Big Cats of the Maasai Mara

Photo Safari - March 2028

US$ 13,000 per person sharing

US$ 1,600 single supplement

Big Cats of the Maasai Mara

Photo Safari with Laura Dyer

When people think of Africa, they think of Kenya’s Masai Mara. The vast rolling plains, the sheer density and diversity of wildlife, and the thrill of the wild. This is Africa as it is meant to be.

Taking in two of the wonderful conservancies of the Mara (Mara North and Naboisho), this safari showcases the some of the best that the Mara has to offer. The Maasai Mara Conservancies are incredible and successful conservation stories where the land is owned by the community and not by the government as is the case in the Mara Reserve. Tourist density is low and vehicle numbers at sightings are limited meaning that we can enjoy being with the wildlife without the scenes and sounds of hundreds of vehicles surrounding and crowding the animals. I will only lead trips to the Conservancies.

The Mara is known for incredible numbers of predators, particularly big prides of lions which roam these vast plains in numbers not usually seen elsewhere in Africa, but in reality it is the sheer density and diversity of wildlife that truly amazes.

Big skies and open plains, the Maasai Mara is an African icon.

Tour Summary

  • Where: Kicheche Bush Camp & Kicheche Valley Camp

  • Nights: 9 (10 days)

  • Group Size: 3

Dates & Prices

  • March 2028: 29 February - 09 March 2028 - Spaces available

    US$ 13,000 per person sharing

    US$ 1,600 single supplement

Tour Date Notes

March: March usually marks the build-up to the ‘long rains’ of April and May. Following the heat of January and February, the moisture in the air builds and takes the form of isolated afternoon thunderstorms that dot the horizon and this can make for incredible photography and dramatic skies. The Mara is also relatively quiet as camps begin to wind down for the close of the season in April meaning fewer tourists and more flexible opportunities for photographing the wildlife. This is my favourite time of year here (followed closely by November). As always, the mornings and evenings on the vehicle can be chilly so fleeces and/or warm jackets are essential. There is no need to pack waterproofs as the camp provides ponchos to keep you dry should it rain. I love this time of year in the Mara. The skies are incredible and the wildlife plentiful.

Explore the Maasai Mara

Safari Highlights

  • The safari begins in Nairobi with a night at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel inside Jomo Kenyatta Airport as most international flights arrive late into Nairobi. Laura will meet you at the hotel. The next morning we will all meet before transferring to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport for a short domestic flight to the Maasai Mara (~ 45min).

    After the last morning drive we will depart the Mara for Nairobi making sure to coordinate with any onward travel plans you may have.

  • The Kicheche camps are located in the private Maasai Mara Conservancies where tourist density is low and vehicle numbers controlled ensuring that we can enjoy quality time with the wildlife without the chaos that often comes in the National Reserve.

    Off-road driving is permitted allowing for better positioning and photographic opportunities. Additionally, we are completely flexible with no restrictions on when we can be out in the mornings nor when we have to be back in the evenings maximising our use of the best light.

    We will ensure a maximum of 3 guests per vehicle so there will be plenty of space to store gear and move around freely.

    • 1 night at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel before transferring to the Maasai Mara

    • All conservancy fees

    • Internal flights to and from Nairobi Wilson Airport.

    • 4 nights at Kicheche Bush Camp

    • 4 nights at Kicheche Valley Camp

    • All food and beverage (excl premium brands)

    • Laundry (for cultural sensitivity, ladies underwear will not be laundered but washing powder is provided in every room for this purpose).

    • 15kg excess baggage per person ensuring there is no need to worry about your camera gear

    • International flights

    • Premium drinks

    • Tips and gratuities for staff (optional)

    • Visas and/or any vaccinations

    • Additional excess baggage charges

    • Optional extra activities (eg. hot air balloon)

  • The emphasis of this trip is both learning in the field, where Laura has many years of experience under her belt, and in-camp mentoring and guidance in-between drives. With her understanding of animal behaviour as well as how to photograph wildlife, she will spend time explaining the process and settings needed for excellent photography.

