MAASAI MARA WILDEBEEST MIGRATION SAFARIS
Wildebeest stream across the Mara River.
“THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH”
"THE WORLD CUP OF WILDLIFE!”
SEVEN NIGHTS - SIX DAYS & NIGHTS IN OUR EXCLUSIVE CAMP IN THE MARA
CONTACT US HERE NOW FOR A PDF BROCHURE
PLEASE NOTE THAT BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC WE DID NOT RUN THIS SAFARI IN 2020 or 2021.
ASK US ABOUT 2025 DATES.
"To see ten thousand animals untamed and not branded with the symbols of human commerce is like scaling an unconquered mountain for the first time, or like finding a forest without roads or footpaths or the blemish of an axe." Beryl Markham - West With The Night
Daryl & Sharna Balfour invite you to join them on their exclusive wildebeest migration safaris in Kenya’s acclaimed Maasai Mara National Reserve. Past guests have described these safaris as “the world cup of wildlife” and we pride ourselves on offering what we believe to be “the original and best wildebeest migration safaris currently available.” As in past years, we will set up an exclusive private tented camp, accommodating a maximum of 12 guests. Acclaimed South African wildlife photographers and authors Daryl & Sharna Balfour will be on hand to offer insights into this wildlife spectacle as well as specialist advice about how to take better photos of your safari-in-a-lifetime as well as critiques of your work, while our resident naturalist guides, Pierre Burton, Phil West & Alex Rostocil are among the best in East Africa and will ensure that your safari is both memorable, fun and informative. The annual wildebeest migration, one of the natural wonders of the world, has been termed “the greatest show on earth” and it is truly something that is impossible to describe or even adequately film or photograph.
“Nothing I have seen, whether on television, the printed page or even Imax movies, prepared me for the reality of the migration. I don’t think the human brain can comprehend such vastness and scale; our minds are not used to seeing a million of anything, let alone wild animals.” Peter Finlayson, past guest.
Our exclusive seasonal private tented camp offering top quality catering from our experienced and qualified cooks, with nine tents accommodating a maximum of 12 guests, will be erected solely for the use of these safaris, at a secluded and private location in one of the best game viewing areas of the Maasai Mara, close to the Mara River and regular crossing points. The camp features spacious walk-in traditional safari tents with a choice of large queen-sized beds or comfy twins, each with private en-suite ablution facilities featuring a fully enclosed dressing room with washbasin and clothing racks, private HOT bucket showers in a fully enclosed attached cubicle and a flush toilet for each tent, while meals will be taken in a large, airy mess tent at truly spectacular linen-covered candle-lit tables set with fine white china and quality glassware.
"THE WORLD CUP OF WILDLIFE!”
SEVEN NIGHTS - SIX DAYS & NIGHTS IN OUR EXCLUSIVE CAMP IN THE MARA
CONTACT US HERE NOW FOR A PDF BROCHURE
PLEASE NOTE THAT BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC WE DID NOT RUN THIS SAFARI IN 2020 or 2021.
ASK US ABOUT 2025 DATES.
"To see ten thousand animals untamed and not branded with the symbols of human commerce is like scaling an unconquered mountain for the first time, or like finding a forest without roads or footpaths or the blemish of an axe." Beryl Markham - West With The Night
Daryl & Sharna Balfour invite you to join them on their exclusive wildebeest migration safaris in Kenya’s acclaimed Maasai Mara National Reserve. Past guests have described these safaris as “the world cup of wildlife” and we pride ourselves on offering what we believe to be “the original and best wildebeest migration safaris currently available.” As in past years, we will set up an exclusive private tented camp, accommodating a maximum of 12 guests. Acclaimed South African wildlife photographers and authors Daryl & Sharna Balfour will be on hand to offer insights into this wildlife spectacle as well as specialist advice about how to take better photos of your safari-in-a-lifetime as well as critiques of your work, while our resident naturalist guides, Pierre Burton, Phil West & Alex Rostocil are among the best in East Africa and will ensure that your safari is both memorable, fun and informative. The annual wildebeest migration, one of the natural wonders of the world, has been termed “the greatest show on earth” and it is truly something that is impossible to describe or even adequately film or photograph.
“Nothing I have seen, whether on television, the printed page or even Imax movies, prepared me for the reality of the migration. I don’t think the human brain can comprehend such vastness and scale; our minds are not used to seeing a million of anything, let alone wild animals.” Peter Finlayson, past guest.
Our exclusive seasonal private tented camp offering top quality catering from our experienced and qualified cooks, with nine tents accommodating a maximum of 12 guests, will be erected solely for the use of these safaris, at a secluded and private location in one of the best game viewing areas of the Maasai Mara, close to the Mara River and regular crossing points. The camp features spacious walk-in traditional safari tents with a choice of large queen-sized beds or comfy twins, each with private en-suite ablution facilities featuring a fully enclosed dressing room with washbasin and clothing racks, private HOT bucket showers in a fully enclosed attached cubicle and a flush toilet for each tent, while meals will be taken in a large, airy mess tent at truly spectacular linen-covered candle-lit tables set with fine white china and quality glassware.
