miacollis

KENYA EXPEDITION

A SPECTACULAR PHOTOGRAPHIC LED SAFARI IN THE MASAI MARA & SAMBURU

  • CHOOSE YOUR SAFARI DATE : * OCTOBER: 8th -17th 2024 OR * MARCH 15 to 24 2025 Safari starts & finishes – Nairobi, Kenya.
  • Where: Samburu & The Masai Mara
  • Who: It’s for everyone. And any level of photography is welcome. Minimum of 4  & maximum of 12 guests.
  • Cost: USD 10,906 (based on a double/twin room shared basis) * If you’d like your own room we’ll add a single supplement of USD 1,850 for the trip.
  • Deposit: USD 3,500 (*non refundable and confirms your spot). The remaining USD 7,406 to be paid by June 30th 2024 for the October Safari or by December 5th 2024 for the March Safari. 

Join us on a bespoke photo led safari by the distinguished cinematographer David Douglas and photographer Mia Collis. Partnered with the Soroi Collection and their spectacular camps we’ll experience Kenya’s majestic north through and it’s spectacular species such as reticulated giraffes and Grevy’s Zebras exclusive only to these Northern rangelands. 

We will stay at the famous Soroi Larsens Camp in Samburu. It’s a five star, boutique luxury camp set in the heart of Samburu National Park. The camp has a unique history that rests on the banks of the stunning Ewaso Niro River. Supporting a photo hide at our disposal you’ll witness some of Kenya’s most endangered  species from a close space and with unlimited game drives in a specially designed photo adapted landcruiser. In addition, we’ll visit some of the worlds leading grass root conservation organisations and their indigenous teams saving and protecting critically endangered species such as lions and Grevy’s Zebras. 

For our next leg we’ll jump onboard a bush plane and fly to the world famous Masai Mara. Here you may just experience everything from leopards, lions and elephants to the more obscure bat eared foxes and striped hyaenas. We’ll stay at The Soroi Mara Bush Camp, located in one of the most spectacular locations in the reserve. Perched on the edge of the Olare Orok River, you can view a pod of 40 + hippos at any one time without leaving the camp at all. The camp is eco conscious and has a sophisticated and intimate feel that delivers great comfort in an amazingly wild environment.

You’ll be lead by Mia Collis a multi award winning photographer and third generation Kenyan with a solid knowledge of the bush and David Douglas – the most experienced cinematographer in the IMAX camera world – David worked on IMAX’s Blue Planet in the Mara as well as 50 other IMAX feature documentaries around the world. 

This trip is for everyone. Whether you bring an iphone or a large format camera, all will work. We’ll walk you through your own imagery. You’ll learn light (taking advantage of East Africa’s spectacular light windows), we’ll show you how to get the best perspectives, compositions and colour palettes. We’ll teach story telling and how to work with your images in post. We’ll be with you to assist in the technical side and you’ll be surrounded by a team who know animal behaviours and how to deliver you into a natural scenario to garner the perfect imagery. You may just go home with some of the best shots you’ve ever taken!

The team

Any level of photography is welcome. From beginners to professionals. All image making tools are welcome. We’ll be a minimum of 4 participants and a maximum of 12. There will be no more than 4 guests in a spacious photographic vehicle at your disposal for the whole day. Game drives are unlimited! 

Mia Collis is a multi award winning photographer and third generation Kenyan. Her recent collaboration with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust resulted in the acclaimed  coffee -table book The Unsung Heroes which sold out the first printing in 90 days. Her photo assignments have covered a range of human and wildlife stories from clever rats in Tanzania to a conservation battle amid insurgent war in the Congo. Her film production work includes seven years of coordination of  BBC and other international film and TV teams, locating their subjects and connecting them to hundreds of African stories and species. IMAX /Warner Bros tapped her skills as production manager on 2 IMAX 3d wildlife features :“Born to Be Wild” and “Island of Lemurs: Madagascar”. Mia has delivered work for International humanitarian & conservation organisations, film studios, publishing companies, media houses, ad agencies and celebrities.

David Douglas’s camera work has contributed to over 50 giant screen documentaries from the deep ocean to earth orbit, working on every continent with an evolving team of like minded specialists.  Covering earth science in these decades has meant working for NASA, the Smithsonian Institution ,  National Wildlife Federation,  IMAX and  Warner Brothers and teaming up with Sir David Attenborough, Christopher Parsons, Morgan Freeman and Graeme Ferguson amongst others. Douglas traveled around the world capturing earth action sequences to correspond with the space views of astronauts shooting down from the space shuttle for the IMAX classic, Blue Planet. His efforts have tracked grey whale migrations down the pacific coast to the calving grounds in Baja, Bald eagle gatherings in Alaska , the first humpback whale song recording in the waters off Maui, and the wild ocean tapestry of the sardine run along the wild coast of South Africa. 

The Long & Short

The cost USD 10,906 per person

CHOOSE YOUR SAFARI DATE : * OCTOBER: 8th -17th 2024 OR * MARCH 15 to 24 2025 Safari starts & finishes – Nairobi, Kenya.

