Luxury holidays in Maasai Mara

Check out the whole cast of The Lion King from the air; hot-air-balloon safaris lift off at daybreak, in time to catch the riotously hued sunrises, before floating over the vast plains and offering a bird’s eye view of the Big Five. Here, lions snooze in the grass, herds of elephants gather by watering holes, and, come October, colossal herds of wildebeest start their yearly migration across the plains to the Serengeti.
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When to go

The best time to spot the Big Five in Kenya is during the dry season, from late June to October; in July, the wildebeest migration reaches the Maasai Mara and remains until October when they move back to the Serengeti in Tanzania.

Getting there

  • Planes

    First, fly into Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International airport (where direct flights land direct from destinations worldwide). From here, you can hop in a light aircraft for the 45-minute trip to Keekorok Airstrip at the heart of the Mara.

  • Automobiles

    You may not want to attempt the five-hour drive from capital Nairobi yourself – after all, private drivers are easily acquired (and will likely be better equipped to deal with sometimes unruly traffic), and if you’ve taken the wheel then you can’t sit back and enjoy the scenery.