Wildebeest make the leap of faith into the crocodile-filled Mara River.
Traditional classic tented safari camp - Under Canvas, the way safaris are meant to be!
We have endeavored to recreate the atmosphere of the original mobile safari camps of a bygone era with our camp, and this is the way Capt William Cornwallis Harris, Ernest Hemingway, Sir Randolph Churchill (Winston’s dad), Teddy Roosevelt and Robert Ruark experienced and wrote about Africa, with a few more modern trimmings, of course (see our private camp album HERE) and this is the best way to avoid the over-crowded mass-market tourism of the bigger commercial lodges and safari hotels. We place a premium on the wildlife experience, with our guides being among the best in the industry not only in finding and locating the game, but also being informative about the country, its people and its wildlife. The guides are all thoroughly versed at ensuring you will have the best position and angle to optimize your photography, and will offer advice and assistance with your photography needs whenever required.
A lone lioness attempts to provoke a waterbuck ram into flight, her best option of making a kill.
Your eventful and full days will be spent exploring this, the northernmost limits of the Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem, seeking the area’s abundant wildlife - including the migrating herds of wildebeest and zebra that by this time of year should be massing and fattening prior to their return to the Serengeti in the south. We have timed these safaris hopefully to coincide with the best possibilities of seeing the spectacular river crossings, when tens of thousands of wildebeest & zebra pour across the crocodile-infested Mara River, while also avoiding the busiest tourist crush during August! We have a great record over the years of showing our guests these crossings, often with spectacular crocodile action too! But like anything in the world of animals, nothing can be guaranteed - though our guides will do their utmost to ensure you an experience of a lifetime.
Our daily schedule, which we adjust and fine-tune according to the likes and needs of safari participants, usually involves a pre-dawn wake-up call followed by tea, coffee and a light breakfast in the Mess before we head-out in search of the day’s offerings. Each vehicle is equipped with a ‘tea & coffee basket’ along with freshly baked cookies, cinnamon buns or even egg & bacon jaffles (closed toasted sandwiches) for a mid-morning stop out in the wilds. We return to camp around 11.30 - 12 midday for a slap-up brunch, after which most safari-goers enjoy a well-earned shower and siesta. Afternoon tea is served around 4pm followed by the afternoon drive. Sundowners are occasionally enjoyed in the field, (if we have the time with all the wildlife viewing!) after which we return to camp for pre-dinner drinks at the fireside followed by a three-course candle-lit dinner. Some days we may modify this schedule and take a picnic lunch with us, staying out all day as we explore further afield. The animals and the wilderness dictate our schedule – we place more emphasis on the wildlife experience than we do on camp timetables, and our chefs and camp staff are totally adaptable to this.
Our daily schedule, which we adjust and fine-tune according to the likes and needs of safari participants, usually involves a pre-dawn wake-up call followed by tea, coffee and a light breakfast in the Mess before we head-out in search of the day’s offerings. Each vehicle is equipped with a ‘tea & coffee basket’ along with freshly baked cookies, cinnamon buns or even egg & bacon jaffles (closed toasted sandwiches) for a mid-morning stop out in the wilds. We return to camp around 11.30 - 12 midday for a slap-up brunch, after which most safari-goers enjoy a well-earned shower and siesta. Afternoon tea is served around 4pm followed by the afternoon drive. Sundowners are occasionally enjoyed in the field, (if we have the time with all the wildlife viewing!) after which we return to camp for pre-dinner drinks at the fireside followed by a three-course candle-lit dinner. Some days we may modify this schedule and take a picnic lunch with us, staying out all day as we explore further afield. The animals and the wilderness dictate our schedule – we place more emphasis on the wildlife experience than we do on camp timetables, and our chefs and camp staff are totally adaptable to this.
Big cats galore too...
The Mara has great cheetah viewing.
The Maasai Mara is renowned for its predators – lions, leopards and cheetah are there in abundance - all attracted by the large numbers of herbivores, and is regarded as one of the best wildlife viewing destinations in Africa by Daryl & Sharna Balfour, as well as by many other top wildlife photographers and film makers. The Mara was specifically featured in the BBC’s acclaimed documentary series Big Cat Diary and Big Cat Live and we are likely to see many of the lions, leopard and cheetah that became the stars of this TV series, as well as the stars of the film crew itself!
Birding in the area is also excellent, and first-time visitors to the area are sure to see a number of “lifers”.
