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marionpayr

Travel photographer and storyteller. 📷🖋Empowering womxn to explore & create. Engaging in acts of travel, photography & conservation. Vienna based. Member of @bellcollective. Co-Founder of @printsforwildlife.

Conservation & co-existence in the Okavango delta, Conservation & co-existence in the Okavango delta, Botswana 🚁✨ (@wearewilderness | Advertisement) During my time at Wilderness Vumbura Plains I had the privilege to experience something truly special — a journey into the villages of the Okavango delta, where two coexistence projects show how communities and wildlife can thrive together. Getting there by helicopter was already half the fun (although it took our pilots a while to find our designated landing spot near a boma, which was well hidden in the shrubs and bushes 😅). From the air, the delta unfolded in all its beauty… but below, the realities of living among lions and elephants come to life. 🦁🐘 At CLAWS (Communities Living Among Wildlife Sustainably @clawsconservancy), we visited a cattle boma project that’s drastically reduced lion attacks on livestock — while empowering the herders, who proudly showed us their cows and told stories of their life herding cattle in an area with over 18,000 elephants. Each day they bring their cows to their grazing grounds needs to be carefully planned and executed. But at night the cattle now remains safe in the Boma. Then, in the traditional Hambukushu village of Eretsha, Life With Elephants (@lifewithelephantstour) shared moving stories of coexistence — elders and farmers who’ve faced unimaginable danger with an undeniable resilience (and a sprinkle of humor). They showed us how they produce chili-bricks made with cooking oil and elephant dung to deter wildlife from their farms and how they hide from elephants when necessary. And yet they value the wildlife despite the dangers. It’s their deep knowledge of the land that reminds us what sustainable, people-driven conservation really looks like. This was a rare insight into how people and wildlife share space and resources in a way that honours both and I’m thankful I got the chance to experience this thanks to @wearewilderness who are working closely with these organisations. #WeAreWilderness
#Wilderness
#WildernessDestinations #WildernessVumburaPlains #Botswana #OkavangoDelta #SustainableTourism #CLAWS #LifeWithElephants #WildlifeConservation #EnvironmentalImpact
Sighting of my dreams ✨ (On safari with @wearewi Sighting of my dreams ✨ (On safari with @wearewilderness | Advertisement). A massive Keitumetse (thank you!) goes to my guide Kabo for making this happen 😍 When I arrived at Vumbura Plains I told Kabo that I’m dreaming of a sighting of a leopard in a tree. But secretly I was hoping for a special tree, one with large beautiful branches, standing tall in front of a clear background and unfolding in front of us in soft light. I never tell my guides these secret wishes, it’s enough pressure to find a leopard and then hope it ascends a tree per se, the rest is more than luck 😅 So one evening while we were watching a troop of baboons playfully get ready for their night up in the trees Kabo receives a radio call. There‘s a leopard in a tree, but at the far reaches of the private concession. The message comes in Setswana, so I don’t understand it of course. But I’m not alone. With me is Attorney Vasco, Botswana PR and Community Relations Manager at Wilderness. And he immediately laughs and turns towards me asking me: „are you ready“? „For what!?“ I ask, and he answers „A Ferrari Safari.“ 😅 I sense there’s a reason for such urgency, so I laugh and say „Of course“ and off we go speeding through the open plains. Kabo tells me we might not make it in time… so I’m only cautiously hopeful 🫠 And then when the last rays of sun had already vanished we see a car next to a tree in the distance and I hope it means what I belief it might mean: that there’s a leopard up in that tree. The last light is illuminating the landscape in a pale rosé color and there she is. An incredible female leopard up in a stunning Sycamore fig tree. We have about five minutes before she decides it’s time for her evening hunt and descends the tree and disappears into the night, but those minutes were precious ♥️ Photo settings: ISO 14400, 460 mm, 0 ev, f/6, 1/1600 s Shot on @nikondach Z8 with NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR lens. #WeAreWilderness
#Wilderness
#WildernessDestinations #WildernessVumburaPlains #OkavangoDelta #Botswana #nikondach #nikoncreator
