September 8-15, 2022
$7,950, per person sharing / $1,900 Single Supplement
Group Size: 9 Maximum (3 clients per vehicle) CURRENTLY WE HAVE 4 OPENINGS REMAINING
Group Leaders: Buddy Eleazer, Don Schroder, Andreas Knausenberger
The Great Migration in Kenya’s Masai Mara really needs no introduction to most nature followers. It is the mass movement to greener pastures for over a million wildebeests and zebras each year. This awesome event is a spectacle that certainly needs to be seen at least once in the lifetime of every photographer and wildlife enthusiast.
This will be the fourth year that we have visited this wonderful event and every year just seems to get better. The migration itself begins to reach Kenya as early as July, but the action really gets heavy in late August when grazing shifts as localized late afternoon rain showers create grass growth on different parts of the Masai Mara. We have picked our dates to have a better than average chance of getting really good crossings.
We bring in our own vehicles and expert guides and include a hot air balloon trip on every safari. Hosted by the Magnum Excursion leaders Buddy Eleazer and Don Schroder as well as our Mara specialist Andreas Knausenberger, this safari is always a photo highlight of the year for all involved!
Day 1, September 8, 2022 – The group will meet up at our hotel in Nairobi for a first-night dinner and a chance to meet your fellow travelers. The hotel that we use has been chosen is for its position between the international airport where you will arrive and the domestic terminal of Wilson Airport which you depart to the Masai Mara from the following morning.
Day 2-8 (September 9 – 14, 2022) – On September 9, we head to Wilson airport early in the morning to board our private chartered flight to the Masai Mara. We have made the decision to book ‘baggage seats’ to allow for extra baggage and camera gear for the group. The flight takes approximately one hour and then we will land at Ol Okiombo airstrip where we will be met by our team of drivers and guides in the customized game viewing vehicles. We have three vehicles with a maximum of three guests plus one guide in each. The photo hosts will rotate through the vehicles during the safari giving you a chance to learn and receive photo advise from each of them throughout the trip. On September 10 through September 14, each day will be a full day of game viewing throughout the Mara. On September 15, we will have a morning game drive, breakfast and then a return flight to Nairobi.
Our Camp
Mara Bush Camp is chosen primarily for its location and we will spend plenty of time out in the Masai Mara National Reserve photographing in the areas surrounding the camp. Mara Bush Camp is a boutique, gold-rated eco luxury tented camp, right in the heart of the Masai Mara National Game Reserve! Discreetly tucked away in a riverine forest on the banks of the seasonal Olare Orok River and conveniently located near the Ol Kiombo airstrip, Mara Bush Camp offers you everything desired in an authentic safari experience. Unwind around a cozy campfire under the African stars and experience the magic of the Mara. The location is ideal for getting to the wildebeest and zebra crossings for which the Mara is so famous. There are several popular crossing points close to camp. View a short YouTube video of the camp at this link.
Mara Bush Camp
The tents in the camp are a good size and very comfortable with en-suite bathrooms at the rear and a private seating area at the front. We don’t have an actual photo of the rooms as NEW ROOMS ARE BEING BUILT FOR US. that’s right, a new wing is being added to Mara Bush Camp and we will have exclusive use of the new rooms. These rooms will be similar to those shown below except they will have one wooden wall with a proper wooden door for entry (the image shown as a zipper fly for doorway.). The staff are fantastic as is the food so you will be taken very good care of.
Mara Bush Camp – Private Wing
The time in the Mara will involve full day game drives each day which always prove most productive photographically. Picnic lunches will be eaten out in the field – under a tree – in between the sightings. If we find sightings near the camp, we may have our lunch (and a small break) back at the camp. Since this trip is about migrating animals, we cannot exactly define this daily routine but the camp is adaptable with plans we make each day.
Along with the crossings the big cats are always a prime photographic target in the Mara and we will spend lots of time with the resident prides of lions (including the famous Marsh Pride) as well as the resident leopards and cheetah. The open plains of the Mara always deliver!
Included in the safari package is a hot air balloon flight along The Mara River one morning. This form of flight is fantastic and a must-do so we have decided to included it in the itinerary for everyone on this trip. Photographing as we skip along the trees just meters away from soaring vultures and other birds of prey is quite simply stunning. The control that pilots have is incredible and the Governors Balloons are the only ones that spend the majority of the flight directly over the Mara River.
After we land in the Mara Triangle, we are treated to a full champagne breakfast at the foot of the escarpment overlooking The Masai Mara. It’s an awesome way to start the day. The drive back towards our camp takes us through more lion country.
In the evenings we will have use of a dedicated editing area with a projector and screen for sharing images among the group. The Magnum Excursions Hosts will be on hand to help with post-production and editing of images in these sessions.
Payment Information:
The total cost of the trip is $7,950, per person sharing / $1,900 Single Supplement.
Typically, all payments are by check made out to Magnum Excursions, LLC and mailed to 4344 Farmington Circle, Allentown, PA. If you require payment by credit card, we will have to add a 3.5% convenience fee which the bank charges to us. If joining us from outside the U.S. balance payments can be made via wire transfer; the registrant is responsible for the fees on both ends.
Included in your trip:
- Transfers to/from Jomo Kenyatta Airport – Nairobi (NBO)
- 1 nights at The Tamarind Hotel close to Wilson Airport including an arrival night ‘meet and greet’ with dinner
- Flight from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport to/from the Masai Mara
- 10kgs extra baggage allowance for camera gear
- 6 nights at Mara Bush Camp
- All meals included (plus bottled water and tea/coffee)
- Game drives in private custom Land Cruisers (4 per vehicle)
- Hot air balloon flight down the Mara River
- Magnum Excursions Guides in attendance
Extras, not included in the trip:
- International Flights
- Gratuities for guide and camp staff (budget $20 to $30/day)
- All drinks other than those specified
- Visa fees if required
- Laundry, and items of a personal nature
If this safari feels right for you or if you have questions regarding the trip, please email us at buddy.eleazer@gmail.com.
This itinerary is the perfect amount of time for the Mara during migration season and should you want to add other destination we will be more than happy to organize this for you. We suggest perhaps visiting Amboseli, Shompole Wilderness or perhaps ticking off another item on the bucket list with a gorilla trek in Rwanda. Details of these extensions are at the following links.