01 / THE PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY
Go beyond the view.
Lake Natron, also known in Chinese as Nachun Lake, is a breathtaking salt lake in northern Tanzania's Great Rift Valley. It is famed for its unusual colors and resident flamingo flocks. From the air, river deltas form magnificent patterns, while carbonate minerals draw latte-art-like designs across the surface. Flamingos flying over these mysterious waters resemble dancing notes in nature's symphony, expressing the miracle of life's cycles. Lake Magadi, a natural wonder in southern Kenya, is one of East Africa's largest salt lakes. Here, salt and carbonate minerals intermingle to form unusual floating salt crusts in varied shapes and colors. From above, the textures and forms of the salt layers are fully visible, revealing Lake Magadi's grandeur and beauty.
About the route
Kenya & Tanzania Helicopter Aerial Photography of Flamingos Lake Natron | Engare Sero | Ol Doinyo Lengai Maasai Communities | Lake Magadi | Flamingo Habitats <Some of the images below were provided by participants Lgl and Li Xiaohui> Lake Natron, also known in Chinese as Nachun Lake, is a breathtaking salt lake in northern Tanzania's Great Rift Valley. It is famed for its unusual colors and resident flamingo flocks. From the air, river deltas form magnificent patterns, while carbonate minerals draw latte-art-like designs across the surface. Flamingos flying over these mysterious waters resemble dancing notes in nature's symphony, expressing the miracle of life's cycles. The images above were taken by Lgl. Lake Magadi, a natural wonder in southern Kenya, is one of East Africa's largest salt lakes. Here, salt and carbonate minerals intermingle to form unusual floating salt crusts in varied shapes and colors. From above, the textures and forms of the salt layers are fully visible, revealing Lake Magadi's grandeur and beauty. The images above were taken by Li Xiaohui. Photography at the night-photography lodge On January 4, 2027, instructor Ou Haichun will lead you to Lake Natron and Lake Magadi in Tanzania and Kenya for four days of helicopter aerial photography of the two lakes and flamingos. We look forward to having you join us!
The journey in pictures
Leading photographers: OWEN ou →
Destination illustrations · select a photo to explore
02 / IN GOOD COMPANY
A different way of seeing.
Leading photographers
OWEN ou · View photographer profile →
OWEN ou
Graduated from the Photography Department of South China Normal University in 2009. Specializes in landscapes, property environments and commercial portraiture. He has worked with the Shenzhen procuratorate, land bureau, Shenzhen Library, cultural centres, China Merchants Bank, Standard Chartered, Agricultural Bank of China, China Telecom, China Mobile, Guosen Securities, Topway Video, and BMW and Porsche owners' clubs. Photography journeys He regularly leads organizations and photography schools on trips to the Balkans, Iceland, Germany, Greenland, Cuba, South Korea, Canada, Kenya, Laos, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Morocco, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Japan, Chiang Mai, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, Semporna and New Zealand. Chinese destinations include Anhui, Beijing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia, Shanghai, Sichuan, Suzhou, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Yunnan and Zhejiang. Selected awards Outstanding Work award at the 2009 Pingyao International Photography Festival; silver in the art category of the 2014 Guangdong provincial exhibition; gold in the monochrome category of the 2014 Al-Thani International Photography Competition; Zeyida Photography Club's 2022 Outstanding Instructor award and a 2023 instructor appointment issued in 2022; Fujifilm's 2022–23 Club Gardener Award, received in 2023.
03 / THE DAYS AHEAD
A rhythm shaped by light.
Shooting locations, accommodation and transport are subject to confirmation before departure and may change with the weather.
Note: itinerary timings above are for reference only. The photography leader may make suitable adjustments according to local weather, conditions and other factors to achieve the best photographic results. [Reference services] The instructor will take the following services: Outbound: January 04: Hong Kong T1–Doha QR817/18:05/22:30 January 05: Doha–Kilimanjaro QR1499/01:50/07:45 Return: January 13: Nairobi T1–Doha QR1336/18:00/23:10 January 14: Doha–Hong Kong T1/QR818/01:45/15:10 Before booking transport, please confirm the departure and travel arrangements through this website.
Itinerary dates and text times without their own zone use: Africa/Nairobi。Exact times use your selected timezone; dates alone and descriptions such as “morning” are not converted.
