Natural Habitat Adventures Highlights Intensive New Photo Pro Expeditions

Bears of Brooks Falls

This is a chance to photograph Alaska’s giant brown bears in Katmai National Park after Brooks Camp closes for the season and the tourist crowds have disappeared. The bears are still there in abundance, though, feasting on late-season salmon before settling in for their winter hibernation. This is when they are at their furriest and fattest, indulging in a final round of gluttony. Get extraordinary images of brown bears against a rich autumn palette as you fly each day by private floatplane from your deluxe wilderness lodge to the Brooks Falls area. Your photo Expedition Leader, who is one of Alaska’s top bear experts, coaches you on how to get incredible shots at close range. 6 days (Sep-Oct 2023 only) from $9,995, limited to 8 travelers 

India Tiger Safari

Go deep into the renowned tiger enclave of Ranthambore National Park for the opportunity to capture one of the most coveted images a nature photographer can pursue…the gaze of a wild Bengal tiger! While there are fewer visitors to India’s tiger reserves in late spring and early summer as temperatures rise, it is typically the best time of year to see and photograph wild animals, which are forced out from the forest cover in search of water at least twice daily. Along with its famous tigers, Ranthambore is home to sloth bear, caracal, jackal, striped hyena, desert fox, mongoose, peacocks and much more. 11 days (Apr) from $15,495, limited to 6 travelers 

Snow Leopard Quest

Accompanied by some of the best snow leopard trackers in the world, photographers pursue images of a rare, elegant, and highly elusive cat that few will ever have a chance to capture. Guests are based at a small, family-owned expedition lodge in a remote valley in Ladakh, where the snow leopard is a creature of legend in the alpine heights of the Indian Himalaya. Known locally as the “gray ghost,” they are rarely seen, since they are masters of camouflage and live on steep, rocky slopes—but sightings are becoming more common, and expert guides up your odds. 12 days (Feb-Apr) from $12,295, limited to ~7 travelers 

Ultimate Southern Africa

Photograph the region’s wildest landscapes, abundant game, and charismatic predators on an epic safari into the richest wildlife enclaves of Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Each subject is more arresting than the last, from Africa’s largest elephant herds to the world’s tallest sand dunes in the Namib Desert. Search for endangered rhino and rare wild dog, and photograph classic plains game including giraffe, buffalo, zebra, and gazelle, plus the lion, leopard and cheetah that stalk them. On game drives, bush walks and aerial safaris, you’ll capture it all. At night, tuck into secluded luxury camps under some of the darkest, starriest skies on Earth. 18 days (Aug-Oct) from $33,995, limited to 8 travelers 

Yellowstone Wolves & Wildlife

For serious photographers, there is no better season than winter to capture the serene nature of Yellowstone and the Tetons. Silence reigns, crowds are non-existent, and wildlife roams freely, including bison, elk, and the iconic gray wolf (though the latter are usually seen at a distance and often photographed through spotting scopes). Rise before dawn to be in the field at sunrise and stay through twilight, when wolves are most likely to be hunting in the open expanse of the Lamar Valley. Get close-ups of bison along the Madison River, their coats crusted with ice and nostrils blowing steam in the frigid air. Photograph vast herds of elk on the floor of Jackson Hole. Geothermal features make entrancing subjects, too, as geysers erupt in a crystalline spray. 11 days (Jan-Feb) from $12,995, limited to 10 travelers  (NOTE: Departures are subject to the repair and reopening of roads and terrain in certain sections of Yellowstone National Park in the wake of recent flooding in June 2022.)

More Photo Pro Expeditions coming in 2023-24: 

• Wonders of Iceland (2023) — This photography intensive is an immersive journey into the rugged grandeur of a land sculpted by intense geological forces of fire and ice. From glaciers, icebergs and thundering waterfalls to volcanoes and geothermal phenomena, Icelandic nature makes for stunning landscape photos, while abundant whales and seabird colonies add wildlife drama.
• Wildlife of Madagascar (2024) – With a hundred different lemur species and a multitude of other unique creatures endemic to this island nation, Madagascar is one of the most intriguing places on Earth for wildlife photographers. Get exceptional access with premier guides who are experts at locating and photographing elusive species in widely varied habitats.
• Galapagos Wildlife (2024) – With endemic species found nowhere else on Earth – and that show no fear of humans – the Galapagos Islands offer matchless photo opportunities. Capture close-ups of giant tortoises, iguanas, sea lions, penguins, marine turtles, and more alongside top nature photographers on an all-encompassing sojourn in the islands.
• Ultimate East Africa (2024) – Currently being developed, this wide-ranging itinerary will include the very best wildlife encounters in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, and possibly additional gorilla trekking in Rwanda. Experience the Great Migration, traverse the Serengeti and Maasai Mara, delve into Ngorongoro Crater and view mountain gorillas and chimpanzees on multiple rain forest treks with opportunities for stunning close-ups.
• Alaska’s Brown Bears (2024) – There is no better place on Earth for close-up photography of mighty coastal brown bears than Southwest Alaska. This itinerary, currently in development, will include a stay at Nat Hab’s private fly-in Alaska Bear Camp in Lake Clark National Park, with incredible aerial photography opportunities en route.