Explore the unimaginable // 19 - 27 February 2024

Tanzania Photo Tour - Southern Serengeti, Lake Manyara & Ngorongoro Crater


During this 9-day adventure you will travel to the Serengeti, Lake Manyara & the Ngorongoro Crater to photograph tree climbing lions and witness the birth of new life during the Serengeti calving season. Be prepared to see the predators sneak through the high grass, to take advantage of an easy meal. You will experience all of this from the comfort of our Green Camps: located right in the middle of the action and designed to have lowest possible ecological impact! Just the way you want to travel…

10 – 18 February 2024 – fully booked
19 – 27 February 2024 – fully booked

Book your photo tour

Cheetah

 

Together with the Dutch Tanzania specialist Explore Tanzania, we will bring you the best of Africa with this Tanzania Photo Tour.

This ‘off the grid’ Photo Tour leads you to Tanzania’s most famous and stunning game reserves: Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara NP. We will go back to nature, staying in the amazing Green Camps, mobile safari camps that are located exactly where the animals are. Completely off the grid, we will show you Africa the way it is supposed to be.

This Photo Tour is timed exactly during the Wildebeast birthing season, so you can witness and photograph the birth of thousands of Wildebeast calves; and all the predators that lay low to hunt for an easy meal…

We will spend 8 nights in the African wilderness, only to take the most beautiful wildlife photos. Daily photography masterclasses, workshops and one-on-one instructions will ensure you go home with amazing photos and endless beautiful memories.

No electricity found here. Batteries and laptops can be charged in the vehicles and at night we light a fire and candles to light up the pitch-black Tanzanian night sky.


Lake Manyara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater

Mobile Tented Camps +  all meals & drinks included.

Daily workshops and masterclasses.

10 – 18 February 2024   |   8 nights / 9 days
19 – 27 February 2024   |   8 nights / 9 days

5 guests maximum

All Co2 is offset by us!

€4,700 per person sharing
€165 private room supplement

15ᵒC – 28ᵒC

4×4’s

 

  Witness the birth of thousands of baby wildebeasts. We will spend 3 full days in the Southern part of the Serengeti, where you will witness this natural phenomenon.

  With the birth of these baby wildebeasts come the predators.  Countless lions, cheetah and other carnivores gather on the plains to take advantage of these easy preys. 

  Stay in Green Camps, and experience how it feels to be one with Africa's nature. The flexible Green Camps don't have electricity, and are built exactly there where the animals are. Candles and campfires light up the night for us! (ps. your camera and laptop batteries can be charged in the vehicles overnight). 

  Green Camps mean a Green Footprint. Staying in these camps means you will have a safari with the lowest ecological impact possible! The little Co2 we generate will be offset by us!

  Whenever we feel like it, and when deemed safe by our professional guides, we will leave the vehicle and go on a walking safari. This brings us so much closer to nature! All within safety limits off course!

  Lake Manyara is home to thousands of flamingos and tree-climbing lions! Picture yourself underneath a tree, with a mighty lion laying just meters above you. All you need to do is taking that award-winning picture!

  The Ngorongoro Crater might be one of the best places in the World to photograph wildlife. We will descent on the last moring of our photo tour, as the cherry on the cake. 

  Spend daily one-on-one time with your photographic guide, for ultimate photographic instructions. You will be amazed how quickly your photography skills improve! 

  Daily workshops & masterclasses: from basic wildlife and nature photography to taking nighttime photos of the milky-way and star-trails, and from photo editing to mastering your photo organization! 

  Feel small when we photograph the milky-way & star-trails. The African continent is one of the best places in the world for astro photography. Almost zero light pollution allows for the brightest stars! 

  See spectacular African sunrises and sunsets, and photograph the deep orange skies from hilltops overlooking valleys, or frame them with the silhouettes of trees, giraffes or elephants! 

  'Off The Grid' doesn't mean bad hospitality: as always you can expect local food cooked with love, all drinks inclusive and service with a smile. Oh, and did we mention the amazing dinner locations?!

