Masai Mara, Kenya – African safari – with Paul Mckenzie & Denise Ippolito
September 21-October 1, 2019 – 10 nights
Limit: 7 photographers
Openings: SOLD OUT – contact me to be put on the waiting list
Winter wildlife wonderland in Japan – with Paul Mckenzie & Denise Ippolito
February 11–23 , 2020 – 12 nights
Limit: 8 photographers
Openings: 3
Price: US$9,499 double occupancy – deposit: US$5,000
For payment, please refer to Denise Ippolito’s workshop page: https://www.deniseippolito.com/workshops/japan-2020-tba
Join award-winning photographers Denise Ippolito and Paul McKenzie on a photographic adventure to Japan. We will start off with the charismatic and extremely photogenic Snow Monkeys, aka the Japanese macaque. We will spend 2.5 days photographing them. When we get to Hokkaido we will be staying right next door to the crane sanctuary that the Red-crowned Cranes fly into daily. We will drive to Lake Kussharo and photograph the beautiful Whooper Swans against the distant snow-covered mountains and the foggy mist from the outdoor hot springs and thermally heated waters along the lakeshore. We will drive to Rausu to photograph Steller’s Sea Eagles on the pack-ice as well as in flight, from a boat. In addition to these main subjects, we will also have opportunities to photograph White-Tailed Sea Eagles, Ural Owls, Red Fox, landscapes and more.
Unlike other photo tours in Hokkaido, we will be based in one location so no tedious, regular unpacking and unpacking. We have maximum flexibility as to where we go: the cranes are next door; the swans are an hour away, the Sea Eagles 3 hours away. The weather can be quite changeable in Hokkaido and roads can close due to snow conditions while the pack-ice off Rausu for the Sea Eagles is unpredictable. Some tours pre-book months in advance and arrive in Rausu only to find there is no pack ice or high winds that prevent the boats from sailing or road closures which stop them from getting into and out of Rausu. We have none of these problems.
In 2020 we will also be visiting a black sand beach full of large ice blocks and crystals – think Diamond Beach in Iceland but with zero tourists. We will also be visiting a frozen lake where White-Tailed and Stellar Sea Eagles gather in huge numbers providing fantastic opportunities for fighting eagles against great backgrounds.
What is included:
All lodging, including the Tokyo hotel (double occupancy) on Feb. 11th, all breakfasts & dinners, ground transportation and transfers including the bus to the monkey park hotel, all entrance fees, and the in-country flights.
Not included: international flights to Tokyo, all lunches–most are on the run, all alcoholic beverages, laundry.
About the trip:
This trip is longer than most trips to allow for greater flexibility, more time with the cranes, and our other subjects. We will supply lots of pre-trip planning and gear advice, in-the-field instruction and guidance, at-the-lodge Photoshop and image review sessions in addition to short introductory slide programs for each of the amazing locations. We will have the very best Japanese guides and stay at the award-winning lodge owned by our head guide. His network of local contacts and his knowledge of the weather, the area, and the birds are invaluable for a trip like this. In addition to our head guide, we have three extremely helpful assistant guides to help us.
One of the best things about this trip is learning a bit about the Japanese culture. Their food and its presentation are unmatched. Japan is a very clean country. Most public bathrooms look like day spas. The train stations and airports are both spotless and safe. There is no tipping in Japan; it is almost an insult to tip service people. The Japanese are very respectful, polite, extremely helpful and kind. When we say no tipping, we mean for the service industry-we do tip our head guide’s apprentices that work for room and board. It averages to about $300.00 per person for the entire trip.
The Logistics:
Arrive in Tokyo: Feb 11th, 2019 the latest. Feb 10th is safer and gives you a day to get acclimated to the time change. Your hotel room for the night of the 11th in Tokyo is covered.
Private bus travel to Monkey Park Hotel: Feb 12th- We should arrive at our hotel by lunchtime allowing for a half-day of monkey photography. We will stay at a ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel). The sense of culture is everywhere as you walk through the hotel which is steeped in tradition. Our stay includes three ten-course Japanese dinners; these amazing meals are a big highlight. There are many traditional hot baths (public and private), aka onsens, on-site in this 300-year-old hotel. Trust us when we tell you that there is nothing better than soaking in these hot springs after a day of photographing out in the snow.
Full Day snow monkeys: Feb 13.
Full Day snow monkeys: Feb 14.
Feb 15th: Optional early-mid morning photographic excursion around Yudanaka, the old town that we are staying in. At the top of the town, there is a very photogenic temple/shrine that is usually covered in snow. Mid-morning we will travel back to Tokyo and then onto Hokkaido via a domestic flight (included and I will make all of the arrangements for this). We will arrive at our lodge in the evening. The lodge is a beautiful, artistically decorated space. All the rooms at the lodge have American beds. A local onsen (hot springs bath and shower) if you choose to go, is available for $5 each day and a ride to and from the Onsen is provided daily before dinner. The home-cooked Japanese styles meals at the lodge are prepared by Shinobu. She is a master chef and her meals will be slightly Americanized. We often remark to guests that this is more of a culinary than a photographic tour (joking of course) but after you taste Shinobu’s food, you will see what we mean. We will be a moments’ walk from the famed crane sanctuary. During one big snowstorm a few years ago we were the only photo group to be able to get to Tsurui Ito and had the place to ourselves while other groups had to wait for the streets to be plowed.
