KENYA PHOTO SAFARI

This tour is for photographers who want real time with the Great Migration: five nights in the Masai Mara, in a group of nine or fewer, with Amboseli before it and Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru after it. You are welcome at any level of experience, and non-photographer partners enjoy it just as much. If long lenses and early mornings sound like a good vacation, you will fit right in.

Kenya is a well-established travel destination with a functioning tourism infrastructure and a long history of hosting international visitors. The parks and reserves on this itinerary — Amboseli, the Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru — are all areas with decades of experience welcoming travelers safely. Standard precautions apply as they would anywhere. We travel as a private group throughout, which adds an additional layer of ease and security. Our local guide and drivers know this territory well and manage all in-country logistics from the moment you arrive.

This is a relaxed tour. Game drives are seated and you photograph from the vehicle. Park tracks are bumpy, days start early, and there are short walks at the lodges and camps. The flight from Amboseli to the Mara is on a small aircraft.

Kenya has several health considerations worth preparing for in advance of your trip.

Malaria is present in all the areas we visit. We strongly recommend consulting your doctor or a travel medicine specialist about prophylaxis at least four to six weeks before departure. Options include Malarone, Doxycycline, and Lariam — your physician can advise on what suits you best. In addition to medication, bring insect repellent with DEET, long sleeves and trousers for evenings, and consider a travel mosquito net if you are particularly sensitive.

Yellow fever vaccination may be required depending on which countries you are traveling from or through before Kenya. Check current requirements for your specific itinerary with your doctor or the Kenyan embassy in your country.

Routine vaccines should be up to date. Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and Tetanus are commonly recommended for travel to East Africa. Consult a travel medicine specialist for current guidance.

Bring an adequate supply of any personal medications, copies of your prescriptions, and a brief doctor's letter if relevant. Medical facilities in the parks are limited, so having everything you need on your person throughout the safari is important.

Kenya in August calls for layers in neutral colors and a camera kit built around a long lens.

Clothing:

Neutral-colored shirts and pants (khaki, olive, tan)A fleece or light down jacket and a windbreaker for early drivesA warm hat and a sun hatComfortable closed shoes

Photography gear:

• A telephoto zoom in the 100-500mm or 200-600mm range

• A second camera body with a mid-range zoom, so you can leave the long lens mounted

• A wide-angle lens for Amboseli, the herds on the plains and the Rift Valley

• Plenty of memory cards and spare batteries

• A blower and a cloth, and a light cover for your camera on dusty tracks

Personal:

• Sunscreen, sunglasses and lip balm

• Binoculars

• A soft-sided bag for the flight to the Mara

Most international visitors require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) to enter Kenya. It is obtained online before departure, straightforward to complete, and valid for 90 days. The process typically takes a few days, so apply well before your travel date.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your planned departure date from Kenya, with at least two blank pages available for entry stamps.

Keep a copy of your passport and eTA stored separately from the originals throughout the trip. We will provide full entry requirement details and links in your pre-trip information pack.

Yes — travel and medical insurance, including emergency medical evacuation coverage, is mandatory for all participants. Medical facilities inside Kenya's national parks and reserves are limited, and evacuation from remote areas requires specialist resources. This is not optional.

We recommend and partner with RoamRight.

Purchase your insurance as soon as your spot is confirmed to protect your deposit and any pre-trip costs.

The currency in Kenya is the Kenyan Shilling (KES). US dollars are widely accepted at safari camps, lodges, and for tipping, and are generally the most practical foreign currency to carry.

ATMs are available in Nairobi and in larger towns. We recommend withdrawing cash or exchanging currency before entering the parks, as there are no banking facilities in the parks. Most lodges accept major credit cards for incidentals, but cash is essential for tips and personal purchases.

Tipping is customary in Kenya and expected by guides and camp staff. As a general reference: safari guides USD $15 to $20 per day, camp staff USD $5 to $10 per day, drivers USD $5 to $10 per day. This is at your discretion.

The tour includes all meals, park fees, and activities as listed, so your main out-of-pocket expenses will be tips, alcoholic beverages, and any personal items.

We chose comfortable, well-run lodges and camps in the right locations for photography.

Nairobi: Argyle Grand Hotel, near the airport (1 night)Amboseli National Park: Ol Tukai Lodge, inside the park (2 nights)Masai Mara National Reserve: Ashnil Mara Camp, a tented camp on the Mara River (3 nights)Mara Triangle: Mara Serena Safari Lodge, on a hill inside the Triangle (2 nights)Lake Naivasha: Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort (2 nights)

If a property becomes unavailable we will use one of a similar standard.

Safari camp food in Kenya is consistently good and often genuinely impressive given the locations. Camps take hospitality seriously, and meals are a proper sit-down affair — breakfast before the morning drive, lunch back at camp, dinner under the stars.

Expect fresh produce, local proteins, a mix of East African and international dishes, and strong coffee. Dietary restrictions are well accommodated at all the properties on this itinerary — let us know at the time of booking and we will confirm arrangements in advance.

