Kenya Photography Tour

The tour doesn't start until tomorrow morning, but we've included tonight's accomodation for you at the lovely 'Kazuri Safari Camp' in the quiet outskirts of Nairobi. It's small, relaxed and homely - the perfect place to get some sleep and settle into safari mode.

Our Kenya photo tour officially starts when we meet after breakfast for a welcome slideshow including a quick photography refresher course. Then we'll meet our two favourite, world-class safari drivers (who've worked with the likes of IMAX 3D, Nat Geo etc) and load into our two extended, pop-top land cruisers and set off.

We'll reach 'Kibo Safari Camp' just outside the gates to Amboseli National Park in time for lunch, after which we'll set out on the first of many unforgettable safari drives throughout this wildlife mecca! Amboseli is one of East Africa's most famous parks, known for it's huge herds of elephants which we'll be trying to photograph against the iconic background of the snow-capped, table-topped, Mount Kilimanjaro! It's also home to the rest of 'The Big 5' including lions, leopards etc, as well as flamingos, cheetah, hyena, giraffe, zebra and so, so much more.

We'll exit the park for dinner back at the lodge, but you'll be on such an incredible, buzzing high that we figure you won't be able to sleep anyway, and so we've organised a special treat - a rare, night safari drive! It's an exciting, unique experience we don't get to do much anymore, prowling around the maze of roads, sweeping the surrounds with a spotlight, looking for the telltale reflective eye-shine revealing a sneaky insight into the spooky night time lives of the Africa's nocturnal wildlife. Apart from the usual predators, we may find spring-hare, bush-babies, striped hyena or even aardvark! With your ISO cranked up, you'll be surprised at the photos you can get!

Eventually we'll bring you back to camp, by which time you'll have no problem sleeping, despite being able to hear the distant laughing of hyena or even the roar of lions.

We'll wake early and head out pre-sunrise to make the most of the golden lighting. With a bit of luck, early in the morning is the best time for the top of the iconic Mount Kilimanjaro to be free from cloud, and it's also when all the elephants tend to emerge from the wooded areas, cross the roads and head deeper into the park, providing a chance for the perfect shot of both!

There's endless other wildlife to photograph too - birds, antelope, hippos, jackals etc, and when we can no longer ignore our growling tummies, we'll pause to enjoy a picnic breakfast at a suitably scenic spot, and then continue onwards, eventually heading back out to Kibo for lunch. In the afternoon we'll head out again, all the while communicating with our contact who tracks 'Craig' the largest 'tusker' elephant in Kenya. This breathtaking beast roams wild, but is in the constant presence of a security ranger, which means we not only know where he is and can try and visit when the location is good, but has the added advantage that Craig is well habituated to humans and remarkably peaceful. So long as he's not hanging out with other less-habituated wild bull elephants, it might even be possible for us to get out and photograph this mesmerising giant on foot, unimaginably close! This is an experience that will never leave you.

Of course, around this opportunity, we'll be safari driving as normal around Amboseli, filling your memory cards with more photos than you ever thought possible in this wildlife rich park!

When we get back to camp in the evening, our drivers will head off to begin the overnight drive to the Maasai Mara, but we get to enjoy a second night here, and will fly to join them tomorrow morning! Perfect!

We'll check out this morning, and head off on a short safari drive using the lodge's vehicles, ending at the local airstrip, where we've chartered a plane to whisk us on a very scenic flight from Amboseli to the legendary Maasai Mara! Our drivers will be there to meet us again when we land, and they'll take us to the nearby 'Mara Ngenche Safari Camp' - our luxurious home for the next three unforgettable nights (see their website!). In a spectacular location in the heart of the Maasai Mara lies this small, intimate, luxurious and elegant camp. It really is an amazingly special place. Well hidden in the beautiful greenery of riverine forest, each spacious tent is equipped with its own private plunge pool and offers panoramic views over the confluence of the Mara and Talek Rivers, a section that is always busy with hippos and crocodiles. After lunch, we won't be able to contain our excitement anymore and before you know it we'll be back in our favourite land cruisers and out on safari in this next famous park.