    Between drives, the small group means there will be ample time for individual attention - learning new skills as well as one-to-one time to edit images and discuss any subjects you would like on an individual basis. The goal is for you to leave with stronger skills, and a beautiful portfolio of images to illustrate the Maasai Mara, as well as a greater understand of the wildlife that call this wilderness ‘home’.

Laura Dyer riding in a safari vehicle in an open grassland, wearing a baseball cap and a sweatshirt, with a cloudy sky overhead.

Meet your guide

Laura is an award-winning wildlife photographer with many years' experience exploring Earth’s wildest places from the plains of Africa to the frozen ice of the polar regions. Having grown up in South Africa, she spent all her free time in the bush and has an extensive knowledge of wildlife behaviour. With 20 years of safaris under her belt she knows how to anticipate, visualise and capture the perfect shot.

“I love teaching guests how to capture those perfect moments on safari and seeing their faces light up when using a new technique or nailing a shot for the first time - creating memories that last a lifetime. It is a real privilege for me to see and be a part of these experiences and I absolutely love it.”

Learn more

Details

Day 1: Arrival and Four Points by Sheraton

On exit from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport arrivals hall in Nairobi, you will be met by a driver who will transfer you to the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel - approximately a 5 minute drive from the terminal buildings.

Days 2-6: Kicheche Bush Camp

We will all meet up as a group in the morning at the hotel for breakfast before transferring to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport for our 45 min flight into the Mara, landing at the Olare airstrip. We will be met by our Kicheche guide for a short 30 min drive to Kicheche Bush Camp.

Laura has spent many many months at all the Kicheche camps so knows the areas, the guides and the wildlife intimately. Kicheche Bush Camp is a wonderful, intimate and relaxed tented camp tucked away in acacia thickets. Featuring just 6 tents and a family unit, the camp really has a personal feel to it. A home away from home with magical staff and a vibe that ensures an enjoyable stay. Dining is hosted and communal and Laura has had many a laugh-out-loud moment around the table, sharing stories and relaxing in great company.

Our group will have a vehicle to ourselves which means there will be plenty of space for our gear. The vehicles are incredibly comfortable with large open sides and good support for our lenses. The roof is open to the skies allowing a panoramic view as we drive. In the event of rain, the top and sides can be quickly covered and transformed into a closed vehicle.

Following the morning drive on the 5th, we will pack up and transfer by road to Kicheche Valley Camp (approximately 45 min) in the neighbouring Naboisho Conservancy.

Our Focus

Olare Motorogi consists of two distinct sections: the escarpment (Morotogi section) and below the escarpment (Olare). Motorogi is a beautiful area to watch the sun rise and aim to find lions out before dawn. The plateau is a beautiful mix of rivers and open plains interspersed with thickets where lions like to enjoy the day. Herds of zebras and other plains game love this area and the views off the escarpment towards the Mara Reserve are breathtaking. Below the escarpment are wonderful rolling valleys and small streams (luggas) often used by lions and leopards to den.

Olare Motorogi is a wildlife hotspot and is an important corridor for wildlife moving between the Conservancies and the Reserve meaning that animals enjoy roaming through and cheetahs are regularly seen on the conservancy as they range. There are 3 prides of lions present and a good variety of plains game. Serval are also more often seen here than in Naboisho or Mara North. There is never a dull day in Olare Motorogi as it really feels like anything can happen at any moment.

Our focus will be on spending time with and following the big cats, namely lions and leopards (and cheetahs if present).

We will do a morning and afternoon drive with an optional image review and editing session in between where I will be on hand to provide personal assistance and help you learn to edit your photos, or discuss new skills or techniques learnt or practiced during the morning.

Days 6-10: Kicheche Valley Camp

Kicheche Valley, located in acacia woodlands in a secluded valley of the Naboisho Conservancy, is an intimate luxury tented camp. The six luxurious tents, built in a unique style incorporating high eco-standards, are set on platforms and provide the perfect base to see the stunning wildlife and wilderness. The personal touch of our hosts and limited numbers of guests will ensure a memorable stay at this special location.

