The wildebeest migration at the Masai Mara has innately put Kenya’s tourism on the global map but there is more to it than just the Mara escapades.
From mid-June to around late November, it is estimated that 1.5 million wildebeest cross the crocodile-infested Mara River to Serengeti in Tanzania. Tourists – local and foreign – take on game drives to witness this rare occurrence as well as tour the vast Masai Mara National Reserve which is home to over two million wild animals, the big five – lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros – included.
However, unlike the conventional models of game viewing which are, by and large, use of tour vans, the Mara has more than one way to enjoy the sight of the wild. Hot air balloon safaris sum up your adventure in the wild.
Elevated high up in the sky, the hot air balloon safari is one of the world’s best experience in touring any setting. Each hot air balloon has a capacity for 16 passengers, accommodating both adults and children (who should be above four years and in the company of a guardian).
The beauty of a hot air balloon safari is that it rises above altitude, is controlled by wind current and speed. The balloon’s pilot is only limited to controlling its up and down movement, but the rest is up to the day’s wind current and speed.
Maasai-mara-Hot-air-balloon. [Photo by maraballooning.com]
As the sun is rising, the balloon is high up in the air, providing you with an exclusive and rare opportunity to watch the lions and other carnivores take down their prey. It is when the sun rises that you discover the Mara is surrounded by beautiful rolling hills, rivers, and lush grasslands and the vast savannah which the cheetahs and million other wild animals call home
The sight of elephants fighting for a breeding territory and the big cats ambling below in the tall savannahs hunting for their prey enthralls you right to the core.
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