Tour/Safari – Masai Mara Flying Safaris/airport transfer

Upon your arrival, picked from the Airport and transfered to your city hotel

After your breakfast, picked from your city hotel and transfered to the Wilson Airport to catch a domestic flight for Masai mara, the great well known kingdom of the big fives among others jungle community. On arrival, picked from the airstrip and proceed for game drive, lunch at the lodge and proceed for afternoon game drive, dinner and overnight at the lodge.

Balloon Safari Ride Experience In Masai Mara With AfricanMecca The day of your hot air balloon safari begins before dawn. You awaken to the quiet sounds of the East African bush – soft calls of indigenous birds, rustling vegetation signaling the presence of a large mammal, low snorts and grunts of hippos returning to the river and may be a distant roar of a lion. Your memories are filled with images of the prior day’s game drive through Masai Mara National Reserve. Your curiosity is piqued as to the wonder and amazement you are sure to feel as you drift above the savannah plains in a hot air balloon. A soft voice outside your tent/lodge pulls you back to reality, and you hurriedly dress in your favorite Kenya safari attire. You are sure that the air will be cool, so you don long trousers and a comfortable shirt before putting on your hiking shoes. As you head out, you grab the last of your belongings – a hat, long-sleeved jacket or warm fleece, camera and binoculars. A member of the ground crew awaits you by the 4x4 vehicle. You climb aboard and head out across the open plains. The pre-dawn hour gives you an interesting insight into animal behavior. Hyenas gather around the remains of a lion kill, a young elephant playfully chases various birds and a gazelle springs amongst the grasses. Ahead you see some of the launch staff where the massive balloon is partially inflated and billows in the gentle morning breeze. You watch intently as the crew attaches the basket and burner. Suddenly, an orange flame illuminates the setting, creating an almost artistic contrast with the soft pastel colors of the dawn sky. After a few minutes, you climb into the basket.Anticipation grows as you await the launch. The ground crew skillfully steadies the balloon as the pilot lights the burner consistently. You feel a strange sensation in your stomach as you see the ground slip away. You look across the landscape, seeing what you imagine being the farthest edges of the terrain. As you ascend aerially, beautiful features unfold before your eyes – gentle rolling hills, meandering rivers and lush grasslands. From this vantage point, you realize that you can locate wildlife with little guidance – giraffes, elephants, gazelles, hippos and many other grazers and foragers. If you are lucky, you may even spot the lordly predators like lions, hyenas, cheetahs and other hunters. As you sail above the reserve, you gain a greater perspective and deeper appreciation for the intricacies of the Mara ecosystem, as well as the synergistic relationship between flora, fauna and human. You see how animals feed upon vegetation, moving when a new supply is needed. You watch herds move toward the water to drink and bathe. You watch as two elephant bulls fight for breeding rights. You notice how a cheetah mother gracefully moves through tall grasses to hunt food for her young. You observe a fish eagle soar in the open skies before diving to the river’s surface where it elegantly extracts a fish. Should your personalized travel to Masai Mara Reserve from July to October, you may also be enthralled by the Great Migration of enormous herds of wildebeests and zebras. Your hot air balloon ride lasts about one hour, but your experience lasts a lifetime and very much worth its high price. After landing, the ground crew helps you out of the basket and escorts you to a lovely setting for a bush breakfast. A customary champagne toast celebrates not only your experience, but also the incredible beauty that you discover during your superb dream vacation in Africa. Later you will be transfered to your lodge and remain at leisure, lunch at the lodge. and later after game drive, and dinner and overnight at the lodge.

After breakfast proceed for game drive, and return to the lodge for your lunch, and remain at leisure,for some time and later proceed for masai village visit. The first thing you’ll notice as you enter a village is the many vivid colours of the Masai’s garments. The bright shukas or sheets they wear contrast strongly with the greens and browns of the landscape. Adding to this display of colour is the brightly beaded jewelry – necklaces, bracelets and amulets – worn by the women and men. This beadwork, while very appealing, has more than just an ornamental value. The women who create it express their identity and social status with these handcrafted pieces. You’ll see displays of this beaded jewelry for sale, and you can help support the village with a purchase… as well as bringing home an authentic souvenir from your travels. Music and Dance You may get to experience the villagers singing and dancing… and you might even be able to join in! The Maasai are known for their rhythmic call-and-response singing. Perhaps their most widely known dance is the adumu or “jumping dance”. The warriors form a circle with one person entering the center. This dancer will jump higher and higher to the rhythms of the singers. As he jumps higher the singers will raise the pitch of their voices. Sometimes guests are invited into the circle, adding to the dancing fun! The Boma Standing in muted contrast to the colourful villagers, you’ll see the browns and grays of the Maasai’s houses, called bomas. Small structures with thatched roofs, it is the job of the Maasai women to build these sturdy dwellings. The women begin with a framework of timber poles and interweave smaller branches to form a structure. This is then covered with a mixture of mud, grass, cow dung, urine and ash. The entire structure is no more than 3 x 5 m in area and stands only 1.5 m tall. Yet the family cooks, eats, sleeps and socialises in this modest structure – even sharing space with small livestock! You may be able to peek inside to experience a very different lifestyle. The men also participate in constructing this homestead. It is their responsibility to build the protective fencing around the village to keep lions and other predators away from the livestock. Later you will return back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast proceed for game drive and later transfered to the Air trip to catch the domestic flight for Nairobi, on arrival you will be transferred to your drop off point or to Airport for your home flight. End of the tour/safaris