Game drives may form the backbone of a Masai Mara safari, but some of the most memorable hours happen beyond the vehicle. You might drift over the plains in a hot air balloon at sunrise, spend an afternoon birding, visit a Maasai manyatta or stop for sundowners as the light changes across the reserve.
With Governors’ Camp Collection, these experiences can be woven around regular game viewing in the Mara, while a stay at Loldia House near Lake Naivasha opens up guided walks, birding and a walking safari on Crescent Island.
Choosing a few of these experiences alongside regular game viewing adds more variety to the trip without filling every hour of the day.
Game drives allow you to cover large areas of the Masai Mara and follow wildlife as it moves between grassland, marshes and riverine forest. Spending part of the trip on foot, on the water or above the reserve changes the pace and brings other details into focus.
At Loldia House, a guided walk gives you time to examine tracks, plants and smaller wildlife with your guide, while birding can turn a patch of woodland or lakeshore into somewhere worth watching for much longer.
There is no need to fit every activity into one stay. Choose the experiences that interest you most and leave enough time for game drives and time at camp.
A hot air balloon flight starts before sunrise, with guests leaving camp in the dark for the launch site. As the balloon rises, the Mara opens out below, with grassland, river channels, woodland and wildlife visible across a much wider area than you see from the ground.
The route changes each morning because the balloon travels with the wind. That means no two flights follow exactly the same course, and sightings depend on where the balloon drifts that day.
For guests interested in hot air ballooning in the Masai Mara, the appeal is partly in seeing the reserve from this different perspective, especially in the early light when wildlife is already moving across the plains.
The experience takes up much of the morning, so it is best planned as part of the day rather than added around a full morning game drive.
At Loldia House, guests can explore Loldia Farm on foot with a guide, moving through open ground and acacia woodland where warthogs, monkeys and a wide range of birds may be seen.
Guides can point out tracks, plants, insects and smaller wildlife along the route. They can also explain how the 700-acre farm is managed, including the fenced area where native acacia vegetation has been restored.
Routes vary according to conditions and wildlife sightings, allowing time to stop for tracks, birds or other signs of wildlife as they appear.
Birding can add an entirely different set of sightings to a safari, from large raptors and waterbirds to much smaller species in the grassland and trees.
In the Mara, grassland, riverine forest, marshes and waterways each attract their own mix of birds. An expert guide can identify calls and knows where particular species are likely to feed, perch or nest.
Lake Naivasha adds an extensive freshwater habitat. More than 400 bird species have been recorded in the area, and guests may see cormorants, pelicans, herons, jacanas, kingfishers, storks and African fish eagles around the water and shoreline vegetation. The gardens and trees at Loldia House also attract sunbirds, weavers, woodpeckers and other smaller species.
You do not need to arrive with a life list or specialist knowledge. A guide can identify calls, explain behaviour and distinguish between similar species. Binoculars are particularly helpful around the lake, where many birds can be watched from a distance.
A bush dinner takes the evening out of camp and into the Mara, with a private table set up outdoors and the meal served there by the camp team.
One of the settings is beside the Mara River, where guests can sit down to dinner after the day’s activities before returning to camp later in the evening. It can be arranged for couples, families or groups, whether you are marking an occasion or simply want to spend one evening dining out in the reserve.
The bush dinner needs to be arranged in advance and is subject to weather and conditions on the day, so it is best discussed with the camp team when planning your stay.
After an afternoon game drive, there are few better ways to end the day than stopping out on the plains for a drink as the sun drops over the Mara.
The guide chooses a safe place to stop, and guests can step out of the vehicle for a drink before heading back to camp. Depending on where the drive has taken you, there may be open grassland stretching ahead, herds in the distance or the last light catching the plains as evening settles over the reserve.
The exact setting depends on wildlife and conditions in the area, so the stop can happen somewhere different each time. Once the sun has gone down, temperatures can drop quickly, particularly in the cooler months, so a light jacket is worth bringing for the drive back.
At Crescent Island, guests can explore the open grassland on foot, with giraffes, zebras, impalas and other plains game moving through the area.
Guests staying at Loldia House travel across the lake by boat before stepping ashore for a guided walk. Crescent Island is a wildlife sanctuary on the eastern side of Lake Naivasha, with open grassland where plains game can be seen at close enough range to watch their behaviour while maintaining an appropriate distance. The shoreline also attracts a wide variety of waterbirds.
Walking gives guests time to watch giraffes browsing, zebras grazing and antelope moving across the open ground. Along the shoreline, there may also be kingfishers, herons, pelicans and other waterbirds, while hippos remain in and around the lake.
Governors’ Camp Collection can arrange a walk and picnic lunch on Crescent Island for Loldia House guests. The boat transfer is included in the nightly rate, while Crescent Island entrance fees are paid separately.
A hat, sunscreen, water and comfortable walking shoes are sensible, as sections of the island are open and shade can be limited.
In the Masai Mara, Governors’ Camp Collection can arrange visits to a Maasai manyatta where guests can spend time with members of the community and learn about aspects of Maasai life.
Visits are arranged with the local community, and guests can ask questions and purchase crafts directly from their makers. Permission should always be requested before taking photographs.
Guests staying at Loldia House can also visit Loldia School during term time. Governors’ Camp Collection has worked with local communities on education projects for more than two decades, supporting infrastructure, teacher salaries and environmental education through initiatives including Children in the Wilderness Eco-Clubs.
Community and school visits should be arranged with the Governors’ Camp Collection team in advance so they can be planned around the people and organisations involved.
There is no need to fill every hour of a safari with an organised activity. Early starts, game drives and time back at camp already make for full days, so choose the additional experiences that genuinely interest you.
Combining Governors’ Camp or Il Moran in the Masai Mara with Loldia House near Lake Naivasha gives you access to game drives, walking, birding, ballooning and time on the lake within the same trip. Speak to the Governors’ Camp Collection team about what is available during your dates, which experiences need to be booked in advance and how they can fit into your itinerary.
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