Zimanga Private Game Reserve
South Africa's only dedicated private photographic game reserve will make anyone feel like a professional wildlife photographer. Spread over nearly 70 square km (27 square miles) of immaculate Zululand bushveld, encompassing rolling hills, reed-lined dams, and fever tree forests, Zimanga is a residence for a colorful array of birds and endangered animals. In addition to game drives, guides drop guests off for a morning or afternoon session at one of nine carefully crafted hides strategically spread across the reserve. Each hide serves a certain spectacle: some elevated, some to attract water birds or wily crocodiles, some underground, two accommodate overnight stays for four while others offer brilliant mirror reflections of elephants, rhino, and lions lapping up the water. Thanks to exhaustive testing (each hide required months to perfect positioning, lighting, focal lengths, and backgrounds without altering animal behavior) the wild subjects have no idea you're there. Pack your camera, settle into the bunker, and wait to see who arrives. The ultimate experience for diehard camera heads has to be the opportunity to sleep in one of these hides, which is equipped with Wi-Fi, a toilet and a small communal area. Bunk beds are simple and a little cramped, but when that motion sensor goes off with a creature passing by, any discomfort dissipates as you snap the night away.
