Bringing Photographers Closer to Their Natural World
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Kenya Photo Safari Typical Workshop Schedule Fees and What Is Included Payment, Discounts, Cancellation, Refund Policies What to Bring Return to Schedule of Offerings Return to Roger Devore's Bio Page For a bunch more images from our 2009 trip. click here.
P © Roger Devore Kenya July 11-July 26, 2010
©Roger Devore
After several years of enthusiastic encouragement from Jack McLeod, I finally traveled to Kenya for my first safari in January, 2007. What I found was wildlife that surpassed anything that I had ever imagined. Through Jack’s experience and leadership, we visited three separate locations and observed and photographed all the famous African species and many others that were just as intriguing from a photography stand point. Every day in each location was different and we were constantly stopping to photograph new wildlife in new situations. Since 2007, I have returned to Kenya twice more for additional trips, one in 2008 and one in 2009. Each trip was an adventure unsurpassed by anywhere else I have traveled. I expected the mammals in Kenya to be unsurpassed, but what surprised me was the incredible bird photography opportunities. The landscape also offers wonderful sunrise and sunset images. Based on my experiences and guides recommendations, I have decided there is no bad time to visit Kenya. The advantage of the summer months is the migration and I chose to schedule this workshop in July which will be in the middle of the huge wildebeest and zebra migration in the Masai Mara. Approximately 1.5 million wildebeest migrate each year and we will be there to capture their journey and river crossings in camera. Following are all the details for this once in a lifetime trip.
Kenya is a country about the size of Texas that has preserved much natural land in reserves and parks. We will visit the three very best areas in the country. We will start out in Samburu National Reserve northwest of Nairobi. This reserve is a wonderful location to find the ever illusive leopard. There are also large numbers of elephants in the Samburu and the area also has five species that are not found anywhere else in Kenya: gerenuk gazelle, reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, Beisa oryx, and the Somali ostrich. From the Samburu, we will next travel south to Lake Nakuru. Here we will find thousands of flamingos and along the lake side. This is also wonderful country for pelicans, fish eagles, and rhinos (both white & black). Lake Nakuru is also known as the bird capital of Kenya. Our last stop will be the crown jewel of Kenya, the Masai Mara. This is the best of big cat country with cheetahs and lions seen daily and leopards also frequently found. Elephants are also very abundant in the Mara and this is also the scene for the huge migrations of wildebeest and zebras, where we will do our best to observe and photograph a Mara River Crossing. Here is a day to day schedule of our trip: July 11 - depart U.S. July 12 - arrive in Nairobi, we will be met by our safari outfitter and taken to the Karen Blixen (of Out Of Africa fame) Cottages in a Nairobi suburb to over night. July 13-15 - Samburu Reserve, we will travel from Nairobi to Samburu. We will spend three nights in Samburu. July 16-17 - drive to Lake Nakuru. We will spend two nights at Lake Nakuru. July 18-20 - drive to Mara and spend three nights at first Mara location. July 21-24 - move to a different location in the Mara and spend four more nights. July 25 - fly back to Nairobi. Day room at Karen Blixen Cottages. Depart that evening to fly home. Our drivers will drop us at the airport. July 26 - arrive back in U.S. Mara Only Option July 16 - July 26, 2010
©Roger Devore ©Roger Devore
This year, we are also offering only the Masai Mara portion of the trip as an option for people who can not be gone for the entire above trip. For this option, you would arrive in Nairobi on July 17 and join the itinerary above for the full week in the Mara.
Amboseli Extension July 7 - July 12, 2010
Amboseli is another Kenyan park located near the Tanzanian border. It is famous for the best views of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the largest elephant herds in Kenya. It also has much wet land areas fed by springs which provide a green backdrop for wildlife images. The wetlands are also a very good location for birds. This extension is also an option that can be added to the Basic Trip if you are looking for even more from your Kenya adventure. Extension Itinerary July 7 - Depart US July 8 - Arrive in Nairobi, overnight at Karen Blixen Cottages. July 9 - 11 - Drive to Amboseli, spend three nights. July 12 - Return to Nairobi for the Basic Trip above.
At some locations, we will stay in tent camps, but to call these quarters tents is a grave injustice. They do have canvas sides, but these tents are very large, they must be at least 10 foot height on the inside. They are built on decks with a hard floor and thatched roofs that cover the entire tent. Additionally, each tent has its own bathroom with a shower and flush toilet. All the tents also have four poster beds and electricity. These camps preserve the old safari tradition and also have the benefits of a modern motel. Each morning your wake up call will be someone delivering coffee, tea, or hot chocolate to your room. In other locations, we will stay in more conventional lodges very similar to those back home.