Let me introduce you to #WildernessVumburaPlains 🇧🇼 (@wearewilderness | Advertisement) This is one of Wilderness’ flagship camps in Botswana with access to a private concession in the Okavango delta and excellent game viewing year-round, with land and water based activities. One of the most inspiring parts of my stay at Wilderness Vumbura Plains was seeing first-hand how deeply conservation and community are connected here. This lodge isn’t just a beautiful place in the heart of the Okavango — it’s built on land leased from five local villages, whose chiefs and people are true partners in protecting this incredible wilderness. While I was there, the community chiefs were actually meeting at the lodge to discuss fishing rights for their communities — a powerful reminder that this land is not just a safari destination, but a home, and that conservation only works when it works for the people too. I also got the chance to take part in a community visit, which I’ll share soon, so stay tuned. #WeAreWilderness
#Wilderness
#WildernessDestinations #OkavangoDelta #Botswana #AfricaSafari #IconicPlaces
Back to Botswana with @wearewilderness 🇧🇼 (A Back to Botswana with @wearewilderness 🇧🇼 (Advertisement). Seeing African wild dogs is one of the most incredible privileges to have on a safari. They are inquisitive and social animals, but boy they move fast. Tracking them is often an impossible undertaking. When they’re on the move you can easily lose them within seconds. They cross through dense bushes, jump over channels and just never stop 😅 On this occasion we were lucky. They had come to a pond to drink and stumbled not just upon us, but also a lioness with a carcass of a wildebeest. And so they decided to stick around in hopes of getting lucky to steal a bit of food from the sole female. They sat down, vocalizing, letting her know they were there and they were hungry. This game lasted for about an hour before they eventually got chased off by the lioness. We followed them when they ran off, but lost them about 2 minutes into their hunt 😅 #WeAreWilderness
#Wilderness
#WildernessDestinations #WildernessTubuTree @thejaoreserve #TubuTreeCamp #JaoReserve #OkavangoDelta #Botswana #AfricaSafari #IconicPlaces #WildlifeConservation
A little time out at @hotel_das_tegernsee. (Adver A little time out at @hotel_das_tegernsee. (Advertisement) Escaping the city heat or the more important question to contemplate: what would Bavarians say to „Brezn“ for breakfast? 🥨😅 To be honest, we were hoping for a bit of a coolcation (oh my those trendy tourism words), meaning just getting out of the city to a cool place in nature. Vienna was meltingly hot for most of June and when we booked the trip we were craving some time at a lake in a cooler climate in the mountains. Well, our wishes were granted. 😅 But maybe Tegernsee took it a bit too seriously with the cooling off!? 🌧️ To be fair most of Central Europe got struck with a cold rainy front the last few days, which meant we couldn’t go for a swim in the lake or take a boat ride. Instead we ate our way through the day (and @hotel_das_tegernsee has some of the best hotel food we had in a while, the chanterelle pasta will be imprinted in my memory forever I think!! 😍). We relaxed at the pool, joined a sound meditation class and just spent time cuddling on the couch of our incredible suite. It looks like we have to return to also be able to enjoy the terrace with the views over the lake next time 😉 I certainly wouldn’t mind! #tegernsee #dastegernsee
The news I’ve been wanting to share: @printsforw The news I’ve been wanting to share: @printsforwildlife is coming back in 2025! ♥️ This has been a long time coming. Months and years of preparation, but finally it’s here. We are bringing back the fundraiser in a year full of challenges and despair. This time, the threat is quieter but no less urgent. Around the globe, political decisions are unraveling decades of conservation work. Protections are being reversed. Funding is vanishing overnight. Nature is being commodified, and communities are being left behind. We believe photography can be a powerful form of resistance, a reminder of what’s at stake and what’s still possible. We feel the responsibility to bring back hope. ♥️ Together we will join forces to unite some of the world’s most celebrated wildlife & conservation photographers alongside new talents to sell photo prints for the security of biodiversity, wildlife and the benefit of people. We’ll come back with a new purpose, but the same philosophy: To give back to nature. Stay tuned for more soon! #printsforwildlife Photos by: @erikaexplores @willembakhuysroozeboom @scottramsay.africa