After our last morning drive, we will pack up, enjoy lunch and transfer to the Ol Seki (Naboisho) airstrip (~15 min) for our flight back to Nairobi’s Wilson Airport. Here we will be met by a driver who will transfer us back to the Four Points by Sheraton where we can relax and enjoy some food and drinks before onward international travel.

Our Focus

Naboisho Conservancy has one of the greatest concentrations of lions anywhere in Africa with prides often numbering 20-40 individuals. There is arguably nowhere better to see these incredible predators and the leopard viewing if also prolific with 4 adult females making their territories in the conservancy - often with cubs. As with our time in Mara North, our focus will be on the big cats and given that Naboisho is famous for its lions we will put in good time with them looking to photograph them on the wide open plains at sunrise and early morning. Naboisho is also famous for its density of giraffes that make daily migrations from the surrounding villages into the conservancy before returning in the evenings. In November there are often big stormy skies on the horizon in the evenings and these scenes of journeys of giraffe on open, stormy plains makes for excellent photographic opportunities.

If cheetah are on the conservancy, it is particularly rewarding to put in time with them hunting and if you have not yet seen a cheetah at full speed in pursuit of prey it really is a sight worth waiting for.

As in Olare Motorogi we will do a morning and afternoon drive with an optional image review and editing session in between where I will be on hand to provide personal assistance and help you learn to edit your photos, or discuss new skills or techniques learnt or practiced during the morning.

A lioness sitting quietly in tall, golden grass in the Maasai Mara
Elephant walking across a grassy plain under dark, cloudy sky.
A leopard walking through a grassy field at sunrise.
A lion walking through tall grass at sunrise, with the sunlight illuminating its mane and body, creating a golden glow.
A cheetah standing on grass in the savannah during sunset with colorful sky and some trees in the background.
A herd of zebras standing on grass in the Maasai Mara as a lioness stalks towards them at dawn.
A leopard in a grassy area during sunset with blurred trees and glowing orange sky in the background.
Young cheetah cub crouching on dirt ground with intense gaze and raised tail, blurred green background.
Silhouette of a tree with a leopard and cub on the branches against an orange sunrise sky.
A cheetah and a cub touching heads in the golden light of sunrise, on a grassy plain.
A male lion walking through a grassy plain with his mane and another lion blurred in the background.
A cheetah lying in tall grass with a cheetah cub resting against its back, in a natural grassland setting.
Group of six giraffes standing on grassy plain with partly cloudy sky in background
Two crowned cranes standing on a tree at sunrise, one with wings spread, surrounded by warm golden light.
A cheetah sitting on grass in a savanna landscape during sunset.
A lion walking on grassy plains with a sunset background featuring a sky with orange clouds and trees.
Giraffes standing on a grassy plain under a dark, cloudy sky with heavy rain in the distance.
Two cheetah cubs sitting in tall grass during sunset or sunrise, backlit with warm golden light.
A group of zebras standing on grassy plains with dark storm clouds in the sky and a single tree in the background.
A cheetah cub sitting on a tree branch in a savannah landscape.
A baby cheetah sitting against his mother's back, with its tongue sticking out, in a grassy area during sunrise.
Three Maasai men in traditional attire standing around a campfire at night with trees in the background and a decorated setup with food and drinks in the distance.
Three cheetahs resting on grass, with two in the background and one in the foreground, under a soft sunset or sunrise sky.
A lone tree in an open grassland with a cheetah perched on a branch, under a partly cloudy sky.
Silhouette of a giraffe walking on the ground with a sky filled with clouds in the background.
Silhouette of three zebras and a lone tree against a colorful sunset sky in the African savannah.
Two colourful little bee-eaters, one perched on a branch and the other in mid-flight, with bright green, yellow, and black feathers, and a background of blurred green foliage.
Silhouette of two young cheetahs climbing a tree at sunset.

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