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The Magic of the Mara

This is an old and archived page. This photo safari has been superseded by our Magic of the Mara photographic safari.

Masai Mara Big Cat Photo Safari

Join us in the Maasai Mara, Kenya, on a big cat photo safari to photograph lions, leopards and cheetahs, staying in a private camp, reserved just for us. Aside from cats, the Mara provides a particularly large density of other wildlife too, presenting a wonderful opportunity to also see elephant, giraffe, zebra many birds and more. If we're lucky, we may even see a black rhino or the elusive caracal.

DETAILS

Group size
Our safari accommodates 12 guests with a maxmimum of 3 guests per vehicle, allowing for an entire row of seats for each photographer, providing ample scope, space and flexibility for photography, even with the largest lenses.

All experience levels welcome
This big cat photo safari is open to, and has catered for, photographers of all skill levels. Regardless of your experience we aim to get you taking better photos and understanding more about your camera before your safari comes to an end.

The camp
Entim Private, is a luxury camp with eight large Meru style tents with full bathroom facilities and solar powered electricity to enable battery charging during the mealtimes and evenings. The camp is situated right on one of the main crossing points of the Mara River, inside the reserve. Lion, cheetah and leopard are often found close by.

Photographic vehicles
Our new vehicles have been selected with photographers in mind, offering open sides to allow plenty of room to accomodate even the largest telephoto lenses and hatched roof panels to allow high level shooting when needed. There are a limited amount of beanbags in camp, however it is recommend to bring your own beanbag and have it filled upon arrivial.

Ground transportation
Because the internal flights into the Mara are on smaller aircraft there is a strict weight restriction on luggage of only 15kg. Photographers typically carry weights far in access of this, so we provide transportation for your main suitcases to the camp by road.

Free eBook
Included in the tour price is an exclusive 36-page ebook entitled Photographing Wildlife in The Maasai Mara. Other documentation includes animal and bird lists, rules and ethics guidelines, and detailed maps of the area.

iMac workstations
Our camp offers a media tent with iMac workstations loaded with Photoshop and Lightroom, allowing opportunity to backup your images and make edits. An introduction to Lightroom workshop will also be held during the week, covering basic workflows and editing techniques.

In-camp workshops
During down time in camp, there is also plenty of opportunity for mini-workshops which can cover anything from basic settings to focusing techniques and more in depth image processing.

Optional
We offer two excursions which are optional and at additional cost to the main safari: a balloon ride with champagne breakfast or visit a nearby Maasai village. In either case you do not have to make a decision on whether to join these acitivites until you are in camp.

Group size
Our safari accommodates 12 guests with a maxmimum of 3 guests per vehicle, allowing for an entire row of seats for each photographer, providing ample scope, space and flexibility for photography, even with the largest lenses.

All experience levels welcome
This big cat photo safari is open to, and has catered for, photographers of all skill levels. Regardless of your experience we aim to get you taking better photos and understanding more about your camera before your safari comes to an end.

The camp
Entim Private, is a luxury camp with eight large Meru style tents with full bathroom facilities and solar powered electricity to enable battery charging during the mealtimes and evenings. The camp is situated right on one of the main crossing points of the Mara River, inside the reserve. Lion, cheetah and leopard are often found close by.

Photographic vehicles
Our new vehicles have been selected with photographers in mind, offering open sides to allow plenty of room to accomodate even the largest telephoto lenses and hatched roof panels to allow high level shooting when needed. There are a limited amount of beanbags in camp, however it is recommend to bring your own beanbag and have it filled upon arrivial.

Ground transportation
Because the internal flights into the Mara are on smaller aircraft there is a strict weight restriction on luggage of only 15kg. Photographers typically carry weights far in access of this, so we provide transportation for your main suitcases to the camp by road.

Free eBook
Included in the tour price is an exclusive 36-page ebook entitled Photographing Wildlife in The Maasai Mara. Other documentation includes animal and bird lists, rules and ethics guidelines, and detailed maps of the area.

iMac workstations
Our camp offers a media tent with iMac workstations loaded with Photoshop and Lightroom, allowing opportunity to backup your images and make edits. An introduction to Lightroom workshop will also be held during the week, covering basic workflows and editing techniques.

In-camp workshops
During down time in camp, there is also plenty of opportunity for mini-workshops which can cover anything from basic settings to focusing techniques and more in depth image processing.

Optional
We offer two excursions which are optional and at additional cost to the main safari: a balloon ride with champagne breakfast or visit a nearby Maasai village. In either case you do not have to make a decision on whether to join these acitivites until you are in camp.

GUIDES

Richard Peters is a Nikon Ambassador with a style that often favours dramatic light and contrast. He offers a relaxed, down-to-earth approach to his guiding and has won multiple international awards including twice in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. He is also one of the only British photographers to have recieved the accolade of European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, alongside being a judge for both that and other international photography competitions.

