Bucket list experiences in East Africa

I have dreamed of visiting Kenya and Tanzania since I was a very small child. Wild places like the Masai Mara, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater have been top of my bucket list for more years than I care to remember – and despite working in the luxury safari industry for nearly thirty years, somehow I had yet to experience the Serengeti or the Crater! So when I finally had flights booked, I set about arranging some of the additional experiences I had been told were not-to-be-missed, just in case it’s another 30 years till I get back!

Embracing Maasai history and culture

In addition to the obvious wildlife highlights of the Masai Mara, what can truly make a trip even more memorable is immersing yourself in the regional culture and meeting the local people.  At Mara Bushtops, you know you are in Kenya the minute your ALS flight touches down at Siana airstrip, as your Maasai guide and spotter/tracker welcome you in full traditional costume including bright red Shukas and adorned with beautiful beadwork! 

Our Maasai guide Daniel and spotter Frederik guided us throughout our stay, spotting game effortlessly, having lived and guided safaris in the region for decades. They also took us to visit the local Nkoilale school that Bushtops supports to see how tourism helps fund education in the area and a beading project that creates income for local Maasai women. 

One particularly memorable morning was spent hiking on Bushtops’ Isaaten Conservancy to an ancient cave, which still to this day plays part of everyday Masai tribal life. This cultural site is known as the Kakiya Cave, meaning the place of eating and drinking, but it was historically used for ancestor worship and initiation ceremonies. It is still used by the Maasai communities that own the Conservancy for rituals and preparing traditional medicines.

On arrival at the cave, the Maasai teach you how to make a fire without matches, which illuminates a space decorated with red ochre depictions of wild animals and warriors, reflecting hunting as a rite of passage. Today, conservation has replaced hunting, but the cave paintings has inspired generations of the Maasai – and even Bushtops’ own identity and iconography. Guests can also visit an authentic Maasai Manyatta (village) and enjoy their Adumu jumping dance welcome.

Meeting real Maasai warriors, and hearing about their customs and life stories whilst on safari was such a privilege and will remain with me forever.

Mufasa’s Rock sundowners

What could be better, after a day of exploring the Northern Serengeti in the absolute luxury of the 6×6 Bushtops Beest (probably the most luxurious game drive vehicle on the planet!) than ending up at a surprise location, a huge boulder outcrop very reminiscent of the Lion King’s pride rock, for scenic sundowners in absolute style? 

We arrived at Mufasa’s Rock just as the sun was starting to set, all beautifully set up with a rug, cushions to lean on and a full bar!   We sat and enjoyed our drinks (G&T for Emma and an Amarula for me!), some delicious snacks and watched the sun slowly set over the rolling grasslands below, before returning to nearby Roving Bushtops Camp for a delicious dinner. 

Please note this activity is strictly subject to availability and the local lions always have first refusal.  They also apparently appreciate this magical lookout location – hence the name!

Hot air ballooning over the Serengeti

Since I was little, it was always my dream to one day float over the Serengeti in a hot air balloon.  At the ripe old age of 50, having worked in the safari industry for more than half my life, I finally ticked this bucket list item off in style!  Staying at the ultra exclusive Warangi Ridge Lodge in the central Serengeti, which was only launched in July by The Wilderness Collection, I finally had the golden opportunity. 

It was a very early wake up call of 03h30 but totally worth it!  We gathered in excited, nervous anticipation in the pitch dark at Serengeti Balloon Safari’s launch site, sipping on hot ginger coffees and balloon shaped biscuits while they started firing up the balloons.  After a safety briefing, we all clambered into our allocated slots in the basket which starts off laid on its side.  A few blasts of flamage and before we knew it we were off and enjoyed the most exhilarating flight, spotting wildlife on the plains below. 

For me the sunrise, with the other balloons following us, and the quietness of it were just the absolute highlight.   After a very smooth landing, we were treated to a delicious hot cooked champagne breakfast in the wilderness and received a certificate to say we’d done it!  With almost 35 years of experience in the business, I would highly recommend Serengeti Balloon Safaris.  Our pilot was so experienced and was a hoot to boot! They also do a lot for the local community and conservation/anti-poaching as a company committed to responsible tourism, so you know your money is well spent.

Exploring the crater floor and the art of beadwork

The Ngorongoro Crater was a big tick on my travel bucket list – and it certainly delivered.  At one stage on our game drive, it felt like, no matter which direction we looked in, there was an abundance of wildlife.  It was so beautiful and lush I can’t blame the wildlife for congregating in this beautiful mineral-rich crater!

