Photo safari, Masai Mara, Kenya

Join Ann Aveyard, an award winning wildlife photographer, on an exclusive  photographic safari to the Masai Mara in Kenya. The Masai Mara is known as one of the world’s most famous wildlife areas; it has endless plains, breath-taking vistas and abundant wildlife. More than 40% of Africa’s larger animals can be found here and it also has an abundance of bird life, it truly is a wildlife photographers’ paradise. It will be a small group of between 2 and 4 photographers , ensuring that each participant receives adequate support with their photography, with Ann as your photographic leader.

Ann has travelled to the Masai Mara many times, and has an excellent knowledge of the area. Complete beginners to more experienced photographers are welcome, the aim of the trip is always to have a wonderful experience with like-minded people who have a love of wildlife. We will spend time with the wildlife, observing their behaviour, sitting with them and waiting for them to ‘do their thing’.  This is when the magic happens and makes more compelling images, from a lion’s yawn to two elephants entwining trunks. ​

Tour in detail

There is no single supplement charge. The first night, on arrival in Nairobi,  we will be staying at a luxury hotel near the airport.  The following day we will fly out to the Masai Mara and we will be staying at the Governors Main Camp, which is nestled along the winding banks of the Mara River, right in the heart of the Masai Mara National  Reserve.  The area next to the camp, the Musiera Marsh, is well known for being the home to the Marsh Pride of Lions, which were featured in the BBC documentary series ‘The Big Cat Diary”.

The entire camp is under canvas with all the comforts of a luxury hotel.  Some of the 25 tents line the riverbank, tucked into the forest they enjoy uninterrupted views of the Mara River, others have views across the sweeping plains of the Masai Mara.  The tents are big, bright and  allow in lots of natural light. All tents are classic safari style each with en suite bathrooms and a private verandah.  The tents have electric lights and 220 Volt UK plugs for charging cameras and phones. Wifi is available in the camp. There is a bar tent with a deck overlooking the Mara River and a dining tent with amazing views over the plains.​

We will spend 6 days (5 nights) in our safari camp with a flexible approach to our game drives to optimise our time for photography. Each day begins with tea, coffee and biscuits in your tent before we leave, before sun rise,  for our first game drive of the day. We will be using open jeeps which gives us good viewing access for photography and our guide is qualified and very experienced at finding wildlife sightings. We will have breakfast out in the bush every day and some days we will return to our camp for lunch and a short break before heading out for our afternoon game drive.

The routine is extremely flexible to optimise photography opportunities and we may decide to stay out all day, taking a picnic breakfast and lunch and returning to camp at the end of the afternoon.  Ann will be with you to give advice on photography and camera settings and help you to create some wonderful images. She is also available to give advice on Photoshop and editing your images.