Tour Dates:

February - March 2013 (9 day itinerary booked on request only)

Tour Price:

This will depend on the size of your group. The quoted price will include all accommodation; meals; drinks (excluding premium brands); transfers; private safari drives with exclusive vehicle use; scheduled charter flights; photographic tuition and the guiding services of professional wildlife photographer Greg du Toit. (Not included in the cost are visas; purchases of a personal nature; personal travel insurance; your international flights and certain adhoc activities such as hot air balloon rides)

 

Your Trip Highlights: - Africa's Great Rift Valley and its associated lakes are world famous. On this safari you will journey to the western wall of the rift valley and you explore Lake Manyara with her flamingos, massive giraffe and elephant herds as well as a plethora of other African creatures - including lots of hippo and monkey! Manyara is also famous for its tree climbing lion! - Nestled in the boughs of an ancient Mahogany forest is Manyara Tree Lodge - complete with large windows opening into the forest. Enjoy a soaking bath or an outside shower with panoramic views over Africa. This lodge is one of Africa's finest with a sophisticated blend of natural indulgence and romance. The lodge is tucked away in a remote corner of Manyara and with only 10 suites, exclusivity is guaranteed. - The Ngorongoro Crater needs no introduction and on this safari you will overnight on the very lip of the crater where you will enjoy the finest view in all of Africa. Unlike scheduled tours which descend only once into the crater, you will descend in both the afternoon and the morning - as this is after all when the best photography is done! Crater Lodge is simply one of the finest lodges in all of Africa! Seeing the Ngorongoro Crater is so wonderful that you will marvel at the beauty and splendor of planet earth! - The great wildebeest migration is one of the last large mammal migrations left on planet earth. Whats more, is that the entire migration, drops its calves all within a three week period. Your safari is timed to coincide with the migration calving and to see the great herds and calves grazing on the plains of the Serengeti is quite simply, EPIC! - Predator action during Feb/March in the Ndutu area of the Serengeti is unrivaled anywhere in the world. Your chance of seeing cheetahs hunt is VERY good and excellent predator sightings are guaranteed. Lion and Cheetah are very active and we will also search the woodland for leopard! This is one safari that you will fill your memory cards on - daily! - While this is one of the best photographic safaris one can do on the African continent, this safari is also suited to non-photographing partners and spouses as both the scenery and wildlife viewing are breathtaking. The lodgings are also luxurious. - On your safari you will enjoy the hosting and guiding services of professional wildlife photographer Greg du Toit. You will receive one-on-one tuition and your passion for photography will be ignited or reignited! This kind of personal attention can only be offered on a private safari and that is why this trip is not a set departure but rather booked on request only. - Photographers of all levels are welcome and you will receive expert tuition based on your level of experience.

Your Itinerary:

Day 1 - Overnight Arusha

After being met at the airport you will be transferred to a delightful coffee farm on the outskirts of the town. Your host and guide, Greg du Toit, will have dinner with you followed by a pre-trip brief.

Day 2, 3 - Lake Manyara Great Rift Valley

After a short 40 minute scheduled flight, you land on the floor of Africa's Great Rift Valley. This is where the famous elephant researcher Dr Ian Douglas Hamilton started his research back in 1960. You go straight into a safari drive and exploration! Three hours later we check into our camp for a scrumptious lunch. Our safari camp for this leg is one of Africa's most unique and finest! You will spend two nights living in luxurious tree houses complete with stand alone baths! From your large wooden deck, you will enjoy being a part of an ancient African mahogany forest and you will take in panoramic views over the Great Rift Valley!