Thanks to the location of Craters Edge Lodge, right on the Lemala gate access road to the floor, we were probably one of the first vehicles in the crater and had the whole place, including the lovely picnic spot where we enjoyed our delicious hot breakfast with our guide Peter, almost to ourselves for the first couple of hours, which was bliss. 

We returned for a tasty lunch at the lodge, just as the park started to feel busy with other vehicles and we really enjoyed just relaxing in our rooms and guest areas, soaking up the views for the rest of the day.   Emma and I opted to also spend some quality time in the Maasai curio tent that has been built opposite the main entrance to the lodge.  We spent an hour or so with some very gracious Maasai ladies who come down from their village each day to do their beadwork and warmly invite guests to join them.  Although there were some language barriers (thankfully Emma had cleverly taught herself to speak basic Swahili ahead of our trip!), it really felt like we still managed an authentic connection. 

Beading is intrinsic to their culture, language, traditions and history – and is an incredible skill that is passed down through generations. Let me tell you, it’s harder than it looks! The beads all have different meanings, depicting a Maasai’s age, marital status, social standing and even their family ancestry. Its also one of the only ways these women can earn a living in this region – whilst also preserving and sharing a bit of their culture.  Each guest that does the beading also pays $20 which gets paid over to them every month, on top of their curio shop sales.

One of the ladies taught Emma how to bead a very complicated looking square out of white beads which she later made into a beautiful, beaded pendant for a necklace.  They obviously took one look at me and decided stringing beads onto wires was about as complicated a job as I could handle – but I was delighted with the blue beaded bracelet I created by the end of the task! Despite the language barrier we laughed together, communicated with hand signals and I even shared photos of my children with them, being promptly presented with three extra bracelets which were gifts to take home for them.  Very humbled by their generosity.  We then had the opportunity to browse around their shop, knowing the money we spent would be supporting their community in a sustainable and respectful way. This encounter was a real highlight of our stay, and I will treasure my bracelet always, with great pride and a good back story!

Giant tortoises and yellow submarines off the coast of Zanzibar

Stone Town is a wonderful, fascinating historical place to explore and we loved our guided tour, arranged for us by the Zanzibar Serena.  The maze of streets with beautiful carved wooden doors, the markets, the historical buildings, the slave trade memorial – and of course the house where rock band Queen’s Freddie Mercury lived.

We also enjoyed an interesting visit to Prison Island, also known as Changuu or Turtle Island. Interestingly, it was never actually used as a proper prison, and the turtles are actually giant Alhambra tortoises, many of which are over 150 years old and weigh around 200 kg! The island is popular with tourists for snorkelling and visiting the tortoises, with its old quarantine hospital ruins converted in recent years into a museum about the history of the archipelago, shops (beautiful tanzanite!) and a restaurant. The island is currently under development, with The Cocoon Collection set to improve the living areas for the tortoises who call it home, and who will be launching a brand new resort on the island in late 2026/early 2027.

On our last day, we decided to try the ” Zanzibar Submarine ” tour by Miracle Adventures that takes you out for about 90 minutes from the launching point at Forodhani Gardens on a bright yellow semi-submarine, which never goes completely under the water, which for me was a relief. 

I’m personally not a big fan of diving,  but I was suffering with FOMO at not being able to see the marine life  – so for me this was an ideal opportunity to get a peek at the house reef of the stunning Bawe Island by The Cocoon Collection where we were very lucky to have been staying  the previous two nights – without the need for air tanks and flippers!   The Changuu-Bawe Marine Conservation Area has only this year been declared a protected area and it was lovely to see how already the coral and marine life are recovering.  These tours provide a dry, underwater viewing experience roughly 6 feet below the water’s surface. I loved being both up top in the cool ocean breeze as well as in the cabin below (which seats 8) and our captain and guide were very entertaining.  The guide actually gets in the water in full scuba gear towards the end which makes for some fun photo opportunities.   Great fun and I would highly recommend this as an excursion!

There really is so much to do in East Africa, beyond the typical safari. We also absolutely loved travelling in the shoulder season which meant we were lucky enough to catch the “tail end” (excuse the pun) of the famous migration, but without the crowds. After some of the social media footage of loads of vehicles at sightings and river crossings I was really worried it might spoil our dream safari, but for much of our time in the Mara, Serengeti and Crater, we only saw a few vehicles at a time. I think at the most we had 5 vehicles lined up as we followed a pride of lions down the road one morning, and spotted a leopard in a tree, but it didn’t detract from the lighting and everyone was very respectful of the wildlife.

September/October is also a great time weather wise to visit Zanzibar, catching the end of the dry season with warm sunny days averaging between 28 – 32 degrees, so ideal for the beach.

Please share with me in the comments below what bucket list items I might have missed, to add to my next trip wish list. I cannot wait to go back!