Ultimate Africa - 2 Weeks KENYA!  2 TRIPS: 9th or 23rd Jan 2011   PLACES AVAILABLE!

It does not get any better than this! Explore and photograph the best African wildlife reserves, at the best time of year, from our own private safari vehicles, boat charters onto lakes filled with flamingos, light plane flights over the Rift Valley, and - for the brave - even short walks on foot! Australian Geographic photographer and Canon Ambassador Chris Bray, along with partner Jess Taunton will help everyone in this select group of just 8 lucky people to capture unforgettable images of lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, ostriches, hippos, zebras, monkeys, giraffes, antelope, birds and more. Highly experienced driver guides will get us close to the game each day, and in the evenings we'll relax in stunning private accommodations including luxury 'tent houses' overlooking the Amboseli National Park to Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the 'Elephant Bedrooms', where elephants literally walk right in. All meals, park entry fees etc are included. Book your place fast as this once in a lifetime opportunity will sell out FAST! Read the full daily program below!

Day 1

We’ll all meet at Nairobi Airport (Kenya) at midday, and get to know each other on the 4hr drive towards the Kibo Safari Camp – a luxury tented camp, gazing out over Mt. Kilimanjaro and the world-famous Amboseli National Park. On the way we'll grab some lunch at a small restaurant and as we won’t be able to contain our excitement enroute once we enter the National Park, we'll actually fit in our first ‘game drive’ on the way. To ensure the best shots, we’ll always split into two groups of four, and explore in separate ‘extended landcruisers’ with our own highly experienced driver guides. Jess’ll be in one, and I in the other to help you out, swapping daily. Travelling independently in this way, you’ll never be ‘stuck behind the other car’ and we can also cover twice the area – so if either group spots something spectacular, we’ll inform each other by radio. We'll reach our Kibo Safari camp by about 18:30 just as it get's dark, ready to relax in the beautiful pool ‘till dinner, and review your shots...

Day 2

Today is a full day of game drives – we’ll start very early to catch the golden lighting, and try for that dream shot of elephants in the foreground with the giant plateau of Mt. Kilimanjaro rising in the background! In the evening we’ll return to our picturesque Kibo Safari Camp, and our spacious self-contained thatched tent-houses, each with power, en-suites with built in showers – the lot. Another swim or perhaps you’d rather chill out at the open terraced bar under the shade of acacia trees, overlooking Kilimanjaro and the African savannah.

Day 3

After one final morning game drive in Amboseli National park, we’ll head on to an amazing ostrich farm, where 5,000 ostriches as well as baby ones and eggs will provide excellent opportunities to get photos up close and personal with the largest bird on earth! We’ll spend the night at the Maasai Ostrich Resort. You can even ride an ostrich if you’re game!

Day 4

Today will be magic. We’ll head to Lake Baringo - a well kept secret treasure where we will see hunting African fish eagles and Hippos that come right in to shore – a mere 10m from us allowing great close-up shots! The great Nile crocodiles too, will be alarmingly close! On our way we’ll also stop at Lake Bogoria, where the bird life is just fantastic – a paradise filled with millions of flamingos forming an endless pink carpet, eagles, kingfishers, storks, hornbills and more. And, when we’ve shot all we can from the shore, I’ve organised a Cessna 206 light plane with the doors removed for photography to fly us around, 3 at a time, to get some stunning aerial views out over the lakes of flamingos, fly over the Rift Valley and more! In the evening we’ll retire to the traditional bandas and cottages at Roberts Camp.

Day 5

We’re lucky enough to get a second day here at the incredible Lake Baringo, and we start our day with a fantastic boat trip out onto the lake itself! A great opportunity to photograph fish eagles swooping down to pluck fish from the water! Still more chances to snap the perfect hippopotamus photo as they munch on the grassy banks or wallow in the water beside giant crocodiles. There’ll also be plenty of lake birds to photograph, and by the time we head back to our bandas and cottages at Roberts Camp in the evening, you’re sure to have filled up all your memory cards! Time for a relaxing download and review.

Day 6

Today we head to the aptly named ‘Rhino Watch’ Safari Lodge and Tented Camps. Surrounded by world-class game reserves, this is well regarded as the best place in the world to see both white and black rhinos, and leopards! But Africa being Africa, we’re likely to stumble upon any kind of animal around any corner so you’ll have to stay alert! After the heat of the Baringo Lakes area, you’ll enjoy cooling down here at Rhino Watch – our home base for the next 4 days of ultimate wildlife photographing! You’ll fall in love with the breezy open vistas from your surprisingly luxurious ‘tent’ house and the true African hospitality at the restaurant where we’ll enjoy our exquisite dinners while your camera recharges!

Day 7

Today’s game drive is into the Solio Game Reserve, one of the few parks that have been successful with breeding the critically endangered black rhino (the ones with the pointy lip). There’s also a good chance of bumping into any of the big cats including lions, leopards and even cheetahs (my favourite)! Antelope will of course spatter the landscape, and by the end of the day you’ll be longing to chill-out back at your Rhino Watch tent house, enjoy a crisp cool drink and marvel at all the things you’ve seen.

