08/09/2024
Chimp portraits of Kibale.
Inspiring & immersive travel experiences to wild destinations across our planet! Promise 🤞
For me that is reflective of how I got to this point in my life.
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When I ask my clients why they join me on my photographic safaris they talk about the fun, the friendly atmosphere of my tours and the immersive nature of our adventures. Many of my guests have returned on my tours and lifelong friendships are formed. So something is clearly good. 😀
For less experienced photographers I offer step by step advice on understanding the elements of photography for yo
ur camera and even for your phone! 😁. For the experienced photographer I am able to offer the best vehicles and guides and 20 years of experience and knowledge in the destinations that we travel to – and also an exchange of views – I too am always learning! Whatever your experience you will definitely get something rewarding out of my safaris. I started taking photos at 5 years of age and can still remember the thrill my mum and I experienced when we got that packet of prints back! If you are reading this you already know how much fun photography is! Our planet is amazing and diverse and my passion and photographic skills allows me to capture the very best our incredible world has to offer – particularly wildlife! Africa was my baptism into wildlife photography after I graduated with my photographic qualifications. I have subsequently spent the past 16 years working with the most amazing animals and people, and my career has provided me with some wonderful photographic opportunities. When I am not on safari, I work hands on with wildlife and am involved with wildlife conservation projects. This allows me to get very up close and personal with wild animals and the benefit for my clients on our safari adventures is that I have developed an ability to often interpret animal behaviour which leads to very special photographic opportunities as you will see on my website.
So please feel free to browse through my images and contact me if you want to explore why you really should join me on one of my epic adventures.
Chimp portraits of Kibale.
It has been an incredible few weeks in Tanzania!
We have explored a large portion of the Serengeti ecosystem, the Ngorongoro crater and finished with six nights in Zanzibar!
Today we are headed to Uganda to start our adventure with Africa’s great apes.
Massive thanks to all the honey badgers that joined us in the Northern Serengeti and also to the honey badgers that are continuing on the safari journey 💪🏻
Tupo pamoja!
A new species for safari!
The black & rufous elephant shrew.
This is one of 17 species of elephant shrew found in Africa. We came across this little guy when we were looking for Zanzibar colobus monkeys in the Jozani forest. Excitement was high!
PUMAS OF PATAGONIA
Check out the safari report and sign up to my newsletter.
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Join me in 2025!
[email protected]
Here we go 💪🏻
Northern Serengeti 2024 safari has officially started 🇹🇿
For a wildlife and culture lover, there is no better place to visit than India. With its lush forests, stunning landscapes and unique animal species, India offers some unforgettable experiences.
📆: 12th - 31st March 2025
🐅 A chance to photograph India’s Big 5; tiger, Asian elephant, Indian rhino, water buffalo, Asian leopard.
📷 Photographing the world famous Taj Mahal at sunrise
📷 Endless opportunities for photographing Indian culture
📷 Photographic coaching from Bobby-Jo
Get in touch for a detailed brochure or click the link below:
https://bobbyjosafaris.com/safaris-2025/india/
A wonderful online meeting with my Uganda safari guests tonight!
So excited for our Uganda safari this September 🦍
Going to be a wonderful group of primates to travel with
🙉🙊🐵
It’s almost time for Madagascar 🇲🇬
It’s not too late to join me on one incredible adventure!
September 16th - October 5th
[email protected]
Female jaguar Overa on the move in search of caiman.
Photographed on my recent Pantanal Safari 🐆
Female puma Escarcha really knows how to look down the lens 😳
Can’t wait to share all the details of my 2025 Pumas of Patagonia safari 🇨🇱
Good luck finding a mockingbird that can move and shake LIKE THIS!
These Espanola mockingbirds were in full competition. It was like watching a street-dance off!
Female jaguar “Oxum” snarls at an approaching male jaguar. They had been mating earlier.