We will travel in very versatile, specially modified Land Rovers. These vehicles are designed for eight passengers plus the driver, and many trips fill them up with people. We will put three photographers in each vehicle. Each person will have his/her own row of seats to spread out with camera gear. Additionally, each person will have their own overhead hatch to work from. This allows a full 360 degree view for photographing, no matter where the subject is located. The Land Rovers are four wheel drive and very ruggedly built to handle mud and river crossings. The animals are accustomed to these vehicles being around in the parks and basically ignore them. It is not uncommon for a lion to walk right up to the van. Much of the expense of this trip is due to the limited number of people we have in each vehicle, but this configuration provides the very best photographic opportunities. The single most important ingredient for a successful photo safaris are the guides and our drivers/guides are the very best in Kenya. Each of them is licensed by the country and have over twenty years of experience. Besides being skillful drivers in every situation, they are also all extremely knowledgeable about all the wildlife that we will encounter. They are eager to answer any questions and always ready to position the vehicles for the best light and location for each photograph. We have hand picked the guides for photo safari experience and we know them for our prior safaris. By the time you leave to head for home, you will have new Kenyan friends that have led you during you stay. On the last safari, the persistence of our drivers got us thirty minutes of unobstructed photography with a leopard. At one point, there were at least ten different vans looking for this leopard, but all the other vans except ours gave up and left before the leopard appeared from its hiding place. The experience of our drivers made for some wonderful leopard images.
A typical safari day starts at 6:30 am as we depart camp for sunrise and the warm early morning light. Our drivers will bring along a box lunch for each of us for breakfast and we will stop and eat sometime during the morning. We will continue to photograph until around 11:00 - 12:00 pm. When the sun gets high and the light gets bad, we will return to camp to down load, recharge, and have lunch. There is also time for a swim at the camp pool or a nap. At 4:15 pm, we will meet again at the vehicles and head out for our second game drive. This one will be shorter and we will be back at camp soon after sunset at around 6:30 pm. We will then have dinner and coordinate our next morning wake up call.
Species we are likely to see and photograph:
Birds:
What is included: all accommodations and meals all government hotel taxes and service charges all land transportation in safari vehicles all National Park / reserve entrance fees all Kenya internal air transportation as specified in itinerary all portage and airport assistance all bottled water KPSGA certified guides Temporary Flying Doctor (AMREF) emergency evacuation to Nairobi Not Included: air fare from U.S. to Kenya laundry, beverages (coffee and tea are included), and other personal expenses tips to camp employees gratuities to driver/guides Visa fees Non Photographer Option We will also offer one seat at a discount in each vehicle as a non photographer location. This person will ride in the front of the vehicle next to the driver and will have full access to left front window. This person will not have access to an overhead hatch and can photograph only from the window in the door. This extra person will not affect the other locations in the van and each photographer will still have the same area available if we add a person in the front of the van
©Roger Devore ©Roger Devore Cost: Basic Trip (3 Locations) - $8900, single supplement $1430, Non Photographer Discount $1000 Masai Mara Only Option - $6300, single supplement $950, Non Photographer Discount $700 Amboseli Extension - $2500, single supplement $300, Non Photographer Discount $400 If requested, we will help you find a roommate, but if not found, you will be at the single rate. Deposit $1000 required at registration, balance due Apr 01, 2010. Cancellation penalties (dictated by outfitter): Outside 120 days - 50% of deposit 120- 60 days prior - 100% of deposit + 10% of balance of trip Inside 60 days - no refunds Minimum 4 Total People For Trip to Operate. We recommend trip insurance for this trip. Travel to Kenya For at least the past decade, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory for travel to Kenya. I believe this started with the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi around ten years ago. Jack did extensive research with the State Department and the U.S. embassy in Nairobi concerning the dangers of a trip such as this safari. Traveling anywhere in today’s climate is not riskless, but both agencies agreed there would be minimal danger in this trip. The person at the embassy said she was not afraid at all in Nairobi and she was making plans to bring her parents over for a visit. We will spend minimal time in the cities and almost all of our time in the parks. We will be met at airport by our outfitter and driven by private van to our motel. We will not be traveling alone, but always escorted. Our outfitter has been leading safaris for many years and U.S. photo workshops have been operating in Kenya for twenty years without incident. We believe that Kenya is no more dangerous than many other places through out the world where Americans travel every day. If you a person interested in wildlife photography, Kenya is unequaled anywhere on earth. The number of animals, variety of species, and the proximity to our van make each day a new and different adventure. Kenya is now actively preserving its wildlife, hunting is illegal everywhere in the country. No where else can give you this type of photo experience. I hope you can join us and witness the Kenyan wildlife yourself. We anticipate this workshop will fill quickly, so sign up soon if you want to go. "I can never thank
Roger enough for the trip to Africa. It was very well planned to the last
detail. David and Felix were the best guides in Africa. The chefs always
cheerfully prepared my food to avoid my food allergies. the accommodations were
excellent, especially the tents. Every day we saw lions and monkeys. The jackals
with smiles on their faces captured my heart. In addition we photographed
leopards, elephants, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes and a mother hyena nursing her
young. I could go on and on but you get the idea. It was fantastic!"
Penny, Coco Beach, FL
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