Back at camp, pop your cameras on to download and charge, and we'll gather and unwind at the picturesque bar tent to enjoy a sundowner cocktail or Tusker beer in front of a blazing campfire under the African stars before our gourmet dinner. All the meals here are freshly prepared by the camp's head chef from their fantastic a'la carte menu.

As you wander sleepily back to your 'tent' (with 4-poster beds, double vanity basins and even a bath), let the steward know what time you would like your wake up coffee delivery and be sure to keep an eye out, as being an unfenced camp right inside the reserve, wildlife can and will wander right though! Fear not, however, as there are Maasai warriors on hand to perpetually ensure your safety, day and night!

The Masai Mara is world famous for its exceptional population of lions (BBC's 'Big Cat Diary' was filmed here), leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, hunting dogs and other predators which follow the epic annual migration of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle to and from the Serengeti at this time of year which, depending on where they are gathering at the moment, we'll do our best to get you amongst it. The Great Migration is one of the most impressive natural events worldwide, involving some 1,300,000 wildebeest, 500,000 Thomson's gazelles, 200,000 zebras, 97,000 topi and 18,000 elands. All members of the "Big Five" (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) are also found in The Mara, along with other cats like the Serval and Caracal, large and beautiful Topi antelope, and 470 species of birds. I hope you all brought enough spare memory cards, because the density of wildlife has to be seen to be believed!

Generally, just like in Amboseli, we'll start early, and try and find an animal or picturesque tree to position in front of the rising orb of the sun for an epic silhouette to start the day. Then cruise around making the most of any wildlife tips and sightings, until eventually we get hungry enough to pause for a surprisingly gourmet picnic breakfast somewhere in the park, often with wildlife wandering past! Our drivers will then continue the adventure (unlike most drivers where they rush and try and make each safari drive a short as possible) and we'll basically only get back in time for a very fancy lunch. In the afternoons we head out again, returning to our beautiful camp for a relaxing, 3-course dinner dinner.

During these three days in The Mara, we'll explore around a fair bit, and chase many different photographs, but if we're really lucky and the migration is in a cooperative region, we might even get the chance to hunker down beside the mighty Mara River and watch the thousands of wildebeest and zebra bravely plunging wide-eyed into the rushing water and striking out for the far side, while enormous Nile crocodiles (the biggest on Earth) lie in wait. While perhaps not for the faint-hearted, if we're lucky enough to see this mighty struggle of nature, it will present you with some astounding photo opportunities, and an experience you'll remember for the rest of your life. No guarantees we'll see a crossing though, the seasons here have been becoming less predictable in recent years.

On our second last morning here, we're including an amazing hot-air balloon flight at sunrise too - a truly magical experience you'll never forget, followed by a champagne breakfast!

It's time for a change of scene today, so after breaky we've charted a 12 seater plane to fly us from the Maasai Mara airstrip direct to a little known treasure: Lake Baringo. The flight will take about 1 hr and on the way make sure to keep an eye out for the breath-taking Rift Valley as it drops away beneath us, dotted with Maasai villages, amazing craters and herds of wildlife. But wait - there's more! Have you seen the movie 'Out of Africa' where Robert Redford and Meryl Streep fly over a lake carpeted with millions of pink flamingos? Well that's going to be us!

Once we disembark the transfer flight and enjoy a refreshment, a smaller plane will fly in to meet us at Lake Baringo, and we'll take the doors off so you can feel the wind in your hair and enjoy amazing open-side view for photography as the plane flies over the flocks of both Greater and Lesser flamingos on the nearby Lake Bogoria. Who knows, you might even take a photo or two (thousand)! Unforgettable! The number of flamingos at Lake Bogoria varies each year, sometimes there's multiple, enormous gatherings all along the lake, other years there are less, grouped in fewer, smaller pink flocks. It really doesn't matter though and we'll find some regardless, and even on the less-busy years, guests have literally stepped off this flight and said "That is the best thing I have ever done in my whole life!". When the adrenaline wears off we'll board a boat and head off to our private island and unwind in in our luxurious accommodation, the 'Samatian Island Lodge' located on a remote island in the middle of Lake Baringo. Spot amazing birdlife (sea eagles, kingfishers, sunbirds, hornbills and more), a dwarf Nile crocodile or even a hippopotamus.