Photographed on our recent Pantanal safari 🐆
Espanola Island has been closed since September 2023 due to an outbreak of H5 Avian Influenza. The closure was necessary as this island has a very important population of breeding Waved Albatross. Espanola reopened three weeks ago and we were very lucky to visit this incredible island. It is the oldest in the Galapagos archipelago and is my favourite island. We were rewarded with hundreds of Nazca bo***es, marine iguanas and its famous albatross.
We had a very special sighting of a waved albatross chick, one of the first to hatch for this season.
We are still walking amongst dinosaurs ❤️
Galapagos Land Iguana 🦎
South Plaza Island 🏝️
Face to face with the giants of Galapagos.
This species is Chelonoidis donfaustoi which is one of 12 living species of giant tortoise in Galapagos.
We are absolutely loving our time here 🐢
We will be boarding our boat tonight and will set sail to discover seven islands 🏝️
Currently planning some exciting safaris for 2025 BUT..... I still have some spots left on my 2024 September Madagascar Safari.
This is the perfect safari for photographers that like to explore forests on foot and who enjoy the art of macro photography. It is an incredible destination that offers unique opportunities for wildlife photography.
Join me this September!
You can check out all the details on my website and in the video below:
https://bobbyjosafaris.com/safaris/madagascar/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p3ouX_cn3w
We have just arrived back in Cuiabá after a spectacular maiden voyage to the Pantanal!
As a safari operator it can be a little daunting working with a new supplier for the first time. This was my first safari to Brazil and my Portuguese is not so good 🤣
The team have been fantastic to work with right from the moment I connected with a year ago!
One of my biggest strengths is building a strong rapport with my guides. This IS the most important part of a safari. My guides become my good friends and this wonderful energy we share is transferred to our guests. I’m proud to say that I only use local guides for my safari and that they are all exceptional. I appreciate them so much.
I am really happy to include to that portfolio of top notch guides 👌🏻 The group and I really enjoyed his company and shared so many laughs. He is kind, caring, funny and can really manoeuvre a boat at a Jaguar sighting.
Cannot wait to be in the company of Tito again 🙏🏻
So many opportunities to photograph birds creatively in the Pantanal like this panning shot of a Cocoi heron.
Settings 📷
Mode: TV/S
Shutter Speed: 1/40th
Aperture: f32
ISO:100
I save my settings as a custom dial so that way I can quickly change when need to. I also get creative once I have got my sharp action shot first 🤣
Special sighting in the Pantanal last night. A wild ocelot! These cats are incredibly shy and elusive. This individual was quite curious of us and came to investigate. There are a few ocelot that have been habituated in some of the lodges but not this one.
One of my favourite Jags of the safari is eleven year old Overa. The research team here in the Pantanal are unsure of how she sustained the damage to her mouth. She is one gnarly looking cat! 💪🏻
The Wattled Jacana
The Pantanal is a bird lovers paradise!
Today was another incredible experience in the Pantanal. Another six jaguars 🐆
Driving back to the lodge at sunset was beautiful and there was such a wonderful vibe amongst our tribe of intrepid photographers. We were all on such a high after wildlife encounters and now have the Pantanal flowing through our veins.
I feel incredibly grateful to be here. I am truly happy when I’m in nature and surrounded by wildlife. I am also truly happy when I am sharing this experience with my guests. To be able to provide them with the opportunity to observe, photograph and learn about wildlife is a true honour.
Many of my guests describe my safaris as “travelling with a good friend” and the feeling is mutual.
People often say that we are lucky to be able to travel and spend time with the planet’s most amazing species but it is creating your own luck. Seneca the famous philosopher once said “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”
Thanks for the lovely sunset photo of me 🙏🏻
Caiman fishing in the Pantanal.
Zoom in on the Caiman’s mouth to see more detail.
Another amazing day on the river!
We had six jaguar sightings including another female successfully hunting a caiman and also swimming across the river twice!
