7 days · Kenya · Photographic safari
Maasai Mara Photographic Safari
The Maasai Mara has some of the highest densities of big cats in Africa and wide, open grassland that makes for clean, uncluttered images. We split your time between a private conservancy, where off-road driving and fewer vehicles let you work a sighting properly, and the main reserve along the Mara River.
Enquire about this safariDuration
7 days / 6 nights
Route
Nairobi · Mara conservancy · Maasai Mara Reserve
Best time
July–October for river crossings · year-round for big cats
Ideal for
Photographers of every level
Space to work a sighting
Great wildlife images need time and space, and that is what this safari is designed to give you. The private conservancies bordering the reserve limit the number of vehicles at each sighting and allow off-road driving, so your guide can move to put the light behind you or a clean horizon behind a cheetah. Your vehicle carries no more than three guests, each with a window and roof hatch, and is fitted with bean bags, camera mounts and charging points. Game drives start before sunrise and finish after sunset, with a long midday break to rest and review images. In the second half of the trip you move into the main reserve, close to the Mara River, where from July to October the migration herds can cross in their thousands.
Itinerary
Day by day
A sample route. Camps, timing and the conservancy we choose shift with the season and the wildlife.
Day 1 · Arrive in Nairobi
Met at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and taken to a quiet garden hotel. In the evening your guide talks through your equipment and the shots you hope to get.
Day 2 · Fly to the Mara
A short light-aircraft flight over the Rift Valley to a conservancy airstrip, with your first game drive on the way to camp in the warm afternoon light.
Days 3–4 · Conservancy light
Full days with lion prides, cheetah and leopard. Off-road driving lets your guide position the vehicle for the best angle, and night drives, where permitted, add the chance to photograph hyena, genet and other nocturnal animals.
Days 5–6 · The Mara River
Move into the main reserve to a camp near the river. In crossing season you wait at the right point on the bank for wildebeest to plunge into the water. At other times, hippos, crocodiles and the big plains game keep the cameras busy.
Day 7 · Departure
A final sunrise drive, then a flight back to Nairobi for your onward connection.
Extend your journey
Add Amboseli for elephants beneath Kilimanjaro, cross into Tanzania for the Serengeti, or finish with a few nights on Zanzibar.
Included
— Private photographic vehicle, maximum three guests
— A window and roof hatch for every guest
— Bean bags, camera mounts and in-vehicle charging
— Professional guide experienced with photographers
— Off-road access in the conservancy
— All park and conservancy fees
— Accommodation and meals as per itinerary
— Return light-aircraft flights Nairobi–Mara
— Airport transfers and 24/7 support
Not included
— International flights and visas
— Travel insurance (required)
— Camera equipment and lens hire
— Optional balloon safari
— Tips for guides and camp staff
— Premium drinks and personal items
Join us for a photographic safari
Tell us what you shoot with, what you most want to photograph and when you can travel. We will match you with the right guide, season and camps.
Enquire now