Peponi

At that time of day, the grazing animals are just waking up. Elephants are munching in the forest, hippos are heading back to the river and the trees are filled with birds. It’s particularly busy during the Annual Great Migration when massive herds of wildebeest roam the plains. Governors’ has the best flight path in the region, drifting along the Mara River above beautiful riverine forest where rhinos graze, before ending in the open savannah where you might see giraffe, zebra and lion. Guests love the serenity of the balloon ride and the fantastic opportunities for photography. You’ll also have the chance to drop seedballs from the balloon, as part of a conservation scheme to replant indigenous African olive trees. At the end of the hour-long flight, the balloon will land near a bush breakfast site where tables are set up under trees in the middle of the savannah. Here you’ll enjoy a lavish breakfast spread including eggs, sausages, pancakes, fruit, muesli, and of course Champagne. It’s a laid-back, picnic-style feast where your pilot will share bush stories and explain the history of ballooning in the Mara.

First, you’ll transfer to the Giraffe Centre in the Lang’ata suburb of Nairobi, where the mission is to breed the animals in a safe environment. Created by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, the non-profit centre was founded in 1979 when there were just 130 of these beautiful animals left in the wild. The Rothschild's is a subspecies of the giraffe that lives in East Africa’s grasslands. It’s amazing to see the giraffes up close. Afterwards, you can go to the information centre to listen to an educational talk about giraffe conservation and the centre’s work. The staff are highly trained experts, so they can answer any questions you have about the animals. Next, drive for 20 mins to Nairobi National Park, arriving at the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage to watch the elephants be fed. The elephants know when it’s time to have their milk and come running down into the feeding area. As the keepers feed them, a guide from the trust will introduce you to the individual elephants and tell you their rescue stories. You’ll get to ask questions while the animals play. The trust was set up over 40 years ago by Daphne Sheldrick in memory of her husband David, who was a famous warden and naturalist in Tsavo East National Park. It has developed into the most successful rescue and rehabilitation programme for elephants in the world, with many of the babies released back into the wild in Tsavo after about three years of rehabilitation. Visiting will give you a chance to get up close to the elephants, learn about the wildlife trust’s work and contribute to the conservation of these incredible animals. From here you’ll transfer for 30-minutes to the Karen Blixen Museum. It is set in the Karen area of Nairobi, which is named after Blixen, on the coffee farm where she once lived. A lot of guests want to visit the museum because they’ve read Out of Africa or seen the movie. Karen put Nairobi and Kenya on the map and was passionate about helping the local community. The museum is a piece of Kenyan history and an amazing tale of how one person survived so many bad things and still had the heart to be kind to those around her. Following the visit, transfer back to your accommodation by private vehicle.