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Iconic East Africa – March 2014

Iconic East Africa - March 2014

Iconic East Africa - March 2014

Overview

Please note all places on this photo safari are filled. A waiting list has been created.

[Should you wish to have your name placed on the waiting list, please forward an email to: denis@denisglennon.com]

“I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke that I was not happy”.     [Ernest Hemingway]

In Swahili “safari” means “journey”. Historically the word was synonymous with hunting expeditions in East Africa. Today it is more frequently used by people embarking on a journey into the African bush (wildlife reserves) armed with a camera or three and not an elephant gun.

It is difficult to improve on Karen Blixen’s description of life on safari:

“One only feels free when one can go in whatever direction one pleases over the plains, to get to the river at sundown and pitch one’s camp with the knowledge that one can fall asleep beneath other trees, with another view appearing before one the next night”.

While Karen’s safari experience of the 1920’s has changed somewhat, there still is no better feeling than to be immersed in the natural world that only East and Southern Africa can provide.

A safari is not only a journey to Africa; it is a journey into your soul.

This photo safari into East Africa (the “home of the safari”) will take you to the iconic places in Kenya and Tanzania.  Most safaris concentrate on either country but rarely both on the same safari.

The locations have been carefully researched. To better the itinerary for photographers would be a challenge.

If you decide to join us, you can expect to experience:

  • Exceptional wildlife viewing and amazing photography.
  • Meticulous planning and the highest standard of on-ground operations.
  • Five star accommodation in surprising settings.
  • Food ranging from very good to gourmet.
  • Drivers and guides having local knowledge that will impress the most demanding photographer/traveller.
  • A maximum of four photographers in a vehicle.
  • Continuous professional assistance with your photography.
  • A carefully designed itinerary that reveals Africa to you at the right pace.
  • Efficient charter flights between locations to minimize driving time and maximize photographic opportunities.
  • Arriving home with the best possible images of your journey into East Africa.

East Africa is to the wildlife photographer as Florence is to the artist and place names like Masai Mara, Great Rift Valley, Amboseli, Mount Kenya, The Aberdares, Samburu, Lake Nakuru, Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater conjure up visions of the “best of the best” for any nature or wildlife photographer.

This is a safari, custom-made for photographers and spouses/partners having interests in wildlife, nature, and breath-taking landscapes and who wish to experience, in one trip, extraordinary, untamed parts of East Africa accessible for many, once in their lifetime.

It features some of the best and most stunning wildlife viewing opportunities that Kenya and Tanzania have to offer, with one important advantage: you will be traveling in the company of three professional photographers to help you capture amazing images.

This photographic safari is confined to a maximum of twelve participants, is suitable for participants of all levels of photographic experience and is a trip that a non-photographing spouse or travel partner will thoroughly enjoy.

“Everything in Africa bites, but the photo safari bug is the worst of all”.     [Denis Glennon AO]

