Photograph gorillas, big cats and birds at first and last light
Photography Safaris in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania
Private safaris planned around first and last light, with the vehicle to yourselves and time to wait for the picture.
A photography safari is planned around the light, the rules and the animals you most want
We plan private photography safaris in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. The vehicle and the day are yours, so you decide where to stop and how long to wait.
Near the equator the light changes little through the year. In these parks the sun rises between about 05:35 and 07:10 and sets between about 17:45 and 19:20, depending on the park and the month. What changes from park to park is when the gates open, how close you may go, and whether you may leave the track.
So we choose where you sleep by the hours you can be out, and the order of the parks by what you want to photograph: gorillas and chimpanzees in Uganda and Rwanda, big cats and the herds in Kenya and Tanzania.
- About 12 hours of daylightIn every park on this page, all year: sunrise and sunset move by about half an hour across the seasons
- Uganda's park gates: 07:00 to 19:00The Uganda Wildlife Authority's hours for its parks
- No flash with gorillas or chimpanzeesWith gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda, and with chimpanzees in Uganda
- Drones: approval before you flyEach country's civil aviation authority sets its own rules
Sunrise, sunset and gate hours, park by park, for the month you travel
Choose a month to see when the sun rises and sets in each park, and when the gates let you in. The amber ends of each bar are the first and last hour of sun. It opens on this month.
Choose a month
In October, sunrise about 06:35 and sunset about 18:40. Gates open 07:00 to 19:00.
In October, sunrise about 06:45 and sunset about 18:50. Gates open 07:00 to 19:00.
In October, sunrise about 06:30 and sunset about 18:30. Gates open 07:00 to 19:00.
In October, sunrise about 06:45 and sunset about 18:50.
In October, sunrise about 05:45 and sunset about 17:50.
In October, sunrise about 05:40 and sunset about 17:45.
In October, sunrise about 06:20 and sunset about 18:30. Gates open 06:00 to 19:00.
In October, sunrise about 06:10 and sunset about 18:20. Gates open 06:00 to 18:00.
In October, sunrise about 06:20 and sunset about 18:30.
In October, sunrise about 06:20 and sunset about 18:30. Crater gates open 06:00 to 16:00.
DarkDaylightFirst and last hour of sunGates open
Sunrise and sunset are our calculation, with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's solar equations, for the 15th of each month, rounded to five minutes, for open ground in each park. Hills, forest and the crater wall hide the sun for longer. Gate and start times from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Rwanda Development Board, African Parks, the Mara Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority.
- Amboseli's gates close at 18:00Before sunset, which there falls between about 18:20 and 18:50. The Kenya Wildlife Service sets the same hours at Nakuru and Tsavo, unless you are spending the night insideKenya Wildlife Service
- The Mara Triangle opens at 06:00Before sunrise all year, and closes at 19:00, after sunset, so sunrise and sunset both fall inside its gate hoursMara Conservancy
- Ngorongoro Crater gates: 06:00 to 16:00Driving in the wider conservation area ends at 18:00, before sunsetNgorongoro Conservation Area Authority
- Uganda's parks open at 07:00At Murchison Falls the sun rises between about 06:35 and 07:05, so the first game drive starts close to sunriseUganda Wildlife Authority
What to photograph in East Africa, and the rules for each
Five subjects that shape a photography safari, with where to find them and how close you may go. Open one to see it.
Mountain gorillasOne hour, no flash
You spend one hour with a gorilla family, in a group of no more than eight visitors, and flash is not allowed. The Uganda Wildlife Authority asks you to keep 10 metres away, the Rwanda Development Board 7 metres. In Uganda, gorilla tracking starts from 08:00; the habituation experience starts from 06:30 and gives you four hours with the gorillas.
WhereBwindiMgahingaVolcanoes, Rwanda
ChimpanzeesOne hour, no flash
In Kibale, chimpanzee tracking starts from 08:00 or from 14:00, and you have one hour with the chimpanzees once they are found, at least 10 metres away and without flash, the Uganda Wildlife Authority says. The full-day habituation experience starts at 06:30 and gives you four hours with them.
WhereKibaleKyamburaNyungwe, Rwanda
Big cats on the plainsNo closer than 25 metres
In the Maasai Mara's Low Use Zones you may leave the track to approach lion, leopard and cheetah, to no closer than 25 metres, with no more than five vehicles at a sighting, under the Mara Conservancy's rules and Narok County's 2023 plan. In the Serengeti, Tanzania National Parks asks you to stay on the designated roads.