DAY 01Jan 4 · Africa/NairobiDay 1: Monday, January 4 — Hong Kong–Addis Ababa–Kilimanjaro International Airport
Flight arrangements: January 4: Hong Kong T1–Doha QR817/18:05/22:30
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 02Jan 5 · Africa/NairobiDay 2: Tuesday, January 5 — Arrive in Tanzania
Flight arrangements: January 5: Doha–Kilimanjaro QR1499/01:50/07:45 Fly from China to Kilimanjaro International Airport according to your flight schedule. After immigration, drive to Lake Natron and check into the hotel. Hotel: Luxury wilderness lodge directly on the shores of Lake Natron
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 03Jan 6 · Africa/NairobiDay 3: Wednesday, January 6 — Flamingos
Depending on how well guests have rested, drive to the flamingo habitat after lunch to photograph the lake and flamingos with cameras. Hotel: Luxury wilderness lodge directly on the shores of Lake Natron
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 04Jan 7 · Africa/NairobiDay 4: Thursday, January 7 — Aerial photography of Lake Natron
Helicopter aerial photography session 1 After breakfast, hike in the Engare Sero fossil-footprint site park; At sunrise and sunset, photograph Lake Natron and flamingos from a helicopter. (Approximately 1 hour of aerial photography each morning and evening.) Hotel: Luxury wilderness lodge directly on the shores of Lake Natron
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 05Jan 8 · Africa/NairobiDay 5: Friday, January 8 — Aerial photography of Lake Natron
Helicopter aerial photography session 2 After breakfast, drive to the foot of Ol Doinyo Lengai for hiking and photography. At sunrise and sunset, continue photographing Lake Natron and flamingos from a helicopter (approximately 1 hour each morning and evening). Hotel: Luxury wilderness lodge directly on the shores of Lake Natron
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 06Jan 9 · Africa/NairobiDay 6: Saturday, January 9 — Lake Natron–Lake Magadi
Cross the border into Kenya overland, check into a night-photography lodge, and photograph wildlife from a hide at night. Hotel: Luxury wilderness lodge on a night-wildlife photography estate
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 07Jan 10 · Africa/NairobiDay 7: Sunday, January 10 — Aerial photography of Lake Magadi
Photograph wildlife from a hide at night At sunrise and sunset, visit the flamingo habitat; devote the full day to creative flamingo photography, then photograph wildlife at night; Hotel: Luxury wilderness lodge on a night-wildlife photography estate
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 08Jan 11 · Africa/NairobiDay 8: Monday, January 11 — Aerial photography of Lake Magadi
Helicopter aerial photography session 3 At sunrise and sunset, photograph Lake Magadi and flamingos from a helicopter (approximately 1 hour each morning and evening). Between helicopter flights, photograph wildlife in the reserve near the hotel. Hotel: Luxury wilderness lodge directly on the shores of Lake Magadi
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 09Jan 12 · Africa/NairobiDay 9: Tuesday, January 12 — Lake Magadi–Dedicated flamingo photography
After breakfast, head out for helicopter aerial photography of Lake Magadi and flamingos, with 1 hour each in the morning and evening. Return to the hotel at night. Hotel: Luxury wilderness lodge directly on the shores of Lake Magadi
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 10Jan 13 · Africa/NairobiDay 10: Wednesday, January 13 — Nairobi–Doha
The hotel is 5 hours from Nairobi Airport. Depart at an appropriate time for the return flight. Flight arrangements: January 13: Nairobi T1–Doha QR1336/18:00/23:10
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 11Jan 14 · Africa/NairobiDay 11: Thursday, January 14 — Doha–Home
January 14: Doha–Hong Kong T1/QR818/02:35/15:00
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefWhere we stay
To be confirmed by the operator
Getting there
To be confirmed by the operator
04 / A CLEAR PICTURE
Know what is included.
Platform service fee to be confirmed
Deposit USD 4,479.19 Original CNY 30,000 · Reference rates 2026-09-18 · Frankfurter / person
Included
1. Standard twin hotel rooms in the itinerary (including use of photography facilities at the night-photography lodge);
2. All meals throughout;
3. Vehicles: 8-seat Toyota Land Cruiser off-road vehicles. Total group size = participants + photography instructor + local guide + Wujing tour leader.
6 guests, 9 people in the group: 2 vehicles
7 guests, 10 people in the group: 2 vehicles
8 guests, 11 people in the group: 2 vehicles + 1 luggage vehicle
9 guests, 12 people in the group: 2 vehicles + 1 luggage vehicle
4. Guide and driver arrangements: a Chinese-speaking tour leader from Wujing Travel, plus professional overseas drivers and guides;
5. Attractions: initial admission tickets for attractions listed in the itinerary;
6. Insurance;
7. Photography instruction and services from the accompanying instructor throughout.
Not included
1. Round-trip international airfare;
3. Visa fees;
5. Personal expenses;
6. Tips for drivers, guides, and service staff, and overtime charges for drivers and guides
8. Any other additional expenses not expressly listed under inclusions;
Service fees, supplements, taxes and the final total are subject to written confirmation.
05 / BEFORE YOU GO
Clarity before departure.
Availability and registration
This website accepts expressions of interest in this trip and does not synchronize the operator's remaining places in real time. Please contact us to confirm group departure, availability, the final quotation and booking conditions.
Cancellation and breach provisions (source text)
Before departure, participants and the organizing team may sign a written travel contract or give notice terminating the trip agreement. The contract is legally binding. If termination is requested more than 120 days before departure, excluding day 90, neither party is liable for breach. Days are calculated by subtracting the date the termination notice is received from the departure date; the same calculation applies below. If the organizing team terminates, all travel fees must be refunded without deducting visa or entry-permit fees. If a participant terminates after a visa or entry permit has been processed or a flight purchased, the relevant visa, entry-permit and flight cancellation charges are deducted. The organizing team must refund the travel fees within 5 working days of receiving the termination notice. If either party terminates within 120 days of departure, including day 120, the terminating party bears liability for breach. [Participant liability] Participants terminating the agreement within 120 days of departure must pay the organizing team a business-loss charge according to the following schedule: 119 to 90 days before departure: 10% of the total trip fee; 89 to 60 days before departure: 40% of the total trip fee; 59 to 30 days before departure: 70% of the total trip fee; 29 to 1 days before departure: 100% of the total trip fee; Failure to pay the agreed deposit percentage by the deadline is treated as voluntarily relinquishing the charter of this vessel; If these percentages do not cover the organizing team's actual losses, the participant must compensate the actual losses, up to the total trip fee. After deducting the business-loss charge, the organizing team must refund the remaining travel fees within 5 working days of receiving the participant's cancellation notice.
Fitness, equipment and conditions
Equipment and fitness requirements will be provided by the operator.