Day 10, 11, 12 (July 25, 26, 27) - MASAI MARA GAME RESERVE - We will spend the next three days intensively exploring this park in search of the very best photographic shoots possible. If the migration is in full swing, each evening drive will find us staked out by the Mara River in the hopes of photographing the most sensational of migration events - river crossings! Though vital to the migration's process, it is these crossings that the animals dread most, for the river's perilous currents and hidden predators claim the majority of the annual event's lives. At greatest risk are the young and the elderly, as they become easy targets for the gapping jaws of monstrous crocodiles - some surpassing fifteen feet in length - patrolling the murky brown waters in search of large quarries. It will be possible for us to leave our vehicles while at the river, providing us a truly unique experience as we place ourselves so close to the action we get the feeling of being swept up in it, and as far as photography is concerned - the possibilities are endless!

The Mara's expansive grass savannas possess many photographic gems apart from the migration and we will utilize our other drives to focus in on them. There is no better park in all of East Africa to observe large prides of lions and once located we will spend time following them as they feed, play and rest. Cheetahs also thrive here and we will take time to seek them out. In fact this park, with its tall golden grasses, is a paradise for most of East Africa's predators, guaranteeing us encounters with bat-eared foxes, jackals, large packs of hyenas, and possibly even leopards. Another amazing wildlife spectacle is that of a seething flock of squabbling, hissing vultures blanketing the carcass of a large animal in an attempt to secure a meal. A scene such as this is generally easy to detect as these large scavengers circle the sky before diving down to join in the feast. Other species common to the area include Thompson's and Grant's gazelles, impalas, topis, buffalos, baboons, Masai giraffes, elephants, and myriad birds, especially ostriches and those belonging to the raptor family. Overnights Mara Serena Lodge (B, L, D)