your feet, and on the northern part of the island you can find nests of northern gannets. These gorgeous birds start nesting in April, and you can see all day long how these beauties take off and land, therefore it is much easier to take a photo while they are flying. If wind – which can quite cool the air in spite of late spring – is on our side, then it is even possible to take photos of the birds hovering in the air for couple of seconds. That it wouldn’t get to boring, there are other bird species, curly sheep, which are pastured free all over the island, and on the nearby small island, which is 10 minutes away by boat, there are (mainly) two colonies of seals. They are used to people, therefore you can approach them up to 30 m – it isn’t allowed to get nearer.

Departure is scheduled on 23 April 2012 with catamaran from Hamburg, and return to Hamburg on Friday, 27 April. If you plan to arrive by plane or if we arrange transport with a van, we will arrive to Hamburg on 22 April and leave on 28 April.

The price includes accommodation for 4 nights on the island, 2 nights in Hamburg, transport with catamaran, taxes and entrance fees on the island.

Transport to Hamburg and back isn’t included (return flight costs approx. 300-500 EURO), food and drinks.

Price: 820 EURO/person.

2. ZAMBIA – photo tour for adventurers – KAFUE National Park – safari and VICTORIA FALLS

Black Africa as it should be. Photo safari for real nature lovers. Without any fences and without any fear, 7 days in luxury Hippo Lodge camp in Kafue National Park with unspoiled wilderness. Luxury chalets are located by the river bank, they are 100 – 300 m apart from each other, and there are only 6 chalets, therefore there you can enjoy peace and there is no crowd. We have our own transport throughout the tour, because we need it to take good photos; we will spend the most of our time there in the boat, some also in the car and if you want to, we can also walk but then we want have so many great opportunities for taking photos.

After safari, we will travel through Lusaka to Livingstone and Victoria Falls, where we will stay for 4 days in 3* hotel (breakfast included), see the falls and take an evening trip on the river – all included in price. Afterwards you can choose among many individual trips and adrenaline challenges. Panorama flight with helicopter, ultra-light aircraft, bungee jumping, safari in the nearby park…

Hippo Lodge and activities video

Itinerary: Departure from Lusaka on 18 August 2012 and return to Lusaka on 29 August. Min. participants: 5; max participants: 7.

Included in price: guidance of an photo-expert, transport from Lusaka to Kafue National Park, Hippo Lodge, transport by plane to Livingstone and back to Lusaka; full board accommodation in Hippo Lodge, all activities (two per day), accommodation in Livingstone (breakfast included) and 2 activities.

Not included in price: transport to Lusaka and back home, meals on Victoria Falls, activities in Livingstone, anti-malaria drugs and other medications, visa (purchased at the arrival on the airport – approx. 50 USD), tips for guides and costs for activities that are not mentioned above.

Price: 2,490.00 EURO for Hippo Lodge and 790 EURO for Victoria Falls. Additional payment for single room is 400 EURO.

3. SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC – GREATER KRUGER PARK IN CAPE TOWN

This photo tour has two parts. The first one is safari in the private part of the Kruger National park, where all animals are literally at hand – lions, elephants, rhinos… As usually, we have our own car; camp is protected from elephants, rhinos and other animals with a low fence. Houses are set closely one to another, camp receives small number of guests (max. 15) and we have our private car for taking photos. In price is included full board accommodation, all activities, transport from the airport in Hoedspruit and back. Drinks are not included in price.

The second part includes flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, we stay there 3 nights – accommodation with breakfast, transport from the airport and back are included in price. There are many possibilities for adrenaline activities, walks through botanic parks, Table Mountain, jail, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, Waterfront, shark cage diving… Price: 2,990.00 EURO. Date: from 1 September 2012 to 11 September. Min. 5 participants, max. 7.

Click for more info

4. PHOTO NAMIBIA

The longest tour and yet one of the most beautiful. If tours above are meant especially for animal lovers (birds and mammals), is this one meant also for those who love nature, landscape, plants, animals and adrenaline activities (Swakopmund). The tour starts in Windhoek, continues towards the south in Quiver Tree Wood, Fish River Canyon, than towards the west to the Naukluft National Park, where you can see the biggest dunes in the world, Swakopmund, sea animals (seals and birds), desert animals (lizards, insects), than continues toward the north in Damaraland, Himbe and then in Etosha, special wild animals park, which is unique for its landscape and animals. Then it continues across the Waterberg Plateau to Windhoek and back.

