Top Ten East Africa Classic Adventures

Float Above the Masai Mara

By Hugh Finlay

Balloon's eye view of a Masai village (Rich Beattie)

Can't keep your feet on the ground? Then take a drift in a hot-air balloon over the incomparable Masai Mara Game Reserve in southwestern Kenya. The Mara is Kenya's prime game park (it's also contiguous with the Serengeti in Tanzania). The silence of the plains rings in your ears as you glide through the African dawn in a scene that feels like it belongs to the dawn of time. Below you, animals seemingly close enough to touch dart out from the acacia scrub, startled by this strange creature in the air—it's a photographer's dream. Indulge the hedonist in you with a champagne breakfast on landing. Flights can be booked from Nairobi before you set off for the Mara.

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Last Updated: 15 Sep 2010
Published: 28 Apr 2002
The details, dates, and prices mentioned in this article were accurate at the time of publication.