Extend your journey with the tour – Elephants At The Foot Of Kilimanjaro – Amboseli National Park, Kenya

18th – 22nd January 2025. Read more here…

The sun sets on the horizon and the sky turns orange. A group of antelopes and zebras wanders across the large wide grass savannah, we have positioned ourselves so that we can photograph the migrating animals in silhouette against the glowing African evening sky. Slowly a giraffe moves towards an acacia tree and when it stops to graze we have the picture ready and in unison we let our cameras immortalize this classic African motif.

Later at dinner in our tent camp, we can hear Masai Mara lions roaring in the dark night in the distance. Expectations for the morning’s game drive are rising, what will we experience and photograph. If we perhaps find the lion or the more shy leopard lying in a tree, regardless of this, we know that the Masai Mara will also offer us unforgettable photo opportunities of both animals, birds and landscapes tomorrow.

MASAI MARA
The Masai Mara is located in southwestern Kenya and is one of the best areas in all of Africa for viewing and photographing African wildlife. Together with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, the Masai Mara forms one of the world’s most spectacular ecosystems with perhaps the largest concentration of animals in the entire world. Here you can find “the big five” – ​​elephant, lion, leopard, rhinoceros and buffalo – but also cheetah, zebra, various species of antelope and gazelle, giraffe, hippopotamus and crocodile to name a few species. Added to this is a rich bird life, but over 400 species. All these animals and birds together with the landscape make the area a great photo destination.

PHOTOGRAPHIC LEARNING
During the tour, our photographic leader will constantly give you photographic advise based on your prior knowledge and level. The guidance in the field is completely adapted to you and your needs. In addition to this, we will also have theoretical sessions where we talk about different photo techniques that we will use during the tour.

The photographic education is adapted to the knowledge of the group and the individual, but we will also see to what photographic opportunities may arise during the trip. During our days in the Masai Mara, we will focus on photographing Africa’s big cats. Lions, leopards and cheetahs are very common in the areas we move through in the Masai Mara Nature reserve.
Despite our focus on the big cats, we will not give up good photo opportunities on “more common” species. Although the “migration” is not in the Masai Mara in January, grazing animals and birds are abundant here. We will work a lot with the “image” and try to create as nice and varied portfolio from the Masai Mara as possible. At sunrise and sunset we look for opportunities to photograph the Masai Mara wildlife against the colorful and often dramatic African sky. In addition, we will cover various techniques on how you can create movement in your images by e.g. to use panning as a method.

Eland i Masai Mara, Kenya. Fotoresa med Wild Nature fotoresor. Foto Magnus Martinsson

Itinerary

Day 1 23/1 (Lunch – Dinner)
Transport by bus from Nairobi to Aitong in the morning where we are met by our Masai guides for further transport to our tent camp. After arriving at our tent camp, will we get lunch and then get ready for our first game drive. Back in the tent camp after dark.

Day 2–6  (24 – 28/1) (Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner)
During the days in Masai Mara will we do a full-day game drives (breakfast and lunch are eaten outside in the park). We travel by jeep in the Masai Mara and are constantly looking for motifs. We have permits to drive off-road to increase our photo opportunities.

Day 7  (29/1)  (Breakfast – Lunch)
Morning game drive in the same way as before. After lunch will we drive to Aitong for further transport by bus Nairobi. The tour ends at Jomo Kenyatta Airport.

More information

  • GAME DRIVES
    On the trip we will have daily game drives. Days 2-6 we will have full-day game drives in the Masai Mara, this to increase our chances for good pictures. We have an off-road permit, which means we can drive off-road. Our game drives take place with open Toyota Landcrusiers that are specially built so that you can take photos from lower angles than is normally the case in a vehicle of this type. We have no restrictions on how many kilometers we can drive each day.
  • PHOTOGRAPHIC LEARNING
    On all our tours we have different theoretical photography workshops. These workshops are always related to the specific tour and can be anything from teaching different photography techniques or tips and tricks for image editing to talking about image composition or preparing for special photo opportunities on the trip.

    Throughout the trip, our photography leader provides active photography advice when we are out in the field. Everything for you to develop as a photographer and take fantastic pictures home with you.

