Exploring The Masai Mara (Part 1)

Today was a full day in the Masai Mara after an evening game drive yesterday. For three of us in the group, the day started very early at 4.45am, as we were going for a Hot Air Ballon ride over the Mara followed by a champagne breakfast. Afterwards, we headed back on 4x4 for a full 9 hours of game driving. But first things first:

The Hot Air Ballon Ride: Unfortunately, it was cloudy, so the sunrise was difficult to see. However, we were not disappointed with game viewing from high and low up. We saw lions (from a distance), a hippo, herds of zebras, impalas and topees. The highlight, though, was a short hunt of a warthog by a hyena (the warthog could escape).

Champagne breakfast: On the way to the champagne breakfast, we stopped to watch a lion have a little snack eating what was left of a buffalo. The set-up of the breakfast was in the middle of the Masai Mara in the wild and finished off a brilliant morning.

Afterwards, it was off to a 9-hour game drive, where we saw pretty much all of the animals (i.e. lions, cheetahs, elephants, rhino, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, zebras, all sorts of antelopes, warthogs, wildebeests, etc).

The hunt for the elusive leopard - the last of the big five that I have not seen on my first safari 8 years ago - continues, however. Bloody animal!Read more