We'll all enjoy a well-deserved relaxing afternoon off, going through your photos with a tusker or coffee while sitting out on the panoramic dining terrace! Come dinner, you'll probably find that for an 'afternoon-off' you've still managed to take a huge number of photos, and there'll be plenty to chat about, before filling your belly with an amazing dinner prepared by our own private chef.

Yet another amazing experience! After downing a pre-dawn tea/coffee (they taste the best!) we'll climb aboard our waiting boats for a fantastic three hour boat tour out onto Lake Baringo! By the time the brilliant orange orb of the rising sun splashes its warmth across the lake, we'll already be nosing in and out of the reed-beds, framing up stunning photos of all-manner of birdlife skillfully identified by our local guides. Majestic Goliath Herons, diving kingfishers, stalking egrets, colourful darting Bee-eaters, Egyptian Geese, Hammerkops, Weaverbirds and more. In fact, Lake Baringo holds the world record for the most species of birds seen in one day - over 300! The best is yet to come, though, and after bartering some fish from locals out fishing on their astoundingly simple (and picturesque) balsa-wood rafts, our guides will then whistle loudly and chuck the fish into the water beside our boats. Switch your camera to rapid-fire, focus on the bobbing fish, and I'll count you in: Three... two... one... NOW! An enormous African Fish eagle will swoop down right beside us, talons extended, and snatch the fish from the water! You can imagine the photos. It's hard to get that exact moment though, so in between dodging yawning hippos and fields of lily pads with dragon flies as we explore the lake, we'll be sure to coax down several more Fish eagles for you to nail that perfect shot. Back on shore, you'll be more than ready to enjoy a hearty breakfast including omelettes, fresh fruit, cereal etc. The day is yours to relax and enjoy - or download and start culling your photos with a cold beer before another wonderful lakeside evening meal. We'll also be around to help you with your photography or laptop questions, and anyone who's keen for a refreshing swim in the lake can join me.

Because I know you'll all be secretly jealous of each others' fish eagle shots, we'll wake up pre-dawn and head back on the boats again for a couple more hours of birding (so you can attempt to better their shot)! After another wonderful breaky, we'll boat back to the mainland, load up and hit the road. If, during our flights, it seemed the flamingos are gathered in decent numbers at an accessible part of Lake Bogoria, we'll now head there by road so we can attempt to photograph the flamingos on foot! It's quite amazing to experience the sheer numbers of these flamboyant birds up close! After lunch nearby, we'll drive onwards to our Kenyan home away from home - 'Rhino Watch Safari Lodge' - where we'll enjoy the next two nights in this family-owned and run luxury hideaway. We'll arrive at Rhino Watch in time to check in, and enjoy a delicious dinner. As we're up higher now, at the foot of the snow-capped Mount Kenya which is clearly visible from your 'chalet', it can get a little chilly - but of course they'll look after us here, even slipping a hot water bottle between your sheets ready for you as you finish dinner. It's good to be 'home'.

The problem with 'optional rest-days', or saying that you can 'skip a game drive if you like if you're feeling tired' is that everyone always dreads the photos they might miss out on, and so they come along anyway. There's no denying it though, what with all the early starts and the evenings that are just too pleasant under the stars to go in to bed (even if we're not trying to lure you out for some late night star-trail photos or painting with light), you'll all really enjoy today immensely, because today is a holiday (within a holiday). We'll have our delicious breakfast wonderfully late and spend a beautifully lazy morning enjoying the sun, flicking through your photos, or photographing the gardens (keep an eye out for those elusive chameleons!). We'll make a visit to a local school or orphanage which is always a delightful opportunity to be touched by the student's smiles and optimism, and a chance to give back to the community and the kids who will in turn be the custodians of this wonderful land. We'll have pre-bought boxes and boxes of crucial school supplies to hand out, including exercise books, pens, math sets, feminine hygiene items and more. It's wonderful, and we look forward to this every tour.

After enjoying lunch served out on the wooden deck gazing at Mount Kenya, this afternoon we'll set up a projector and have a bit of a photo review session, and use some of your photos to also explore the photo organising software Adobe Lightroom and how you can use this program to get the most out of your photos.