WhereMara TriangleMaasai MaraSerengeti
Murchison Falls by boat and on footBy boat and on foot
The launch upriver from Paraa to the foot of the falls takes about two hours. At the top of the falls, the Uganda Wildlife Authority sells two visits: a viewing of the falls, and a hike along the top-of-the-falls trail.
WhereParaaTop of the falls
Elephants under KilimanjaroAt least 20 metres away
The Kenya Wildlife Service calls Amboseli the home of the African elephant. Its rules here, as at Nakuru and Tsavo: stay on the roads, keep at least 20 metres from the animals, and leave by 18:00 unless you are staying inside the park.
WhereAmboseli
The vehicle and the day are yours, so you can wait for the picture
Every safari we plan is private: one vehicle with a pop-up roof and a driver-guide for you alone. You decide when to stop, how long to stay with a sighting and when to head back.
We plan each day around the light in the planner above: out when the gates open, a rest in the middle of the day, and out again for the last hours of sun.
Park rules for photographers in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania
Each park sets how close you may go and where you may drive. These are the rules that matter most with a camera.
- No flash with gorillas or chimpanzeesWith gorillas in Uganda and Rwanda, and chimpanzees in UgandaUganda Wildlife Authority; Rwanda Development Board
- 10 metres from gorillas and chimpanzees in Uganda7 metres from gorillas in RwandaUganda Wildlife Authority; Rwanda Development Board
- Keep 20 metres away in Amboseli, Nakuru and Tsavo25 metres from big cats in the Maasai Mara's Low Use Zones, and 25 metres in NgorongoroKenya Wildlife Service; Mara Conservancy; Narok County; Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority
- Stay on the trackIn Uganda's parks a driver who leaves it is fined USD 150 for each person in the vehicle. In the Maasai Mara's Low Use Zones you may leave it only for big catsUganda Wildlife Authority; Mara Conservancy; Narok County
- Nobody sits on the roofUganda fines sitting on top of the vehicle USD 100 a time, and the Maasai Mara forbids sitting or standing on it. You photograph through the raised pop-up roof, from insideUganda Wildlife Authority; Mara Conservancy; Narok County
- Night drives only in some placesIn Uganda only for guests sleeping inside the park, with a Uganda Wildlife Authority guide. None in the Maasai Mara reserve. Akagera runs its own, from 17:30 to about 20:30Uganda Wildlife Authority; Narok County; African Parks
Uganda for photographers: Murchison Falls, the Kazinga Channel and the primates
Two boat trips give you the water-level pictures a vehicle cannot: the launch to the foot of Murchison Falls and the launch along the Kazinga Channel.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority describes the Kazinga Channel trip as a two-hour return voyage between Mweya and Lake Edward, past banks lined with hippos, crocodiles and waterbirds, and visited by elephant, buffalo and antelope.
- Each launch trip: about 2 hoursAt Murchison Falls and on the Kazinga ChannelUganda Wildlife Authority
- Launches take up to 45 people at Murchison, 40 on the Kazinga ChannelThe most each launch carriesUganda Wildlife Authority
- Night drives at Murchison Falls, Kidepo and Lake MburoFor guests sleeping inside the park, with a Uganda Wildlife Authority guideUganda Wildlife Authority
Elephants among palms at Murchison Falls; a candelabra euphorbia in Queen Elizabeth; the sun low over Queen Elizabeth; the launch below the cliffs at Murchison Falls.
Kenya and Tanzania for photographers: gate hours and the rules on the plains
The herds and the big cats are on the open plains, and each authority sets its own hours and rules.
Kenya: the Maasai Mara and Amboseli
The Mara Triangle's gates are open from 06:00 to 19:00, which covers sunrise and sunset all year.
- No more than five vehicles at a sightingThe most allowed in the Maasai Mara. When more than five vehicles are waiting, you have 10 minutes in the Mara Triangle and 15 in the rest of the reserveMara Conservancy; Narok County, 2023
- Amboseli, Nakuru and Tsavo: 06:00 to 18:00The Kenya Wildlife Service's gate hours, unless you stay overnight inside the parkKenya Wildlife Service
A lilac-breasted roller, Maasai Mara.
Tanzania: the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater
Tanzania National Parks asks you to stay on designated roads, and the Ngorongoro authority allows no more than five vehicles at a sighting.
- Ngorongoro Crater: 06:00 to 16:00The crater gates' hours. Keep at least 25 metres from the animalsNgorongoro Conservation Area Authority
- No night drives in the SerengetiTanzania National Parks sells them in Tarangire and Lake Manyara, not the SerengetiTanzania National Parks tariff
Long lenses through an open roof.
Drones and camera bags: what to arrange before you fly
Each civil aviation authority sets its own drone rules, and the light aircraft that fly to the parks limit what you can carry.
