Introduction
The Masai Mara is where Big Five viewing is almost assured. The Mara also hosts one of the most stunning wildlife spectaculars in the world - the annual wildebeest migration into the neighbouring Serengeti, in Tanzania, stirring the dust along the plains on their way. They ford the Mara River in their thousands, plunging over the precipice of the bank into the rushing river where opportunistic crocodiles await. It's chaotic, it's primeval, it's a staggering sight.
The Mara is full of such iconic images; lions playing or stalking or lounging on the open plains; the streak of cheetah chases over the savannah; herds of elephants leisurely making their way to waterholes. If such scenes are special from the ground, they're just as wonderful seen from the air, on a balloon safari as dawn breaks and gilds the plains with its pink gold caress. These silent flights finish with a champagne breakfast in the bush and are definitely worth working into a luxury Masai Mara safari.