Time to say goodbye to our friends at Rhino Watch (for the time being) and head onwards to our next location for this tour - the wonderful Samburu National Reserve! On the way, we'll stop at an amazing little roadside garden for what seems just like a toilet stop, but if you look closely at the plants, you may start to spot some chameleons!!! This is actually quite a highlight, and we'll find a bunch of them, and they are so relaxed you can even let them walk on your hands, and offer them up to any flies you see and their independently wandering eyes will then both lock forwards onto the fly and then... thwack! The impossibly long tongue will fire out and grab the fly! So amazing! The novelty will never ware off, but eventually I'll need to drag you away to continue the drive to our favourite accommodation in the whole of Kenya, the very luxurious 'Elephant Bedrooms'. After the stewards pass you a damp cloth to wipe your brow, and a glass of chilled, fresh fruit juice to quench your thirst, we'll then listen to the usual warnings of how elephants and other animals frequently wander right through and around camp (and the new discovery that the resident monkeys can now unzip tents and so you must use the provided padlocks!), you'll be escorted to your 'tent' (and I use that term in the loosest way possible, as you'll see when you look at Elephant's Bedroom's website!) to quickly unpack and hasten back to the shaded outdoor tables on the riverbank for an amazing three course lunch.

When the heat of midday subsides a little after lunch and the animals start to emerge, (and after you've emerged from the personal, refreshing plunge pool out the front of your 'tent'), we'll head out for an afternoon's game drive, crisscrossing Samburu's diverse and animal-filled landscapes in the search for yet more photographs. We'll have pre-organised special off-road filming permits for our vehicles, so nothing can stop us positioning ourselves in the very best spot possible for amazing close-up photos!

In addition to the uniquely forked Doum Palms decorating the area, there's some quite unique animals here too, and we should be able to find plenty of tiny little Dik-dik's (the smallest antelope), hornbills, the very elegant oryx, the finer-stripped Gravy's zebra, lion, cheetah, and perhaps even a leopard. The graceful Impala are more laid-back here too, and should allow us some more close-up and creative shots. Again, by staying at accommodation located inside the park, we are in the privileged position of being able to stay out shooting even while the sun's red orb sinks below the horizon, perhaps even capturing the 'money-shot' of a silhouetted elephant or giraffe against the sunset.

After sticking your camera on charge and downloading your day's spoils, come and join us for a relaxing drink on the verandah, before our four-course, candle-lit gourmet dinner under the African sky.

We'll be up before sunrise to grab a quick tea or coffee and a biscuit before heading off into the ever fading blackness, trying to find ourselves that picturesque, classic African 'flat topped acacia tree' with plenty of weaver bird nests hanging underneath, to silhouette against the sun as it pops over the horizon. Once we've got that in the bag, we'll cruise around the park seeking out yet more photo opportunities, hopefully involving some big cats if we're lucky, and then we'll be back for a late, gourmet breaky at Elephant Bedrooms.

We know you’re all keen to look at your images from the last few days so after your late breakfast take it easy, relax by your plunge pool or at the communal lounge area, grab a cool drink and flick through your photos. Keep your camera handy and an eye on the river outside your tent though, as elephants often wander down for a drink. For those that are keen there might be a chance to do a short walking safari right from camp before we meet for our afternoon game drive after lunch.

Be sure to have your animal photo check-lists handy to tick off those elusive shots this afternoon. A Greater Kudu perhaps (a huge and magnificent antelope), or maybe the electric-blue vulturine guinneafoul or ververt monkey? Or maybe you're still seeking that to-die-for shot - a leopard in a tree? There'll still be plenty of elephants and probably some lions and cheetahs about too, because let's face it, you'll never have enough photos of them either! Go nuts! In the evening we'll head back to our luxurious Elephant Bedrooms and chill out with a 'hard-earned' drink and an amazing dinner.

Coaxed awake by your delivery of tea or coffee with biscuits to assist your gentle transition into another glorious morning in one of Kenya's most famous parks, we'll squeeze in one last early morning game drive around Samburu. You may think you've seen it all by now, but trust me, there's always more to discover, and you never know what you might find around every corner. A pride of lions on a kill? A flock of electric-blue vulturine guinea fowls? A huge bull elephant standing in the middle of the road, his huge great tusks almost dragging on the ground as he shakes his head defiantly at us? Even if you've seen it before, there's always a better photo you could take!