  • PHOTO EQUIPMENT
    As we will be photographing many different types of subjects, everything from landscapes with and without animals to portraits of mammals and birds, it is advisable to bring everything from wide-angle lenses to telephoto lenses. On jeep safaris, lenses such as a zoom 80/100-400mm or 500mm are excellent. A 70-200 mm zoom should be supplemented with a longer focal length or 2x teleconverter. To increase the focal length, teleconverters should be used in certain situations. A crop-format body ostensibly turns 400mm into 600 or 640mm. With a full-frame body, you should have a 1.4x converter with you if the longest lens has a focal length of 400 mm. If you have access to two camera bodies, it is good to have both and have slightly different focal lengths on the bodies. This is to avoid having to change lenses if there is a lot of dust. Tripods are difficult to use in the jeeps, but can be useful when shooting on foot. Tripods can also be good if the opportunity arises for night photography.

  • CLOTHING
    Mornings can be a bit cool when traveling in the jeep, so it is good to bring a long-sleeved shirt or a jacket. A cap or hat can be good as protection from the sun. A pair of thicker trainers is the best choice for the feet. Comfortable field clothing with both long and short arms and legs is the best choice.

    There may be rain showers as we are traveling just before the “little rainy season”, so it is good to bring e.g. a rain poncho.

  • ACCOMMODATION
    We will stay in a tented camp of mid range standard. All tents have their own showers and toilets. Our meals are eaten in a “dinner tent”. Single rooms are severely limited in the tented camp.
    Contact us for more information about availability and price.

    WiFi is available in the camp.

  • ACCESSIBILITY
    The accommodation has no restrictions in terms of accessibility. The safari vehicles we use may mean a slightly reduced accessibility in case of reduced mobility.
  • INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
    Share in double room/tent, meals according to itinerary, transport by bus to/from Nairobi – Masai Mara.
    Full day game drives with local guides, Off-road permits, entrance fees and other fees related to the national park, photo guiding, photography workshops.
  • NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
    Round-trip flights to Nairobi, Kenya, tips, alcoholic beverages, visas, possible vaccinations and medical tests, insurance and other things of a personal nature.

    If you want to arrive in Nairobi the day before the tour starts, we can coordinate the booking of a hotel night at a hotel near the meeting point. Make a note in the booking form when booking if you are interested in an extra hotel night. We will of course get back with a price proposal before definitively booking a hotel night.

  • MEETING POINT
    The tour starts and ends in Nairobi, exact time location to be announced later. If you arrive the day before and have booked room and transport through us, we will of course meet you at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
  • VISA AND PASSPORT
    With effect from January, 2024, Kenya is a visa free country but travelers must complete an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). Please note: ETA applications must be made through www.etakenya.go.ke/en/evisa.html.
    Submissions for the eTA can be made up to 90 days prior to travel.

    Your passport has to be valid at least for 6 months after the day of arrival in Kenya.

  • PAYMENT TERMS
    The registration fee shall be paid after an invoice from us, right after your booking. The remaining amount shall be paid no later than 30 days before the trip. Payment will be in Swedish crowns (SEK). Amount in Euro and US dollars mentioned above are just reference amounts.

  • INSURANCE
    Contact your insurance company about travel insurance and cancellation insurance. We always recommend travel insurance that covers medical transports both at the destination and for transport home.
  • HEALTH AND VACCINATIONS
    Contact your doctor for advice on vaccinations. Also check any requirements for medical tests for entry into the country.
  • THE GROUP AND LANGUAGE
    Our tours are open to all nationalities, which means that the group can be international.
    The tour guides on our trips speak Swedish and English.
  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS
    Terms and conditions

Photographic leader

Magnus Martinsson, born in 1964, is a photographer, writer and natural geographer, living on Gotland since 1988. Since then, he has devoted himself to nature conservation issues in the profession. His interest in nature and photography has taken him on a large number of trips around the world and also given him deep knowledge of the Gotland homeland. Magnus contributes in various ways to conveying his knowledge to a broad public. He is a frequently engaged lecturer, excursion and travel leader. Magnus Martinsson is responsible for photos and text in a wide range of publications. As a member of the Naturfotograferna, he is one of the leading nature photographers in the country.

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    Big cats of Africa - Masai Mara, Kenya 23rd -29th January 2025

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