Description
This wonderful experience day offers some unique photographic opportunities of the impressive Gorilla groups at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park. We will spend the morning on a private game drive around Port Lympne’s fantastic ‘African Experience’ reserve. This 140 acre wild area has free ranging animals in extremely natural surroundings. The species we hope to see include Black Rhino, Giraffe, Wildebeest, Zebra, Eland, Blackbuck, Lechwe and Ostrich. Our driver will aim to get us in the best possible position for photography and we will spend time on subjects that offer the best opportunities.
The highlight of the day has to be Port Lympne’s unique Gorilla groups which thanks to special access and keeper feeds give tremendous picture opportunities. The bachelor group can be photographed from a private road over a wall and moat with no fence or glass to shoot through. This gives great chances for both behavior and portrait pictures as the group feeds and interacts.
After lunch in the luxurious Mansion House, we will go out again and aim to photographBuffalo, Bison and other species. The day concludes with an arranged keeper feed of the Black and White Colobus and De Brazza’s monkey is a beautiful open woodland enclosure. Again there are no fences or glass to shoot through and the chance for pictures in a wild setting are superb.
This is great workshop for getting close to primates and experiencing the excitement of an authentic African style game drive.
- Fitness Level
This event is suitable for guests of all levels of fitness and involves moderate walking over made up pathways
- Photography Level
This event is suitable for all levels of photographic experience and good images should be achieved with all cameras equipped with telephoto lenses. The Wild Arena guide will also be on hand throughout the day to support and advice those guests new to this style of photography
- Disability Access
This venue is accessed via good made up pathways from the gravel car park and entrance gate. The site has disabled toilet facilities and the main building is equipped with access ramps.
Wheelchair users or those guests with specific needs are advised to contact us before booking and we will do our very best to accommodate you.
- Group Size
The normal group size for this event is 8 photographers
Itinerary
09:45: Arrival Tea/Coffee
10:00: Exclusive Safari drive in African Experience reserve
12:00: Special access to male Gorilla feed
12:45: Lunch in Mansion House
13:30: Bison, Buffalo
15:00: View Gorilla family group feeding session
16:00: Keepers feed for Colobus Monkey and DeBrazza Monkey
16:30: Summary & Close
Please note: The itinerary is provisional and subject to change depending on weather conditions and the availability of the exhibits. Start and finish times are fixed to enable transport planning.
What’s included
Tea/coffee on arrival
SandwichLunch
Full Photographic tuition and venue guide
Entrance to the venue
Venue
Kent
Our Gorilla Safari Experience Days are held at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park. The park is an excellent venue for getting portrait shots off Gorilla’s over a moat wall and this is complimented by the African safari drive through, with large landscaped area’s providing a natural backdrop for subjects.
Facilities
Tea/Coffee
Toilets
VisitorBuilding
Mains Power
Additional drinks and snacks are available to purchase
Public transport links for the venue are good with a mainline station within a few miles.
A detailed map, with full directions, will be sent to all delegates before the workshop and a mobile telephone number will be provided in case of any difficulties on the day.
What to bring
- You will be outside for much of the day so you should be dressed to suit the season and weather.
- We suggest you have a water-proof coat in case of rain and waterproof trousers for kneeling down on wet ground. Shelter is available but you should note that all exhibits are outside and hence can not be viewed while using the shelter.
- Refreshments will be provided on arrival and during the afternoon. There is some opportunity to purchase additional food and drink; but it is suggested that you bring anything specific require.
- You are welcome to bring whatever photographic equipment you believe may be suitable. There is some walking involved and you will not always be very close to your vehicle so please ensure you can comfortably carry all your equipment.
- Fill in flash might be useful in some conditions e.g. where the subject is backlit.
- A SLR camera together with standard, wide angle and telephoto lens would be ideal. A zoom lens covering the range up to 300mm will be ample for most situations and shorter focal length lenses will be suitable for close-ups. The layout of the collection even means non-SLR users are able to get good opportunities.
- A tripod or monopod is suggested for use with long focal length lenses.
- Make sure your batteries are charged and ready for action before you arrive but we can access power points for additional charging throughout the day.
- Bring plenty of memory cards or the facility to download cards as its surprising how many pictures you can take in one day.
