Join award-winning photographer Cheryl Opperman for a photography safari of a lifetime to the diverse ecosystems of Tanzania, Africa. From Tarangire National Park to Ngorongoro Crater to the Serengeti, spend 14 days and 13 nights photographing some of the most amazing animals on the planet in their natural habitat.
Two vehicles will be dedicated to serious photography and spend more time in one spot waiting for the best light. With only three participants per vehicle, each person will have an entire row to themselves for unobstructed viewing or photography on both sides.
In the evenings we will return to the lodges or camps for dinner and photography instruction from Cheryl. LEARN MORE ABOUT CHERYL: Cheryl Opperman Bio
September 1-14, 2024 (Not including travel days)
$14,485 per person based on double occupancy $13,995* (cash discount price) per person based on double occupancy (Includes lodging, ground transportation, and most meals. Airfare, Visas, etc are additional. See list below)
$1,858 Single Supplement $1,795* (cash discount price) Single Supplement
$259 extra for a day early arrival to recover from jet lag. $250* (cash discount price) extra for a day early arrival to recover from jet lag.
*A cash discount is given when paying by cash/check
The safari is limited to 6 photographers (We reserve the right to add one vehicle for non-photographer companions). Follow the link below to register. The deposit is due upon registration. We will add additional dates if necessary based on demand. Custom dates are also available year round, so please email info@cherylopperman.com for more info.
$2,000 Non-refundable Deposit Due at Registration
Final Payment Due May 1, 2024
Sample Itinerary:
Duration: 14 Days, 13 nights
Destinations: Arusha, Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Ndutu, Serengeti
Accommodations: Lodges and Tented Camps
Transportation: 6 Seater 4WD Toyota Land Cruisers (with only 3 clients per vehicle)
30-31 August 2024 – Travel & EARLY Arrival Day
Depart home on August 30th and arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport on August 31st, where we will be waiting to meet you once you have cleared customs. Transfer to your accommodations, where you can enjoy a wonderful dinner on your own and a superb night’s rest and relaxation. This is your chance to really soak up the atmosphere and recharge your batteries for what lies ahead for your photo safari and river crossing.
Overnight at Ngaresero Mountain Lodge or Similar
31 August – 1 September 2024 – Travel & Arrival Day
Depart home on August 30th and arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport on September 1st, where we will be waiting to meet you once you have cleared customs. Transfer to your accommodations, where you will enjoy a wonderful dinner and a superb night’s rest and relaxation.
Early arrivals will have a leisure day while waiting for other participants to arrive.
Meals and overnight at Ngaresero Mountain Lodge or Similar
2 September 2024 – Orientation / Flash and Mag Mod Instruction / Game Drive to Arusha National Park. After breakfast you will have a morning session at the lodge, to discuss procedures at each camp (internet, etc.), proper jeep protocol, tipping protocol, securing valuables and cash, laundry options, and any other questions each participant may have.
Photo Instruction: Cheryl will work with everyone to go over camera settings to best capture action, discuss flash techniques, and how to use the Mag Mod.
You will have an early lunch at the lodge, and then drive to Arusha National Park for game viewing and practice using camera techniques and the flash. Arusha National Park is a gem of varied ecosystems and spectacular views of Mt. Meru, the crater that gives the region its name. The small national park includes the slopes, summit, and ash cone of Mt. Meru, the Momela Lakes, Ngurdoto Crater, and the lush highland forests that blanket its lower slopes. Game viewing around the Momela Lakes is at a laid-back and quiet pace with lots of flamingos and other birds. While passing through the forest, you will stop to search for troupes of rare Black & White colobus monkeys playing in the canopy. Late in the afternoon, you will return to your lodge.
Meals and overnight at Ngaresero Mountain Lodge or Similar
3 September 2024 – Drive to Tarangire National Park
After Breakfast, we will load the luggage to your safari car and Drive south through Arusha to prehistoric-looking Tarangire National Park. You will arrive at your safari lodge in time for lunch. After a hot lunch at your Hotel, you will have afternoon game viewing in a landscape dotted with baobab trees and umbrella-thorn acacias. Visiting the Silalei Swamp and Tarangire River are the centerpiece of this park which is famous for some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa. In the dry season, large numbers of animals congregate along the life-giving river that provides the only permanent water for wildlife in the area. Here you may see lion, leopard, cheetah, lesser kudu, buffalo, Oryx, eland, giraffe and zebra. In addition to the animal species, the park is famous for its century-old baobab trees and over 300 species of birds.
Meals and overnight at Tarangire Sopa lodge or Similar
4 September 2024 – Exploring the Tarangire National Park
You will enjoy this full day of game viewing at Tarangire National Park. The Silale swamp acts as a giant sponge during the green season and slowly releases water during the dry season attracting thousands of animals.
Meals and overnight at Taragire Sopa lodge or Similar
5 September 2024 – Tarangire – Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast, you will have a final morning photography session and game viewing in Tarangire National Park. On the way to the next park, you will visit the culturally-diverse village of Mto wa Mbu, set on the banks of the river of the same name, for an in-depth look at tribal life in the African bush. You will enjoy a late lunch with a local family before heading to Ngorongoro Crater for an afternoon game drive. Late in the day, you will arrive at the lodge for dinner and your overnight stay.
