There’s So A lot Extra to East Africa Than Its Wildlife — Like an Lively Volcano and a Collapsed Caldera With a Pearly Blue Lake

Kenya and Tanzania, the East African international locations most frequently chosen for safari, are justifiably well-known for his or her wildlife. For a lot of vacationers, seeing the area’s dazzling animals — lions, elephants, giraffes, and hundreds of different species — is the entire level of going there.

However there’s one other, equally spectacular facet of East Africa that I all the time encourage safari-goers to hunt out: its majestic landscapes. To me, the sweeping savannas, putting volcanic landforms, and towering peaks that characterize the Nice Rift Valley are each bit as inspiring as their inhabitants. Listed below are a few of my favourite vantage factors. Right here, 4 East African adventures that may make an unbelievable addition to any safari.

Ballooning within the Maasai Mara

Kenya’s hottest safari vacation spot, the Maasai Mara Nationwide Reserve, includes almost 600 sq. miles of wide-open savanna — an ocean of gold grassland the place hundreds of animals forage, hunt, play, and relaxation. It’s lovely to absorb out of your recreation drive-vehicle, however to totally grasp its expansive scale, you want an aerial view. A hot-air balloon journey over the Mara is breathtaking, particularly at dawn, when every zebra and giraffe casts a dramatic shadow far beneath. For a house base, I like to recommend the newly opened Wild Hill, an artfully designed personal villa and wellness retreat perched atop the rocky slopes of Kileleoni Hill, the very best level within the reserve. 

‘Flightseeing’ within the Serengeti

The enormity of Tanzania’s Serengeti Nationwide Park, which encompasses 5,700 sq. miles of savanna and riverine forest, is greatest appreciated from a helicopter. A number of luxurious safari camps supply flightseeing excursions, however my favorites are these run by Mwiba Lodge, set on the southern fringe of the Serengeti. The lodge itself occupies a stunning spot overlooking the dramatic Arugusinyai River gorge. Extra breathtaking vistas reveal themselves as soon as you’re taking to the sky from its personal helipad: the glittering Lake Eyasi, mobbed with flocks of bright-pink flamingos; a hovering, lively volcano, Ol Doinyo Lengai; and the extraordinary Empakaai Crater, a collapsed caldera with a pearly blue alkaline lake. 

Clifftop Stroll the Ngorongoro Crater

Typically known as ”Africa’s Eden,” the Ngorongoro Crater is one in all Tanzania’s most spectacular points of interest. A colossal collapsed volcano, whose partitions enclose a lush, 100-square-mile ecosystem, it has a unprecedented focus of wildlife — in addition to thick forests of fever bushes, spring-fed wetlands, and wide-open grasslands. There are various methods to discover the crater, together with recreation drives and constitution flights. However Meliá Assortment’s Ngorongoro Lodge presents two experiences that I take into account actually particular: a clifftop rim-walking safari alongside Maasai tribesmen; and an opulent, four-bedroom Royal Suite, with a spacious, firelit deck that provides panoramic views over the crater.

Up and Down Mt. Kenya

It doesn’t get the hype of Kilimanjaro, however Africa’s second-highest mountain, the 17,000-foot Mt. Kenya, is astonishingly lovely. It’s even higher to discover the remarkably lush montane forests that carpet its decrease slopes. A keep on the magnificent Ol Jogi Ranch helps you to do that with immersive guided foot and horseback treks. Whereas right here, you may as well go to the Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy to see critically endangered mountain bongos, a species of notably striped endemic antelope. For sheer cinematic thrills, although, it’s laborious to prime a non-public airplane journey over the mountain, whose excessive passes are girded with glaciers, and whose jagged apex is commonly dusted with snow.

Liz Wheeler is a member of Journey + Leisure’s A-Checklist and makes a speciality of East and Southern Africa safaris. You’ll be able to create a tailored itinerary with Wheeler by contacting her at lwheeler@micato.com.