{"id":5901,"date":"2024-07-31T21:01:09","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T21:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/donaldquintana.com\/DQNWP\/?p=5901"},"modified":"2024-08-13T23:18:44","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T23:18:44","slug":"mashatu-land-of-the-giants-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/donaldquintana.com\/DQNWP\/mashatu-land-of-the-giants-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Mashatu: Land of the Giants (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mashatu: Land of the Giants<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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I’ve returned a changed person, warned before my departure and reminded upon arrival: ‘Africa gets into your soul.’ As Richard Mullin famously said, ‘The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa, for he has so much to look forward to.’ Though my visit was brief in the grand scheme, its impact was profound.<\/div>\n
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The flights were lengthy, the layovers tedious. On the return journey, I reflected on the past six days and the incredible experiences they held: morning and afternoon game drives, the Matabole hide, the cuisine, the accommodations, and the kindness of countless individuals. Treated like royalty, those who cared for me exceeded all expectations with warmth and hospitality. Absolutely worth the lengthy journey it took to arrive.<\/div>\n
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My travels took me from Cedar Rapids, IA, to Atlanta, GA, and then to Johannesburg, South Africa, where I spent the night. Come morning, I met Big H (Herman Uys<\/span><\/a><\/span>), the driver, embarking on a six-hour van ride to Pontdrif. As we neared the border, sightings of baboons, giraffes, warthogs, and new bird species sparked my excitement, hinting at the wonders to come.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Pontdrif marked the crossing into Botswana from South Africa. Here I bid farewell to Big H and met Daniel. Daniel drove me across the dry Limpopo riverbed in a Photo Mashatu safari vehicle, leading me by way of dirt roads into Botswana and onwards to the Mashatu Tent Camp, my base for the next two nights and the starting point for my first game drives later that afternoon. Little did I know how extraordinary and transformative the next five days would be.<\/div>\n
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A dream come true, I had finally arrived in Africa… (to be continued)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A special shout out to Shem Compion<\/span><\/a><\/span> and the C4 Photographic Safari Team for making the dream a reality. I look forward to working with you on my future tours to help make other photographers’ dreams come true.<\/div>\n
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If you’re interested in joining me on a future trip to this incredible destination, don’t hesitate to reach out to me for more information.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mashatu: Land of the Giants I’ve returned a changed person, warned before my departure and reminded upon arrival: ‘Africa gets into your soul.’ As Richard Mullin famously said, ‘The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa, for he has so much to look forward to.’ Though my visit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5902,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t