Day 2 – Nairobi Capital City Tour
Today, you will awaken to exotic birdcalls in a captivating new world with the aroma of Kenyan coffee brewing. After a scrumptious breakfast and a briefing, we spend the day in the most beautiful historical area of Nairobi getting into the rhythm of Africa with a visit to Kazuri beads, the Karen Blixen Museum, and the DWST.

Here you will have an exclusive private visit with the orphaned baby elephants, as well as a visit to the Giraffe center – a rescue center for the Rothschild giraffes.
Accommodation: Macushla House

Day 3 – Domestic Flight To Samburu national park.
After an early breakfast, we will head to Wilson private Airport and catch our private charter to the Samburu game reserve in northern kenya. Our luxury tented camp sits along the Ewaso Nyiro River. The friendly, traditional Samburu tribe staff will greet us and provide us with a full briefing about the camp and the area. As the name implies, the elephants stroll through the camp and in between the luxury tents.
During midday, relax in the private plunge pool, on the deck of your tent, with a cold drink, and let the wildlife come to you. In the early afternoon, we will head out on our first game drive to explore this spectacular reserve.
Accommodations: luxury tents, Elephant Bedroom Camp

Day 4 & 5 – Exploring Samburu National Park
We will spend the next two days on safari, driving through this stunning African landscape seeking out the leopards, Grevy’s zebras, reticulated giraffes, gerenuk, Oryx, common waterbuck, kudu, the unique mane-less lions, and the “red” elephants.

The elephants exhibit a special red color from rolling in the mud of the river and dusting themselves with the rich, red soil, making for extraordinary images in golden light. We will also spend an incredible evening, on the top of the hills, with the warriors of the Samburu Tribe.

Originally part of the Maasai tribe when they first came down the Nile River, the Samburu split off when the Maasai continued their journey south to Tanzania. The Samburu name means the butterfly people; they not only flew off from their original tribe, but they became more colorful in their traditional dress.

This will be a very special evening where you will not only have the opportunity to create extraordinary images but also have a unique experience that few others will ever have.
Accommodations: luxury tents, Elephant Bedroom Camp

Day 6 – Exploring Samuburu People Villages
We will visit one of my favorite Samburu villages at sunrise, creating a great opportunity to silhouette the warriors against the dramatic African landscape. You will have time in the village to enjoy a more intimate experience, where you will also be able to photograph their daily life and create some beautiful portraits.

We will return to our luxury camp for breakfast and then head out on a stunning drive with escorts , through the Northern Kenyan landscape to Lake Turkana; the largest desert lake in the world. Known as the Jade Sea, your first glimpse of Lake Turkana is breathtaking. The Turkana Basin is one of the richest tribal regions in Africa.

You will feel as though you have been transported back to an authentic Africa of bygone days. In the remote lakeside town of Loiyangalani, four tribes live side-by-side: Randille, Turkana, Samburu, and El Molo.

After checking into our simple lodge, we will head out to the shores of the lake to visit the El Molo, the smallest tribe in Africa. They are keen fishermen and crocodile hunters. The women are decorated with beautiful beadwork and are masters of weaving.
Accommodations: Malabo Resort

Day 7 – Exploring the Tribes
We will rise before dawn and drive out to one of the more nomadic and authentic Turkana villages. In this village, it will seem as though time has stood still and the progress of the modern world has not yet reached this area. In the evening, we will meet my Turkana friends for dancing and beautiful portraits at sunset along the shores of the lake.
Accommodations: Malabo Resort

Day 8 – Domestic Flight Transfer To Amboseli National Park
We will rise early for a special visit and sunrise shoot with the Rendilie tribe. After breakfast, we will drive to the private airstrip to board our private charter aircraft to Amboseli National Park. As we arrive in Amboseli, take a moment to catch your breath in this magical environment as we drive across the open plains to our beautiful Lodge. During lunch, we will relax and share stories of our amazing adventure as the wildlife roams freely in the background.

After lunch, continue to relax around the pool with a cold drink or browse through all of the stunning images you have captured during the past week. We will head out on our first game drive in the early afternoon.
Accommodations – Amboseli Serena Lodge

Day 9 and 10 – Exploring Amboseli National Park
We will spend the next two days out on safari, in this incredible ecosystem that lies at the foothills of Kilimanjaro. In the morning, the herds of Elephants, Zebras, and Wildebeests slowly begin to come down from the foothills. Then, they cross the plains of Amboseli on their way to the marshes which are centrally located in the national park.

The bird life along all the marshes and wetlands is superb. We will also spend an incredible evening at a traditional Maasai manyatta; the iconic tribe of Kenya. The big African rains should have just passed, bringing about plentiful grasslands.

This means that the warriors, with their authentic long braided ocher hair and decorated bodies, will be in the village and not in faraway lands with their livestock. The Maasai in the Amboseli area are unique because the men mark their high cheeks with a circular tattoo scarring.

We will have an evening of dancing, feasting, capturing stunning portraits and learning about their struggles of living in harmony with and protecting the wildlife.
Accommodations –Amboseli Serena Lodge

Day 11 –Departure
We will head out for one last magical game drive in this surreal setting. After a scrumptious breakfast back at the lodge, we will check out, game drive across the park and drive back to Nairobi Capital city.

In Nairobi capital city, you will be taken to the four points hotel, conveniently located at the airport, where you will have day-rooms. You can enjoy a leisurely afternoon reflecting back on the amazing experience you had on the expedition, take a nap, enjoy a delicious meal, relax at the rooftop pool and bar, and have time to clean up before your flight back home later in the evening.

In the evening, you will be transported to the international airport to catch your flights home. Day rooms: Four Points

Is this trip for you?
This photographic safari is for anyone who wants to experience and photograph Kenya’s most exotic tribes and wildlife. This itinerary is designed to give you incredible opportunities to produce high quality images of extraordinary subjects so we will be rising very early in the morning for the best light.

This safari mixes luxury camps in pristine wildlife reserves with a remote tribal area where the accommodations are basic. This itinerary was created for photographers of ALL levels. If you have not had much experience photographing tribes or indigenous cultures this is the perfect introductory trip for you. Some experience working with basic fill flash is recommended.

During our wildlife safaris we will see a variety of exotic wildlife, however some special subjects may require spending time watching their behavior and waiting for those special moments. This is when patience pays off, rewarding you with extraordinary photographs.

We will spend a great deal of time and effort in the field—unless it is quiet and the light is too harsh—and we will return to our camp/lodge for the midday break. This means there may be several mornings and some lunches that will involve box meals that we take with us, rather than eating at camp or the lodge.

We will be back at our camp/lodge for a nice dinner and drinks around the fire every night. We donate a small supply of food to each village we visit. We are mindful to select items that will have sustainability in the harsh environments where they live and are items the women use daily to feed their families such as cooking oil, ugali, maze, beans, etc.

We build strong relationships with these local communities to ensure our visit generates meaningful contributions to the local economies, especially those helping to protect wildlife, and to ensure a unique cultural exchange for both host and guest.