Exclusive 8-Day Photo Tour to Kenya: BIG CATS

(February 22 – March 1, 2025) 

Would you like to photograph the big African cats (leopard, lion and cheetah) in a phenomenal place and learn more about it? I am organizing another wonderful guided photo trip to the Masai Mara Kenya in collaboration with WOW Safaris: 6 days of shooting in one of the most fantastic places on earth.

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The Masai Mara

The landscape of the Masai Mara is like many people imagine Africa: vast grasslands with the occasional tree, usually an acacia. This iconic reserve, located in the south west of the country, is set at an altitude of 1500 to 2100 meters. It is intersected by two major rivers, the Talek and the Mara. It is part of the Serengeti eco-system, which being over 30,000 square kilometers is one of the largest nature reserves in Africa.

Big cats

If you’ve ever been on safari, you might have noticed: there’s people who are interested in everything and ther’s people who especially really love cats. In this trip we will focus especially on those big cats: leopard, lion and cheetah. This means our main goal is to find them and wait for anything exciting to happen. For instance if we see a kill in a tree we will wait for that leopard to come back, even if it takes serveral hours. If we see lions late afternoon, we will sure wait till it cools down and they will start to move. 

Of course, we will stop for other animals. But the main focus is cats, cats, cats! 

Time and place

November to February is less busy than the high season and therefore ideal for photography. The typical and very recognizable open savanna landscape (with gently sloping hills and the occasional acacia tree) in the Mara offers great opportunities to take sunset and silhouette shots.

This trip goes to the so called ’triangle’. This is a conservancy that’s separate from the main reserve and therefor less visited and less crowded, which gives the animals more space to be.

Options

The focus is the game drives in the semi-open Landcruiser but optional guided bush walks, a visit to a local Masai village or even a hot air balloon ride can also be part of your experience. This is the perfect opportunity for exciting encounters and great photography!

a selection of my big cats images, mostly from Kenya

Details

Overnight stays

The first night you’ll sleep in the Progressive Park Hotel in the capital Nairobi. The next day we’ll start early with the 4 to 5 hour drive to the Masaai Mara where we should arrive around lunchtime.

We stay in a beautiful lodge in the middle of the Mara Triangle: Mara Serena Safari Lodge. The accommodation offers twin and double rooms, each with their own ensuite bathroom. They all have a private balcony that overlooks the Masai Mara: breath taking!

The lodge also offers a swimming pool, wifi, a nice restaurant and even a spa and a gym.

Our safari vehicles

We go out on a drive in the reserve daily. We use semi-open 4×4 safari Landcruisers: the perfect way to see animals and take pictures!

Six clients normally fit in such a vehicle, but because we want to give you the best opportunity to take beautiful pictures, we will never be in the car with more than three clients (we will sit in the front seat next to our guide – in the back there’s three rows of seats, so a full row available to every guest). This way, everyone has enough space for their camera equipment and you can easily shoot from both sides of the car. In addition, the roof can also be opened, so you can also photograph from a higher vantage point (ideal when the grass is a bit higher).

Your guides and tour hosts

An experienced guide will accompany you from WOW Safaris who will drive the car, manage the communication via radio and telephone (with which we are in contact with other cars in the area) and who has the final responsibility. He is a guide who is also used to working with (professional) photographers or film crews, which means that he knows how to position the car ideally for photography and how you can play with the light as a photographer or videographer. And of course, he knows everything about animal behaviour and their movements.

In addition, I will accompany you as a photographer. That means I can teach you a lot about wildlife photography. Think of the right camera settings (which are very different for wildlife than, for example, portrait photography or weddings), how you can make optimal use of the light, and how you can create creative wildlife images with special techniques. I do this during the drives, but also in camp where I can help you with tips for selecting or post-processing your photos in Lightroom.

