Wild AT Heart
Wild AT Heart
Manyoni Private Game Reserve East Gate, Mkuze, South Africa
Up to 10 in group
Jun 7 - 15, 2026
Retreat Highlights
- Learn hyper-realistic wildlife painting techniques from one of South Africa’s most extraordinary fine art painters
- Master the techniques most artists spend years trying to figure out alone — glossy eyes, whisker detail, the wet texture of an animal’s nose
- Paint in the heart of a private Big 5 game reserve — your subjects are right outside
- A completely immersive 7+ day experience limited to a small, intentional group of women
- Not a workshop. Not a retreat. A bucket list experience designed to change you.
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Hi, I'm Francesca!
A few years ago, I had a job that looked perfect - great salary, beautiful location, everything ticked the boxes. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was building someone else's dream.
So I took a risk, I left it all behind to create something that didn't exist yet - experiences that combine my love of art, travel, wildlife and my home country, South Africa.
Pathway Partners is the new result - a labor of love built on the belief that travel should be transformative, not transactional.
Every experience I design reflects what I'd want to experience myself: rare access, intentional details, and moments that feel like they were made just for you.
I'm not interested in what's popular. I'm interested in what's meaningful
Details of this retreat
Learn hyper-realistic wildlife painting techniques from one of South Africa’s most extraordinary fine art painters
Master the techniques most artists spend years trying to figure out alone — glossy eyes, whisker detail, the wet texture of an animal’s nose
Paint in the heart of a private Big 5 game reserve — your subjects are right outside
A completely immersive 7+ day experience limited to a small, intentional group of women
Not a workshop. Not a retreat. A bucket list experience designed to change you.
Master the techniques most artists spend years trying to figure out alone — glossy eyes, whisker detail, the wet texture of an animal’s nose
Paint in the heart of a private Big 5 game reserve — your subjects are right outside
A completely immersive 7+ day experience limited to a small, intentional group of women
Not a workshop. Not a retreat. A bucket list experience designed to change you.
Schedule
Early morning game drive — encounter the Big 5 in golden hour light
Breakfast at the lodge
Morning painting session with instruction from our resident hyper-realist wildlife artist
Lunch and rest time
Afternoon painting session — technique focus on eyes, whiskers and texture detail
Sundowner in the bush
Dinner under the stars at the lodge
Evening reflection and connection with your group
Breakfast at the lodge
Morning painting session with instruction from our resident hyper-realist wildlife artist
Lunch and rest time
Afternoon painting session — technique focus on eyes, whiskers and texture detail
Sundowner in the bush
Dinner under the stars at the lodge
Evening reflection and connection with your group
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Pathway Partners, Manyoni Private Game Reserve East Gate, Mkuze, South Africa
Directions
Arrive at King Shaka International Airport & our transfer company will pick you up & transport you to the venue.
Accommodation
Guests stay in a luxury private lodge with exclusive use of the entire property. Private, beautifully appointed rooms within an authentic bush setting — not a hotel, not a resort. The kind of place that feels completely removed from the world. All meals are served at the lodge, game drives depart from the property, and your painting sessions happen surrounded by the landscape that inspired them.
Program Price
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Manyoni Private Game Reserve is one of South Africa’s most extraordinary private reserves — a vast, malaria-free wilderness home to the Big 5. This is not a tourist lodge. Pathway Partners has exclusive use of a luxury lodge nestled within the reserve, meaning your group has the entire space to yourselves. You wake up to wildlife at your doorstep, paint in one of the most breathtaking natural settings on earth, and fall asleep to the sounds of the bush. There is nowhere else in the world you can
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
What's Included
- Luxury accommodation on a private Big 5 game reserve
- All meals throughout the experience
- Game drives — encounter the wildlife you’ll be painting
- All art materials and supplies
- Airport transfers to and from the reserve
- Direct access to and tuition from a world-class hyper-realist wildlife painter
- A fully curated, end-to-end experience — you arrive, we handle everything
What's Not Included
- International or domestic flights to South Africa
- Travel insurance