Worlds Best Wildlife Safari I Kenya Photo Safari I Masai Mar

Tour Dates:

This is a 10 day itinerary with space for only 3 photographers.
You have an option to extend your safari by 3 days to include 'the great elephant herds of Mount Kilimanjaro'!
You also have an option to extend your safari by a further 4 days to go gorilla trekking!

2013 dates fully booked!

15-24 August 2014 (3 spaces available for photographers)

26 August - 4 September 2014 (3 spaces available for photographers)

12-21 September (3 spaces available for photographers)

23 September - 13 October This date has been set aside for anyone wanting a private safari.

Tour Price:

2014 tour price: $12 950 per person sharing (a single supplement charge of $1150 per single traveler) and includes all accommodation; meals; drinks (excluding premium brands); internal flights and transfers; private safari drives with exclusive vehicle use; photographic tuition and the guiding services of professional wildlife photographer Greg du Toit.

(Not included in the cost are visas; purchases of a personal nature; personal travel insurance; your international flights and certain adhoc activities such as hot air balloon rides).

Your Trip Highlights:

- Visit the famed Masai Mara where you will be staying in two strategically located safari camps. The 1st camp is in the heart of the reserve offering you close access to all the major wildebeest crossing points! The 2nd camp is in a private concession allowing you to photograph the predators of the Masai Mara in exclusivity and away from the tourist traffic.

- This trip is timed to coincide with the time of year when the great migration is crossing the Mara River.

- Our camps allows us to access parts of the reserve where mini-bus vans are absent and where you can experience the Mara in more privacy and seclusion. Unfortunately, the major river crossings always have vehicle traffic but for the rest, we can get you away from the traffic!

- Enjoy supreme predator action as the predators capitalize on the migration.

- Have a picnic breakfast on the great plains staring at over a million wildebeest.

- Enjoy splendid views of the magnificent Mount Kilimanjaro, as you explore a private concession in the famous Amboseli National Park (offered as an extension to this safari).

- Track Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda (also offered as an extension to this safari). You will go to the same gorillas and areas that Diane Fossey did! Rwanda is just a one hour flight from Nairobi.

- The two safari camps we use have both been chosen for their excellent locations and allow for the best photographic opportunities in the Masai Mara and surrounding area. Each camp also offers total comfort in large Bedouin style walk-in tents with large beds, flush loos, hot water and excellent quisine.

- With exclusive use of a vehicle and off road driving, you will enjoy maximum photographic freedom!

- You will be personally hosted and guided by professional wildlife photographer Greg du Toit who has followed the migration in the Masai Mara for 10 consecutive years now. He has also lived in Kenya and he knows not only the wildebeest crossing points but where to find the predators. With Greg as your guide, the chances of seeing a kill are very good! He will also unlock the secrets of your DSLR camera and through one-on-one tuition, your photographic horizons are guaranteed to be expanded and you WILL finish your safari with a unique and dynamic portfolio of images.

- This safari only caters for only 3 photographers and offers you freedom, exclusivity and personalized photographic tuition that normal scheduled tours cannot. This means that your photography will be unhindered, more creative and will yield better results.

- This Africa photo safari is tailor-made to suite wildlife photographers and it guarantees you a portfolio of exceptional imagery.

- Photographers of all levels are welcome and you will receive expert tuition based on your level of experience.

Your Itinerary:

This Kenya Photo Safari is timed to coincide with the great wildebeest migration and more specifically with the time of year when the great herds are crossing the Mara River and the crocodiles are hungry. However, this photo safari in Kenya also contains the essence of a classic East African safari offering not only phenomenal wildlife photography but also wild freedom and expansive scenery.

Day 1- Overnight Nairobi

After being met at the international airport in Nairobi, you will be transferred to the old colonial suburb of Karen. This leafy-green suburb is where many famous safaris have begun and if time allows you can feed Giraffe at the Karen Giraffe Centre and you can also visit Karen Blixen's old farm house. That evening you will be staying in a charming colonial-style guest house where you will enjoy a hearty dinner and a pre-trip brief from your host and guide, Greg. After a good night's rest and a scrumptious breakfast, you will depart at 8am for the local airport called Wilson.

Day 2, 3, 4, 5 - In the heart of the Masai Mara

After a short 40 minute flight on a scheduled charter you will land on an airstrip in the the Masai Mara Game Reserve. From here, you will enjoy a safari drive into the heart of the Masai Mara which is where our camp is located. Arriving at Naibor Camp in time for lunch, you will be escorted to your large Bedouine style safari tent nestled inside a forest on the banks of the famous Talek River.

Naibor Camp is one of the finest safari camp's in Kenya. To see what the accommodation is like you can visit their website here... and watch a youtube video here...

We will spend 4 nights at Naibor! During the days we will explore the incredible Masai Mara Game Reserve and take in the sights and sounds of the great wildebeest migration. By basing ourselves in the heart of the park, we have no gate times to contend with and we are surrounded by 360 degrees of the best photographic opportunities in Africa. This is no ordinary Masai Mara photo tour as we are able to access ALL the major wildebeest crossing points quickly and we are also able to access the remoter parts of the reserve thereby getting away from the other vehicle traffic. With our own vehicle and only three photographers we have maximum freedom and we will seek out unique and thrilling photographic opportunities. We will photograph predators and predator action as well as a plethora of other wildlife. The Masai Mara is the photography mecca of Africa and as such you will feel like you have stepped into a wildlife documentary! Greg knows the Masai Mara intimately and he will take you to the heart of the action! He not only knows where the wildebeests' traditional crossing points are but also where the predators' territories are and he will ensure that you see the best wildlife that you have ever seen in your life!