Mokoro rides into sunset… a Botswana classic 🛶 (On safari with @wearewilderness | Advertisement). It took 6 years for me to return to Botswana to finally do what I had set out to do there in the first place. But remember, in 2019 I couldn’t go on a Mokoro as there was no water due to a massive drought. But this year I finally could go. 🙌🏼 Mokoro rides are the quintessential Okavango delta activity. The Mokoro boats used to be dugout canoes made entirely from one piece of wood, but for sustainability reasons they’re now made of fiberglass. Covered in brown lacquer they still resemble the traditional mokoros though… ☺️ The specialty is the poling. There’s no paddles, but long wooden poles used to navigate the boats through the shallow water of the channels. It takes special training to become a poler on a Mokoro and not all the guides have it. My guide Lucas joined us on his own Mokoro, but he’s not allowed to take guests, arguing „with my lack of balance that wouldn’t be a good idea“ 😅 So we make our way through the channels, two mokoros side by side, Lucas explaining things while trying not to topple his Mokoro, me in a separate boat with an expert poler. And not long after a bull elephant decides to cross the water in front of us. We keep a safe distance, letting him feed and drink casually (all while trying not to inhale too many midges, that fly around us in swarms 😅). It’s a little buggy, but the serenity of the elephant in the water towering above us makes me forget everything around me. This was worth waiting 6 years for in case someone’s wondering ✨🙌🏼 #WeAreWilderness
#Wilderness
#WildernessDestinations #WildernessTubuTree @thejaoreserve #TubuTreeCamp #JaoReserve #OkavangoDelta #Botswana #AfricaSafari #mokoro
My first Okavango Delta Home: Tubu Tree by @wearew My first Okavango Delta Home: Tubu Tree by @wearewilderness. (Advertisement) It’s been such an adventure returning to Botswana this year. Having only been to the delta once in 2019 during a massive drought before, this year has been a totally different experience. Lush and green, water filling the delta branches to the brim—even this early in the season (I was there at the beginning of May this year). Tubu tree turned out to be the most enchanting stay, in a part of the delta with plenty of palm trees and great access to Mokoro rides (finally! In 2019 there wasn’t even enough water for this iconic Okavango delta activity). The air was filled with the smell of wild sage and I got treated to sightings of lions and wild dogs, easily tuning me into the delta atmosphere within the shortest time frame. Needless to say I also loved the camp atmosphere, just look at the materials and colors (plus the daily visitors below the wooden walkways)! Botswana, I might already be planning my return ☺️ #WeAreWilderness
#Wilderness
#WildernessDestinations #WildernessTubuTree @thejaoreserve #TubuTreeCamp #JaoReserve #OkavangoDelta #Botswana
The lioness and the scavengers. (On safari with @w The lioness and the scavengers. (On safari with @wearewilderness | Advertisement). I will never forget this encounter. My guide Lucas had this undeniable instinct to go to the water hole early morning to check if the lioness we had discovered the day before was still there. Little did we know that she had been able to defend her wildebeest carcass for the duration of the night, but there was more in store for us. When we arrived we already saw her golden fur shine at the water‘s edge. Her belly was full and round—she had been stuffing herself for 24 hours now. Around her: at least two dozens of vultures looming in the trees and shrubs. She must not have slept a lot. Protecting the carcass now is her sole purpose. Any vulture that comes closer is chased off immediately. And then suddenly we see impalas running away and jumping in the high grass. What was happening back there we wonder? Just seconds later a pack of three wild dogs appear at the water hole. They probably just wanted to have a drink, but now they spotted the lioness and her carcass. What unfolds next is something I have never witnessed before. The wild dogs start vocalizing, growling, barking—and they try to get closer. Lucas tells me they don’t stand a chance, even though they’re outnumbering the solo lioness, she would fight them off easily. But it seems the wild dogs don’t know about that. Or at least they want to keep trying. Maybe they sense how tired she is. And so we witness an hour of barking and growling, moving closer and running away again. But eventually the lioness makes a run for the wild dogs and successfully chases them off for good. That’s when they finally give up. They must hunt their own food today. And the lioness: she‘s back with her carcass, ready to fight for it for another day. #WeAreWilderness
#Wilderness
#WildernessDestinations #WildernessTubuTree @thejaoreserve #TubuTreeCamp #JaoReserve #OkavangoDelta #Botswana #AfricaSafari #IconicPlaces #WildlifeConservation #EnvironmentalImpact #SocialSustainability
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