Day 8

After breaky and a nice hot shower in your ‘tent’ house, we’ll head today into the Aberdare National Park - one of the last primary rainforest environments in Africa, and at 3500 m altitude! Huge forest elephants might cross our way as well as the giant forest hog. Leopards could also saunter by, bongos, and we can also expect colobus and blue monkeys. We’ll stop at waterfalls and enjoy a picnic with the chance to see bushbucks and more – so keep your eyes peeled and your camera ready! By now your good ol’ ‘Rhino Watch’ private tent house will feel like home as you plug your camera in to charge, flop yourself onto a deck chair and sip a cool drink and try and cull some photos after dinner.

Day 9

Today is a day for the bird lovers – and even if you’re not a twitcher – you’ll still be amazed by the endless selection of birds in the African bush! Big ones, bizarre ones, brightly coloured ones... You’ll be an expert at tracking wildlife through your longest lens by now, and you’ll need to be for some of these birds! And of course, we won’t be able to help bumping into more than a few large mammals along the way as well. In the evening we’ll return home to our Rhino Watch tent houses and once again enthusiastically meet up with the other half of our team in the other vehicle and show each other what we saw and share tales over dinner and maybe even a drink at the bar...

Day 10

Today we’ll explore the Ol Pajeta. The Conservancy – slap bang on the equator - was once a private cattle ranch, but today boasts the largest sanctuary for black rhinos in East Africa, provides a reserve for great apes and is host to the ’big five’ (rhinoceros, leopard, cape buffalo, elephant and lion) among a large selection of other African animals. After a full day’s shooting here, we’ll return for the last time to our home away from home – our tent houses at Rhino Watch.

Day 11

Today we drive to the Samburu National Reserve. Our accommodation for the next two days couldn’t get much better – the so called ‘Elephant Bedroom Camp’, is located on the banks of the Ewaso Ngiro river and actually inside the Samburu game reserve. Game – including elephants – often wander right into the camp! Apart from sporting a diverse range of game including all three ‘big cats’ (lion, leopard and cheetah), Samburu is also famous for being one of the places in which conservationists George and Joy Adamson raised the lioness Elsa in ‘Born Free’. After dropping our gear at our tent houses, we’ll head out for an afternoon game drive!

Day 12

Today is our last day of wildlife photography, and we’re sure going to make the most of it – a full day game drive around the Samburu Reserve. Be sure to have your animal photo check-lists handy and snap those last few elusive shots. Brightly coloured bee-eaters perhaps, or a hornbill? There’ll still be plenty of elephants and probably some big cats too, because let’s face it, you’ll never have enough photos of them either! Go nuts! In the evening we’ll head back to our luxurious Elephant Bedrooms and chill out with a hard earned drink!

Day 13

Time for some African culture! After breakfast we’ll head back to Nairobi – the capital of Kenya - stopping to photograph several cultural highlights along the way, if you have any memory space left for more photos that is! To celebrate all that we’ve seen and experienced over the last few weeks, we’ll all head out for an unforgettable traditional African dinner and night out with local live music at Roosters Lodge. What a trip it’s been!

That’s it folks! This morning we’ll just be offering airport transfers to Nairobi airport, from where you can jet back to the reality of your busy lives back home, attend to that flood of emails building up in your inbox and get ready to return to work on Monday. Stick a few of your best photos up on the wall and remember, forever, two of the most exciting weeks of your life!!

• Obviously the exact itinerary may be shuffled around and tweaked due to weather, park control etc but you can rest assured that we’ll be working flat-out to get you to all the best places, at the best times, for the best photos possible.
• All meals are provided, however beverages must be purchased at your own expense.
• Accommodation arrangements vary for each location, however it is all twin-share. So, if you're booking on your own, then you'll have to share a 'tent house' / room with someone else, and if you're booking as a couple, then we can organise a double bed rather than two singles.
• There won’t be any strenuous hiking, but a reasonable level of mobility will be required, to climb into the light plane, to get in and out of our safari vehicles etc - if you're concerned, you don't need to come on the few short walks we do. Remember, you don't need to be able to out-run a lion - you merely have to be able to out run someone else in our group.
• Price does not include flights from your home town to Nairobi, (Kenya's captital), nor your return flight back home. However, as of now (May 2010) flights from Sydney to Nairobi cost around $2,200 return. We have our own travel agent who is more than happy to help answer all your questions and help you find and book the best flights, travel insurance etc.
• All transfers, park entry fees and game drives are included in the price.
• You MUST obtain your own travel insurance, but again, our travel agent can help you with this.
• You'll require a Tourist Visa to enter Kenya. These are easy to obtain, can be bought at the airport (but it's best ot organise them ahead of time at your local Embassy or Consulat to save time), and are valid for 3 months. You will also need a valid passport, with at least 6 months left on it before it expires, and at least two empty pages within.
• A non-refundable $1,000 deposit is required at time of booking.
• The first payment of $4,000 will be required by 1st July 2010 (or at time of booking if booking after this date) and becomes non refundable also.
• The final payment is required by 10th December 2010, and if you pull out after this date, you will recieve this final payment back (unlike with most other operators!).
• Above photos are courtesy of F. Wirth, taken at each location for that day.