Jaci’s Lodges situated in the Madikwe Game Reserve were discovered & built by Jan and decorated with the assistance of his creative and colourful wife Jaci. Jaci’s Safari Lodge was completed in 2000 – using a combination of Marico stone, shaggy thatch and canvas Safari Lodge epitomises the ultimate “tented safari”. Jaci’s Tree Lodge – constructed on stilts, elevated amongst the riverine trees along the banks of the Marico River – opened 3 years later. Jaci’s dedicated and passionate team assure attention to detail in addition to exceptional service as well as a unique game and environmental experience. Jaci’s Staff Trust owns 25.1% in Jaci’s – ensuring the reality of our vision and commitment to the upliftment and empowerment of the actual individuals that ensure you holiday/safari exceeds all your expectations.

Madikwe Game Reserve, about four hours to the northwest of Johannesburg, spans some 75 000 hectares of land that was previously used for cattle farming, but which was of such poor quality that it offered very little economic benefit to anybody. Now a premier game reserve, officially proclaimed in 1991, it represents a unique partnership between the North West Parks and Tourism Board, local communities and the private sector. Central to this three-way alliance is the concept of ‘people-based wildlife conservation‘, where local communities gain financial benefits from conservation and eco-tourism. This approach, which has ensured support for the reserve and its activities from its immediate neighbours, is strongly recommended by the North West Parks Board as the blueprint for long-term conservation in developing countries across southern Africa.

The reserve is located in a transition zone of Lowveld, mixed bushveld and Kalahari thornveld and the resultant diversity of habitats is part of its attraction. It is scenically beautiful with rocky outcrops, wooded thickets and sweeping plains that slope gently towards its main water course, the Marico River. The imposing Dwarsberg Mountains dominate the southern region, rising some 200 metres above the surrounding terrain, while a series of hills known as the Rant van Tweedepoort roughly divides the reserve into two equal parts. Those areas that were previously farmed and cleared of trees have remained ‘open’ and offer excellent game viewing.

This is where Pat and Roger de la Harpe did much of the photography and research for their latest book, In Search of the African Wild Dog. The game reserve is well known to them and it can be very productive from a photographic point of view. Good sightings of wild dogs are not uncommon as is the case with elephant, lion and general game. Additionally, the reserve is beautiful, enhanced by the gorgeous "Kalahari light".

Programme
Our program is fairly general and will possibly change on any one of the days. Nature’s advantage of not operating by the clock leaves us much time to explore for the best photographic experiences, i.e. Whilst spending some time focusing on scenery and the radio crackles to life with mention of Wild Dogs, could mean a rapid change in activity.

Wednesday
Arrival at Jaci's Lodges will commence between 14:00 and 16:00. At approx 17:30 we shall gather for a common registration followed by an introductory talk, show and the initial setting up of laptops and programs, accompanied by Drinks.

Thursday to Saturday
The remaining days will be well met with bright eyed and bushy tailed folk as coffee and a light snack will be served on the deck at 05:00 am, sharp. We will head out on game drive at 05:30am. Pat and Roger will be waiting on two separate vehicles (booking dependant), which will be manned by professional Jaci’s guides guaranteeing an eventful couple of days. After roughly 3 hours of exciting field based photography and a scenic coffee break, we will head back toward camp. More coffee will await our return giving us a nice relaxed atmosphere to download images and reminisce over the morning’s activities and sightings. Participants are to select 3 images to include in their evaluation session; once this is completed a scrumptious breakfast will be served at around 09:30.

The day continues with discussions, Photoshop tutorials and image analysis. This part of the workshop is critical – we work with your images, looking at composition, impact and technical details. We hold these sessions in an open and constructive environment and group participation is encouraged – it's where we can make a significant difference to your images very quickly.

Lunch is served between 13:00 and 13:30 after which the slow moving “bush” time allows you to discover every bit of what Jaci’s has to offer. Jaci’s also encourages you to keep a watchful eye on the busy waterhole; if not a mid-afternoon nap is always a treat.

After your siesta, high tea will be served at 15:30, and you’ll head out on drive. Being on two vehicles we'll work different areas compared to the morning drive, staying in radio contact so that we have more “eyes”, quickly coming together in the event of activity. Sundowners will be enjoyed in the middle of magical Madikwe before returning to camp for crackling fires and a well deserved dinner.

Sunday
A normal morning routine will be followed, saying our good-byes to the bush and the beautiful surroundings. Check-out of the rooms will be completed after the morning’s evaluation session.

Equipment required is as follows: (Please feel free to Contact Us to discuss your Photographic Equipment needs)

• A Digital SLR Camera with removable lenses (a fixed lens camera will work but will limit what we can do to a certain degree).
• Zoom lenses - the selection is broad but at least 2 zoom lenses are recommended, one wide angle and one medium to long telephoto, which should preferably have some form of image stabilization. At least 300mm or preferably 400mm (Nikon do a really useful 80 to 400mm lens and Canon a 100 to 400mm) would be recommended.
• A flashgun.
• A sturdy tripod.
• We will have our special, refillable Africa Imagery bean-bags for sale at R65-00. These work well in the vehicles.
• A laptop computer with either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements loaded on to it. This is essential. Instruction will be in Photoshop Elements 6 and CS4. It is recommended that you have some form of backup medium - DVD's or a portable hard drive. We will have copies of Photoshop for sale at the workshop and also free versions of various other programs available to load onto your computer.
• A memory card reader or computer cables to connect your camera to your laptop.
• The charger for your camera/s.
• Memory Card/s.
• The manual/s for your camera/s.
• A hat to keep off that hot African sun. (You'll be getting a free Africa Imagery Photo Safari cap at registration)