Transport will be in comfortable customised Toyota 4x4 safari vehicles equipped with cooler bags with cold drinks and water, with a maximum of four guests to a vehicle (as opposed to the East African safari norm of six-eight, or even nine). Each person will have their own open window as well as a large open roof hatch overhead. Ample large, sturdy beanbags are provided for the use of photographers in all vehicles, and we assure everyone of opportunities to capture award winning images!
Our standard departures are now six nights in the Maasai Mara in our private tented camp, as opposed to seven, but we have included your first night before heading to the Mara in one of Nairobi's new hotels, all Nairobi airport transfers, and an early charter flight to the Mara on the next day. This allows for five full days in the Mara, plus a full afternoon game drive on the day of arrival and possibly an optional shorter drive the morning you depart. Many of our guests opt to stay two weeks with us – please enquire if you are interested in this option. We can also arrange safaris to other destinations in East Africa before or after your safari...perhaps a gorilla trek in Rwanda, a visit to Lamu or Zanzibar Islands, or extend elsewhere in Kenya. Ask our advice & suggestions!
Birding in the area is also excellent, and first-time visitors to the area are sure to see a number of “lifers”.
Transport will be in comfortable customised Toyota 4x4 safari vehicles equipped with cooler bags with cold drinks and water, with a maximum of four guests to a vehicle (as opposed to the East African safari norm of six-eight, or even nine). Each person will have their own open window as well as a large open roof hatch overhead. Ample large, sturdy beanbags are provided for the use of photographers in all vehicles, and we assure everyone of opportunities to capture award winning images!
Our standard departures are now six nights in the Maasai Mara in our private tented camp, as opposed to seven, but we have included your first night before heading to the Mara in one of Nairobi's new hotels, all Nairobi airport transfers, and an early charter flight to the Mara on the next day. This allows for five full days in the Mara, plus a full afternoon game drive on the day of arrival and possibly an optional shorter drive the morning you depart. Many of our guests opt to stay two weeks with us – please enquire if you are interested in this option. We can also arrange safaris to other destinations in East Africa before or after your safari...perhaps a gorilla trek in Rwanda, a visit to Lamu or Zanzibar Islands, or extend elsewhere in Kenya. Ask our advice & suggestions!
All safaris begin and end in Nairobi on the safari dates specified below. You should make your own flight or other arrangements to be in Nairobi on the day or day before your safari begins. A night in a Nairobi hotel the night before the safari begins is included in your package.SA Airlink & Kenya Airways offer daily flights to Nairobi from Johannesburg, while BA, Kenya Airways, Virgin, Air France and KLM also offer direct flights from the UK and Europe. Emirates connect with many destinations via Dubai while Air India flies direct to Nairobi from India.
We use a private charter flight in a 12-seater Cessna Grand Caravan C208 direct at 10h30 from the domestic Wilson Airport to the Maasai Mara on the day your safari begins, and returning to Wilson Airport at the end of your safari, arriving about 11h30 well in time for most outgoing international connections.
Many international flights to Nairobi arrive in the early morning, allowing guests to transfer from the international JKIA airport to Wilson Airport on the same day if they wish to avoid the night in Nairobi. For those flights arriving the afternoon or evening before we have included a Meet & Greet concierge service at the airport, transfers and overnight at the Tamarind Tree Hotel, where you will be able to meet your other safari companions. Should you require other hotel accommodation and transfers or excursions in Nairobi either before or after your safari, we will be happy to make these on your behalf.
The cost of the safari excludes airfares to Nairobi, allowing you to make your own personal flight arrangements, utilise frequent flyer air miles, arrive from various destinations, or extend your safari elsewhere after you leave the Mara.
We use a private charter flight in a 12-seater Cessna Grand Caravan C208 direct at 10h30 from the domestic Wilson Airport to the Maasai Mara on the day your safari begins, and returning to Wilson Airport at the end of your safari, arriving about 11h30 well in time for most outgoing international connections.
Many international flights to Nairobi arrive in the early morning, allowing guests to transfer from the international JKIA airport to Wilson Airport on the same day if they wish to avoid the night in Nairobi. For those flights arriving the afternoon or evening before we have included a Meet & Greet concierge service at the airport, transfers and overnight at the Tamarind Tree Hotel, where you will be able to meet your other safari companions. Should you require other hotel accommodation and transfers or excursions in Nairobi either before or after your safari, we will be happy to make these on your behalf.
The cost of the safari excludes airfares to Nairobi, allowing you to make your own personal flight arrangements, utilise frequent flyer air miles, arrive from various destinations, or extend your safari elsewhere after you leave the Mara.
Safari dates & costs
Rare black rhinos are occasionally sighted.
