Night Hide & Aerial Photo Tour

A visit to Shompole is an extraordinary adventure, where the raw beauty of the Great Rift Valley meets rare wildlife encounters and breathtaking aerial vistas.

By night, we experience the thrill of night-hide photography, capturing elusive nocturnal predators like the caracal, striped hyena, serval, leopard, and lion. By day, we can elevate our journey with a helicopter safari soaring over Lake Magadi and Lake Natron, where vibrant pink flamingos gather in their thousands, and the lakes’ dramatic mineral patterns create a surreal canvas of colours from the air.

This tour focuses on night hide photography with the option of also including helicopter photography of flamingoes over Lakes Magadi and Natron.

Itinerary

Day ONE

We fly from the Mara to Shompole by charter flight in the morning. After an early lunch, we take a short helicopter flight over to Lake Magadi and Lake Shompole to photograph flamingoes as they fly over the surreal and dramatic mineral patterns created in the afternoon.

Following dinner at 6pm, we move to the night hide where we will stay for the night and wait for our nocturnal visitors. We expect to see caracal, striped hyena, leopard and lion among others. There are beds available in the hide so we can sleep in between sightings. A spotter will always be on duty and can wake us should anything arrive to the water hole.

Day TWO

At around 7 am, we take photos of animals with pre-dawn and early sunrise light, and then move back to the camp for breakfast and rest. A second helicopter flight is available in the afternoon to photograph the flamingoes. Every day creates different patterns and colours, providing a new and unique canvas for photography.

Following dinner at 6pm, we move again to the night hide for a second night.

Day THREE

After breakfast and a short rest, we will fly back to the Mara by charter flight or to Nairobi for our international departure, depending on our itinerary.

PRICE

We usually add this tour to the beginning or end of a Kenya Maasai Mara tour. Please contact us for more information and to talk through options.
  
What is included in the tour cost:

• call prior to your departure, with John Haskew, to run through preparations, kit and ensure you are ready to start photographing before arriving
• Meeting on arrival at Nairobi and transfer to hotel on the first night
• Bed and breakfast at the hotel on the first night 
• All road transfers and internal flights in Kenya
• Full board accommodation for the duration of the stay in Kenya
• House wines, beers, local spirits and soft drinks
• Park fees
• Community fees
• Experienced, qualified local guide

Not included in the tour cost:

• International flights to Nairobi  (BA  flights  recommended if flying from the  UK)
• eTA (electronic travel authorisation) – cost US$ 34 / GBP£ 27)
• Personal travel and health insurance

GALLERY

A selection of images and moments captured on this tour. Please click to enlarge the image.