We'll be back to enjoy one last gourmet breakfast here before collecting our bags and farewelling Elephant Bedrooms camp to journey back to our Kenyan 'home away from home', the wonderful Rhino Watch Safari Lodge. Plus, today we're in for some African culture! En route we'll be exclusively welcomed into a traditional maasai/samburu village where the chief will explain their culture, walk us through their huts, show us how to start a fire by rubbing sticks, put on a cultural performance for us and more. Feel free to take as many photos as you want, if you have any memory space left to photograph it that is!

Arriving back at Rhino Watch this afternoon, we’ll meet at a private little bar for a cold tusker or cocktail while we hear about the very special pace we’re heading to tomorrow - Solio! Enjoy another tasty dinner, then cozy into bed with your hot water bottle ready for our last day of game drives tomorrow!

The privately owned 'Solio Ranch' just down the road is becoming increasingly off-limits, as it's primarily dedicated to the protection and breeding of the very rare black rhinos, so we're very lucky to still be able to enter the conservancy for a full day's game drive today. After stumbling down to the restaurant before dawn to indulge in another delicious breaky consisting of fresh fruit, juices, freshly baked pastries, eggs - even omelettes to your liking - we'll load into our vehicles and head over to Solio to be ready and waiting at the gates when they open them for us.

There is of course every chance of bumping into almost any animal around every corner here, so stay alert! Aside from the white and endangered black rhino, there’s a good chance of bumping into any of the big cats including lions and leopards, and various antelope, giraffes, vultures, zebras etc will of course spatter the landscape too! There’s also plenty of birdlife including birds of prey, large herds of impala, troops of baboons, monkeys, giraffe - you name it. Solio’s a great park to finish on because it’s largely off the ‘tourist trail’ - we can go all day without passing another vehicle!

We'll also take you to a very special treat, a hands-on visit into their brand new rhino orphanage, to help feed the little rhinos in their care!

That's it folks! Thank you so much for coming and sharing this experience with your new group of friends! After one last amazing breaky at the beautiful Rhino Watch, we'll provide airport transfers for each of you. It's about a 4 hour drive back to Nairobi, so make sure you book an afternoon flight home (departing after 2pm) in order to enjoy a leisurely breakfast together. Before you know it, you'll be jetting back home, back to the real world that has been so far away for the last fourteen unforgettable days. Make sure you stick a giant photo on the wall back home, so that every time you walk past it you'll immediately be transported back here to Africa, to re-live the magic of the great African migration.

IMPORTANT - Ensure you have read our Tour Booking Conditions prior to booking. The document covers everything from your rights, inclusions and payment schedule, to our cancellation policy and extent of liability.

All our photo tours are subject to minimum numbers. Please ensure you have read our tour booking conditions for our cancellation policy (above).

All meals are provided, however beverages must be purchased at your own expense. Bottled drinking water will be provided for free during game drives.

There won't be any strenuous hiking, but a reasonable level of mobility will be required, to climb into the light plane, to get in and out of our safari vehicles etc - if you're concerned, you do not need to come on the few short walks we do. Remember, you do not have to be able to out-run a lion - you merely have to be able to out run someone else in our group. j/k. This is one of our least strenuous safaris.

This is Africa we're going to - there may be occasional power outages, some of the roads are bumpy and pot-holed, and toilets that we pass along the way are not always going to be classy! It's all part of the experience though, and I'm sure you'll survive. (The bathrooms - as with everything else - at all our accommodation venues, are wonderful!)

After you book, we will email you an extensive information document telling you everything you need to know from what camera gear to bring, to mozzie protection, currency information, mobile reception etc.

Price does not include flights from your hometown to Nairobi, (Kenya's capital), nor your return flight back home. However, if you book early, flights from Sydney to Nairobi can cost around $2,200 return. We have our own travel agent who is more than happy to help answer all your questions and help you find and book the best flights, travel insurance etc.

We do not loan out our own camera equipment.

Park entry fees and game drives are included in the price.

You'll require a Tourist Visa to enter Kenya for this tour. These are easy to obtain and are valid for 3 months. You will also need a valid passport, with at least 6 months left on it before it expires, and at least two empty pages within.

A non-refundable, non-transferable $1,000 booking deposit is required.