Our Top 5 Bucket List Activities in Africa

Safari Hot Air Balloon Ride

Just before dawn, embark on a hot air balloon ride, featured as an optional excursion on our Tanzanian Safari and Captivating Kenya Safari, that takes you over the Serengeti or Maasai Mara game reserves, each spectacularly preserved wilderness that lie along the route of “The Great Migration.” As you gently glide above the treetops, have the rare opportunity to get bird’s-eye-views of lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, hippos, and many other native species in their natural habitats. After you’ve completed your sky journey, enjoy a spectacular champagne breakfast prepared by your crew while watching local wildlife go about their days. You also receive a commemorative flight certificate, so you can share this memorable experience with friends and family.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Pay a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s home to the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest unbroken caldera. Immerse yourself in spectacular views and descend nearly a half mile into the crater to bear witness to the majestic wildlife roaming within. This photogenic paradise located on the crater floor exists off the water from Lake Magadi, a complete ecosystem residing in the crater. Globally-threatened species like the Black Rhino are found here as well as wildebeest, hyenas, zebras, lions, elephants, and many other animals. Be amazed by not only the wildlife, also the rich history of human evolution and development that has been discovered here. Gain new insights and appreciation for this place as an extraordinary highlight on our Tanzanian Safari tour.

The Great Migration

Every year, in the largest and longest overland migration in the world, millions of wildebeest and thousands of zebras, gazelles, and elands make their way from Tanzania to Kenya and back again, following rich soil, water, and green grass as the seasons change. This pattern comes full circle each year, a 1,200-mile journey called The Great Migration. The spectacle is so phenomenal that National Geographic has named it one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. Herds travel north from the Serengeti of Tanzania up and around in a clockwise direction to the Maasai Mara of Kenya, making their way across treacherous, predator-filled terrain. By late autumn, the animals begin their return, looping back down to Tanzania for the winter.

The journey starts in the southern Serengeti, where herds are visible from January until early spring when they start to head north. February is calving season, so it’s a great time to go on our Tanzanian Safari if you hope to see baby wildebeest. If you’re more interested in catching a glimpse of the herds during an intense river crossing, or as they come to the triumphant end of their dramatic journey at Maasai Mara, our Captivating Kenya Safari available September through October is sure to please. Since both African Safaris give you the chance to witness some part of The Great Migration, you can’t go wrong when choosing a trip. Both safaris provide the opportunity to see this natural phenomenon found nowhere else in the world!

Maasai Mara National Reserve

The Maasai Mara, located in southwest Kenya along the Tanzanian border, is one of Africa’s most famous wildlife reserves. This preserved savannah is home to the “Big Five of Africa” – lions, elephants, buffalo, rhinos, and leopards. The Maasai Mara is one of our favorite attractions in Africa for the abundant wildlife and scenic wilderness, and it’s a fantastic place to witness the end of the Great Migration!

Taking our Captivating Kenya Safari tour from September through October will give you the best chance to see wildebeest at the Maasai Mara reserve. The unique wildlife coupled with the opportunity to see the Great Migration in action makes this a bucket-list-worthy place!

Elephant Orphanage

On our Captivating Kenya Safari tour, we visit the Daphne Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, where young and orphaned elephants are rescued and rehabilitated. The orphanage takes in not only African elephants, but also black rhinos, white rhinos, and giraffes, among many other types of animals! After the animals have been rehabilitated, they begin a reintegration program, which focuses on getting them back out into their wilderness home to live the rest of their natural lives. The Elephant Orphanage carries on Daphne Sheldrick’s inspiring lifelong mission of wildlife conservation, emphasizing the eventual reintegration of the rescued animals. Seeing these endangered species up-close and getting to know their stories makes this a truly one-of-a-kind experience you definitely won’t want to miss.