SAFARI DATES |
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20 February 2023 - 27 February 2023 | Space available |
The Masai Mara is of course most famous for the river crossings of the wildebeest across the Mara. However, what many people don’t realise is that this is the predator capital of Africa. No where else is the lion density higher or the cheetah numbers higher. 4 Resident leopard are known to reside within 10 minutes from our camp and of course the hyenas in the Mara are famous for their clean up acts. And why February for the predator tour? Well, its just after the short rains and the grass is nice and green but still short; most of the predators have young now, which allows for some intimate images of cubs and pups and of course quite importantly, there is very little tourist traffic around. So we will have much of the area to ourselves. The beauty of this tour is that we will be using our well-known Masai guides who have worked with C4 for the last 10 years and know the area and predators intimately. You will be guided by the C4 Guides who has excellent knowledge of the Masai Mara and the big cats. Once again C4 Photo Safaris offers you the opportunity to experience the best of Africa’s wildlife so that you can take the best images available. We will once again be staying at our resident Entim Main Camp, situated right in the heart of the reserve, and in the heart of the action.
André grew up in the African bush with literally one hand on his binoculars and the other hand on the camera. An avid birdwatcher at that young age, he was given his first SLR in 1990. The passion of birding turned into one of photography and in 2004 Andre co-founded C4 Photo Safaris with Shem Compion.
View Profile >Isak was born to be a photographer, but before he discovered this, he became an engineer. Once he picked up a camera, his engineering career came to an end and Isak has now established himself as one of the top bird photographers in Africa. The benefit of his engineering training is his flawless technical knowledge of camera systems and the post processing software that accompanies them.
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Arrive in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya in the early afternoon. A 45-minute road transfer will take you to the African elegance of the Serena hotel. You will spend the evening in the lush and open grounds of the Serena Hotel. One of Nairobi’s original hotels, this hotel has all the comforts of the past with the convenience of the modern era: The perfect place to relax for the evening.
We depart for the Masai Mara at 10am on a scheduled flight from Wilson Airport and touch down at Ol-Kiombo Airstrip after a short 1-hour flight. From there you will be transferred by road to the Entim Camp situated in the actual Mara itself. You will be staying in a classic East African style safari camp consisting of canvas tents, staffed by local Maasai. You will have en-suite bathrooms with flush loos, flowing water and hot showers. While traditional, the camp is comfortable with large beds and private verandah’s. That afternoon we will enter the reserve for the first time and sample one of Africa’s greatest ecosystems. For these six full days, we will focus on showing you the best of the Masai Mara. We will take you out each morning in the first light. We will have long wheel base vehicles with roof top hatches and large windows from which to photograph. Each person will have their own seat with window and hatch, ensuring that everyone has ample room to photograph from. Brackets, braces and clamps can be fixed onto the rails on the vehicles for tripod heads and flash brackets. Everything is designed to aid your photographic enjoyment.
Depending on how and where the action is, we might spend whole days in the reserve taking a picnic lunch along with us. We will search for as many predators as possible,including cheetah, as the great plains are home to these majestic cats. You will also enjoy unfamiliar sights of general game such as Topi standing aloft termite mounds and tiny shy dik diks going about their daily routine. The Mara also houses some of the largest buffalo bulls on the continent and a huge density of raptors. A special for birders, amongst others, is the large and relatively common rupell’s griffon.
Our time in the Masai Mara will not just be about the wildlife though. We will take you to seldom-visited parts of the ecosystem and indeed right up to the southern boundary where the Masai Mara and Serengeti adjoin. Here, there is little human traffic, and we will enjoy the peace and quiet of the great plains as well as some private game viewing. This element of our safari is unique as most safari operators concentrate all their efforts on the river but we feel that by combining superb game viewing with a wilderness experience, we will offer our guests the very best of the Masai Mara.
The evenings will be spent sitting around the camp fire where and dining on excellent camp cuisine. As the coals die down, the warm camp beds beckon and everyone retires to bed.
After a last morning drive, we return to camp for a hearty brunch before departing to the airstrip at 12h00 where we return to Nairobi. A transfer back to Jomo Kenyatta international Airport concludes the safari. Most of the international flights depart in the early evening and this fits with most connections. This is unfortunately the end of the tour and another special package from C4 Photo Safaris.
C4 Photo Safaris look forward to hosting you in the Masai Mara for the greatest wildlife show on the planet.
Justly famed for its exceptional standards of efficiency, service and five-star hospitality, the elegantly sophisticated Nairobi Serena is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World group and is consistently voted ‘Best Hotel in Nairobi’ by airlines and international travel magazines alike. Despite its pivotal central location, the Serena Nairobi hotel remains true to its title and offers an oasis of serenity amidst the bustle of one of Africa’s most vibrant capital cities.
The Nairobi Serena Hotel offers a number of dining experiences, and a selection of bars, coffee shops and café areas, both inside and out. The hotel also features a dedicated resident’s lounge: The Bambara Lounge, which offers a café service, newspapers and private seating throughout the day. Or try our restaurant in Nairobi, the Mandhari, renowned for the excellence of its seasonally inspired menu and extensive wine cellars. An internationally themed buffet breakfast and lunch are served in the Moroccan- styled Café Maghreb, which also features a table d’hôte dinner menu and 24-hour brasserie
service.