What constitutes a "Bucket List Safari?"

One of my favourite things in life is a great sighting on a safari. Better than that is a quiet, private sighting on safari. I think that is what is so appealing about a hot air balloon safari. When you are sixty feet in the air, it is completely peaceful. All you hear is the hot air balloon burners kicking in occasionally when the captain needs the balloon to have a little more elevation.

On our November, 2018 HW Photo & Safaris tour, eleven of us enjoyed a hot air balloon safari over the Mara river. 

Seeing the animals below, while floating gently above is an amazing experience. Some people are pretty nervous before they go up, but once in the air, it is a completely comfortable, fabulous experience! In my experience, even the most nervous first timers, were completely relaxed once in the air.

The last time I was up in a ballon was in 2012. I really need to go up in the balloon more often. As much as I love leading tours, ensuring everyone is enjoying a trip of a lifetime is stressful. I am always worried about everyone and hoping they are having a great time. I don't mind the stress though. If I am ever not stressed about people enjoying themselves, to me that is when I should quit because I am no longer serving my guests to the best of my ability. 

For the hour-long trip floating above the Masai Mara seeing pristine nature below it is a completely blissful experience and I notice my stress melts away. We float over the Mara Triangle part of the Mara where there are very little vehicles. Other than a few roads down below we don't see any sign of human activity. That is nature just the way I like it.

Join us in the Masai Mara in February or November for a truly bucket list safari experience. 

So what makes this safari a bucket list safari? Is the hot air balloon the definition of a bucket list safari? Nope, the hot air balloon flight is optional. Is it the visit to Giraffe Manor?

 Or the private tour of the elephant orphanage? Donating much needed supplies to a local school and visiting the children? Or is it going with a professional wildlife photographer who knows which camps to choose based on the camp experience 

and the animals in that part of the park? Enjoying a maximum of 3-4 people per vehicle instead of the six people you will often see in vehicles? No. What makes it a bucket list safari is all of the above. It is the combination of all of these and many more attributes of this trip. You can contact Greg at greg@hwphoto.ca to enquire about this trip. Sign up for one of our bucket list trips to Kenya and the Masai Mara and find out for yourself first hand why this is a bucket list trip.