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Join us to photograph one of the Holy Grail Events in Nature Photography – The Mara Crossing!
Imagine a huge herd of wildebeest and zebras pressing up to the edge of this rushing river – until suddenly they begin to charge across.
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Crocodiles, like powerful submarines, move into the fray. Panic grips! Animals slip and others charge over them.
It’s bedlam – amazing to witness and exciting to photograph! One of those sets of memories that is never far from your mind – and always quick to the conversation. |
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A couple million wildebeest, traveling with at least half a million zebras, make up the Great Migration in the Serengeti. They follow the smell of rains – as rains make grass grow – and pasture for all those hungry creatures. |
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In August and September, the Great Migration follows those rains north to the border regions of Tanzania and Kenya – the area of the fabled Mara River. The Mara, a treacherous river in its own right, is home to a population of enormous Nile crocodiles – and the Crossing of the Great Migration is their annual feast! |
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The crazy thing about the Mara Crossing is the Great Migration isn’t just one big herd of animals, but many huge groups of wildebeest and zebras, all following their noses toward fresh pasture. The river keeps getting in the way. And they keep crossing it!
In all of that, there are bursts of intensity! Moments when the water is frothing with crazy animals leaping in panic. And moments when a crocodile moves into that melee! |
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Tanzania’s Mara River in the Northern Serengeti isn’t the easiest place to get to, especially with the photographic gear you and we like to travel with to capture special moments like the crossing.
We have navigated those issues with an itinerary to showcase the highlights of Northern Tanzania – and climax with the Mara Crossing, with the gear you will want to have.
We’ll gather the group near the Kilimanjaro Airport outside Arusha in early September of 2021. Then we’ll quickly make our way to Tarangire National Park – where we’ll find an environment dominated by giant baobab trees – and great herds of elephants drawn in this dry period to pools of water remaining in the channels of the Tarangire River. We’ll photograph elephant interactions, a host of other animals, and search for lions, leopards, and cheetahs! |
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From Tarangire, we’ll make our way to the Ngorngoro Crater, a huge volcanic caldera chock full of almost all the animals one comes to Africa to experience. We’ll work this opportunity hard, filling your cards with images – and working on your skills to get ready for the moments ahead.
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Then, it’s out into the Serengeti. Our next stop is in the Central Serengeti, where we will work the landscape to find great photographic opportunities with all sorts of hoofed animals – and all those creatures that want to eat them. We’ve had success, here, in finding full prides of lions and cheetahs with young!
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Then that last push – and we’ll set up camp in a great lodge near where the crossing events will unfold! Every day we’re out, ready for the action, but also poised to take advantage of all the other photographic opportunities that evolve when rivers, large quantities of animals, groups of predators, and interesting terrain all come together.
We have built ample time in, at the crossing. Sometimes conditions aren’t right and the animals balk at the rivers’ edge. We will have plenty to photograph while we wait – but we don’t want to leave without witnessing the event that drew us here!
Then, it’s a flight back to Arusha, a day room at our arrival lodge, and a transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport for the journey home.
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Some things to note:
First, we opted for quality lodging for this entire safari. We’ll have long days out on safari – and we choose to put you in comfortable rooms, with guaranteed electricity for charging and downloading, and great meals.
Second, we opted to work our way to the crossing, showcasing other great parts of northern Tanzania – and, when we have finished at the crossing, to fly back. That saves a long drive. And, we budgeted enough that you have reasonable limits on your photography gear and personal needs.
Third, you should have internet access at most, if not all lodgings we have chosen. Cell phone coverage in the Serengeti, however, will not be constant.
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Bottom line:
Every night we'll have opportunities to download and recharge (that's an amazing accomplishment for a Tanzania photography safari).
We are set up for up to 5 participants plus one photographer guide plus a driver guide per vehicle. Everyone has both a window and an open top vantage point for photography.
Our lodging is always close to the action.
We (Diane and Bob) will work closely with the guides to assure that we get to great places in great light and take the time to work quality compositions and action (instead of lots of short stops with little opportunity to work the scene).
We're not there to fill a checklist - we're there to create amazing images. This safari is designed to accomplish that.
