Exploring the Wild: A Guide to Safari Activities & Experiences in Africa

Travel Consultant
Sep 12, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Sep 23, 2024

Family Safaris Going on safari with your children is one of the most transformative experiences a family can share. Watch as the young family members discover the beauty of Africa and the natural world — there is nothing quite like seeing them through the eyes of a child.

Something for Everyone

There’s no shortage of unforgettable moments for children and adults alike. Take in the incredible views of the Maasai Mara from atop the Great Rift Valley and marvel at the abundant wildlife. Sleep under the stars and share stories around the campfire at Safari Camp , right in the midst of the Great Migration, or visit Amboseli for a gentle safari and the home of real giants — Mount Kilimanjaro and the Super Tusker elephants.

Masai Mara - Wildlife at Every Turn

A game drive into the Mara Triangle is at the heart of your safari holiday. Shortly after leaving the lodge, you’re in vast grasslands dotted with acacias, surrounded by more animals than you can imagine: from Africa’s Big Five — lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo — to the massive herds of the Great Migration.

The question is often asked, ‘when is the best time to visit the Mara?’ To be truthful, there is not one correct answer, as safari travellers to the Mara are assured of astonishing and abundant wildlife sightings all year round. For guests wanting to experience the Great Migration and the dramatic crossings of the Mara River, July through September or October are the best months to visit. Others prefer a gentler time with less visitors and to have the Mara all to themselves – together with the numerous resident herds which quite rightly do not deem it necessary to leave this beautiful reserve by embarking on the annual trek to Tanzania. How to Do It

Traditionally, in many other places in Africa, safaris take place twice a day at specific times. At Dragonflies, we aim to tailor-make your safari days with you, exploring this unique non-stop extravaganza of astonishing and abundant wildlife, often taking a picnic breakfast or lunch with you. Because the weather is generally mild, there’s never a bad time for a game drive.

Ballooning

Floating effortlessly over the Maasai Mara in a hot air balloon is one of Africa’s iconic experiences: as the sun rises to the East, the Mara River winds and twists beneath you, and the great plains of Africa’s savannah open up below and in front of you, keep your binoculars ready to spot the wildlife lurking in the forests, or a pride of lions on an early morning hunt.

On Safari in the Mara Triangle

Our experienced guides make every effort to deliver life-changing wildlife adventures for their guests, be it for first timers, birding enthusiasts, photographers of all skill levels, or safari devotees whose great joy is just to simply be amongst Africa’s creatures, both great and small.

The Mara Triangle is also home to more than 470 bird species, including almost 60 raptors such as vultures and martial eagles. Surely the loveliest of them all has to be the graceful crowned crane, always found in pairs, together with secretary birds, lilac-breasted rollers, long-crested eagles, superb starlings, pygmy falcons and endangered ground hornbills to name just a few.

The Great Migration Is Just That

It’s the largest land-based animal migration on Earth: more than a million wildebeest and 200,000 zebras in a year-long cycle en masse in search of nutritious grasses that grow after the rains — to the delight of the Mara’s hungry predators: lion, leopard, cheetah and massive crocodiles.

– July into October are the best months to see the Migration

Life All Year-Round

Regardless of when you visit in the year, expect a plethora of creatures large and small — and the unexpected.

– The famed Big Five can be seen all year round, with lion pride sagas keeping everyone wondering what will happen next.

– There’s another migration: from November to April, birds from Europe and North Africa arrive for African summer, many flamboyant in mating plumage.

From February to May, the sights of newborns and fluffy youngsters are spectacular

Mara Wildlife Spectacular

It is in the Maasai Mara that you can truly hear the call of the wild. Renowned for its lion prides, the Mara is also home to the other members of Africa’s Big Five – leopard, elephant, buffalo and black rhino – which can be seen together with hyena, cheetah and bat-eared fox. The Mara River churns with numerous pods of hippo and some of Africa’s largest crocodiles. Everywhere there are photographic opportunities: topi perched on anthills, Maasai giraffe moving gracefully across the plains, and gazelles grazing peacefully amongst Coke’s hartebeest, impala and herds of lovely eland, Africa’s largest antelope.