Another highlight was spending early morning and late afternoon with a group of giant river otters. They are incredible 👌🏻
JAGUAR 🐆
Very happy to share that we have observed and photographed our first Jaguar on our first afternoon river safari! This female is called Marcela and not only did she go for a swim during our encounter but she also successfully hunted a caiman in the long reeds near our boat. What an exceptional first jag sighting!
This is also a special moment for me as Panthera onca is my fifth and last of the Panthera genus to photograph and observe in the wild. Now to work on the species!
Cheers from the Pantanal
Bobby-Jo
Chief Honey Badger
A wonderful start to our Pantanal Safari. We have spent the past two days photographing giant anteaters, capybara, hyacinth macaw, capuchin monkeys, rhea, burrowing owls and a special night sighting of two tapir.
Tomorrow we hit the river to search for the Onca 🐆
🇧🇷
Our Pantanal Safari has officially started 🇧🇷
Can’t wait to explore this wildlife hotspot over the next 12 days.
An amazing week spent with amazing people. Thanks so much to , .schvd, and for one of the best adventures ever!
Wooooow!!!!
My favourite cat of our Pumas of Patagonia safari is Escarcha also known as Frost. This exquisite female is the prettiest by far and her confidence is admirable. Most puma will look past you or not look at you at all but Escarcha looks directly down the barrel of your lens. She may well be a honey badger in a puma body. So incredibly lucky to find her sitting in the snow on our last afternoon on the Estancia.
Cannot wait to share some more photos and stories! One of my best adventures yet.
Bobby-Jo
Chief Honey Badger
What an honour to be sharing a puma sighting with the wonderful . It is so nice to meet the people that inspire you and to learn that they are kind, humble and generous with their time ❤️
Check out his work
He is one of the best 👌🏻
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Our first day on safari has been spectacular! We have photographed cheetah, leopard, lion, hippo, giraffe and met this curious elephant bull at the end of the day. Check out the grin on @amie.hindson at the end of the video! #wildlifephotography #photosafari #bobbyjosafaris #naturephotography #bobbyjophotography #tanzania #seronera
Galapaagos moments ❤️ Travelling back in the panga after a snorkel and we came across a humpback whale and her calf. It was a magical moment 🐋 The reaction from my gorgeous friend and guest @phoebebeeberbee is the REASON why I pursue this career. Unadulterated joy! Thanks to @nicholas.j.bishop1 for filming this scene from the boat. So lucky to have captured this moment in time. #galapagos #espanola #ecuador #wildlifephotography #photosafari #honeybadgersingalapagos
Playing fetch with a seal lion! A playful encounter with a Galapagos sea lion on our first snorkel in the archipelago. If you watch closely I am playing fetch with this incredible animal. This was happening for about a minute before I decided to record with the GoPro. Watch the sea lion drop a piece of coral in front of me. I pick it up and throw it as best I can… which is incredibly hard underwater! He swoops in and catches it before it hits the ocean floor. The ocean dogs were one of the many highlights of our Galapagos safari 🦭 #galapagos #sealion #snorkeling #goprohero7 #wildlifephotography #wildlifemoments.
Currently planning some exciting safaris for 2025 BUT..... I still have some spots left on my 2024 September Madagascar Safari. This is the perfect safari for photographers that like to explore forests on foot and who enjoy the art of macro photography. It is an incredible destination that offers unique opportunities for wildlife photography. Join me this September! You can check out all the details by clicking the link in the bio ☝🏻 #madagascar #photosafari #wildlifephotography #bobbyjophotography #macrophotography #lemurs #fossa #chameleon #naturephotography
The word Jaguar means “he who kills with one leap” this video captured by our friend and guest @phoebebeeberbee shows female Jaguar Patricia leaping into the vegetation to try and catch a caiman. You can see that the caiman are incredibly quick and have fantastic eyesight. Notice the splash in the water before she lands. The jaguar sightings have been incredible 👌🏻🐆 #pantanal #brazil #honeybadgerinbrazil #wildlifephotography #photosafari #jaguar #bigcat The
We experienced one of the most incredible wildlife moments yesterday in Patagonia. We encountered six wild Andean Pumas in the most spectacular landscape and in the late afternoon a pair of pumas decided to mate right in front of us in the snow! Words can’t describe just how amazing this was. Tears were involved. This was our first day, we still have four full days left in the field. Thank you @wildcat_expeditions #patagonia #andeanpuma #chile #wildcatexpeditions #wildifephotography
A beautiful sighting of five year old male “DB3” walking in front of our two vehicles this morning in Kahna National Park. Listen to the langurs losing their mind in the background 🤣 Thanks to @born_nomad_ for capturing this moment as we were all too busy taking photos 🐅📷
Want to learn more about our December Antarctica safari? Join our Antarctica online information session tomorrow the 12th March at 7:30pm (Sydney EST) Click our bio for the link to the session. We only have THREE spaces left on this incredible adventure.
