KENYA WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY SAFARI – MAASAI MARA

KENYA WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY SAFARI – MAASAI MARA

Come on the wildlife photography holiday of a lifetime with us!

I’ve been running African photo safaris – tailor made for photographers – since 2013 with fellow pro wildlife photographer and friend Alan Hewitt. Our company is called African Photography Safaris.

The atmosphere is always fun and relaxed on our safaris, as well as being a place to learn more about your camera settings and how to take fantastic photos of Africa’s incredible wildlife. Join us round the camp fire with a beer / glass of wine to discuss the highlights of the day. We contribute to local conservation with approx. £800 per person going directly to the wildlife conservancy areas, plus the Mara Predator Project and Ol Chorro Rhino Sanctuary. I’m also a pro filmmaker, so if you’re interested in learning your camera’s video functions, I’ll be happy to help.

Take a look at our safaris here:

Description


This video sums up what it’s like to be on one of our safaris (best seen full screen with the sound up)

“I just wanted to say thank you for hosting such a great trip – I have so many lovely memories and I am re-living them now as I sort out my photos. The migration crossing was something that I have always wanted to see so it was fantastic to have such a wonderful view.”
~ Linda Gould, UK: 2019 and 2022 safaris

“Wow…. what can I say!!

Thank you both so much for another unforgettable experience. I didn’t think it could get any better than last year…..yes it did!! The accommodation at House in the Wild was even better and Purity’s cooking….wonderful food. I learned new photographic techniques from both of you as well as much more knowledge regarding the habitat / wildlife / conservation of the Conservancies and the Mara from our wonderful guides Moses and Boston.

I would have no hesitation in recommending this safari to any wildlife photographer and those who also combine it with wildlife conservation. To all those thinking about this kind of safari I would say ‘go for it’. You will not regret making that decision.”

~ Sue Veal, UK: 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2022 safaris with us. We’re very proud that several people have enjoyed themselves so much, that they return with us

From the moment I booked the photography trip to the Maasai Mara with Kaleel and Alan I was excited and thought this will be a ‘once in a lifetime adventure!’ The dreams I had going there made me so excited and they all became reality. Thinking back on this adventure brings back so many lovely memories and great sightings which enabled us to take wonderful images of the wildlife and the incredible landscapes and sundowners in the Maasai Mara.

Alan and Kaleel shared their knowledge and skills in photography with great passion resulting in improvement of the skills of our group and myself.

Photography is dealing with and anticipating the light conditions and how light creates the atmosphere of an image. To me this was so useful to learn about and the light in the Maasai Mara was so magic sometimes. Being with guides around who have an eye for the light as well and two professionals who helped us out in certain situations resulted in great pictures from everyone.

Every time when we went out we were rewarded with beautiful sightings. Thanks to our very good guides, Moses and Boston, every day had its own ‘big surprise’. It was not only about lions from the Lemek pride or local leopards which we saw a lot, but surely also all other animals, from small ones to the Big Five and you’ll start to love every species around and learn about them too.

After a day of photography ‘coming home’ to the House in the Wild is indeed a sort of homecoming. What an awesome place with lovely, heart warming staff and fantastic food. I’ll never forget that piece of beef from the local cows. Wow!

When I came home and shared my experience with family and friends by showing them my images and telling them the stories behind the image. I realized that this was not a once in a lifetime adventure; I definitely will return and go ‘home’ again.

~ Martin van Herwaarden, Netherlands: 2018 safari

Having just returned from an amazing safari with Kaleel and Alan with fantastic photographs I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone thinking about going.

The accommodation at House in the Wild was so friendly with brilliant meals & nothing was too much trouble. Our two guides, Moses and Boston were so knowledgable about the area & wildlife. They knew how to position the vehicles to get the ‘best’ shots & both Alan & Kaleel were giving us guidance around settings & when cameras weren’t working correctly.

The wildlife we saw throughout the trip was fascinating & no two days were alike. I would definitely like to return one day.

~Ann Tyson, UK: 2018 and 2022 safaris

I went on the trip to Kenya in September 2018. This was something I have always dreamed of doing, as I have always been interested and watch many programmes with wildlife in them. Combined with the prospect of early retirement looming, my wife who was a non photographer and didn’t like being too close to animals, decided that she would come along to see my face light up.

The whole experience of this trip has surpassed my expectations, I had to continually nip my arm to see if I would wake up. Somehow it just didn’t seem real for the first couple of days.

The House in the Wild was a lot better than I expected and the staff are really second to none. We were treated like king and queen: much better than five star service with nothing a problem. As we were a couple, we had our own cottage to ourselves with a 4 poster bed and a huge bathroom. After the morning and afternoon drives, refreshments were always on hand. One time we arrived back in the rain and staff were there to greet us with umbrellas so we didn’t get wet. The food was simple but delicious and well varied each night.

The safari guide Moses is an absolute legend and a gentleman, it’s unbelievable how he tracks and find these fabulous animals, and his knowledge is awesome. He got us into the right spot to take our photos and would even move the car a couple inches for you to get the view.

As far as the photography went Alan was always on hand to give you tips and as much instruction time as you needed, even with the editing over a beer or two.

I did learn a lot from this trip, but not as much as my wife did! Alan went through her new point-and-shoot camera and adjusted all her settings to get the best photos and how to tweak the settings as the light etc changed. Did she enjoy it? Well, put it this way: 3,000 photos later and when it was time to leave she actually cried when the plane left the runway.

Will we endorse this trip and would we go back? Definitely!!!!

I won’t look at other holidays in the same light now after this experience. It was the first week-long holiday that seemed to last two weeks. Only downside is going through 5,000 photos after a quick culling, but the memories will last..till the next time we visit.

~ Paul & Debbie Kidd, UK: 2018 safari no. 2 with my business partner, Alan.

Additional information

Date

15 – 22 Aug 2021

International Flights

You are of course welcome to use any travel agent or book flights directly, but we use a trusted travel agent that is reliable for group bookings. Travel Bureau in Newcastle already have the itinerary for this safari and can take the hassle out of the booking process. They charge a small transaction fee of about £30. If you’d like to book your flights through Travel Bureau, give Antonia a call on +44 191 285 0346 or email her at [email protected]. She’s very helpful and can also arrange travel insurance if you need it. Alternatively, if you’re happy negotiating the bewildering plethora of internet flight search engines and the multitude of options they present, here are some of the ones I’ve used in the past: ebookers, kayak, cheapflights, expedia. Or just type ‘flight searches’ into a search engine. Having said that, it mainly seems to be KLM / Air France / Kenya Airways who operate on the route and times we need.

Flights to and from the Mara

Safari Link handle the Nairobi to Mara Ngerende flights at http://www.flysafarilink.com. Don\\'t worry about the extra baggage allowance; we\\'ll handle that and book enough extra for everyone. Safari Link\\'s customer service people are very helpful if you need to ask them anything.

Accommodation

Based on same-sex twin rooms or couples sharing a double room. If you\\'d like a guaranteed room to yourself, please add the single supplement fee on.

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