Tips for Masai Mara

I will be taking a trip to Masai Mara and lake nakuru in mid August. I will be

staying at the Governor's camp in Masai Mara for 3 nights. Governor's camp will

organise the three game drives each day. Any tips how best to make of these with

photography as the primary interest. Tips and advise from personal experience

would be most welcome.

I have been in the serengeti three times, I don't no the Masai Mara. But I do know You have to be as early as possible and get out in te afternoon untill as late as possible. The light is than the best and the animals behave the most in these times. On the day the animals are in the shade and the light is to harsh. Tele from 200 untill 300 is enough for digital or untill 400mm for film.

 

One thing is sure, it will be great.<div></div>

The Governor's camp in Masai Mara is a very nice camp, and August is a good time to be there.

 

The first issue that jumps in my mind is that 3 days is hearly enough. In the US, there are organized trips to stay at Masai Mara for 2 weeks. IMO, I would try to stay for at least 5 to 7 days.

 

If your main interest is photography, I would do two game drives a day, one from before sunrise to about 10, 11am and an afternoon one from 3, 4pm to sunset. If you have full control of a Land Rover with a driver, that would be perfect. If you must share a vehicle, I would have no more than 2 to 3 photographers per Land Rover. If there are too many passengers, all the people movement will make it very difficult to shoot from the vehicle. (Over there, you typically do not get out of the vehicle to shoot wildlife as it would be unsafe.) Each photographer will need 2 seats so that you can shoot from either side of the vehicle and there will be plenty of room or your camera bag and long lenses.

 

If you are shareing a vehicle with 5, 6 other people who are not dedicated to wildlife photography, e.g. they are not patient to hang around for photo opportunities, you will be very frustrated.

 

As far as where to go during the game drives, your local drivers and guides should know the current conditions best. Those Land Rovers should be equipped with two-way radio so that the dirvers can inform one another where the current action is.<div></div>

I would recommend taking the early morning hot air balloon trip that is available from Governors Camp. Not cheap, but unforgettable. Elephants would walk though Governors Camp during the night to quench their thirst at the Mara River.

Dear Andre, Shun and Alex, Thank you very much for your comments and advice. They are most welcome. I would have loved to be there for a longer period, but during August, I could only get a window of three nights four days at the governors camp. Being the peak season, booking during this period needs to be done almost a year in advance. presently, I understand that the game drives will be with 4 clients in one landrover. I will have to be lucky to get the other two with photographic interests that will allow to wait for good photo opportunities than to try and move on to see more variety. Once, I am there will try to see if I could team up with others with photographic interests. The package includes one game drive from 6:30am to 9:30am then 10am 12noon and 3 to 6pm. Are there any photo opportunities from the campsite itself? Is it worth taking a walking safari? The balloon safari seems very inviting but the price of USD435 per person for a one hour flight seems very challenging. I am hoping to be lucky to see the migration.

Based on a trip in 2005: 100-400 IS lens on a cropped (1.6 x) body was o.k. I used Canon but other brands have similar offerings. Consider taking a monopod. Ask the driver to turn off the engine of the vehicle if necessary (they always did). It is perhaps best to rely on the drivers/guides for the best photo opportunities instead of waiting for the light to change.

This mirrors something I just posted about a whale cruise - use 2 cameras, even if you have to buy a used one to have a second one for the trip. Don't divert your attention from the trip of a lifetime to be changing lenses. Besides, isn't it inevitable that, if have just one camera, you'll have the wrong lens on when the shot of a lifetime presents itself?

 

Above all else, soak up every last second of it all - truly the adventure of a lifetime.

Think of it this way, the cost and time overhead for air travel is the same regardless of you are staying for 3 days or 10 days. On a per shooting day basis, your overhead will be very high if you can only stay 3 days. But if it is indeed to late to change that this time, there is no point to discuss it any more.

 

A lot of casual travelers are probably not willing to get up at 6am day after day. Hopefully you can take advantage of that and have fewer people in the Land Rover for the early morning game drive. I would also try to coordinate with other photographers. If you have a non-photographer in the car and that person is not interested in waiting for the appropriate light and action, you'll have a lot of conflicts.

 

You could get lucky, but any 10am to noon game drive will likely be less productive. Most animals feed at early morning and late afternoon. Around noon, it gets hot and the quality of light will become poor.