Madagascar 2024 Join me on an incredible photo safari to one of the most unique wildlife destinations on the planet, Madagascar! We still have a few spots left on our September 2024 safari. Email me for a detailed brochure: info@bobbyjosafaris Or you can click the link in the bio for more info! #madagascar #photosafari #wildlifephotography #naturephotography
Join me on an incredible photo safari to one of the most unique wildlife destinations on the planet, Madagascar! We still have a few spots left on our September 2024 safari. Email me for a detailed brochure: info@bobbyjosafaris Or you can click this link for more information and lots of photo inspiration: https://bobbyjosafaris.com/safaris/madagascar/
An incredible encounter with an inquisitive elephant calf. Absolutely thrilled to be able to witness and capture the behaviour of the mother as she tries to encourage the stubborn calf to come away from our vehicle. How amazing are elephants 🐘 Join me on safari 🐘❤️ www.bobbyjosafaris.com [email protected]
An incredible encounter with an inquisitive elephant calf. Absolutely thrilled to be able to witness and capture the behaviour of the mother as she tries to encourage the stubborn calf to come away from our vehicle. How amazing are elephants 🐘
An incredible first afternoon in Ndutu. We spent the golden hour with the Twin Hills lion pride. They were all in the trees! #ndutu #tanzania #southernserengeti #photosafari #lion #kopelion
Sound on! We just spent two nights camping in the wild Hoanib river in Northwest Namibia. This was our fourth visit to this special place and our first time to ever observe and photograph it’s famous elusive desert lions. We spent the past two mornings with three individuals. Can’t wait to share the photos and more info about the lions. Such a special experience. We feel incredibly fortunate to be in their presence 🙏🏻🦁
We had the most INCREDIBLE day with the desert elephants of the Huab. There are only about 25 individuals that live in this river system and we managed to spend time with all of them! Amazing how these desert adapted pachyderms differ from the Savanna/Bush elephants.The best part of this special community is the people that they live with. A small village that is based in the Huab have embraced the elephants and even provide water for them via a large concrete tank. One of the locals John told us that there is one particular cow with a ripped ear that comes to the village at night and breaks the irrigation to get to the freshest water, he doesn’t mind, they just fix it. The coexistence is evident through the relaxed behaviour of these grey giants.
Join me in Sumatra and Komodo in March 2024. All the information about this wonderful adventure can be found by clicking this link: https://bobbyjosafaris.com/safaris/indonesia/
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Duma Safaris has been created by Bobby-Jo Vial & Bradd Johnston who are both incredibly passionate about Africa and its wildlife. Both have been travelling to and hosting safaris in Africa for over a decade and in the process have developed a network of contacts and relationships with camps, safari guides and local safari operators which allow us to organise your safari with trusted and reliable local operators. Duma Safaris has been developed to deliver value based wildlife photography safaris to some of the most amazing wildlife habitats left in Africa with a genuine focus on quality and providing all guests a real value for money experience. Many of our tours will make a genuine difference to wildlife conservation by visiting specific projects and providing guests with a unique insight into on-the-ground projects and raising the funds necessary to continue this important work.