Wildlife Photography Safaris

Rift Valley Lakes, Kenya

Ontdek Kenya safaris designs and delivers unique wildlife photography safaris that allow you to spend quality time in the field. We spend more time in the places we visit than most companies do. See details of more info on how we organize our photo safaris.

On this page we combine the Rift Valley Lakes of Naivasha, Nakuru, Baringo & Bogoria.

The Lake Naivasha area has been one of Ontdek's all time favorite for wildlife photography mainly because you can do easy game viewing walking safaris in fields full of gazelles, zebras and giraffes. Nothing beats the feeling of setting your photo gear in such a place for great wildlife photos. While in Naivasha you will have photo explorations in Crescent Island, Crater Lake and Hell' Gate - parks that are not visited by mass tourism and you can see why they are ideal for nature photographers.

Crater Lake Sanctuary, a private game conservancy, presents opportunities for landscape as well as wildlife photography.

There is the green-colored Crater Lake, rich in algae that flamingos feed on, and the surrounding plains have huge numbers of plains game. With options for walks and vehicle game drives you get very close sightings of Giraffes, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Elands, Hartebeests and a range of Gazelles, all which are easily found in the sanctuary.

While the 3 areas have a lot of plains game, Hell's Gate has the added bonus of contrasting landscapes. The topography is characterized by flat savanna grassland that are sandwiched between huge rock boundaries giving a variety in your landscape photography. Then there is the Side Gorge which is a steep canyon where the rocks have split to leave only a walking path with interesting display of the sun rays. Hell's Gate is worth a whole day during your wildlife photography tour. Allow a day per each site.

Lake Nakuru is the most famous lake in Kenya because of flamingos and easy to see rhinos but unfortunately most nature photographers never do justice to the wide range of subjects found in Lake Nakuru. But how can they, if their photo safari has a 1 day stop in Nakuru with a morning & afternoon game drive? Consider Nakuru has all game that you can see in Mara except for elephants! True the flamingos are great photo subjects but Ontdek shows you the hidden gems in Nakuru away from the beaten path of the lake circuit. Herds of buffaloes, giraffes, zebras are scattered all around the park in the most scenic places. We recommend min 2 to 3 days in Nakuru.

Lake Baringo and Bogoria, are two northern Rift Valley lakes that are not visited by mass tourism. Lake Baringo is a fresh water lake with crocodiles, hippos and lone standing islands. Surrounded by mountains, volcanic escarpments and acacia woodland the Baringo area is a good place for nature photography. Add a cultural subject to your photo safari with a visit to a Njemps village, an ethnic community related to the Masai but their culture is different in that they are fishermen as well as pastoralists. Get the shivers as you see the Njemps on shallow fishing boats in a lake where every few meters there is a crocodile!!! 

Birds photography is also interesting with over 400 species recorded in the area.

Lake Bogoria is an alkaline lake and a place to see thousands of flamingos with a backdrop of very dramatic sharp hills. The surrounding hot springs and geysers surrounding the lake are a constant reminder that the Rift valley is still active. In the open savanna your wildlife photography will be enriched by the sights of the rare Greater Kudu as well as Thompson's and Grant's gazelles, zebras, giraffes, monkeys and baboons.

Photography in Bogoria is interesting as there is a variety of subjects from landscapes, wildlife and birds without being confined in a safari bus. We recommend 3 days for the Baringo / Bogoria area.

For a consultation on Kenya photography vacations contact Ontdek Kenya Safaris. We have 14 years experience in photo safaris in Kenya.

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