From our tree-house base, we will search the valley floor for photographic subjects. Manyara is one of Africa's most diverse parks and with a mosaic of habitats, our photographic subjects will include both forest and savanna subjects! Large relaxed herds of elephants and giraffes are on offer as are the famous tree climbing lions. Monkeys make excellent subjects to practice on and to make sure that we have our autofocus technique down pat, so that we can photograph the intense predator action to follow later in the safari. From Flamingos to hippos, Manyara is quite simply Africa's eden!
See www.manyara.com

Day 4, 5, 6, 7 - Serengeti Mobile Camp

You take a stunning morning safari drive and we finish at the airstrip in time to board the scheduled charter flight to the Serengeti. Tucked away in a beautiful and quintessential Acacia forest, you will find your mobile camp. This camp is especially erected to coincide with the wildebeest calving season! For those concerned about their comfort, there is no need for you to be concerned as your walk-in Bedouin style tents are spacious with four-post beds. You will enjoy traditional hot water bucket showers prepared and hoisted, as well as fine traditional English cuisine! You will sit around a camp fire under breathtakingly beautiful Acacia trees and you will be safely escorted to your tent each night. The best way to experience Africa is no doubt to spend a few nights under canvas! Lying in your tent, you will hear lions roar and perhaps even the moans and groans of the great migration.

Each day, we will journey through the Acacia woodland in search of leopard. We will also venture onto the great plains where we will enjoy exceptional wildebeest migration photography with the associated predator action! Standing on the short grass plains and gazing over one of the world's last remaining mammal migrations is an experience of a lifetime! We will also enjoy exceptional predator viewing and extreme predator action is almost guaranteed! Full memory cards are also guaranteed! The Ndutu area of the Serengeti ecosystem is one of the most beautiful and action packed parts of Africa and YOU will be there during the best season! Africa simply does not get any better!

On this photo safari, we will not only focus on big predators, but we will also photograph a plethora of creatures on Africa’s largest remaining grass plains! This safari offers brilliant animal landscapes! For those interested in a Serengeti hot air balloon safari, we can also arrange for this (this must be pre-booked)!
See www.serengetiundercanvas.com


Day 8 - Ngorongoro Crater

On our way to the airstrip we enjoy one last safari drive to bid farewell to the great plains. A short (35 minute) scheduled charter flight later and you will arrive in the Crater Highlands. You will be whisked straight into the Ngorongoro Crater for a picnic lunch! The Crater Lodge will be our base - arguably Africa's most famous and exclusive lodge (Conde Nast Traveler - World's Best Places to Stay 2009). Between spectacular views, swirling mists, rose petal baths and log fires, you will enjoy the very finest safari experience!

Our Ngorongoro Crater photo safari will take you down the walls of the crater for a safari drive on the bottom. The Ngorongoro Crater is a perfectly intact volcanic caldera with walls 600 meters high and an entire intact ecosystem on the bottom. The photography in the crater is also very unique in that you have the beautiful walls forming a stunning backdrop. Some of the largest Tusker Elephants left in Africa are to be found on the crater floor, and we will search the forests for these mammoth beasts! The Crater also boasts the highest concentrations of large predators in the world as well as the entire 'big five'. Ngorongoro is simply a nature photographer's paradise so bring big memory cards!
See www.craterlodge.com



Your Guide:

Award winning wildlife photographer Greg du Toit will personally lead you on this remarkable expedition. Greg was based permanently in Tanzania for two years (2006-2007) and he has been photographing the great migration for the last 8 consecutive years! Recently Greg was invited to perform a solo exhibit for National Geographic in London. The exhibit titled 'Africa' sold out and a majority of the artwork was photographed in the Serengeti (click here to see a few of his Serengeti images). Not only will Greg be interpreting the region’s wildlife for you, but he will also provide professional photographic tuition to ensure that you obtain your dream images! For guest reviews click here...

The wildebeest calving season and the Ngorongoro Crater are two of Africa's most iconic safari destinations and this safari combines both. With an exclusive vehicle, two descents into the crater, mobile camping in the heart of the migration action and a professional photographer as your guide - this promises to be a safari of a lifetime !!! To book this once in a lifetime African Photographic Safari contact Greg here...