From 2025, our Maasai Mara photography holidays will be based at Tembo by Jackson Bush Camp. The camp sits in a quiet, well-positioned section of the reserve near the Double Cross area – close to productive game-drive routes & within reach of the Mara River crossing points that define this landscape during the Great Migration.
For photographers, the choice of camp matters as much as the destination. Tembo by Jackson gives us what we need: short transfer times to key locations, adapted photography vehicles with space to work, & a team of guides & drivers whose knowledge of individual prides, territories, & movement patterns is exactly the kind of local expertise that turns a good game drive into a productive photography session.
What Is The Camp?
Tembo by Jackson is a tented camp – comfortable, well-equipped, & intentionally understated. The accommodation sits in a shaded area that is regularly visited by elephants, giraffes, & hippos moving between the river & the plains. It is the kind of camp where wildlife comes to you between sessions, which means your camera is never far from use.
The tents are spacious enough to organise gear properly, charge batteries overnight, & rest well between early starts. Meals are well-prepared using locally sourced ingredients, & the atmosphere is relaxed & sociable without being intrusive – exactly the right balance for photographers who want to review the day’s images in peace or talk through the next morning’s plan over dinner.
Location & Access
The camp is within the Maasai Mara National Reserve itself – not on the periphery. This matters because it keeps drive times to the best photography areas short, which means more time with subjects & less time on the road.
Most guests fly into Nairobi & take a short domestic flight to one of the Mara’s airstrips. From there, the transfer to camp is a scenic drive through the reserve – often productive in its own right, with wildlife encounters beginning well before you arrive.
What This Means for the Photography?
The Mara River crossing points are within reach of camp. During migration season, the concentration of wildebeest, zebra, & the crocodiles that wait for them produces some of the most intense wildlife photography sequences anywhere. Being close means we can respond quickly when crossings begin & stay as long as the activity continues.
Outside migration season, the Mara’s resident wildlife – lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, & a wide range of raptors & smaller mammals – provides consistently strong photographic opportunities throughout the year. The open grassland & scattered acacia trees create clean, graphic compositions that work well for both portraits & wider environmental images.
Why We Chose This Partnership?
We looked for a camp that matched the way we run trips: small groups, photography-first scheduling, & staff who understand that a 5am departure isn’t a request – it’s the plan. Tembo by Jackson delivers on all of those. Their guides & drivers work closely with our trip leaders to ensure the daily schedule is shaped by light, wildlife activity, & photographic opportunity rather than a fixed timetable.
The camp also has strong ties to the local Maasai community, & guests benefit from that relationship – both in terms of access & in knowing that the operation supports the people who live alongside this wildlife.
Booking
Full details of our Mara photography holidays at Tembo by Jackson are on the trip pages. If you’ve been considering the Mara, this partnership is the reason to book – the combination of location, adapted vehicles, experienced guides, & a camp that genuinely understands what photographers need makes this one of the strongest safari photography setups we’ve worked with.
- NaturesLens wildlife photography holidays are structured around photographic opportunity — every schedule decision is made around light, behaviour, & access.
- Small groups of 4–8 photographers ensure unhurried positions & individual guidance.
- Single occupancy accommodation is included as standard across the majority of our trips.
