Usangu Expedition Camp
Expedition-style safari in the remote Usangu Wetlands.
Our collaboration with Asilia Africa at Usangu Expedition Camp took us into one of the most remote areas of Ruaha National Park. Set within the Usangu Wetlands, the intimate six-tent camp is both a base for expedition-style safari and a gateway into ongoing research and conservation work. Through film and photography, our role was to translate this unusual combination, capturing a place where hospitality, exploration and the recovery of an important ecosystem are closely connected.
We documented life at camp alongside the wider experience of the wetlands, following the people, landscapes and wildlife that give Usangu its identity. Our creative focus was the sense of discovery: the openness of the floodplains, the intimacy of the camp, the knowledge of its guides and the feeling of entering a landscape that is still being studied and understood. The resulting work presents Usangu as an invitation to experience conservation through curiosity, close observation and time spent within the landscape.
Location: Ruaha National Park, Tanzania
Client: Asilia Africa
Camp and People of Asilia
Experiences
At Usangu, remoteness becomes part of the experience. Guests can leave the main camp for a private fly camp set up deep in the bush, explore the floodplains on foot, travel by boat across waters inhabited by hippos, and join night drives using night-vision camera technology to observe wildlife behaviours usually hidden after dark. Our photography followed these experiences from within, capturing the anticipation, proximity and discovery that come from encountering the landscape in different ways. The resulting images present Usangu as an active expedition, shaped by expert guiding and the freedom to experience the wetlands beyond a conventional game drive.
Conservation & wildlife
The Usangu Wetlands form one of the most remote and ecologically important parts of Ruaha National Park, supporting elephant, lion, wild dog, hippo and rarely seen roan and sable antelope across floodplains, waterways and miombo woodland. Exploring this vast landscape feels genuinely expeditionary, with few other vehicles and wildlife encounters shaped by patience rather than expectation. Our photography captured both the animals and the process of searching, tracking and learning from an ecosystem that is still being studied. Camera traps added another layer to the experience, allowing guests to discover the wildlife moving through the landscape beyond what could be seen from a vehicle, boat or walking safari, while connecting their stay to Usangu’s ongoing conservation research.