Meals and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena lodge or Similar
6 September 2024 – Exploring the basin of the Ngorongoro Crater
We will have a very early start at around 05:45 (we will collect breakfast and lunch boxes) and descend into the crater for photography sessions and an in-depth exploration of this distinctive Eco-system. Enjoy abundant wildlife viewing set against the impressive backdrop of the Ngorongoro Crater, the heart of the conservation area. These drives provide one of the best opportunities in Africa to view black rhino, which tend to spend their time on the crater floor. Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles. Its magical setting and abundant wildlife never fail to enthrall visitors. Another big draw to this picturesque Caldera, is its dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs and the ever-elusive leopard. If you are lucky, you will have chance to see small cats like the Rare Caracal, Seval cat as well as the African wild cat which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. Picnic breakfast will be served at one of the picnic sites at the crater floor, followed by another game viewing visiting the hippo pool near the Mandusi Swamp. Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner which is one of the main features of the crater. You will return to Ngorongoro Serena Lodge for a hot lunch before proceeding with the afternoon photography session and game viewing at the Gol Kopjes en route to the east plain of Serengeti and arrive at Serengeti Intimate Camp in time for dinner.
Meals and overnight at Serengeti Intimate Camp or Similar
7-8 September 2024 – Explore Central and Eastern Serengeti Plains and Kopjes
After an early breakfast at the Camp, you will enjoy morning and afternoon photography sessions and game viewing exploring Central and Eastern Serengeti plains and Kopjes. The Central Serengeti and Seronera River Valley is home to a great diversity of wildlife due to its unique ecological niche as a transition zone where two distinctly different habitats, the plain and the woodlands, merge and various species of wildlife from both habitats can coexist. Due to this unique ecological feature, the Central Serengeti supports a much greater diversity wildlife including elephants, giraffes, impala, waterbuck, hippo, topi, reedbuck, buffalo, baboon and vervet monkey, while the attendant predators such as lion, leopard, and cheetah are found among the many kopjes scattered across the plain.
Meals and overnight at Serengeti Intimate Camp or Similar
9 September 2024 – Drive to the Northern Part of the Serengeti
After breakfast, you will have a morning photography session and game viewing in the Central Serengeti before driving to the northern Serengeti with game viewing en route. You will visit the Lobo valley and kopjes as well as the Bologonja area before getting to Kogatende (the northern part of Serengeti) where the Mara River is located. You will arrive at the lodge on time for lunch. After lunch you will proceed with an afternoon photography session and game viewing at the northern Serengeti Kopjes and the Mara River. The northern Serengeti is home to a huge number of resident animals including lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, eland, and occasionally the Black Rhino. This is also a wonderful time of year to witness one of three significant events that happens during the Great Migration – the annual river crossings. Your days will be a combination of looking for good river crossings and other wildlife interactions along the Mara River, Wogakuria kopjes, and the Lamai triangle (A triangular shaped area just north of the Mara River). The northern Serengeti and the entire Mara River area are truly awe-inspiring and will surely be one of the highlights of your safari. In the late afternoon you will drive back to the camp for dinner.
Meals and overnight at Serengeti Intimate Camp – Mara River
10-13 September 2024 – North Serengeti
During the next several days, you will depart the Camp at first light with a picnic breakfast to search for the biggest herds of the great migrations. You will drive through the Mara River in the golden light of dawn looking for special photographic opportunities of wildebeest and zebras taking the cold plunge to cross the glittering waters of the Mara River. Witnessing the river crossing takes PATIENCE as the herd will often take hours to decide whether or not to cross, weighing the risk of crocodiles and the strength of the river’s current. We will return to camp for lunch and a little leisure time in the middle of the day. Late in the afternoon, we will return to the Mara River and Wogakuria kopjes area for game viewing and sunset.
Meals and overnight at Serengeti Intimate Camp – Mara River
14-15 September 2024 – North Serengeti – Arusha
Today you will have an early breakfast at the camp and then leave for Kogatende Airstrip to catch your bush flight to Arusha. Once back in Arusha you will stop at the Cultural Heritage Center for lunch and optional shopping. You will then be driven to the Lodge for a day use room and a farewell dinner. After dinner, we will drive to Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your September 14th departing overnight flight to arrive home on the 15th.
Day use room at Planet Airport or Similar
The Cost includes the following:
INCLUSIONS:
• All Airport, Hotel and Ground Transfers.
• Exclusive Use & Transport in our 4×4 Extended Toyota Land Cruisers.
• All Accommodations & Meals as indicated on the Itinerary
• All National Park Fees, Concession Fee & Reserve Entrance Fees
• All Fuel Costs
• Unlimited Game Drive & Mileage
• Unlimited Beverages such as drinking bottled-water, soft drinks, domestic beer, tea & coffee provided in the mini-refrigerator installed in safari vehicle
• Safari Wildlife & Birding Books provided in the vehicle
• Full-time Support from our ground operation team in Tanzania
• Professional, Certified, Fluent-English Speaking Naturalist Guide with 8 to 15 years of experience
• Internal Airfare / Bush Flight from Serengeti to Arusha
• Flying Doctors Membership Card for Emergency Evacuation to Nairobi
EXCLUSIONS:
• International Airfare to Kilimanjaro
• Visas
• Laundry & Beverages at Meals
• Travel Insurance
•Gratuities & Items of Personal Nature
•Extra Nights for Early Arrival or Late Departure
TRAVEL INSURANCE:
We strongly encourage you purchase comprehensive travel and evacuation insurance and we work with InsureMyTrip to offer our clients hand selected plans that will help protect your trip from a number of different perils. Feel free to follow the link below to visit the InsureMyTrip website. The site is easy to use to shop for plans and their staff is extremely helpful if you have any questions. They also have a number of informative articles about travel and insurance under the “Learn” tab on their website. Please be aware that some plans will not cover pre-existing and/or other conditions unless you purchase the policy shortly after making the FIRST deposit.
