Why You Could Be Photographing Wildlife in September

Published on July 12, 2026

A Lion Silhouetted By The Rising Sun Behind Photographed During A Natureslens Photography Holiday To Photograph The Wildlife Of The Maasai Mara

Article brief

Editorial article

Published July 12, 2026

September is peak East Africa season for us, plus one of the richest bird trips we run anywhere on a different continent entirely. Here’s what’s on.

A Lion Silhouetted By The Rising Sun Behind Photographed During A Natureslens Photography Holiday To Photograph The Wildlife Of The Maasai Mara

Why is September the best month for the Maasai Mara?

African Wildlife of the Maasai Mara covers the tail end of the wildebeest migration this month, with African buffalo, African elephants & African leopards all in play alongside lions working the same open plains. Predator density is genuinely at its highest this month, as resident cats take full advantage of the concentrated prey.

Photograph big cats at the peak of the migration season

September puts you in the Maasai Mara exactly when predator activity around the migration is at its most concentrated.
Explore our Maasai Mara photography holiday

Why is Tanzania’s Serengeti worth photographing further south this month?

Lions of the Serengeti gives you the Lobo region’s resident prides in genuinely open country, a different, more spacious version of big cat photography to the Mara’s denser vehicle traffic, & blue wildebeest still moving through the same landscape.

One Of The Larger Lions Who Rule The Lobo Region The Region Of Tanzania That We Use For The Natureslens Wildlife Of The Serengeti Photography Holiday

Why is Colombia such a strong choice for bird photographers in September?

For something completely different, Ultimate Birds of Colombia is one of the richest bird trips we run anywhere, built around cloud forest species like the Andean cock-of-the-rock & the Baudó guan, genuinely different terrain & light to anything East Africa offers.

A Black Billed Mountain Toucan Andigena Nigrirostris One Of The Species That You Will Be Able To Photograph During The Natureslens Birds Of Colombia Photography Holiday

Is East Africa really worth planning a whole trip around in September?

Yes, this is usually the strongest single month for it. Our Kenya & Tanzania departures are built around resident prides & genuinely large mammal densities rather than a single migration event, so the photography holds up well even outside the peak river-crossing weeks most safari photography is built around.

Which of these September trips should you choose?

Choose the Maasai Mara for peak predator density around the migration. Choose the Serengeti’s Lobo region for resident prides in more open, spacious country. Choose Colombia if cloud forest birds are more your discipline than big cats.

Peak East Africa on two different landscapes, plus one of the most rewarding bird trips we run anywhere, September is a genuinely strong month to travel.