 |
Celebrating 20 years |
|
Celebrating 20 years |
A 7 month self-sustaining – self drive safari is a large undertaking mixing exploration, adventure and planning in order to see more. Without connection to the outside world, it was here that the seeds of C4 germinated.
20 years later those same ideals remain. We have shared the extremes and the intimate of this continent via bold and innovative safaris. Our guests come from every corner of the planet and are wowed by the insights we offer: Africa remains the last frontier.
For us, the curiosity remains, the wanderlust endures, the planning improves and evolves.These values drive us. We want you to see what we too have discovered.
Having sold everything they owned, co-owners Andre Cloete and Shem Compion packed their cameras into a Land Rover and travelled across Africa for seven months, fulfilling their dream of becoming wildlife photographers. It was over this time that the idea of a photo safari company is was born.
Shem Compion proposed building an underground photographic hide. They approached Mashatu Game Reserve, where they had been conducting photo workshops since 2005. Mashatu, while not sure of the potential and possible success, none-the-less gave C4 the green light and the support required to make it happen.
In March 2012, the Matebole Hide opened. Constructed from a single shipping container, adapted for wildlife photography, and strategically placed underground next to a waterhole, bringing a whole new perspective to wildlife photography, making it quite famous amongst photographers worldwide.
C4 hosted globally renowned photographer, Art Wolfe for seminars and workshops in South Africa. It’s here that Art’s influence rubbed off where he highlighted the beauty and strength of African cultures in addition to the wildlife.
2012 was also C4’s first foray beyond Africa, with an arctic expedition to Svalbard.
Following diverse travel experiences, C4 refocuses on their primary goal; to remain African experts. Our expertise within the continent grew, whilst also exploring new locations on the continent, like Chad, DRC, CAR, Gabon, Ethiopia and others. This strategy paid off. Earning the trust of esteemed photographers such as Jonathan Scott, Tom Mangelsen, Art Wolfe, and Frans Lanting for their African safaris.
A very different hide experience, the Lala Limpopo Sleep- Out Hide, is completed at Mashatu. A comfortable “underground safari suite”, provides very exciting and new opportunities for wildlife photography from dusk till dawn with world class lighting effects.
C4 Photo Safaris celebrates two decades of dedication to wildlife photography, enriching experiences in Africa, and promoting authentic cultural experiences through their innovative safaris. A truly Pan-African company, C4 operates throughout Africa - from Chad to Cape Town - employing a total of twelve full-time staff members, working with only the best photo guides in the industry and training interns for the next generation.
