Kenya’s Big Cats

Without doubt one of the most popular destinations on most photographers list is to experience the sights and sounds of an East African Safari. The vast expanse of the open savannah with the huge numbers of game animals is a sight to behold and one the best experiences that you can witness in the natural world. This trip in Kenya’s Maasai Mara is designed by its very nature to concentrate on the big cats that prowl these open plains in search of prey.

We have run this special safari in the conservancy area of Mara North for 10 years now and this area has so much to offer the wildlife photographer in terms of space, species and at this time of year is relative quiet. We will be based at the comfortable Offbeat Mara camp which will allow us a good base to explore this wonderful area of the mara. We will have exclusive use of the camp for our entire stay and to experience the sounds of the African bush under a tented camp is a real highlight too.

The area we will be based in has excellent numbers of lion, cheetah, and leopard and these big cats will be the focus throughout, and we have the flexibility here to work off-road, from vehicles offering a row per photographer and without time pressures to get back to camp as the sun sets, so won’t miss any beautiful light. The guides/drivers that we use know this area of the mara well and know what we want to look for each day. Although we will come across and photograph other species along the way, this trip really is designed to maximise our time with the majestic big cats of the mara.

Day 1: We will look to arrive in Nairobi in the early evening after our international flights and will transfer to the comfortable hotel in Nairobi for our short overnight stay. (We will send out the flight recommendations nearer the time).

Day 2: In the morning and after breakfast we will head to Wilson Airport for our 45-minute flight to our camp in the Mara North Conservancy, in time to settle in, meet our local drivers and guides. After lunch we will head off for our first afternoon drive returning to camp after sunset before relaxing in front of the campfire and enjoying our first camp-based dinner. We have arranged for additional cargo seats for our flights and will therefore have an enhanced 26kg luggage allowance per person.

Days 3 – 9: This is a corner of Africa that is famous for its big cats – lion, leopard and cheetah which will be our main priorities for the week. The conservancy is an excellent location to work with all these species, we have the flexibility to work off road and in terms of times we must be back at camp and so we will never have to leave a leopard up a tree in great light to get back. There is a great discipline here too at sightings which means relaxed subjects and quality photography opportunities as a result. The pattern to each day will be similar – we will embark on our first drive before sunrise to locate our subjects in time for the magical early morning light and will continue until late morning or longer dependant on animal activity and light conditions with a short break for a light breakfast and refreshment during this morning drive. Every photographer will have a whole row of seats to themselves on each drive, ensuring ample space and flexibility for photography. On returning to camp there is time for lunch, a short rest, downloading images and time for some advice on your images and processing as you wish. We will return to our vehicles for an afternoon drive and return after capturing memorable silhouette shots as the sun sets before we look to relax by the campfire and ready for dinner. Each day will follow the same pattern, but we will concentrate on the main targets each drive and then work with them as the trip progresses, giving us maximum opportunities to produce a varied portfolio.

Day 10: We will have time for a final morning drive and a final breakfast by the side of the river before catching our return flight to Nairobi. We will have the chance to refresh at a comfortable airport hotel where we will base ourselves for the rest of the day and before our evening international flights home.

Day 11: Arrive home after our overnight flights.