How to Experience the Maasai Mara Differently: A Wildlife Photography & Conservation Program

Close your eyes and think of Africa and the Maasai Mara is what you imagine. Containing Africa’s archetypal natural settings and all of her most iconic wildlife, the Maasai Mara is known as the definitive African safari destination providing a quintessential experience of African bush. This well-earned reputation has made the Maasai Mara a very expensive and highly exclusive destination too.

Wildlife photography enthusiasts from all around the world travel to southern Kenya to pay exorbitant fees so they can spend even just a day in this reserve. They needn’t though. Our wildlife photography and conservation program takes you to places most won’t get to see and offers amazing bang for your buck. You get to see more, stay longer, even get involved with the behind the scenes conservation work, and all while stretching your budget as far as it can go.

In this blog, we’ll unpack why the Maasai Mara’s world-renowned reputation is utterly deserved and why our trip is such a special way to experience it. We’ll run through the need to know info on the Maasai Mara, then hand it over to our photography guide, Hanna Wigart, to explain what makes our program special.

Credits: Hanna Wigart

Why The Maasai Mara?

The Maasai Mara Reserve is a comparatively small area of about 1,510 sq km, set within the large ecosystem of conservation areas in Southern Kenya including the bordering Serengeti National Park. However, the photography opportunities the reserve offers far exceed its size. 

Famed for the annual event of the Great Migration, the biggest mammal trek on the planet, this small reserve offers some of the best animal sightings on the planet. More than this, it is difficult to describe how iconic the landscapes of the Great Rift Valley are. This is the land that inspired the Lion King for goodness sake!

Here are the key features of the Maasai Mara that make it a dream wildlife photography safari destination:

The Wildlife

The Maasai Mara is home to an extraordinary variety of wildlife, featuring the Big Five as well as cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, and countless bird species. The high concentration and staggering diversity of animals offers brilliant opportunities to capture wildlife scenes and create iconic images.

As if that weren’t enough, the Maasai Mara hosts one of the most spectacular natural events on earth, the Great Migration, where millions of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles move in an enormous loop between Tanzania’s Serengeti and the Maasai Mara. 

The Conservation Initiatives

The Maasai Mara Reserve and its surrounding conservancies is one of the world’s most important conservation areas. They contain not just Africa’s most iconic wildlife but some of the planet’s most endangered species too. This includes ground Pangolins, rare birds, and, most impressively, a number of critically endangered species of rhino. 

Due to Kenya’s national commitment to its wildlife and the combined efforts of hundreds of conservation-focussed organizations, the Maasai Mara is one of the few places on the planet to see wild animals and their ecosystems truly flourish within a highly protected environment. 

The Landscapes

The Maasai Mara features a variety of landscapes, including rolling savannahs covered in golden grasses, open plains stretching out to the horizon, acacia-dotted woodlands with their distinctive flat-topped trees, and lush riverine forests along the Mara and Talek rivers. These diverse habitats serve as the ideal backdrop for your wildlife photography, giving you the chance to experiment with the composition and mood of the images you create. 

The Culture

The indigenous Maasai people are renowned for their rich culture, long held traditions, and deep connection to the land. Their nomadic lifestyle, largely unchanged for centuries, consists of unique customers such as their distinctive dress, vibrant beadwork, and the famous jumping dance (“adumu ”). This cultural immersion allows for more authentic narratives, highlighting the Maasai’s unique relationship with the land and the wildlife that shares it.

What Makes Our Maasai Mara Wildlife Photography And Conservation Program Special?

The Maasai Mara is undeniably one of the planet’s premier photo safari destinations, but what makes our program so special? In a few words, it offers a highlight tour of the Maasai Mara, unique insight into the inner workings of the reserve’s conservation efforts, a lengthy stay, and all at a hard-to-beat price.

