Safari in the Masai Mara

Natur&Foto, in collaboration with Arnfinn Johansen, is delighted to invite you on an exciting safari to the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

During this journey, you will experience some of the very best that Africa has to offer. The endless savannahs of the Maasai Mara are home to the world’s highest concentration of mammals, many of them found in enormous herds. We will be staying in an area renowned for its abundance of big cats, including lions, cheetahs, and leopards.

The Camp:

We will stay at Oltepesi Tented Safari Camp, a simple yet comfortable eco-safari camp specially designed for nature photographers. It is located just a five-minute drive from the unfenced boundary of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Oltepesi Camp features spacious safari tents powered by solar energy, each with an en-suite bathroom including a shower, washbasin, and flush toilet. The camp also has a dining tent serving delicious meals. In the evenings, you can relax around the Maasai campfire and share safari stories before dinner.

There will be a maximum of four guests in each safari vehicle. These specially designed vehicles allow one or two photographers to lie down while photographing, providing the highly sought-after low-angle perspective. The Maasai guides we work with are experts at locating wildlife and positioning the vehicle in the best possible spot for photography.

The camp is owned and operated by Norwegian photographer Arnfinn Johansen in partnership with the local Maasai community. Arnfinn Johansen was the first-ever winner of the Nordic Nature Photo Contest (NNPC), and in recent years the competition’s grand prize has included a safari for two to Oltepesi Safari Camp.

The Maasai Mara:

The Maasai Mara National Reserve covers an area of 1,510 km² and is named after the Maasai people and the Mara River. Herds of more than 1.5 million wildebeest and around 250,000 zebras migrate into the Maasai Mara from July and August onwards. The reserve is home to 95 recorded mammal species and approximately 570 bird species. During your stay, you will also meet the Maasai, the semi-nomadic people who live and herd their livestock on the outskirts of the reserve.

Program

8 January: Oslo – Nairobi
Departure from Oslo Gardermoen in the afternoon, arriving in Nairobi the following morning.

9 January: Transfer from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara
Upon arrival in Nairobi, we will travel by private bus to the Maasai Mara (approximately 4.5 hours). At the reserve boundary, we will be met by Oltepesi’s safari vehicles and transferred to the camp for lunch. After lunch, we head out onto the savannah for our first game drive.

10–14 January: Maasai Mara
These days are dedicated to safari activities. On most days, we will spend the entire day out in the reserve with a packed lunch, but if preferred, we can split the day into a morning game drive and an afternoon game drive. The schedule will be decided by the group the day before.

If the group is interested, we can also arrange a photography session with the Maasai, featuring beautifully painted warriors and women, traditional dancing, and perhaps silhouette photography against the evening sky.

15 January:
After breakfast, we travel back to Nairobi and board our overnight flight to Norway.

16 January:
Arrival in Norway.

Key information

DATES: 9 January – 16 January 2028

GROUP SIZE: 7 participants

PRICE: NOK 39,000 per person (based on 7 paying participants. The price may be slightly higher with fewer participants. Subject to currency fluctuations.)

Payment Terms:
A non-refundable deposit of NOK 10,000 per participant is required upon booking. The deposit is only refundable upon presentation of a valid medical certificate. The remaining balance is due 3 months before departure.

Included:
National park entrance fees, professional English-speaking driver/guide, transportation in an exclusive open 4×4 safari vehicle, all meals during the safari, accommodation in safari tents/cottages with mosquito nets and private toilet facilities, and a Norwegian tour leader from Natur&Foto.

Not Included:
International flights to and from Kenya, airport transfers, tips for guides and camp staff, travel and cancellation insurance, personal expenses, and meals or excursions not specified in the itinerary.

Flights:
Return flights between Oslo and Nairobi are typically available from approximately NOK 6,000–8,000.

Photography Equipment:
Kenya offers photographic opportunities for every type of equipment. For birds and mammals, lenses in the 300–600 mm range are ideal. For landscapes, portraits, and general photography, lenses such as a 24–70 mm, 70–200 mm, or 100–400 mm are excellent choices.

During the safari, bean bags provide excellent support for large telephoto lenses when photographing from the vehicles. Oltepesi Camp supplies bean bags for guests, so there is no need to bring your own. Tripods are generally not used inside the safari vehicles but can be useful for photography around the camp or lodges.

Other Equipment:
Lightweight summer clothing, comfortable walking shoes or trainers, and a fleece jacket or warm layer for the cool early mornings are recommended.

Please send your booking as soon as possible to post@naturogfoto.no. Please include “Kenya” in the subject line.

Tour Leader:
Tom Schandy (+47 95 97 91 95)