TESTIMONIALS

N Kingston

As a fan of Richard Peters’ work I was delighted when my wife booked a 6 hour one-to-one workshop for my birthday. I have enjoyed taking wildlife photographs for a long time, gradually improving but realised I was taking the same old photographs. It was time for a new approach, good advice and a fresh pair of eyes. Upon arrival to our workshop, Richard bought me a coffee and we sat down to a short portfolio review. Richard looked at how I had composed, cropped and processed my images using Lightroom and suggested options and alternatives. It was a fantastic eye opener to have professional opinion and critique and Richard shared his technical skills and passion for photography, along with some methods of using light creatively. This Lightroom overview helped me learn some great shortcuts, which have since made a big improvement to my workflow. A run through of important camera settings, lots of questions from me and lots of great answers from Richard and we set off with our cameras to put the theory into practice. We soon spotted a very co-operative heron in some great light, I snapped away listening to Richards tips and it was great to see my shot then the next shot with Richards suggestions incorporated (you could really see the difference). The afternoon ended with an amazing sunset and, taking Richards advice, I waited until the sun had dropped low enough to experiment with backlighting. The 6 hours flew by and it was a fantastic day, with advice and encouragement from Richard throughout, and some great shots on the camera. Richard’s knowledge, and ability to pass it on in easy to understand ways, made this a valuable experience for me to push my photograph forward and help turn the same old photos into something new. Thank you!

K Bangs

As a relative newcomer to the world of photography, I booked a one-to-one with Richard with only 4 months experience of using a DSLR camera.

My aim was to improve my overall understanding of the different settings, including manual, with an overall objective to improve my wildlife photography (off the auto setting!) prior to my impending holiday to Africa. One of the specific issues I had been finding tricky was focusing on moving subjects, Richard soon put me on the right track and resolved this.

Richard also provided me with lots of well explained advice around different camera settings and image composition, which we put into practice throughout the day. I opted for the image review at the start of the session, I found this particularly useful as it helped highlight any areas that needed development during the session and also increased my confidence through the constructive feedback. Overall the workshop was really beneficial in terms of improving my knowledge and understanding, but it was also a really enjoyable day.

I would highly recommend a one-to-one to anyone wishing to develop their skills.

T Gehlot

Having seen Richard’s incredible work I was naturally a little intimidated when I initially booked my one-to-one with him. However he immediately made me feel at ease with his humour and friendly nature and our workshop had a great flow and was well thought out.

What I loved the most is that it was informative yet open and relaxed. Richard is a humble and passionate photographer who was very willing to share his tips and tricks and as a result of only a few hours together, I now have a much better understanding of where I am as a photographer and the areas I need to concentrate on to improve my photographic skills.

I wasn't sure going in how much benefit I would get from my workshop but it exceeded my expectations, everything was explained with great clarity and it inspired me to be more creative and confident.

Richard's knowledge and demeanour left me eager to push my photography further and once I’ve hit my next set of challenges, I’ll look forward to booking in again to learn more! Richard, thank you for such a wonderful experience.

ITINERARY

Day 1: We are picked up from Nairobi Airport on arrival by our driver and onto the Serena Hotel in Nairobi, where we will all meet and introduce ourselves.

Day 2: An early breakfast at 7am before a 15 minute transfer to Wilson Airport to catch our 10:00am flight to our camp in the Maasai Mara. Flight time is just under an hour so we arrive at camp for a welcome and introduction, lunch and a short rest ahead of our first afternoon drive. We return to camp just before 7pm with plenty of time to freshen up and have drinks by the camp fire ahead of dinner.

Day 3: This is our first full day in the Mara. Morning drives begin at around 6:00 am and continue until late morning or longer, depending on animal activity and light that day. The morning drive includes a 45 minute break for a picnic breakfast and refreshments. Once back at camp there is time to rest, freshen up, use the iMac workstations, have lunch and grab a cool drink or two. Then at 4pm we head out for a late afternoon drive returning at sunset at about 7pm. That evening we can relax in front of the boma (camp fire) for drinks with dinner at about 8pm.

Day 4: As day 3.
Day 5: As day 3.
Day 6: As day 3.
Day 7: As day 3.

Day 8: We have time for a short 2 hour morning drive before returning to camp at 8:30 for breakfast and transfer to the airstrip and flight on to Nairobi. For the remainder of that afternoon and evening we can just relax at the Serena Hotel by the pool or at the bar before final transfer to Nairobi International Airport.

PRICE & DATES

What’s included

  • One night Serena Hotel stay in Nairobi
  • Internal flights to and from the Maasai Mara from Wilson airport
  • All airport transfers in Kenya
  • Ground transportation of luggage
  • Six nights accomodation and all meals at Entim Camp
  • Hire of vehicles and guides for game drives and park fees
  • Flying doctor emergency medical service
  • Local alcoholic beverages at camp

What’s not included

  • International flights
  • Kenya visa ($50)
  • Drinks at Serena and non-local alcoholic beverages at camp
  • Tips and gratuities for camp staff and local guides

Malaria tablets

  • We recommended these, please speak to your doctor about which type will be best suited to you

Financial Protection

Payments for all safaris are made through Steppes Travel which means you have the financial protection of booking through a registered tour operator. Your money is 100% safe and if one of our suppliers goes out of business, your money is fully protected. Steppes Travel can also book your flights for full financial protection.

More workshops available: see the full range

More workshops available: see the full range