Here are the highlights of our program:

• Incredible Wildlife Photography Opportunities – The Maasai Mara is home to a vast and varied array of wildlife and our itinerary lets you see the best of it. This program ensures abundant wildlife photography opportunities with frequent close encounters.
• Photograph the Great Migration – Witness the world-famous Great Migration, and capture a true spectacle of nature. Photograph action-packed scenes of river crossings and predator-prey interactions.
• Professional Tutoring by Wildlife Photographers – Learn from experienced wildlife photographers, Hanna Wigart and Sam Turley, and enhance your craft with a camera. Improve your technical skills and realize your artistic vision with personalized instruction given over the shoulder as you line up each shot.
• Support Wildlife Conservation Efforts – Participate in local conservation initiatives focused on preserving the Maasai Mara ecosystem. Contributing to meaningful conservation work adds depth to your photographic storytelling.
• Experience Exclusive Game Reserves – Explore the Maasai Mara’s most exclusive and pristine areas at a more affordable rate. Secluded spots with fewer tourists provide uninterrupted and intimate wildlife photography sessions.

Learn More About Our Maasai Mara Wildlife Photography and Conservation Program

What Our Maasai Mara Photography Guide Hanna Wiggart Has To Say?

Hanna Wigart is the perfect guide for your Maasai Mara Wildlife Photography & Conservation Program. With a background in Zoology, she brings a deep understanding of the animals you’ll encounter, providing invaluable insights into their behavior and habitats. Most importantly, as an accomplished wildlife photographer, Hanna’s technical skills and creative approach as a guide will significantly enhance your photography. 

Here’s what she had to say about the Maasai Mara and our trip:

What Makes The Maasai Mara So Special?

Maasai Mara is a wildlife photographers haven due to the incredible diversity of species, but also the simplistic beautiful backgrounds that you can have in your images – making them more artistic. The golden hour in the Maasai Mara is magical, and you can expect your guides to make sure you have the best possible opportunities to take photographs.

What Wildlife Photography Opportunities Will Photographers Find There?

It’s so hard to say because every day is different, but from my experience lots of predators, golden hour experiences, and being able to capture wildlife behaviors as well as portraits. I really enjoy that we as a group also can decide where to spend our time (as there are many choices) and can spend more time looking at photographing behaviors of animals – leading to very cool shots!

What Are Your Favorite Memories Of The Maasai Mara?

Oh my goodness, pretty much everything! I am a hard core wildlife lover and I just loved the open plains and diversity of wildlife. It almost feels like wherever you turn your head or lens there’s something to take pictures of! My favorite sighting (so many to choose from!!) to date probably was when a lioness picked up her cub during sunrise, it was just absolutely magical – and my first time seeing it. I actually teared up!

What Are The Special Features Of The Programs?

I think one of the things that our photographers enjoy the most is not only the wildlife photography opportunities, but also the guided Lightroom editing sessions where we work individually but also as a group to get everyone’s pictures to come out as good as possible. The atmosphere at the Wildlife Tourism College is also really cool because we are living with the Maasai Guide Students.

How Will Photographers Support Conservation Initiatives During The Workshop?

Firstly, just staying at the Wildlife Tourism College supports community and conservation initiatives because of what the college does, it’s a very cool concept. Secondly, we also assist with some photographs and man-power on the projects that they are working on, which benefits the projects working directly with wildlife conservation in Pardamat.

What Should Photographers Pack?

Definitely a long wildlife lens of course! And a laptop with Lightroom Classic so that you make the most out of the editing workshops. Lastly, make sure to have plenty of space for backing up your images! We will be taking lots!

How Else Should Photographers Prepare?

I think anyone who’s coming to Africa to photograph wildlife needs to be prepared to have an open mind, and know that not everything is going to go to plan. We cannot tell wildlife what to do, so you may not always get the perfect picture that you were hoping for. So the best thing to be prepared for is to be patient and understanding.

Experience The Maasai Mara For Yourself

Witness the wonder of the Maasai Mara, contribute to the most impactful conservation initiatives in the area, pack your portfolio with iconic pics of African wildlife, and make your money go further with this bucket-list-worthy wildlife photography adventure. 

Our wildlife photography and conservation program offers a unique opportunity to explore this iconic region while supporting vital conservation efforts. Join us for an unforgettable adventure that combines top-tier wildlife photography with meaningful conservation work. Get in touch to learn more.

Book your place on our Maasai Mara Wildlife Photography and Conservation Program