ORYX Clients in the Mara
River crossings, prowling predators and glorious golden hour moments. This type of trifecta is what makes a Maasai Mara photo safari so appealing.
It encompasses a picture perfect African wildlife experience, and for our ORYX guests that travelled with us from 8 -14 September with Photo Tour Leader Penny Robartes, it was a magical and memorable experience!
A big thank you to Alex Walker’s Serian’s Nkorombo camp for hosting us and to our guests for travelling with us on a Kenya photography tour. We’re thrilled that we were a part of making your photographic dreams a reality!
“This was my first experience with ORYX Photography and I came on this trip with high expectations, especially on the migration and river crossing part. What struck me most was the massive wildlife in the area and how close we came to it at various sightings. It is almost unreal to get to see close ups of Lion kills, Cheetah kills and a Leopard in only 3 days. The local Maasai scouters in great cooperation with our ORYX photo guide, Penny Robartes, did a fantastic job and kept the energy up throughout 12-14 hours day trips. Excellent photo coaching by Penny on site was also a great contribution for higher quality images… Well done!! I have now added several thousands of new great images that I will enjoy reviewing in the months ahead.”
Jon Knutsen, Norway
“The Kenya photography tour was excellent from beginning to end. Although we didn’t see a mass crossing, we did see crossing behaviour and small crossings. Nevertheless, we had some excellent wildlife observations, particularly of predators, but also zebras, giraffes, elephants in the beautiful Mara landscape. The camp, staff and local guides were very good, and it was great to travel with Penny given her well-deserved reputation in the Mara. The efforts Penny made with all the participants to see and capture the wildlife in a manner reflecting her style, and provide technical help from shooting to processing were beyond expectations.”
Greg Cowle, USA
“The Best of the Mara Migration was my first real wildlife photography expedition and it didn’t disappoint. There was plenty of drama and loads of excitement! We learnt patience while sitting in our jeeps willing the fickle-minded wildebeest and zebras to make the plunge but the dangers of giant crocs lurking in the waters spooking the animals was a spectacle in itself … then there was the amazing sight of a pride of lions having a family feast and cheetahs devouring their kill, the unexpected sighting of a lone and majestic leopard – each day had its own magic. Patience wasn’t the only thing we learnt. We had the good fortune of being led by the super-charged and incredibly personable Penny Robartes. From the crack of dawn to post-dinner post-mortems of the day, she was always on the go. She was generous with her artistic and technical knowledge. Mastering settings and composition and Lightroom ‘tricks’ was a lot of fun with Penny and there was always a large and healthy dose of humour. That made all the difference! We as a team enjoyed Penny’s company and her self-effacing manner makes her difficult not to like. I would go on another expedition with her in a heartbeat! I cannot recommend this trip and Penny highly enough. The organisation and arrangements on this trip too were nothing short of superb. Thank you, ORYX for yet another unforgettable experience.”
Shobha Gopinath, Singapore
“The Migration Safari was absolutely magical – the magic of the Mara was definitely more than enhanced by the lovely Penny. She truly is a gem. Right from the time we met her at the Ole Sereni, we knew this was going to be a great trip. Penny is an amazing teacher – from advising on settings and composition, to Lightroom and editing – she was on the ball all day, and even in the evenings, when we got tutorials on editing (I was telling her she should have a YouTube channel, she would have quite a following!). All this she did with kindness and patience, and unbridled enthusiasm. Even a couple of other guests at the Nkorombo camp commented on how hardworking she is, and that we were a lucky group to have her guiding us. But more than the photography and her mad skills, Penny is one good person, and as Shobha said, ‘make sure you hang on to her!’ ”
Shymala Thilagaratnam, Singapore
