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Saturday, December 11, 2010

TANZANIA - recce trip for new WILD4 Photo Safari

In late November I travelled to Tanzania to check out a few of their reserves with the idea of putting together a new photo safari to a new location.

I visited Lake Manyara which is a beautiful little reserve but I did not think it was worth going there for photography - personally I think that you can get better shots staying at Lake Nakuru in Kenya. There were a lot of flamingos on Lake Manyara - more than I have seen at Nakuru but they are so far away from the roads that they were not even worth a photo. The park is also famed for its tree climbing Lions and I am sure at some point you would come across them but only if you were extremely lucky and after many visits. Most of the park is very thick bush - even thicker than Kruger ! :)

I then headed to the Central Serengeti which for me was my most favourite. It is a beautiful park with varied landscapes and many many photo opportunities. You are a little more restricted to the roads in the Serengeti than you are in the Masai Mara (on the northern side of the river) but the place is very big and has an endless feel to it - much more so than the Masai Mara. In 5 days I saw 68 different Lions, 6 Cheetah and 4 Leopards, not all good for photography, but it is good to know that there are good populations of cats in the area.

The scenery in the central section if wonderful - cloud scapes with rocky Kopjes in the scene WOW - this is the place !!  those of you who enjoy black & white & infra red - the Serengeti was made for you :)

I then visited the Ngorongoro Crater - it is definitely a unique place and certainly worth a visit although being restricted to the roads means that there is a good deal of luck involved to get great shots - we saw 13 Lions and a cheetah - but did not take a single photo of any of them - on that day they were just too far from the road. On another day it might be different.

It is a good place for scenic shots with the crater wall in the background and as I said certainly worth a visit on the way to the Serengeti. I would only spend 1 full day there though.

The trip idea I have in mind would be during late Jan / Early Feb, it is quite late for a 2011 trip but I will be offering the dates for anyone who is interested.

Jan / Feb is when the wildebeest and zebra give birth - mostly in the southern Serengeti, along with this comes great predator action and sightings. The trip then would be split between 4 nights in the central Serengeti to include the resident wildlife that inhabits this very scenic part of the reserve with its mountain backdrops and rocky Kopjes. Then we would move to the southern Serengeti for another 4 nights to witness the 1000's & 1000's of Wildebeest on the open grass plains.

Summary would be
1 night Arusha - arrival day
2 nights Sopa Lodge on the rim of the Crater
4 nights central Serengeti
4 nights southern Serengeti
fly from Serengeti back to Kilimanjaro for departure

Accommodation in Arusha and at the Crater will be in a lodge whilst accommodation in the Serengeti will be in comfortable Mobile Tented camps - both with en-suite toilet facilities and communal recharging area.

If anyone is interested in doing this photo safari in Jan / Feb 2011 please let me know as soon as possible. I will be posting more info and prices on my website soon.

Enjoy a selection of photos from the Serengeti & the Crater
Regards
Stu



Typical "Kopje" in Central Serengeti

Rain storm over the southern grass plains of the Serengeti

Zebra on the grass plains - Serengeti

Topi Silhouette, Serengeti

Herd of Zebra passing a Kopje

Pride of Lion walking across the Serengeti plains

Zebra

Cheetah

Masai Giraffe - Serengeti

Zebras running through water

Male Von Der Decken's Hornbill

Group of Lion cubs resting in the shade

Common Ostrich eating fruit

Zebra

Elephant

Helmeted Guinea fowl

Young male Leopard in central Serengeti

Lilac Breasted Roller

Male Lion and females - Serengeti

Coke's Hartebeest - Serengeti
 
Young Lion - Serengeti

Mobile Tented Camp in Central Serengeti

Mobile Tented Camp in central Serengeti

Lioness stalking

Lions on the open grasslands

Red and Yellow Barbet - Lake Manyara

Lioness on top of a Kopje - Serengeti

Lioness with cubs - Serengeti

Thompson's Gazelle running

Fischer's Lovebird - Serengeti

Serengeti Sunset

Secretary Bird

Coke's Hartebeest

Male Lion with baby Thompson's Gazelle

Male Lion with Thompson's Gazelle

Male Lion

Ngorongoro Crater

Cape Buffalo in the Crater

Ngorongoro Crater


KENYA PHOTO SAFARI - November 2010 Samburu Reserve, Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara

This years Kenya trip was extremely productive and all 3 parks that we visited offered different and varied landscapes as well as species and photo opportunities.
Weather wise we were extremely fortunate, it was not as wet as last years trip even though it was the time for the short rains.
There were still quite a few big herds of wildebeest around in the Mara and we were lucky to see 2 small crossings at the Mara River.

This trip is very popular and the 2011 spaces are almost sold out - please enquire as soon as possible if you were thinking of joining us on the November 2011 Kenya Photo Safari.

Enjoy!!
Warm regards
The Wild4 Team

Reticulated Giraffe - Samburu Reserve

Herd of Elephant crossing the Nwaso Nyiro River in Samburu Reserve

Male Gerenuk - Samburu Reserve

Grevy's Zebra - Samburu Reserve

Beisa Oryx, Samburu Reserve

Reticulated Giraffe - Samburu Reserve

The female Leopard we saw a number of times in Samburu Reserve

Young Elephant charging an unaware Baboon - Samburu Reserve

Large Spotted Genet - Samburu Reserve

Vulturine Guinea Fowl - Samburu Reserve

Elephants greeting each other - Samburu Reserve

Reticulated Giraffe - Samburu Reserve

Tawny Eagle - Samburu Reserve

Elephant with fruit from a palm tree - Samburu Reserve

Female Leopard - Samburu Reserve

Spurwing Plover - Samburu Reserve

Reticulated Giraffe - Samburu Reserve

Superb Starling - Samburu Reserve

Olive Baboon - Samburu Reserve

Flamingo - Lake Nakuru

Flamingo in the rain - Lake Nakuru

Flamingos at sunset - Lake Nakuru

Flamingos - Lake Nakuru

Sacred Ibis - Lake Nakuru

Pelican - Lake Nakuru

White Rhino - Lake Nakuru

Wildebeest crossing the Mara River - Masai Mara

Crowned Crane - Masai Mara

Cape Buffalo running - Masai Mara

James' Leopard - Masai Mara

Sunrise at Serena Lodge - Masai Mara

Topi fighting - Masai Mara

Black Chested Snake Eagle - Masai Mara

John's Black Rhino - Masai Mara

Cheetah - Masai Mara

Giraffe at sunrise - Masai Mara

Young Male Lion - Masai Mara

Serval Cat - Masai Mara

Giraffe resting - Masai Mara

Male Lion - Masai Mara

Martial Eagle with a White Tailed Mongoose - Masai Mara

Secretary Bird - Masai Mara

Topi looking out over the Masai Mara

Young Cheetah and baby Thompson's Gazelle - Masai Mara

Cheetah and Thompson's Gazelle - Masai Mara

Cheetah and Thompson's Gazelle - Masai Mara