Wildlife Photographic Safari...

9 DAY SAFARI

2 Nights Lake Baringo, 2 Night Lake Nakuru, 4 Nights Maasai Mara

This safari itinerary is a photographer's delight. We take you to Kenya's most scenic destinations which also have an abundance of wildlife.

Kenya has a variety of vegetation types, from Savannah plains, Mountain vegetation to deserts that are all home to wildlife and over 400 bird species. The weather is great all year round; our “winters” mild and even during the rains, the sun always peaks out. This makes amazing lighting for the outdoors and breathtaking contrasts to photograph against. Simply put, Kenya is a wildlife photographer’s delight!

The secret to success as a wildlife photographer is patience and spending as much time as possible out in the field, waiting for that magical moment with your subject. This is where a camping safari becomes a better option than a lodge or hotel. Camping gives the photographer the flexibility needed to maximize on photo opportunities. One doesn’t have to worry about rushing back to the lodge because the kitchen will close, missing out on capturing that intimate moment with a lioness and her cub. Our kitchen doors do not close on you, we set an itinerary, with a time schedule, but there is that time allowance for you to spend that extra minute out there and capture your priceless shot. Our wildlife photographic safari is designed for 1 – 4pax, not having too many people on board, giving the photographer control over his movements during game drive. The aim of the safari is to maximize on time spent in the field capturing wildlife, landscape and nature. We do not allow other guests to join in the group, it is a personalized safari. The photographers will be transported in our safari spec 4WD Land Cruiser with a pop up roof hatch.

The itinerary :

DAY 1: NAIROBI – LAKE BARINGO

We will come and pick you up from your hotel and depart by 0730hrs. We will have a briefing on the safari and then head out to a convenience store for you to buy yourselves some drinks, drinking water and snacks. We will then proceed to the Rift Valley view point on the escarpment of the Rift Valley. This is a very scenic spot where you can take loads of photographs of the valley. We will then proceed to Lake Baringo to set up camp by the lake. After setting up camp, you will have your lunch at camp and spend the afternoon photographing at camp. There are a great variety of Bird species that can be found in the trees, just by walking around, you will be amazed at what you can capture. On the lakeshore, you can also take photos at dusk. In the evening you will have dinner and enjoy a campfire.

DAY 2: LAKE BARINGO

The day starts off with an early morning call and after a quick cup of tea; you will head out for a boat ride on the Lake. Here you will have the opportunity to see the profusion birdlife of Baringo and also get close to Hippos and Crocodiles… a game drive on boat, an experience of a kind. While on the lake, we will attempt to feed the Fish Eagles. It is quite dramatic to see them diving down to the surface of the lake to take the fish, a picture worth capturing. After the boat ride, we will return to camp for breakfast. After breakfast we will spend the day at camp and have a picnic lunch by the lake. Towards mid afternoon, we will depart from camp for a visit to one of the villages to photograph one of the local tribes. After the photo session at the village, we ill stop over at a view point for some landscape photography and then proceed to camp. In the evening you will have tea followed by dinner.

DAY 3: BARINGO – LAKE NAKURU

After breakfast, we will decamp and head out for Lake Nakuru. We will arrive at the park towards mid day, and have a game drive as we are heading towards camp. Once we have set up camp, we will have a picnic lunch at camp. At 1600hrs, we will depart from camp for our evening game drive, where we will head out to the Lake shore so that you can see the fabulous pink Flamingos. There are also other birds on the lakeshore, Cormorants and Pelicans, just to name a few. We will try and capture these birds in flight. The stunning "pink belt" of flamingos along the lakeshore against a backdrop of hills makes good pictures too. After the lakeshore, pending on our time schedule, we will proceed with our game drive and return to camp at 1830hrs for evening tea and dinner.

DAY 4: LAKE NAKURU

We start the day off early with a morning game drive at 0630hrs. During the game drive, we will concentrate on seeking out Rhinos, as Nakuru Park is a renowned Rhino Sanctuary. We will return to camp at 0930hrs for breakfast. After breakfast we will spend the day at camp and have a picnic lunch at camp. at 1600hrs, we will then depart for our evening game drive. We will make our first stop at Baboon cliffs look out, which gives you a panoramic view of the lake and the park. after the photo session, we will proceed to seek out more wildlife, concentrating again on Rhinos and Buffalo and return to camp at 1830hrs for evening tea and dinner.

DAY 5: NAKURU – MARA

After an early breakfast, we will pack up and depart for Maasai Mara. Enroute, we will make a stop over at a town called “Mai Mahiu”, where you could have a little stretch and break before we head out across the floor of the Rift Valley to Narok town. This is the last major town that we will cross before heading out into the Mara. Pending on the time that we leave for Mara and the number of breaks that we have enroute, we should be in the Mara by early afternoon. We will have a game drive enroute, as we head towards camp where we will have a late lunch. After setting up camp and freshening up, we will head out for an evening game drive at 1600hrs. During the game drive we will concentrate on seeking cats and then we will return to camp at 1830 for some evening tea and dinner.

DAY 6: MARA – whole day game drive

We start off the day early with a wake up call at 0600hrs. After a quick cup of tea, we depart for our early morning game drive at 0630hrs to seek out the big cats. We will return to camp at 0930hrs for breakfast. After freshening up, we will depart towards late morning for a picnic lunch on the Mara River and a whole day’s game drive. At the river, you will have an opportunity to photograph Crocodiles and Hippos. at 1530hrs, we will depart from the river, and continue with our game drive, this time looking for Elephants. Before heading back into camp, we will stop over for sunset photographs and then head to camp for tea, followed by dinner.

DAY 7: MARA – whole day game drive

We start off the day early with a wake up call at 0600hrs. After a quick cup of tea, we depart for our early morning game drive at 0630hrs to seek out the big cats. We will return to camp at 0930hrs for breakfast. After freshening up, we will depart towards late morning for a picnic lunch on the plains of the Mara and a whole day’s game drive. During the game drive, we will concentrate on cats, Lions, Leopards and Cheetahs. We will return to camp at 1830hrs for tea and followed by dinner.

DAY 8: MARA – morning and evening game drive

We start off the day early with a wake up call at 0600hrs. After a quick cup of tea, we depart for our early morning game drive at 0630hrs. We will return to camp at 0930hrs for breakfast. We will then spend the day at camp and also have a picnic lunch whist at camp. At 1600hrs, we will depart for and evening game drive and will return to camp at 1830hrs for tea and followed by dinner. After dinner, you will be entertained by Maasai traditional dancers by the campfire, one of which will tell you a little more about their culture.

DAY 9: MARA – NAIROBI

After an early breakfast, we will pack up and head out of the camp by 0730hrs. You will have a game drive enroute to the park gate and we will then head back to Nairobi with a short stop over in Narok. In “Mai Mahiu” town, we will stop over once again for a picnic lunch and then head back into Nairobi to wind up your photographic wildlife camping safari. We will drop you off at your hotel.