- This adventure begins and ends at Kilmanjaro International Airport near Arusha, Tanzania
- Group size is 4 minimum, 10 maximum with no more than 5 clients plus one photography leader in each safari vehicle
- Every photographer has a window and an open roof with an unobstructed view toward subjects on his/her side. We reposition vehicles to give everyone a great view
- Most meals included, most drinks on your own
- We have worked to include electricity for recharging and downloading at every lodge
- Limited number of single occupancy spots on this safari
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2024
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Private
Mara River Crossing
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We're off to witness the great migration as it encounters the Mara River. The migration follows the noses of wildebeest which tell them where rains are falling. When they encounter the Mara, they are terrified of the crossing. Crocodiles lurk in the waters. Some wildebeest and zebras fall and get trampled. This is a holy grail of wildlife photography! |
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Journey with us into the wilds of Ethiopia to visit a number of ethnic groups that have clung to the old ways. We'll learn how each group sees the world differently - and how it shapes their personal actions and looks. We'll make amazing artful images of the peoples, their worlds, and the natural world around them. This is a wild adventure - we'll be journeying to where few people go - and tourism infrastructue is available. Check out the itinerary here. |
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Taking Control in the Mirrorless Era
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Three days of classroom and field time with migrating waterfowl, bald eagles, and macro opportunities. You'll learn how to take control of your mirrorless camera - and take advantage of new developments in the digital darkroom - to yield images that closely match your intentions in the field! Embrace manual - it's easier that the auto modes - and easier than ever in the mirrorless era!. |
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2025 |
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Three days of classroom and field time with migrating waterfowl, bald eagles, and macro opportunities. You'll learn how to take control of your mirrorless camera - and take advantage of new developments in the digital darkroom - to yield images that closely match your intentions in the field! Embrace manual - it's easier that the auto modes - and easier than ever in the mirrorless era. |
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Timed to meet the great migration in the Serengeti, our safari takes you to some of the great parks and protected areas in northern Tanzania in search of lions, zebras, giraffes, cheetah, hyenas... Of all our itineraries, anywhere in the world, this one has the best reviews - and is a real life-changing experience! If you'll only be making one photography foray into sub-Saharan Africa in your life - this is the trip! |
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Lions and leopards and cheetahs! Oh my! This two week safari is dedicated to putting us in great positions to photograph cats in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. And, our design lets us "hang out" with the cats until something interesting happens! Timed for when the grasses in the Serengeti are turning green and the game is fat - when cats are in their prime. Read the description and secure your space before its gone. We'll come home with great images and many memories and stories! |
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So many birds! Such good photography opportunities. So little physical effort required. Forty percent of the planet's hummingbirds are found in Ecuador. Thirty-seven percent of the tanagers (which don't show up in the Old World at all). Conservation has teamed up with landowners to protect natural cloudforest habitats - and the result is birds sitting on branches predictably in a way you can photograph them. Did we mention Cock-of-the-rock? Or mountain tourcan? Small group so secure your space before it is gone! |
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Borneo! Rainforests. Orangutans. Gibbons. Pygmy elephants. Proboscis monkeys. 420 species of birds, including amazing hornbills and kingfishers, brightly colored little birds. Carnivorous plants. Sun bears. The list goes on and on. We've built an itinerary that takes you into the canopy, on trails by foot, on rivers by boat, and out on night safari. This is not an adventure you want to miss! |
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Our Drones Photography Group is at it again! Back to Iceland to visit a number of unique sites, looking for great places, away from people, to position our drone cameras to capture unique angles. This time we'll find some great "interior" locations, some thermal features, some wild coastlines, and some exciting rivers. Waterfalls are always part of the game in Iceland - you'll be able to position your drone where no person has ever put a camera before. Bring your drone and come create great art with us! |
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Join us in Brazil's Pantanal for a wild adventure that features both jaguars and an amazing array of birds, reptiles, and mammals. The Pantanal is the only place in the world where one can reliably find and photograph jaguars - as they are nocturnal hunters everywhere else. The birds here are fantastic - this is one of our favorite places to photograph flying birds (we can help you build your skills). Add in close-up encounters with giant river otters and so much more. Join us for this wild adventure! |
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Turkey sits at a geographical crossroads, which means that, over history, many cultures have passed through Turkey, each leaving a distinct imprint on the culture and the archaeological record. Let's explore some of the great archaeological wonders - while putting ourselves in great positions make exciting art with cameras. Mosques, Fairy Chimneys, Ephasus, Istanbul, Aphrodisia, Pergamum, Assos and so much more. |
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2026 |
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To sit quietly in a bamboo thicket with a gorilla family, interacting with eye contact, observing, and making compelling images is truly a life changing experience. Venture out into the wilds of Rwanda with a small group to experience photographic encounters with wild gorillas, chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, golden monkeys, and much, much more. Fitness level is necessary to accomplish this adventure. Dates are tentative until we secure permits. |
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Timed to meet the great migration in the Serengeti, our safari takes you to some of the great parks and protected areas in northern Tanzania in search of lions, zebras, giraffes, cheetah, hyenas... Of all our itineraries, anywhere in the world, this one has the best reviews - and is a real life-changing experience! If you'll only be making one photography foray into sub-Saharan Africa in your life - this is the trip! |
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Join us in 2026 as we'll explore favorite haunts and add new landings and vistas. Giant tortoises, flightless frigates, 3 kinds of boobies, land and marine iguanas, sea lions and fur seals, flamingos, and the northernmost penguin in the world. The list goes on and on! Exciting landscapes. So much to learn about geology, biology, and evolution.Truly an inspiring experience - ties the Serengeti in client feedback as the "most life-changing" experience of their lives. |
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