1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #588 - Hotair Ballooning, Maasai Mara, Kenya

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #588

 

- Hotair Ballooning at Maasai Mara, Kenya 

 

(Hotair ballooning over the Maasai Mara Game Reserve? Serious? We couldn't pass up this magic-carpet ride over the most captivating wildlife park on earth, especially after hearing from other fellow tourists that their ride had to be cancelled due to bad weather 2 days before. And what a day it turned out to be - a cloudless brilliant morning, coupled with mild winds gave our balloon experience a once-in-a-lifetime feeling! All the animals below were like ants, especially the hundreds of wildebeest below. And when the balloon landed just metres over their heads, our 1st hotair balloon experience was totally uplifting. With a champagne breakfast to round up the morning, these guys at Hot Air Safaris really know how to put up a perfect, out-of-this-world morning - a wow moment indeed!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #587 - Nakuru Lake National Park. Kenya

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #587

 

- Nakuru Lake National Park, Kenya 

 

(We had to see the last of the Big 5 here - the rhino. We didn't see one at all, even inside the rhino sanctuary in Tsavo West 6 days ago - a place which lost 10 rhinos just 3 months ago due to suspected salt water poisoning. So, we decided to make a detour to the Lake Nakuru National Park, some 2hrs northwest of Nairobi. And it was well worth it - seeing 3 black rhinos in one go! Against the backdrop of this calm lake and huge flocks of pink flamingos flying about, the scenery was simply astounding, especially with a rainstorm looming. What a great decision to come here to Nakuru Lake)

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #586 - Kings of Maasai Mara, Kenya

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #586

 

- The Kings of Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya 

 

(There may be kings in the sky like vultures here, but the real kings cannot be matched in both beauty and majesty! We saw 3 male lions on our final day, just when we thought they would elude us. One was sleeping like a domestic kitty, just 10metres away - we could see our van in his eyes! The king of speed was here too - cheetahs. So were the biggest antelope specie, the elands. The biggest show on earth - the wildebeest migration of the Mara River - is literally surrounded by so many biggest, fastest creatures here at the Maasai Mara)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #585 - Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #585

 

- Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya 

(The Maasai Mara Game Reserve - right where we are standing, at last! The biggest highlight of our wildlife national parks tour here, this game reserve is unlike any other. To see the crossings of the Mara River by hundreds of wildebeest - it is "the greatest migration of wildlife on earth", as David Attenborough would say. True to form, our visit here coincided with 2 crossings that we witnessed ourselves. Seeing the Nile crocodiles twisting and tearing up the remains of a wildebeest on the Mara River? Priceless. What an awesome spectacle - surely, one of the world's best natural wonders!)