What each country asks before a drone flies
- UgandaFlying for fun is only allowed within a club registered with the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority; any other flight needs its approval and security clearance, and you declare the drone to customs when you landUganda Civil Aviation Authority: 2022 regulations; 2020 advisory circular
- RwandaA permit from the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority takes 2 to 4 weeks, and a foreign visitor cannot register a drone themselvesVisit Rwanda; Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority
- KenyaAuthorisation from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, then USD 300 per drone, per day, per park to the Kenya Wildlife ServiceKenya Civil Aviation Authority; Kenya Wildlife Service
- TanzaniaApply to the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority 3 to 4 weeks before you travel, and get the park authority's permit as wellTanzania Civil Aviation Authority
Light aircraft weigh your camera bag with your luggage
- 15 kg each on Safarilink and AirkenyaIncluding hand baggage, in soft bags. Safarilink allows 20 kg on some routes, such as Entebbe, Zanzibar and MombasaSafarilink; Airkenya
- Soft bags, 60 by 45 by 30 cmSafarilink's size limit. Large hard cases may have to follow on a later flightSafarilink
- Free luggage storageSafarilink and Airkenya both keep luggage you leave behind at no chargeSafarilink; Airkenya
Three safaris in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, planned around first and last light
Typically 10 to 14 daysUgandaBest of Ugandafrom USD 3,950per personSee the itinerary
Typically 7 to 10 daysKenyaBest of Kenyafrom USD 4,900per personSee the itinerary
Typically 6 to 9 daysTanzaniaBest of Tanzaniafrom USD 3,250per personSee the itineraryLonger, shorter, a different month, two countries in one run. Say what you have in mind and a first route and a real price come back within one working day.
Start with a dateQuestions about photography safaris
When is the best time of year for a photography safari?
It depends on what you want to photograph, not on the light: near the equator, sunrise and sunset move by only about half an hour through the year in these parks. The herds are usually by the Mara River from late July to early November. For calving, Tanzania National Parks points to the short-grass plains between Naabi gate and the Ngorongoro highlands in mid-February.
Can I use flash when photographing gorillas or chimpanzees?
No. The Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Rwanda Development Board both forbid flash photography with the gorillas, and the Authority forbids it with the chimpanzees too. A tracking visit gives you one hour with them; the habituation experience, four.
Can I fly a drone on safari?
Only with approval arranged in advance from each country's civil aviation authority. In Uganda, flying for fun is limited to clubs registered with that authority. Rwanda's permit takes 2 to 4 weeks, Tanzania's 3 to 4 weeks plus a park permit, and in Kenya you need the civil aviation authority's approval and USD 300 per drone, per day, per park to the Kenya Wildlife Service. If you cannot arrange them, leave the drone at home.
Do I pay extra to take photographs in the parks?
Not for your own holiday photographs: none of the tariffs we read charges for them. Commercial filming is charged separately, by the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Kenya Wildlife Service and Tanzania National Parks, and Kenya also charges for photo sessions such as weddings.
How much camera gear can I take on a light aircraft?
On Safarilink and Airkenya in Kenya, 15 kg each including hand baggage, in soft bags. Safarilink allows 20 kg on some routes, sets a size limit of 60 by 45 by 30 cm, and stores luggage you leave in Nairobi at no charge. Tell us the weight of your kit and we will plan the flights around it.
How close can we get to the animals?
It depends on the park: 20 metres in Amboseli, Nakuru and Tsavo, 25 metres from big cats in the Maasai Mara's Low Use Zones, 25 metres in Ngorongoro, 10 metres from gorillas and chimpanzees in Uganda, and 7 metres from gorillas in Rwanda.
Can we go out before the gates open or after dark?
Not on an ordinary game drive. Uganda's parks open from 07:00 to 19:00, and Amboseli, Nakuru and Tsavo from 06:00 to 18:00. Night drives run only in some places: in Uganda for guests sleeping inside the park, with a Uganda Wildlife Authority guide, and in Akagera from 17:30. The Maasai Mara reserve allows none.
Which safari suits photographers, and what does it cost?
Any of our safaris can be planned around the light; the three below are a good start. Each is private, with a vehicle and driver-guide for you alone. Each safari's page shows its current price per person, and we price your own route when you send your dates.
Tell us when you can travel, and we email you a photography route and price.
- Tell us when you travelRoughly when, how many days, and what you want to photograph.
- Get a route and a price by emailParks, nights and lodges chosen for the light, with the cost per person.
- Change the route until it fitsThe month, the parks or the length.
hello@wildroutetours.com