Specialist wildlife photographer Nick Dale has announced two safaris in the summer of 2018 to Kenya and Zambia. The 14-night Masai Mara Photographic Safari with WildTrek Safaris departs on 16 July 2018, and the seven-night South Luangwa Photographic Safari with Africa Odyssey departs on 21 August 2018.
The itineraries include some of the best spots in the world to observe and take pictures of wildlife and will give budding photographers the chance to learn the tricks of the trade from a master in his field. With an emphasis on “capturing the moment”, Dale has sold over 5,000 images, published three photography books and won several competitions, including The Sunday Times Big Shot.
Dale will join guests on the daily game drives to offer hands-on advice on capturing the perfect shot. Throughout the tours, he’ll run individual and group sessions – tailored to everyone’s ability level – covering composition and camera familiarisation plus photographic techniques such as taking a ‘slow pan’ shot of a wildebeest. He will share his personal ‘shot of the day’ and ask guests to share their top three shots for discussion, feedback and key learnings. Participants are not required to have a DSLR camera, but, if they are particularly interested in honing their “close-up” skills or want to capture images that they can blow up and frame on the wall, it’s certainly recommended!
“I’m delighted to be working with WildTrek Safaris and Africa Odyssey on these specialist safaris,” says Dale. “My passion for wildlife photography has taken me all over Africa, with highlights including capturing the ‘gorillas in the mist’ on camera in Rwanda and snapping a variety of wildlife in the Masai Mara in Kenya and the Okavango Delta in Botswana. These will be my first trips as the tour photographer, and I’m excited to share my expertise and show budding wildlife photographers how to get the most out of a game drive, the best techniques to use and a few fundamentals about the Exposure Triangle (shutter speed, aperture and ISO). That should give them the best possible chance of capturing “the money shot” and returning home with the ultimate safari souvenir.”
Masai Mara, Kenya
Kenya has it all. No other country in Africa can provide the visitor as much to see and do. Here, you can see vast savannahs with abundant wildlife, fascinating cultures unchanged by time, high altitude tropical forests and snow-capped Mount Kenya, all combining to provide the most diverse safari possible. Wildlife in Kenya is plentiful and diverse. Here you will have opportunities to see species found nowhere else. such as Grévy’s zebra, gerenuk and kongoni (or hartebeest). Of course, all the others for which East Africa is so well known can be found, including lion, elephant, giraffe, common zebra, buffalo, hyena, cheetah and more. There is also an amazing variety of birds – over 450 species. Like Tanzania, the Masai Mara is a great place to witness the Great Migration. Over a million wildebeest and zebra move from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Mara in Kenya for new grass and for calving. Most exciting is the chance to view the animals as they cross the Mara River – a spectacle not to be missed and the experience of a lifetime!
Prices (excluding international flights) start from £4,600 per person. This includes a night at a hotel in Nairobi, then three nights at El Karama eco lodge (or similar) near to Mount Kenya, two nights at Game Lodge (or Simba Lodge) in Samburu Reserve, two nights at Ikweta Camp in Meru National Park, a night at Ark in Aberdare National Park, a night at Sopa Lodge near Lake Nakuru, three nights at Kekorok (or Simba Lodge or Siana Spring Camp) in the Masai Mara Reserve and then finally another night in Nairobi.
Wildlife fans taking a trip to Zambia will experience one of the lesser known highlights of Africa. Bordering the Luangwa River, the northern and southern Luangwa National Parks contain some of the most breathtaking and untouched wilderness in Africa. As a result of this and the parks’ successful anti-poaching campaigns, the area has developed into a world-renowned wildlife haven. The South Luangwa National Park is renowned for its walking safaris, which allow visitors to view elephant, hippo and even lion close-up under the supervision of professional and knowledgeable armed guides.
The South Luangwa trip departs the UK on 21 August 2018, arriving in Lusaka and returning on 30 August.
Prices (excluding international flights) start from £5,950 per person. This includes two nights at Mfuwe Lodge, overlooking a beautiful oxbow lagoon in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, and five nights at Chamilandu Bushcamp, a breathtaking camp on one of the South Luangwa’s prime river locations, perfect for a bird’s-eye view of the wildlife that the river and its lagoons attract.