Included: 

  All accommodation (based on twin-share rooms) from the day you arrive until the day you leave 

  1 night in 'Rivertrees Country Inn' just outside Arusha on the night you arrive and transportation to and from the hotel 

  2 nights in the Green Camp in Lake Manyara NP

  3 nights in the Green Camp in southern Serengeti

  1 night in 'Tloma lodge', next to the Ngorongoro Crater

  All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) 

  All drinks, both alcoholic (local beers, local wines and local spirits) and non-alcoholic 

  Our private safari vehicle(s) throughout the tour, with our private driver / guide

  VAT, bed levies & tourist taxes  (subject to change as per our T&C’s) 

  Krijn van der Giessen as your personal photography guide, with daily one-on-one instructions, masterclasses and workshops 

 

Not included: 

  International flights to and from Kilimanjaro International Airport

  Visa ($50, can be organised in advanced via your local ambassy

  Tips for guides & lodge staff 

  Spending money for personal expenses 

  SGR & 'Calamiteitenfonds' contributions - total of €7,50 per person.

  Premium wines, beers & spirits. All local wines, beers & spirits are included. 

  Travel insurance (compulsory for all tour guests) and vaccinations 

  Photography equipment 

Day 1:

Arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport you will be welcomed and transported to our accommodation for the night: Rivertrees Country Inn. In betwee Arusha & the airport, the lodge is set in beautiful gardens along a river with views of Mount Kilimanjaro and Meru. The perfect location to settle in and relax before we head out tomorrow morning.

Day 2:

After breakfast we will head for Lake Manyara National Park. A short 2 hour drive brings us to Mto wa Mbu. This typical African village hosts a colourful market which may be perfect for some candid photo opportunities!

Arriving at Lake Manyara National park we head straight for the bush. We might spot the tree climbing lions, flamingos or an elephant or 2 (most probably more than 2 to be honest!) before we check in at our home for the coming 2 days: the lake Manyara Green Camp! We have lunch in the bush and dinner will be served around the fire. Welcome to Africa!

Safari tents mean the safari doesn't stop at night. Whilst laying in your comfortable bed, you will be surrounded by the sounds of nature. I promise you: it will be hard to sleep! 

 

Day 3:

Today will be a full photosafari day. We will drive around in our 4x4, scouting for great animal sightings. We might even head out on foot if we want. Taking photos of tree climbing lions is high up the list, so finding these amazing animals will have the highest priority. However, sightings of large herds of elephants, zebras, wildebeast and hippos in the hippo pool will be too good to ignore! During the day we might head back to the camp or we stay out in the field all the time. This all depends on the quality of sightings.

 

Sunset means sundowner drinks at an unbeatable location! 

 

Day 4 - 6:

Unfortunately, today we have to say goodbye to this beautiful part of the world. However, the prospect of moving to the southern Serengeti to witness the birth of thousands of wildebeest makes this farewell quite bearable.

The drive from Lake Manyara to the Serengeti may take a few hours. The scenery of the drive however is just stunning. We will encounter many animals during this drive alone, and we will stop for a sneak peak of the Ngorongoro crater.

Once we have arrived at our accommodation for the coming three days, we will enjoy nature at its best. The Green Camp is located in the proximity of the big herd of wildebeasts, so with a bit of luck we can spot the start of new life from our tents! Thousands of wildebeest calves are born every day, making this on of our planets greatest wildlife spectacles. However with the birth of such vulnerable animals come the predators: lions, cheetah, leopard are very active catching the easy prey. Scavengers like hyena, jackal and vultures follow them close to clean up the left overs. It is an sight you will never forget!

During nighttime we point our cameras towards the starry skies and shoot the brightest of stars. We practice capturing the milky way and shoot some star trails: so much fun!

 

Day 7: 

After safaris in Lake Manyara and Serengeti, our memory cards will be overloaded with amazing wildlife photos. It's time to leave the Serengeti behind and make our way to the fabulous Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We leave early in the morning, to ensure we descend into the crater at the best time of the day. The crater is the perfect location to photograph the big 5, so fabulous photos ensured!

After leaving the crater we drive towards Tloma lodge, our last accommodation of this Tanzania Photo Tour. Here you have plenty of time to organise and edit your photos, walk around the community to meet local people or shoot amazing sunsets from the camp. After enjoying a scrumptious dinner we have some drinks to celebrate the last night in Africa. Time flies...

Day 8:

We have all morning to explore the area and local communities. Only after lunch we drive towards Kilimanjaro Airport to make our way back home. However, by this time you will have made friends for life, a mind full of memories and maybe an award-winning photo or two!

Explore Tanzania: without a doubt, Explore Tanzania is the travel specialist when it comes to travel to Tanzania. We make use of all of their knowledge and local contacts to only bring you the best of the best this country has to offer!