We are going to travel with an off-road vehicle with 16 seats, special place for luggage and a refrigerator. Because we plan to take photos, only 8 seats will be taken, each has its own window and therefore you can take photos from the car – if you want to invite someone (non-photographer) with you, they can seat on the seat next to you. We are going to sleep mostly in chalets and hotels, only 5-times in tents – because of the location for photographing (we will spend 3 nights in camp in the Naukluft National Park, because external visitors can enter the park one hour later than those, that spent the night there, and that would be much too late if we want to take good photos). 90% of meals are included in price – we have altogether 40 meals and 5 of them are not included.

Dates are not set yet; we plan it in October or may be in the end of September 2012. Tour lasts 14 days and you need to count in 2 days for flights to Namibia and back home. Min. 8 passengers and max. 12 – but only 8 photographers.

Price: TBA for the program above. Flight to Namibia (and back) and visa are not included. Additional payment for single room TBA.

More info on our Nature-phototours website: Nature-phototours

Black & white Spider awards:

1. Honorable mention for JUST A PIG

2. Two more nominated

5th Annual Photography Masters Cup:

Nominated photo 3, cranes from Bosque del Apache

IPA:

1. Honorable mention for B&W AFRICAN WILD (5 photos)

2. Honorable mention for Northern Gannets BLUE EYES (3 photos)

Z majhno skupino smo poleteli do New Mexica, v mestece Soccoro, kjer je najbližje prenočišče  za obisk Naravnega rezervata Bosque del Apache, kar v prevodu pomeni  apaški gozd, ker naj bi Apači tukaj velikokrat kampirali ob reki Rio Grande, ki teče skozi rezervat in polni mala jezera in  močvirja , kjer se zadržujejo ptice. Pozimi so glavna atrakcija žerjavi in gosi, katerih več deset tisoč prezimi tukaj in se spomladi vrnejo na svoja arktična letna prebivališča (Aljaska, Grenlandija, Kanada, Sibirija). Njihovo jutranje vzletanje in večerno pristajanje, privabi na desetine fotografov , ki v vrstah čakajo s svojimi digitalnimi podaljški in iščejo najboljšo kombinacijo med kratkimi časi, odprtimi zaslonkami in kar se da nizko občutljivostjo.

Priložnosti je in ni veliko. Jutranji vzlet gosi je enkratna dogodivščina, ki se ponovi vsako jutro enkrat. Še skoraj v popolni temi, se zasliši pok, vsak dan se prične drugje in ob drugem času in prične se vzlet, ki traja kakšno minuto a motivi so vsak trenutek drugačni in neponovljivi. Ko se prva večja jata ptic dvigne, se iz vseh malk in luž in jezerc dvignejo še ostale in to skoraj hkrati. Moraš se dobro disciplinirati, da ne bezljaš okoli z aparatom, vidiš na vcsaki strani čudovit trenutek…, ker potem nimaš nič. Izbereš najbolj verjetno smer vzleta, korigiraš ob začetku, ko ugotoviš kam in kako vzletajo ter poskušaš dobiti najboljše iz danega. Sam si nisem predstavljal, da je lahko velika količina ptic precej zahtevna za fotografiranje, da sploh kaj uporabnega dobiš. Prvič sem to preizkusil že na Bassrock-u, s strmoglavci in sedaj podobno.

In ko odletijo, je konec. Ponovitev jutri ob 6.10 zjutraj po lokalnem času, “tu nekje” – ne spijo vedno na istem mestu. Po goseh so na vrsti žerjavi Sandhill cranes, kateri pričenjajo svoje vzlete iz nočnih bivališč malo po sončnem vzhodu, tako da je svetloba boljša in tudi ne vzletijo vsi hkrati ampak po parih (ali več parov skupaj).  Njihova hoja po vodi in elegantno jadranje so paša za oči in fotoaparate, njihovi klici pa te tudi ne pustijo ravnodušnega.

Za tem so cel dal na voljo modeli od enega, dveh, treh, ducat, nekaj več,….. ptice na kakršenkoli način si želiš.

Tudi drugih ptic ne zmanjka in za spremembo pa še kakšnega prerijskega psa uloviš pa kojota in seveda kot povsod, tukaj vedno iščeš Bobcat-a  (podobno našemu risu)  in Gorskega leva, ki sta vsen na koncu jezika a le redki su jih res videli, vsaj kar jih jaz poznam.

Google translation (sometimes funny, sometimes completly wrong:-) ):  SLO-FOTO

Price for 10 days, full board (except drinks), excluding air flights to Hoedspruit, photo advices and any help you may need about photography, transfer from airport  in Hoedspruit and back, is 2.590 EUR , single room  is 400 EUR more.

For more info on www.nature-phototours.com