Blessed with an astounding year-round concentration of animals and site of the Great Wildebeest Migration, Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve provides an unsurpassed wildlife experience. Covering an area of 1 510 km² (583 square miles), the Masai Mara is a land of breath-taking vistas, abundant wildlife and endless landscapes. With abundant elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lion and cheetah alongside the migratory wildebeest and zebra, the reserve is a photographer’s and naturalist’s paradise.

Leopard are frequently encountered; endangered black rhino find shelter in dense thickets and rafts of hippo and enormous crocodiles are found in the Mara River. The reserve is also home to over 450 bird species.

Sand River Camp is situated in a secluded area of the Masai Mara National Reserve. This allows guest to enjoy an exclusive safari during their stay. The Sand River is quite literally on the Migration route and guests are often fortunate to be able to watch wildebeest and zebra crossing the Sand River from the comfort of their tent veranda. Daily activities at Sand River Camp include 4×4 game drives, Bush Meals or Sundowners and option activities include a visit to the local school, Cultural Visits and Hot Air Balloon Safaris.

Some things are worth getting up early for and this is certainly one of them. Rising before the birds and heading out in the silence of the pre-dawn towards the launch-site is all part of the anticipation. Perhaps one of the Mara’s more elusive inhabitants will be caught in the headlights on this nocturnal game drive.

Your pilot takes you through the important safety briefing ahead of your flight as the sky begins to lighten and the crew inflates the balloon – an envelope of savannah gold and acacia green billowing into the cool morning, lit by the flames of the burners. You climb into the basket and prepare to lift into the dawn.

Each flight is a different journey dictated by the direction of the wind, where the sights and sounds rise from the ground to meet you. We know where we’ve started but we don’t know where we will return to earth. This is part of the adventure. Sometimes the basket will be gently brushing the tips of the grass and then climbing, climbing through the layers of air until you’re high enough to see the curve of the horizon, painted gold and pink by the early sun. Our pilots not only have years of experience in harnessing the African wind, but are also interpreters of the wild lives in the ebb and flow of the landscape below.

Whilst the annual migration is the Serengeti’s most famous attraction, the Park is also renowned for its lion, many of which have been fitted with radio-transmitter collars so that their movements may be tracked, and additionally for its wealth of cheetah, zebra, giraffe, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, eland, impala, klipspringer, hippo and warthog.

Day-long game drives are a must in the Serengeti. You can set-off early with champagne picnic breakfast and stay out all day carrying your delectable picnic lunch. You will be delighted and awed by the sheer numbers of game including the big-five.

Other activities at Serengeti Migration Camp are the romantic picnics as the camp has special permission from the park authorities to use a private picnic site on top of a hill offering stunning views over the Serengeti plains that can be enjoyed in total privacy.

Jozani Bay National Park:
Jozani Forest lies 35kms South-East of Zanzibar Town with an area of about 1,000 hectares. It is the only remaining natural forest on Unguja island where long ago you could find leopards and antelopes. At present it is the habitat for the Red Colobus Monkeys and the Blue Sykes Monkey. The Red Colobus monkey is one of the most endangered and rarest species on this planet. The Red Colobus monkeys that are found in this Forest are very friendly and love to be photographed and can be viewed at close quarters by the help of your guide. Other interesting features in this forest include the coastal evergreen bushland, mangrove forest, saline grassland and ground water forest, though these may require longer walks to reach.

Prison Island & The Giant Tortoises:
The island is a short boat ride from Stone Town. Its buildings were designed as a prison but never actually used as such, although they were used as a quarantine hospital for a while. Four giant tortoises were brought here from the Seychelles in 1919 and there are now about 100 of them including one which purports to be 157 years old. The beach at Prison Island is especially beautiful.

Mtoni Palace Ruins & Sunset Concert:
Beit el Mtoni is one of the oldest buildings of Zanzibar and it was the largest palace on the island during the reign of Sultan Sayyid Said, who moved the capital of his Omani empire form Muscat to Zanzibar during the first half of the 19th century. But around the 1880s the palace was abandoned and fell into ruin. Although severely deteriorated, Mtoni Palace still offers visitors a glimpse into the world of the Arabian royalty once living there. Entering the palace from the coast line, one steps into the former reception hall. Most guests would not go any further when visiting Beit el Mtoni, since the women in the palace were not to be seen by stranger’s eyes. But now, visitors can step over the threshold and walk in the footsteps of the Omani household. A visit continues into the inner courtyard, the palace garden and the well preserved bathing complex. One row of baths was used by the courtiers, whereas a separate domed aisle was uniquely reserved for the use of the Sultan and his first spouse. After the tour of the Palace and baths, enjoy a Traditional Taarab Concert and Zanzibari dinner followed by Spice coffee, Lemongrass Tea and traditional sweets like Halua and Kashata. All profits go to the Mtoni Palace Conservation Project.

Full Day Stone Town City Tour:
Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, grew out of Zanzibar’s historical trades, a metropolis built to harbour secrets in its labyrinthine alleyways. Emblems of a rich and tumultuous history survive today, depicted through Arabian Nights palaces, mournful Slave Markets, aromatic spice bazaars, ornate cathedrals and an historic fort that was the scene of the worlds’ shortest war, survive today. A walk through the narrow alleyways, past ornately carved doors and serene courtyards, is a journey along the paths of past existences.

Spice Tour:
On the Spice Tour, you will see a wide variety of spices being grown – cardamom, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric, and lemongrass, among others. Your guide will explain about the spices being grown. Watch a local man spring up a coconut tree, singing at the top of his lungs the whole way. He brings down a couple of coconuts that they break open so you can drink the milk and eat the coconut flesh. Various fresh tropical fruits that are in season can be sampled and local home grown spices can be bought, which help support the farm and local community.