Feb 16-22: Red-crowned Cranes performing their enchanting courtship dances in the snow, raptors in flight, Whooper Swans, and scenic photography. Ural Owls, Ezo Red fox, landscapes, eagles fighting over a frozen lake, stunning ice crystals on a black sand beach and more. We will spend two mornings photographing the Steller’s Sea Eagles and White Tailed Eagles among the pack ice off the town of Rausu, from a boat. Our trip offers complete flexibility in this area so that we can make every effort to get to our chosen destinations and photograph. Our head guide has a close working relationship with the main boat captains meaning that we can make reservations on their boats and travel to Rausu at very short notice.
Feb 23. Fly back to Tokyo for transfer to your airport if you are flying home that night, or, to your hotel if you are overnighting. If you need to overnight, the cost of that room is not included.
CHECK OUT DENISE’S JAPAN TRAVEL GALLERY TO SEE MORE IMAGES FROM JAPAN.
ALSO SEE MY JAPAN GALLERIES:
Hokkaido
Snow Monkeys
Deposit Information:
Please email Denise or me – paul@wildencounters.net if you are ready to register or if you have any questions.
Once you decide to go you will need to send your $5,000 non-refundable deposit via check made out to Denise Ippolito.
Note: Purchasing travel insurance within 2 weeks of our cashing your deposit check is strongly recommended.
*A single supplement is only available for a portion of the trip and is $1300.00 additional.
Serengeti, Tanzania – African safari – with Paul Mckenzie & Denise Ippolito
March 9-19, 2020 – 10 nights
Limit: 7 photographers
Openings: 3
Price: US$7,995 double occupancy – deposit: US$2,000
For payment, please refer to Denise Ippolito’s workshop page: https://www.deniseippolito.com/workshops/tanzania-2020
Join Paul McKenzie (paul@wildencounters.net) and Denise Ippolito for our first Tanzania Photo Tour. Our dates have been chosen to coincide with the wildebeest, zebra and gazelle calving season. The large numbers of young and inexperienced animals are a magnet for Africa’s predators. The big cats – lions, leopards and cheetahs along with hyenas and jackals are extremely active during this period and your chance of seeing and photographing predator-prey interaction and kills are very high during this period. But the calving season also means young adorable calves and tender moments with their mothers.
We will use 3 stretch Toyoto land cruisers meaning that everyone will have a full row to themselves in the vehicles to enable unobstructed photography from both the open sides and from the roof.
Day 1 (March 9) – Arrival in at Kilimanjaro International airport. Transfer to, and overnight in Arusha town, Tanzania.
Day 2 (March 10)– Drive to Lake Manyara – about a 3-hour drive. Afternoon game drive in Lake Manyara. Overnight Lake Manyara.
Day 3 (March 11)– Early morning game drive in Lake Manyara. Drive to Ngorongoro crater (about 3 hours) – late morning/afternoon game drive in Ngorongoro Crater. Proceed to Lake Ndutu (2-hour drive). Overnight Lake Ndutu and stay for five nights.
Days 4, 5, 6, 7 (March 12, 13, 14, 15)– The Lake Ndutu area is the main wildebeest and zebra calving area and has large concentrations of Cheetah, Lion, and Leopard.
Day 8 (March 16) – Drive to the central Serengeti. Our camp is in the vicinity of the Moru Kopjes. The central Serengeti is similar to Kenya’s Masai Mara but on a much bigger scale, ie endless rolling plains. The landscape is punctuated by rock outcroppings known as kopjes which are a magnet for Lion prides. Everyone’s dream shot are lions on these kopjes. There is lots of game and plenty of all the big cats (lions, leopards, and cheetahs)
Day 9 (March 17) and day 10 (March 18) – Central Serengeti.
Day 11 (March 19) – After an early morning game drive, drive to airstrip (1-hour drive) for the morning flight back to Arusha.
Guests can then fly out that evening from Kilimanjaro airport for their international flight or stay overnight in Arusha to take a flight on March 20th.
The price includes all meals, including the first night’s dinner in Arusha; all accommodations are on a per person sharing basis as well as the flight back from the Serengeti to Arusha. It does not include international flights, drinks at our camps and lodges, laundry and other miscellaneous items as well as tips for the camp staff and our drivers- approx. $400.00 per person.
An additional information sheet will be sent once the group has been gathered.
Deposit
Denise will need a $2,000 non-refundable deposit made by pushing the “Deposit button” on her workshop page in order to hold your spot. The second payment of $3,000 is due on April 15, 2019, and the final payment of $2,995 is due on Sept. 1, 2019. All payments except for the deposit must be paid via check only, made out to “Denise Ippolito LLC”. Overseas folks can pay their balances via wire transfer; the registrant is responsible for the fees on both ends. Sorry, there are no discounts given to non-photographer spouses for this trip.
Travel Insurance– I urge everyone to purchase travel insurance for a major trip like this.
This trip needs a minimum of 7 to go, please don’t purchase your flights until I have confirmed. All deposits will be refunded in full if the trip does not run.
*Single supplements are available for the trip at $1400.00pp. Please inquire as to availability. If we are unable to line up same-sex roommate for you, you will be charged the single supplement on a pro-rated basis.
Please see my African wildlife gallery page to see images including ones from the Serengeti:
East Africa wildlife
Masai Mara, Kenya – African safari – with Paul Mckenzie & Denise Ippolito
September 21-October 1, 2020 – 10 nights
Limit: 7 photographers
Openings: SOLD OUT – contact me to be put on the waiting list