A second vehicle will be added to the trip in case I have enough bookings for that. This second vehicle will also have a driver/guide from WOW Safaris and a second WOW-guide who is a very experienced wildlife photographer. During the week we will swap everyone in such a way that you’ll learn lots from all of us!

Equipment

It is recommended that you bring a camera that you are familiar with. If you have a second camera, be sure to take it with you as a backup or to quickly change swap to another lens. I recommend a wide-angle lens to take beautiful landscape photos and a telephoto (zoom) lens to bring animals closer. Think of a lens that can go up to 400, 500 or even 600 mm. Bean bags to support your lens are provided in the cars. An extender is certainly useful, although you will probably want to remove it in the evening to make your lens a bit brighter. Renting equipment is also an option! If you are not sure about your gear, please contact me.

Also remember to bring enough storage with you, also to make a backup if necessary. A laptop or many memory cards are not a superfluous luxury!

Extras

I offer this photo tour with one overnight stay in Nairobi (most flights from abroad arrive late at night), six nights in the Mara, transfer from the airport to the hotel and transfer forth and back to the Masai Mara. If you want to extend your holiday with a visit to one of the other reserves in Kenya, a stay on the coast, or if you want to fly on to Southern Africa, that is of course possible. I have contacts in both Kenya and Southern Africa who can help you with this, but of course you can also make further arrangements yourself.

What does a safari day look like?

We almost always set off early, just before sunrise. This way we know for sure that we can shoot in the best light! The days will not always be the same. Sometimes we’ll leave early, pack breakfast and stay out until lunchtime. And then we go back into the park at the end of the afternoon. But it is also possible to go shooting for a full day, with breakfast and lunch on the way. We will then be back in camp just after sunset. We look at this on the spot, depending on where the bigs cats are at that moment and everyone’s wishes.

And do you want to do nothing for (a part of) the day and read a book by the pool or work on your photos? Of course you can!

Why is this specifically a photo tour?

• there’s plenty of space in the cars, nobody has to sit in the middle
• the local guide also photograph or film himself and can therefore help us find the right angle or the best light – and of course he is very knowledgeable about the animals and their behavior
• as a wildlife photographer I can help you take the best photo (and also tell you something about most animals)
• there is no rush to find the next animal and check off a list; we take pictures as long as we want and no one asks ‘are you ready yet?’ – you’re with like-minded people!
• back at camp there is plenty of time to view and edit photos, learn from each other and talk about photography for hours!

The practical stuff

Travel dates: February 22 – March 1, 2025

Cost: USD 3895 per person

The total costs are based on a double room, with a 30% deposit at the time of booking. Would you rather not share a room? That is of course also possible. If you send me a message I can tell you the price for this. The payment and price is in US dollars because you book directly with WOW safaris which is located in Kenya.

Program:

Day 1: arrival in Nairobi at the Progressive Park Hotel, first meeting
Day 2: early transfer from Nairobi to Mara Serena; lunch and afternoon game drive
Day 3: overnight Mara Serena, photography
Day 4: overnight Mara Serena, photography
Day 5: overnight Mara Serena, photography
Day 6: overnight Mara Serena, photography
Day 7: overnight Mara Serena, photography
Day 8: morning game drive, then transfer to Nairobi, arrival late afternoon 

What is included?

• transfer on day 1 from the airport to the hotel
• 1 nights in Nairobi Progressive Park Hotel (bed & breakfast)
• transfer to and from the Masai Mara (about 275 km one way) with our own cars
• 6 nights accommodation at Mara Serena (full board)
• all game drives with our own private cars (max 3 clients per car) and each with a qualified guide and photographer
• entrance fee Masai Mara (conservation levy; subject to price changes)
• all meals (except lunch and dinner on day 1 (air travel) and lunch and dinner on day 8)
• coffee, tea and water

What’s not included?

• your flight to and from Kenya
• visa costs (currently $51, available online from the official website of the Kenyan government)
• any travel vaccinations and personal travel insurance
• soft drinks and alcoholic drinks
• tip and souvenirs