The cost of the safari includes a private charter flight by 12-seater Cessna Grand Caravan upon arrival in Nairobi on the start day of your actual safari, to the Maasai Mara, full board in camp, all drinks including beer, fine South African & International wine, spirits and sodas, Park fees, services of the camp staff (including complimentary daily laundry), and the assistance & guiding of world-renowned wildlife photographers and photo-journalists Daryl & Sharna Balfour. Our specialist guide & long-time partner, Pierre Burton is among the leading naturalist-guides of East Africa and is often involved in the training of other up-and-coming guides in Kenya, while in recent years our young protege Stevan Loffler has joined us.
The fully inclusive cost of the seven night safari in 2025 is US$ to be confirmed per person sharing . We are able to accommodate up to six singles without any supplementary charges! Please note that due to currency fluctuations and other possible increases and surcharges beyond our control the tour price remains subject to change. A 30% per person non-refundable deposit will be payable to confirm a booking. The deposit will be transferable if we are forced to postpone your safari. Your participation in a safari can only be confirmed once your deposit is received. Full payment is required 100 days prior to commencement of the safari. All payments by international EFT only. We urge you to take out travel insurance to cover you in case of cancellation as once we have received final payment it is difficult to find replacements at short notice, and we cannot make refunds as all our costs are based on a full camp. The price does not include the airfare from your home to Nairobi, visas ($50-100 per person for many nationalities), airport departure taxes (usually included in your ticket fare), curio purchases, gratuities for guides and camp staff, or other personal expenses. Please read our Terms & Conditions prior to making your payments.
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO NOT TAKE CHILDREN UNDER 16 YEARS UNLESS YOU BOOK OUT AN ENTIRE CAR (4 PERSONS). ENQUIRE ABOUT SPECIAL RATES FOR BOOKING THE WHOLE CAMP
THESE ARE AMONG OUR MOST POPULAR SAFARIS EVERY YEAR AND USUALLY BOOK OUT WELL IN ADVANCE - ENQUIRE NOW
Daryl & Sharna Balfour have been among Africa’s leading professional wildlife photographers and authors for the past three decades. They have published more than a dozen best-selling coffee-table books including: Simply Safari; African Elephants – A Celebration of Majesty; Chobe – Africa’s Untamed Wilderness; This is Botswana; ETOSHA; and Rhino – The Story of the Rhinoceros. Daryl was selected among 60 of the world's leading wildlife photographers chosen in 2016 for inclusion in the groundbreaking collaborative book Remembering Elephants, in 2017 for inclusion in Remembering Rhinos and 2018 to participate in Remembering Great Apes. Daryl & Sharna's work is represented worldwide by several of the world’s leading image libraries, and they have been published in magazines such as National Geographic, Audubon, BBC Wildlife, Africa Geographic, GEO, Stern! and numerous others.
The fully inclusive cost of the seven night safari in 2025 is US$ to be confirmed per person sharing . We are able to accommodate up to six singles without any supplementary charges! Please note that due to currency fluctuations and other possible increases and surcharges beyond our control the tour price remains subject to change. A 30% per person non-refundable deposit will be payable to confirm a booking. The deposit will be transferable if we are forced to postpone your safari. Your participation in a safari can only be confirmed once your deposit is received. Full payment is required 100 days prior to commencement of the safari. All payments by international EFT only. We urge you to take out travel insurance to cover you in case of cancellation as once we have received final payment it is difficult to find replacements at short notice, and we cannot make refunds as all our costs are based on a full camp. The price does not include the airfare from your home to Nairobi, visas ($50-100 per person for many nationalities), airport departure taxes (usually included in your ticket fare), curio purchases, gratuities for guides and camp staff, or other personal expenses. Please read our Terms & Conditions prior to making your payments.
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE DO NOT TAKE CHILDREN UNDER 16 YEARS UNLESS YOU BOOK OUT AN ENTIRE CAR (4 PERSONS). ENQUIRE ABOUT SPECIAL RATES FOR BOOKING THE WHOLE CAMP
THESE ARE AMONG OUR MOST POPULAR SAFARIS EVERY YEAR AND USUALLY BOOK OUT WELL IN ADVANCE - ENQUIRE NOW
Daryl & Sharna Balfour have been among Africa’s leading professional wildlife photographers and authors for the past three decades. They have published more than a dozen best-selling coffee-table books including: Simply Safari; African Elephants – A Celebration of Majesty; Chobe – Africa’s Untamed Wilderness; This is Botswana; ETOSHA; and Rhino – The Story of the Rhinoceros. Daryl was selected among 60 of the world's leading wildlife photographers chosen in 2016 for inclusion in the groundbreaking collaborative book Remembering Elephants, in 2017 for inclusion in Remembering Rhinos and 2018 to participate in Remembering Great Apes. Daryl & Sharna's work is represented worldwide by several of the world’s leading image libraries, and they have been published in magazines such as National Geographic, Audubon, BBC Wildlife, Africa Geographic, GEO, Stern! and numerous others.
