Not the prettiest of birds, but this White-backed Vulture was enjoying the morning sun.

We flew from Johannesburg, South Africa on South African Airways Flight # 184 departing at 9:40am to Nairobi, Keya, arriving at 2:45PM.

For our Kenya safari, we booked a John and Barbara Gerlach “Best Game Parks of Kenya” photography tour through International Expeditions, Inc. We first met John and Barbara Gerlach in 2004 when we participated in a Winter Snowmobile photography tour in Yellowstone National Park.

The photo tour started in Nairobi, Kenya on January 4, 2013 and visited three parks: Samburu National Reserve, Lake Nakuru National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve. We stayed the first night in Nairobi at the Nairobi Safari Park Hotel

The trip was accomplished with a group of ten participants in three Land Rover type vehicles with two seats up front, and two rows of two seats and one row of three seats in the back. Each photographer generally had a back row of seats to themselves, except the two of us doubled up in a single row for six of the drives. John Gerlach alternated between the three vehicles in the front passenger seat to give photography tips and advice. Barbara Gerlach did not make the trip. The Land Rover’s had pop open roof hatches that each row was able to photograph out of separately.

The three drivers (David, Stanley and Zachary) were provided through Origins Safaris out of Nairobi, Kenya. We cannot say enough about their skill, their dedication, their knowledge of each of the parks road systems, and their ability to spot and know the wildlife, especially all the bird species that we encountered over the trip.

I would again recommend this trip to anyone that is serious about wildlife photography and has invested in good quality camera systems with interchangeable lenses. The itinerary provides visits to some of the best wildlife parks in Kenya, and having John Gerlach provide instructional guidance both during the drives and in discussions around the dinner table is a great benefit. You can visit John and Barbara’s website at: http://www.gerlachnaturephoto.com/

A Map of Kenya shows the locations of Nairobi, Samburu National Reserve, Lake Nakuru National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve.

The next series of photographs are from our first day in the Samburu National Reserve.

Here is a photograph of a Dik-dik.

They have interesting nose and facial structure - take a closer look.

The Ewaso Ng'iro River flows along the Samburu National Reserve.

It was a great place to visit in the morning and afternoon as various animals went there to drink and bath.

Here an African Elephant Herd was in the river.

The Reticulated Giraffe has a much different color pattern than the South Africa Giraffe.

Compare the two Giraffe to see the differences.

Here is a photograph of a Red-Billed Hornbill.

We will see several speicies of Hornbills during the trip.