Highlights

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do rather than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream and discover” .     [Mark Twain]
  • To avoid driving the long distances to the iconic locations in both countries, with the exception a short cross-border drive (approx. 3 hours) from Kenya to Tanzania we will fly between destinations.
  • We will show you the best of the Masai Mara and its predators. Depending on sightings we may spend whole days in the reserve taking a picnic lunch with us.
  • You will experience seldom-visited parts of The Mara’s ecosystem, down to the southern boundary where the Mara and Serengeti adjoin. Here, there is little human traffic – a true wilderness experience.
  • Entim camp is located on the bank of the Mara River – an idyllic spot to enjoy dinner and sit around the camp fire.
  • In Amboseli, you will capture classic shots of herds of elephants, sometimes over 50 strong, wandering across grass plains, past tall acacia tress, flanked by the snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. This is the best place in Africa to photograph these great pachyderms – many of them with huge tuskers. Yes, this image captures everything that is desired on a safari: unlimited space, far horizons, big sky, wild animals and landscapes that cannot be mistaken for anywhere else on the planet.
  • You will stay in an award winning eco-tourism lodge in Amboseli. Tortilis Camp is a classic East African style safari camp consisting of luxurious canvas tents with elegant en suite bathrooms, all with magnificent views of Kilimanjaro.
  • Serengeti, meaning “endless plains” in Masai, is the setting for the most awesome wildlife spectacle on earth. Each year more than one million wildebeest and quarter-million zebras begin their great circular migration. We have timed this safari to be there for one of the main attractions of southern Serengeti – the calving of the wildebeest. Of course the predators are never far away and you may witness and photograph a hunt or kill.
  • Your home in Serengeti is Kusini Camp. Set on a rocky outcrop, or kopje, the twelve tented bush camp is so remote that it needs its own airstrip. Few properties pay homage to the environment with the same breathtaking effect as Kusini, effortless ensuring a private proximity to the Africa you will have come to see. Kusini is your own Serengeti – exclusive in location, rich in experience and luxurious in setting.
  • The Ngorongoro area is home to the red-robed Masai people who tend their herds of cattle, sheep and goats in a place most of us would be privileged to see and photograph once in our lifetime. Ngorongoro Crater needs no introduction: it is a concentration of wildlife like no other in the world; a wildlife paradise protected by a circular 700 metre high “wall”.
  • You cannot feel but you are stepping back in time to an age of grandeur in The Manor at Ngorongoro – your home away from home as the photo safari draws to a reluctant close. The Manor provides the perfect environment to relax and take in the outstanding natural beauty of its gardens and the coffee-bush laden hills, yet the drama that is Africa is but a short distance away. It really does not get much better than this and every traveller should stay here at least once in their lifetime.
  • There is a place in northeast Tanzania that the Maasai revere. It has presided over the birth of our species and is witness to one of the greatest migrations on earth. It is Ol Doinyo Lengai – we offer a unique to go there and photograph it from the air. There are no road signs to here and any map is at best an approximation.
  • If you do not already have a passion for Africa, it is guaranteed you will by the end of this very special photo safari.
“Each time I touch the soil of Africa, I feel a rekindling of knowing what life is about.     [Denis Glennon AO]

Dates & Summary Itinerary

The photo safari commences in Nairobi, Kenya on 8 March 2014 and finishes in Arusha, Tanzania on 23 March 2014.

For your convenience direct links have been provided to each lodge/camp you will visit on this photo safari. To access, simply click on the name of the lodge/camp.

DATE TRANSFER ACCOMMODATION
8 Mar Arrive Nairobi – start of photo safari Serena Hotel
9 Mar Fly Nairobi/Masai Mara Entim Camp – 5 nights
14 Mar Transfer to Amboseli Tortilis Lodge – 3 nights
17 Mar Road transfer to Ngorongoro Crater via Namanga border post Ngorongoro Manor – 2 nights
19 Mar Transfer to Kusini Camp Kusini Camp– 4 nights
23 Mar Transfer to Kilimanjaro InternationalAirport – official exit from Tanzania & end of photo safari N/A

You can also download the more comprehensive itinerary by clicking the DOWNLOAD ITINERARY button in the sidebar.

Costs & Terms of Payment

As noted in Section 9. Responsibility in the downloadable PDF: Iconic East Africa March 2014 – Important Information, Iconic Images is obligated to pay the costs of the photo safari in US dollars.

The cost is US$19,350 (or the equivalent in AU$ at the time of making the final payment) per person, twin share.
A single supplement of US$3,325 (or the equivalent in AU$ at the time of making the final payment) applies, if specifically requested. This single supplement is to be paid at the time of registration.

Terms of Payment

  • A non-refundable 25% deposit together with a completed Registration Form, on or before 31st July 2013.
  • A second non-refundable payment of 25% on or before 30th Sept 2013.
  • A final payment of the remaining 50%, on or before 30th Nov 2013.

The cost of the AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY OF OL DOINYO LENGAI VOLCANO and LAKE NATRON in Tanzania optional extension, is US$1,350/person (or the equivalent in AU$ at the time of making the final payment), 50%  payable on registration and 50% payable on or before 30 Nov 2013.

Extension – Aerial Photography of Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano & Lake Natron 

The extension is scheduled for Mar 24 i.e. after the photo safari finishes and includes:

1. One night accommodation at Arusha Coffee Lodge on 23 Mar.

2. Dinner at Arusha Coffee Lodge on 23 Mar.

3. Early morning breakfast at Arusha Coffee Lodge on 24 Mar.

4. Early morning, local charter flight of approx. one hour over Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano in Cessna Caravan (for stability and slow air speed) with doors off for best aerial photography.

5. Lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge on 24 Mar.

6. Transfer from Arusha Coffee Lodge to Kilimanjaro International Airport for connection with international flights. This is your official exit from Tanzania.

The pricing of the extension is based on a minimum of six (6) participants.

The cost of the Extension is US$1,350.00 (or the equivalent in AU$ at the time of making the final payment) per person, 50%  payable on registration and 50% payable on or before 30 Nov 2013.

If You Would Like More Details

If you would like to discuss any aspect of international flights for the photo safari, please contact the booking agent, Flightworld, 200 St. Georges Tce., Perth and request to speak to Mrs Khush Suntoke. Alternatively you can email Khush at khush@flightworld.com.au.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of the photo safari, before making a decision to join us, please contact either:

Denis Glennon AO on 0418 923 103 or denis@denisglennon.com, or

Jay Collier on 0410 608 790 or jay.collier@canon.com.au

Ensure you download the comprehensive itinerary containing most of the information you will initially need, by clicking on “DOWNLOAD ITINERARY’ in the box on the right hand side.

If this photo safari is not for you, perhaps you might consider forwarding the information to a friend at Canon Oceania, who may like to know about it.

Pre-departure Information

To assist you prepare for this photo safari I have compiled a comprehensive, downloadable and printable PDF. It contains helpful information on:

  1. Travelling with and looking after photographic equipment in Africa.
  2. Downloading and backing-up images every day.
  3. Power supply in Kenya and Tanzania for charging batteries, laptop, mobile phone, etc.
  4. Vehicle etiquette and consideration for fellow passengers and photographers.
  5. Keeping healthy in Africa.
  6. Money Matters in Kenya and Tanzania.
  7. Immigration and Customs at Nairobi International Airport, Kenya.
  8. Arrangements to meet you on arrival at Nairobi International Airport.
  9. Travel documents, personal items & clothing checklist
  10. Personal medical items checklist.
  11. Camera equipment checklist – this is a comprehensive list and you should not be overwhelmed.
  12. Summary itinerary.
  13. Your Tour Leaders/Assistants
  14. Guide to paying gratuities on this photo safari.
  15. Denis’ choice of lenses and other camera equipment for this photo safari.

Perusing the information in this PDF will undoubtedly enrich your photo safari and help you to return home with iconic images, and many magnificent memories.

The information in the PDF will help you with selecting and packing your camera equipment and other essential items for the tour.

A copy of this PDF will be forwarded to all registered participants, approximately thirty days before the commencement of the photo safari.


View Larger Map

Masai Mara - Kenya

QUERIES & CONTACTS

If you would like to discuss any aspect of international flights for the photo safari, please contact the booking agent, Flightworld, 200 St. Georges Tce., Perth and request to speak to Mrs Khush Suntoke. Alternatively you can email Khush at khush@flightworld.com.au.

If you would like to discuss any photographic aspect of the tour, please telephone Denis Glennon on 0418 923 103 or send an email to denis@denisglennon.com

If this photography tour is not for you, perhaps you might consider forwarding this link to a friend who may like to know about it. Thank you sincerely.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Download the PDF containing full details on payment terms and registration, the itinerary, what is/is not included, cancellation policy and fees, compulsory travel insurance, health considerations, responsibility, liability, and packing camera gear for travel.

Download: Iconic East Africa March 2014 - Important Information (Printable PDF)

REGISTRATION FORM

To reserve a place, download, complete and return the form to Our World Travel.

Download: REGISTRATION FORM (PrintablePDF)

AFFILIATIONS

Iconic Images is the exclusive representative/agent for C4 Photo Safaris, South Africa, in Australia & New Zealand.

C4 Photo Safaris provides the on-ground logistics for Iconic Images' photo safaris/tours in Africa and is a SATSA member. The SATSA logo signifies that C4 Photo Safaris offers services that are of the highest quality and the company is deemed to be a credible and reliable provider of services to the tourism industry in South Africa. These services are independently audited on an annual basis. SATSA members are bonded, providing a financial guarantee of deposits held against the involuntary liquidation of a SATSA member.

AIPP Australian Institute of Professional Photographers SATSA Southern Africa Tourism Services Association C4 Images & Safaris
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