About Us
Photography came first.
Safari Lab grew from years spent travelling with cameras through India’s forests and Africa’s great wildlife landscapes. Repeated visits taught us that memorable safaris depend on details a brochure rarely explains: the right access point, sensible travel time, patient guiding, enough time in the field and a plan that suits the people travelling.
Those experiences now shape the journeys we create for our guests. We are a small team by design, combining first-hand wildlife knowledge with travel planning, sales and operational support.
What “curated” means to us.
Start with the wildlife
We begin with what you hope to experience, how you like to travel and how much time you genuinely want in the field.
Plan for the place
Zones, gates, tides, seasons, permits and road time all matter. The planning changes with every reserve and landscape.
Recommend honestly
We compare access, comfort, guiding, logistics and value before recommending a route or stay. A safari should work on the ground, not only look good on paper.
Local knowledge, connected journeys.
Our work spans tiger reserves and lesser-known forests across India, alongside privately planned wildlife journeys in East and Southern Africa. Relationships developed through years of photography help us work with guides, naturalists and partners who understand their landscapes.
We do not promise sightings. We plan thoughtfully so that every day gives the journey the time, context and support it deserves.
PHOTOGRAPHY RECOGNITION
Nature inFocus Photography Awards 2022
Jury Selection · Wildscape & Animals in Their Habitat · “Cloaked In Lilac” by Sanjay Nair, photographed at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve.
QUOTED & FEATURED
Field knowledge, recognised beyond our own pages.
Editors and journalists have approached Safari Lab and Sanjay Nair for perspectives on wildlife, photography and changing travel behaviour.
Forbes
Sanjay contributed expert context on the Sundarbans as an overlooked canal journey and explained what makes its waterways exceptional for wildlife.
A-Z Animals
Sanjay was consulted as an animal expert for an in-depth giraffe feature, contributing observations across behaviour, communication and adaptation.
TravelPulse
Safari Lab was quoted on how economic uncertainty was changing safari enquiries, trip length and accommodation choices.
Travel + Leisure Asia
Sanjay shared a wildlife photographer’s perspective for a feature on gimbal cameras and smoother travel filmmaking.
Fodor’s Travel
Sanjay contributed a Mumbai traveller’s perspective to Fodor’s exploration of why food is often made less spicy for visitors.
Newsweek
Safari Lab’s perspective was included in Newsweek’s feature revisiting popular destinations that many travellers have forgotten or overlooked.
The Guardian
The Guardian printed Sanjay’s Pilibhit tiger photograph in its World section on 11 May 2022, credited to Sanjay Nair / Mercury Press.