We start where others stop: The reasons why you should join one of our Photo Tours are endless. When you travel with us, you are guaranteed loads of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We focus fully on photography, and pride ourselves on the fact that we start where others stop. 

Personal: We travel in small groups (8 people maximum, though smaller) of like-minded photographers. This ensures plenty of focus on you as an individual, and gives us the opportunity to ensure you’ll always have a window seat in our vehicles. We book small and exclusive accommodation which allows for uninterrupted views and plenty of candid photography opportunities. 

Superb hospitality: We absolutely love great food and luxury accommodation, so our Photo Tours are filled with it! Your personal photographic guide Krijn doesn’t have the title of the best photo tour operator for nothing. Although he has over 15 years experience as a nature, wildlife and culture photographer, Krijn also has over a decade of international hospitality management under his belt. For these reasons combined we go the extra mile to ensure we stay in unique lodges and serve up something delicious and, where possible, local. Picture seafood buffets on the beach, spit grills in the bush, home-made breads and some great bottles of wine and you’ll get an idea of the food we usually enjoy. We also cater to any dietary needs and requirements you may have. 

Experienced: We always travel with local and highly experienced guides and rangers. This not only ensures you will be treated to the finest and ‘off the beaten track’ locations, but it also gives us the opportunity to customise the experience for you. Learn from Krijn's experience as travel photographer. In the past years he travelled through over 50 countries, in search of the perfect photos and exciting new locations for our photo tours. 

Professional: At the end of each day, we will share our opinion about the photos taken that day. Professional advice is given to help you improve your skills, or just to help you get that second pair of eyes to encourage a different angle. How much advice you’d like to receive, as well as how in-depth you’d like to go is completely up to you. 

Fun: Our tours are mainly focused on photography, but what is life without a bit of fun? It’s one of the most important reasons we want you to travel with us! Together we will share our experiences around a bonfire, we’ll shoot star trails, engage in light painting, fly in open-door helicopters and, once the day is done, unwind with a hot beverage and a board game or two. 

Sustainable & ethical: Sustainable travel is key: wherever we go, we only leave our footprints. As much as possible, we try to offset carbon emissions and work together with local specialists. Besides that, we believe in ethical travel: we never feed animals to lure them in our direction, but rather go to areas with naturally high animal populations. 

All skill levels:We love to travel with all levels of photographers, from beginners to experts. At the end of the day it is all about the overall experience, and not about how good your photography skills may be. We encourage the group to assist each other in attempting and experimenting with new techniques. Krijn will personally help you become a more confident photographer – building on your strengths and helping you improve your weak points. 

Jam packed: We understand it’s not every day you embark on a journey like this: so lets make most of it! We jam pack our tours with interesting content, and don’t waste any time with irrelevant gaps in the program. We will fly you where possible from location to location, to not waste time driving. We have a well though-through itinerary from early morning until bedtime, to offer you only the very best the destination has to offer! Guaranteed no hidden fees gives you peace of mind when it comes to the financial side of things!

More information?

BOOK NOW! 

This Photo Tour is a joint effort of Explore Tanzania & Krijn van der Giessen Photography. The booking process will be done via the website of Explore Tanzania. Do you want to book? Just click the button above!

For this Photo Tour the Terms & Conditions of Explore Tanzania will be applicable. 

MORE INFO? 

 
Map tanzania Photo Tour Krijn van der Giessen Photography
  • Krijn gave us an amazing experience in Mozambique! His passion for travelling and exploring different cultures is inspiring. He has a creative eye for finding unique off-the-beaten-track spots to photograph and the food and accommodations were even better. Looking forward to our next adventure!
    Aimee van der Wolde
    Aimee van der Wolde
  • My trip to South Africa was life-changing. Krijn knew the best spots to find wildlife. I’ll never forget that up-close with the lions! The service and hospitality were amazing, the lodges exceeded my expectations; everything was taken care of. It was the best mix of activity and relaxation. Krijn’s passion for photography and his personal connection to the area and its people are inspiring. I can highly recommend his services.
    Hugo van Roermund
    Hugo van Roermund
  • Krijn taught me (I am at beginners level) the basics of photography, which I now apply to every photo that I take. This resulted in amazing Safari photos! Especially knowledge of the composition is something that pays off immediately when you’re an inexperienced photographer. I can’t recommend him enough: excellent hospitality, great company and you’ll learn a lot!
    David Lange
    David Lange
 
 

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