There is a new company in the field of wildlife photography tours, focus4nature and although 2011 is going to be the first year it is offering tours, it is already clear that it is going to be a major player, offering top class tours around the World.

Focus4nature was founded in September 2010 and aims to offer the best in wildlife photography tours.  This means visiting the best destinations in the world, offering all inclusive packages, including the air travel components, and having best in class leaders who can successfully lead tours as well as provide photographic advice and tuition.  Focus4nature also aims to offer excellent tour organisation, so clients and leaders can focus on the photography rather than being concerned with logistics.  It’s overriding aim is to put the subjects that you want to photograph in front of you! The company is fully ATOL bonded.

I have been recruited as one of the tour leaders and will be leading the following tours in 2011.

 Ultimate Svalbard – 18^th June thru 18^th July 2011

This really is the ultimate Svalbard experience, with no less than 27 full days of fantastic Arctic photography (31 days total, including travel). Unlike many Svalbard tours on large ships with up to 100 other photographers, our ship takes only 10 passengers, giving us the flexibility and freedom to visit many areas that the larger ships can’t. We will have a flexible itinerary so that we can make the most of prevailing ice and weather conditions to ensure successful photography. The tour will be dedicated to photography and the crew is very experienced in this area, the ship having been used by major television companies like the BBC for filming wildlife. With such a small group of people we will be able to visit areas that would be impossible for a large group and we will spend a lot of time ashore at prime wildlife sites. Apart from special birds like Long Tailed Skua, Little Auk, Brunnich’s Guillemot and Ivory Gull, there will Arctic mammals such as Arctic Fox, Bearded Seal, Walrus and of course the magnificent Polar Bear, hunting over the pack ice.

Svalbard is an expensive place to visit, even on large ships which are not dedicated to photography and you would typically pay £4,000, plus flights for a week to 10 days. At £9,500, this trip is actually very good value for money and the photographic opportunities far greater than on a large vessel and you’ll get far more pictures per pound and includes air travel from the UK. This really is the Svalbard trip to end all Svalbard trips. For more information, please feel free to contact me direct and visit the focus4nature website by following this link:  Svalbard Tour

Come and join me for what really will be a trip of a lifetime.

Masai Mara Special – 27^th August – 4^th September 2011

The Masia Mara in Kenya is home to one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth as thousands upon thousands of Wildebeest and other herbivores migrate across the Mara River each year in search of fresh pasture. They are accompanied by the king of beasts, the mighty Lion and run the gauntlet of huge Nile Crocodiles as they cross the river in droves.

To give us every advantage we will be staying at what we believe is the best camp within the Masai Mara Reserve with a view of the rivers main crossing point for the migrating wildebeest. It only takes 5 minutes in the morning to reach the best spot and other crossings are only 10 minutes away. Other camps can be over an hours drive from the river, which means having to leave an hour before sunset to reach the reserve exit.  

Birds as well as mammals are numerous and easy to photograph in the Mara. Species such as lilac-breasted rollers and saddle-billed storks are typical in the area as are many hawks and eagles. Although migration times are unpredictable our tour is planned for the traditional dates of the great migration “crossings” of zebras and wildebeests over the Mara River.  We stand a reasonable chance of photographing this remarkable wildlife sight on the trip.

The vehicles we are travelling in are very important to successful photography. Each photographer will have a full bench seat to themselves so they can shoot out of both sides of the long-wheel based Land cruiser, through the window or opening roof hatch.

These arrangements will make the very best of our time in the Mara, thus maximising our photographic opportunities. The cost is £4,160, which includes internal and international flights. Details can be found here: Kenya Tour

Midway 2012 April

As well as the 2011 tours, we are also planning a trip to the amazing Midway Atol in April 2012. I have been fortunate to spend a week on Midway some years ago and it is a very special place indeed with huge populations of very approachable seabirds, including Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses, Red Tailed Tropicbirds and Fairy Terns. Visitor numbers are strictly controlled, so simply being in such a marvellous place is a privilege. Although the dates and prices haven’t been finalised yet, of you are interested in this trip then I would get in contact now as there will be few opportunities to go there and this tour is likely to fill quickly. Please contact me if you have any questions. The website link is: Midway Tour

 You are welcome to email me at billcoster@hotmail.com to discuss any aspect of these tours. 

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