Deposit

USD 3,500 deposit is needed to confirm your place. This is nonrefundable – therefore we strongly advise that you purchase travel/cancellation insurance to enable repayment of your deposit should you call off the safari.

The remaining USD 7,406 is to be paid by June 30th 2024 for the October Safari or by December 5th 2024 for the March Safari. This is exactly 100 days before the Safari begins.

*** The cost of this safari is based on a minimum of 4 participants and a maximum of 12. If guest numbers do not exceed 4 people, a supplement fee of $210.00 will apply.

What’s included: 

  • Unlimited game drives.
  • Large converted photographic vehicles – no more than 4 people in each.
  • Image guidance and lectures and workshops by Mia & David.
  • All accommodation on a twin room basis. If, however, you’d like your own room, a Single Room Supplement of US $.1,850.00 per person is an option for the safari.
  • All meals – full board
  • 2 scheduled flights with extra baggage allowance (31kg/68lbs per person) .
  • Specialised driver/guides who know the bush well & how photographers work!
  • All conservancy & National Park fees.
  • A spectacular bush breakfast in Samburu. 
  • A private Sundowner in the Mara.
  • Unlimited use of Larsens incredible PHOTO HIDE
  • Visits to 2 grass roots Conservation Organisations.
  • All airport transfers.
  • Day rooms in Nairobi on your last day.
  • In Country Evacuation insurance to a Nairobi hospital (cost of hospitalisation and/or medical treatment is not included)

What’s not included: 

  • International flights
  • VISAS
  •  Certain alcoholic beverages (unless specified otherwise), laundry and phone calls,.etc. 
  •  A change in itinerary 
  •  Tips & gratuities.
  • International travel, Evacuation & Medical Insurance *Travel & Cancellation Insurance strongly recommended.
  •  Extra meals 
  • Meals on the day your flight arrives and lunch on the day your flight departs.
  • Any items of personal nature such as shopping and sightseeing.
  • Extra activities such as Balloon rides, bush walks etc.

Our schedule

ARRIVAL DAY: Arrival from your international flights to Nairobi. This is a travel day with guests arriving at different times. We’ll transfer you from the airport to the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel (hotel check-in is from noon). Mia and David will meet you at the hotel with some welcome drinks. It’s about resting from a big flight and recuperating before our Safari begins the next morning!

DAY 1:

Nairobi / Samburu National Reserve. All legs of our journey will be flying but we figured you may want to actually get a feel of Kenya by way of ground – so after an early breakfast we’ll see the country as we drive to Samburu National Reserve. On arrival, you’ll enjoy a game drive en-route to Soroi Larsens Camp for check-in and lunch. You can choose to take a late afternoon game drive at your convenience. Mia and David will give a talk in the evening.

DAY 2,3 & 4 : 

We’ll be in Samburu National Reserve immersed into Kenyas wild North.  With unlimited daily game drives and the use of Soroi Larsens Camp’s spectacular photographic hide, Mia and David will be with you throughout to guide you through your own imagery. We’ll stop in a wild spot for a delicious bush breakfast and we’ll visit the Grevy’s Zebra Trust & the Ewaso Lions – two grassroots conservation organisations leading the way into protecting critically endangered species through community lead projects. A typical day will contain: early morning and afternoon (& optional midday) game drives capturing East Africas magnificent light, great food, talks , image guidance and in the evenings you’ll retire dusty and satisfied to sundowners on Larsens deck, optional slideshows and talks, a trip to the photographic hide, a great supper and the comfiest bed at Soroi Larsens Camp.

DAY 5: 

After an early breakfast at the camp we’ll make our way to a bush airstrip and take a scheduled 9am flight to the Masai Mara National Reserve. You have an extra baggage allowance of 31 Kgs per person. We’ll land at Ol Kiombo Airstrip and do a short drive to Soroi Mara Bush Camp for a tasty lunch. An optional afternoon game drive is on the cards or you can simply relax and watch an enormous pod of hippos frolicking in the Olare Orok River right in front of camp. We’ll sleep for the next 4 nights at Soroi Mara Bush Camp.

DAY 6,7 & 8: We’ll see the Masai Mara National Reserve at it’s best. The plains will be teaming with game, the Mara’s natural light is magnificent at this time and we might get a few distant thunderstorms which make for great dramatic photography along the skyline.  A typical day will be: Wake up with a hot chocolate or tea/coffee, early morning/late afternoon game drive (these are the best times for animal behaviour) – back at camp for breakfast/supper/lunch, more game drives (as many as you want). A stunning Sundowner experience in the wild. Talks, guidance, rest, good food and a warm bed at Soroi Mara Bush Camp.

DAY 9: Fly back to Nairobi // day rooms // outbound departure.

We’ll have one last early morning game drive and breakfast back at camp.

Thereafter, freshen up and we’ll transfer to the airstrip to board your 11am flight back to Nairobi. We’ll arrive at 12pm and there will be vehicles available for the afternoon for possible shopping, lunch and sightseeing. Day rooms are booked at the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel until 7:00pm for you to shower and relax before your flight home. We’ll have our final supper together in Nairobi and here after the Safari ENDS.