Masai Mara hot air balloon safaris can also be arranged on an adhoc basis from Naibor.

Day 6, 7, 8, 9 - Masai Mara Conservancy

On Day 6 we will transfer to our next camp which is Kicheche Bush Camp. The transfer takes the form of a safari drive as we pass through the reserve and into the neighbouring Olare Orok conservancy. A straight transfer is about a 1 and a half hour drive, so no photography time will be wasted!

Kicheche is a small, classic, intimate, luxury tented camp that offers large spacious walk in tents which, like Naibor, open along their sides, so they are not hot and stuffy like more traditional tented camps. This camp is situated on the Acacia plains of the Mara and it therefore has a completely different feel to Naibor which is located in a forest along the Talek River. We will enjoy our meals alfresco on the great plains and the food at Kicheche is yummy!

We will be based at Kicheche for 4 nights and the photography here is especially exciting. We have our own private concession to explore and not only are we away from other vehicle traffic but the predator photography inside the conservancy is nothing short of spectacular. Again, there are no gate times to adhere to, nor are there long traveling distances as our camp is in the middle of the predator action. We can go off-road in the concession and excellent predator sightings are guaranteed!

Although we are based inside a private conservancy we can still access all the traditional wildebeest crossing points without needing to drive through a gate to get to the crossing action. For a photographer, Kicheche really does offer the best of both worlds in that we can access the migration action if we want to but we can also enjoy awesome predator action in a private concession.

We will again have exclusive use of a vehicle and Kicheche caters especially for photographers so the vehicles have beanbag platforms!

Sitting close to the campfire at night, you will enjoy the starry African night and once safely escorted to your tent by your Maasai watchman, you will be lulled asleep to the sounds of the African night, including roaring lion and herein lies the beauty of canvas.
See www.kicheche.com for more information on your camp.

A Masai Mara balloon safari can also be arranged from Kicheche.

Day 9 - Depart home

A half hour safari drive takes us to the airstrip and a short 45 minute schedule charter will take us from the Masai Mara back to Nairobi, where transfers are pre-arranged to either drop you back at the international airport or to take you back to your guest house in Karen. In this event, you will overnight and let the safari sink in, before being transferred the next day to the airport for your onward flight home.

The good news is that if you are not ready for your safari to end, you can book the 'Great Elephant Herds and Mount Kilimanjaro' extension. This is a 3 day extension to your safari and it will give you time to unwind and to take even more spectacular photographs. This extension is booked on private request only.

3 day 'Great Elephant Herds and Mount Kilimanjaro' extension - Amboseli National Park:

A 45 minute flight will take you into the heart of an exclusive private conservancy in Amboseli National Park. Here you have full access to the national park but more importantly you will enjoy our own private conservancy away from the minibus tourist vehicles. Inside the conservancy, you will enjoy exclusivity and total freedom, as you go about our photography. Our aim on this extension of your Kenya private safari is to photograph beautiful herds of elephants and giraffes with Mount Kili in the background. Of course you will also track down predators and you will enjoy exceptional landscape opportunities.

Our camp is situated at the base of Mount Kilmanjaro and sipping your 'beverage of choice' in the bar, you will enjoy the finest view of Mount Kilimanjaro of any safari camp in Africa! Our camp is Italian owned and organic produce is freshly grown on the lodge grounds. The cuisine has a distinctly Italian flare and this, combined with the warm charm of the camp, means that you will enjoy the finest traditional safari experience, as only Kenya can offer! An Amboseli photo safari is the perfect end to your safari as the vista is incredible and so are the photographic opportunities. See www.tortillas.com for more information about the camp.

Your guide:

Eighth-generation African and professional wildlife photographer Greg du Toit will lead you on this remarkable expedition (read a few of his guest testimonials here). Greg has been following the migration for 10 consecutive years now and he has been highly commended in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards, for an image of a wildebeest crossing, that he captured in the Masai Mara in 2009. More recently, he was commissioned by National Geographic during their 'Great Migrations' series in the Masai Mara. Having resided in southern Kenya for two years, he captured unique imagery of free-ranging lion by sitting inside a waterhole. This story received worldwide media coverage including a BBC Worldwide Media Service interview. To read the full story click here. On this photographic safari, he will provide expert photographic tuition at your level of experience and he will also offer fundamental geographical and animal behavioral knowledge, thereby ensuring that you obtain your ultimate images!

Summary: The wildebeest migration is a highlight on the international photographic calendar and this safari offers you the very best way to experience this spectacle and still enjoy all the other fine elements of a Kenya safari. With exclusive use of a vehicle, the best view possible of Mount Kili, comfortable camps in close proximity to all major wildebeest crossing points and a professional wildlife photographer as your guide - this promises to be a safari of a lifetime. All the images used in this itinerary were shot in the same areas you will be visiting, and by the photographer who will be hosting you.

To book your private Kenya Predator Safari contact Greg here....

The Amboseli and Gorilla extensions will be booked only on private request.

If you are STILL not ready for your adventure to end, then we can easily arrange a Gorilla trekking extension to this safari. Rwanda is just an hour flight from Nairobi and we will take you to the very place where Diane Fossey did her research. You will need a minimum of 4 extra days to do this extension. This extension is booked on private request only.

Still got questions you want answered, see my safari FAQ page here...

The end...

Back to my upcoming Africa photo safari page here...

Masai Mara Great Migration Safari