All breakfasts, lunches, and dinners as listed in the itinerary are included in the tour price, along with non-alcoholic beverages. Alcoholic drinks are available at the camps and billed separately.

Coverage varies across the itinerary. In Nairobi, mobile and Wi-Fi service is reliable. In the parks and camps, service is patchy in some places and absent in others. If you plan to stay connected, a local Kenyan SIM card purchased at the airport in Nairobi is the most cost-effective option. Major carriers include Safaricom (the most widely used and recommended) and Airtel. Most lodges provide Wi-Fi in common areas, though speeds vary. Let family and friends know before you leave that you may be offline for stretches of the safari.

Kenya uses 240V at 50Hz. The standard plug type is Type G — the same three-pin rectangular format used in the UK. Travelers from North America will need both a plug adapter and, for devices that are not dual voltage, a voltage converter.

Most modern electronics — laptops, camera chargers, phone chargers — are dual voltage (100-240V) and only need a plug adapter. Check the label on your devices before you go.

All lodges and camps on the itinerary provide standard power outlets. Bring a multi-port USB charger to keep batteries topped up overnight, and consider a small power bank for full days in the field.

1) Booking procedure:

All prices for the tours are quoted in US Dollars.

We require a deposit to reserve a place on the selected photo tour. The deposit is due at the time of booking and can be paid online via credit card; ACH and Debit Cards are also accepted.

Other than the deposit, you must complete the registration form for you and your guests, if any.

If you are traveling solo and want to share a room, we will try our best to find you a match. However, if, for any reason, we don't find a suitable match, the single supplement fee will apply.

We will email you shortly after confirming your booking. Please do not book your flights at this time unless otherwise indicated by us. We will email you once the minimum number of guests to run the tour has been reached.

2) Balance of Payments:

The final payment for the trip is 90 days before departure. Such payment shall be made via credit card or wire transfer. Failure to meet the payment schedule will result in cancellation and forfeit of the deposit.

3) Cancellations and Refunds:

If DAK Photography Inc. must cancel the trip for any reason, 100% of paid deposits will be fully refunded. We reserve the right to cancel any trip/tour/group due to insufficient registration at any time. In the event of such cancellation, those with reservations shall be notified as soon as possible, and a full refund of the trip payment will be given.

Please note that deposits are non-refundable. However, they may be applied as a credit toward a future trip with us, provided the credit is used within 12 months of the original trip's start date.

If a guest needs to cancel, we must receive written notification. Email is accepted.

The following cancellation fees apply:

• 120 days or more before departure: no charge.

• 61 days to 119 days before departure: 50% of the tour fee.

• 60 days or less before departure: 100% of the tour fee.

In the event that you have to cancel, we will do our best to fill your spot. If we do so, we will refund 100% of the tour fee minus an administrative fee of $250.

Refunds will not be made for any other costs you may have incurred as a result of your booking.

Travel and medical insurance, including emergency evacuation coverage, are mandatory for all participants. To safeguard your investment, we strongly recommend purchasing this coverage as soon as your trip is confirmed. We also encourage you to select an insurance policy that covers non-refundable deposits and other pre-trip expenses in case of unforeseen cancellations.

All refunds will be processed within 30 days of receiving written confirmation of your cancellation.

The herds are usually in the Masai Mara from July to October, and August is in the middle of that window. It is also dry season, with short grass, cool mornings and animals gathered near water. The exact timing of the migration changes every year with the rains, which is why our Kenya photography tour stays five nights in the Mara and splits them between two parts of the reserve.

We give ourselves every chance, and nobody can promise one. Crossings depend on the herds, the rain and the river, and the timing changes every year. Our first camp is close to several of the crossing points, and we have morning and afternoon drives across five days to be in the right place. Whatever the river does, the herds are on the plains, and the Mara is known for its lions, cheetahs and leopards all year.

August is the busiest time of year in the Mara, and at a river crossing you will see many other vehicles. That comes with the migration. We spend two of our five nights in the Mara Triangle, which is managed separately and has only two places to stay inside it, and we keep the group to nine guests at most.

August is in the dry season and one of the cooler months in Kenya. In the Masai Mara, expect early mornings around 54°F (12°C) and afternoons around 77°F (25°C). It is mostly dry and sunny, though a shower is always possible. Early game drives are chilly until the sun is up, so layers are the way to dress.

The flight from Amboseli to the Masai Mara is on a small aircraft with limited space, so luggage has to be in soft-sided bags. We will send the exact weight allowance with your pre-trip information, well before you pack.

Yes. The balloon flight is an option at $650 per person, on one of our full mornings in the Mara. You have breakfast after landing and rejoin the group's game drive. You can add it when you book.

Yes. Extra nights in Nairobi are $175 per person per night, before or after the tour, and you can add them when you book. Arriving a day early gives you time to rest after a long flight. The tour ends with an evening transfer to the airport on August 15, so a night after the tour is there for anyone who prefers to fly the next day.