Minimum tour numbers/Photography Hosts
This Maasai Mara photo safari will run with a minimum of 3-guests. For groups of 5 or less, your tour will be hosted by one photography guide. For 6 guests the group will be joined by two photography hosts.
Single Supplements
Due to the small size of this camp we have a limited number of single occupancy rooms available. The single occupancy supplement ensure you have your own room throughout the tour. The cost of single occupancy for the first two bookings is at a reduced rate. After this the occupancy supplement priced at a higher rate. For those guests wishing to share we will partner you with any available person also willing to share of the same sex. In which case no single occupancy supplement applies. However, if you wish to share and we are unable to find a sharing partner of the same sex by the time of final payments due (90 days prior) the applicable single supplement will be charged.
Pre-Trip advice
2-3 months prior to travel you will receive a comprehensive document that provides packing advance and also plenty of other useful information for our Maasai Mara photo safari. The below provides some key additional information that you may find useful ahead of booking your safari with us.
Tour language.
This tour is an English speaking tour and all guides and all lodge staff have a good understanding and use of understanding the English language.
Final Itinerary
Upon booking you will receive a basic itinerary and 2-4 weeks prior to your departure you will receive an updated itinerary, with local flight timings and also local contact information for your airport pick up’s etc.
Visas:
Obtaining your visa is the responsibly of each traveler. Visas are required for entry into Kenya by citizens of most countries so please check well in advance with the Kenyan Embassy or consulate in your country. Visa are no longer allowed on arrival therefore please do apply for these in advance using the Kenya E Visa service.
E-visas can take up to 2 – 3 weeks to be issued so please do ensure you apply in advance with this time frame in mind.
Vaccinations:
Below is a rough guide to what vaccinations you may require. However, we prefer you to confirm the recommended ‘jabs’ and pills with your medically qualified travel doctor who should have up to date information from a specialist tropical medicine organisation. We suggest visiting your travel clinic at least 6-8 weeks prior to departure.
Yellow Fever is generally required for all of East & Central Africa and must be done no later than 10 days prior to your departure. If you have a history of liver disorders (hepatitis etc.) you must consult your physician first. See below for more detail here on yellow fever. Other likely vaccinations to be required. Diphtheria, Typhoid, Tetanus, Hepatitis A, and Polio are generally the recommended vaccines. You may also need to consider Hepatitis B, Cholera and Meningococcal Meningitis. These are usually at the discretion of the traveler and can be discussed with your doctor.
Malaria prophylaxes are recommended and can be sometimes purchased from your local pharmacy. However, most generally require a doctor’s prescription. Please consult your pharmacist/doctor for the most appropriate prophylaxis for the area you are travelling to.
Diarrhea / Giardia etc. – good personal hygiene and control over the quality of your drinking water should avoid this, bottled water is readily available throughout the country, but take along some medicine in case.
Fitness Level Required:
This tour does not require a high level of fitness. However, guests should be able to get in/out of a game vehicle (a step up/down of around 2 feet) with little or no assistance and should be capable of walking up to 200 metres to and from their tent at the lodges/camps. If tents or hotel rooms are required close to the main camp mess or reception areas please advise at the time of booking. Guests should also be aware this safari includes early starts and extended game drives.
Weather & environmental conditions
November is one of the cooler months to visit Kenya and during this time temperatures are generally in the region of around 23°- 26 °C/73-78°F (at the hottest part of the day). However, occasionally temperatures can peak above and below this. During the late evening and first thing in the morning the temperature range drops to a very cool and pleasant 8-12°C/46-53°F.
Rain can sometimes be experienced during any time of the year in the Maasai Mara. Our game driving will be along game tracks, which can be both dusty, muddy and bumpy.
Internal (Bush) flight luggage limits
Please ensure you pack your luggage in a soft-sided case and that your hand luggage and checked luggage combined does not exceed the weight limit of 25kg. This weight limits includes your extra 10kg luggage allowance.
Camera Equipment
For game viewing during our Maasai Mara photo safari we would recommend bringing a camera/lenses that can cater for a range of distances, A good starting point is to have a camera/lens that can accommodate focal lengths of between 100 – 400mm (or for prime lenses 300mm – 600mm). In general, you will be using longer lenses/focal length for the majority of the time and especially with the big cats. Generally, for birds you will need a longer reach of 500mm and above. This advice above is based on full frame cameras.
A wider angle lens would also be highly recommended. You may find this comes in useful in photographing landscapes and sunsets at both locations. For example lenses such as 24-70mm, 24-120mm or their approximate equivalents.
Often on safari you will be photographing in the early morning and early evening and therefore sometimes in low light. So, for those more serious photographers we therefore recommend faster lenses, for example F4 or below.
It can sometimes be quite dusty on safari. So, we recommend bringing a dust bag or light cover for cameras. Often an old pillowcase is perfect for protecting your camera in the vehicle from the dust when it is sitting on your lap for times when not in your camera bag. A basic lens wipe and lens duster is also recommended.
Further assistance on cameras and lenses can be provided by contacting us direct.
Gratuities
Gratuities are not included in the cost of you photo safari. What you provide as a gratuity is very much up to the individual traveler. However, below is a guideline of what is generally recommended to budget for. Tips can be provided in both $USD or Kenyan Shillings. The below provides amounts using $USD. Your hosts will be responsible for the collection of gratuities and will ensure that these are fairly distributed.
Main Safari Driver/Guides: (based on 3 x guests per vehicle) Please allow for approx. USD $15 – $20 per guest per day. Please note that for group photo tours and basing on groups of 6-guests we will have 2 x safari guides. The amount suggested above is the total suggested amount per person, per day. The total gratuities collected from the group will then be divided between the 2 x guides used at each camp. Therefore, for the 6-days at the tented camp please allow for approx. $90-$120 per guest.
All other camp staff: Camps provide an opportunity for each person to provide a camp tip covering all other camp staff, which can range from a recommended $5-$10 per person per night that is equally distributed to those staff behind the scenes (waiting staff, security staff, reception, chefs etc.) Your gratuities for the ‘back of house’ camp staff will be collected from each guest on the last evening at each camp and provided in the tip box/camp manager at the time of farewells.
Baggage porters (Arusha). Approx. 200-500 KSH/$2-$5 USD for up to two bags
Photographic hosts: Tipping of any hosts on your trip is optional and purely at the discretion of each guest.
International Flights
Guests will need to arrange their own international flights that arrive into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Airport Code: NBO) for the start of the Maasai Mara photo safari (Day 1). Should you wish to arrive a night earlier we are able to quote for extra nights. Guests should not book any international flights leaving Nairobi leaving any earlier than 21:00hrs on Day 8 to allow for any delays that may be experienced on internal flights. Your airport transfers will be arranged in accordance with your flight arrivals and departures.
WiFi/Phone Network Access:
At most of the lodges or hotels there is a degree of Wi-Fi access. However, please be aware that the speed of these networks may be slower than normal broadband speeds. There is generally good access to cellular networks in Nairobi and the Maasai Mara.
Dietary:
Most dietary requests can be catered for with advance notice provided to us at least two months prior to departure.
Travel Insurance:
We strongly recommend purchasing your own travel insurance at the time of booking to cover any eventualities should you need to cancel your tour due to unforeseen circumstances as both the deposit and final balances are non-refundable. Guests travelling without their own travel insurance do so at their own risk.
How to Book
If you wish to reserve a space/s please do email us using the contact Forman this page or directly at info@imagesofwildlife.co.uk. We will then reserve a space/s for you and request a deposit payment to be received by us within 7-days to formally secure. Payment can be taken by either bank transfer or credit/debit card.
