The light of the morning sun shone brightly on the mist that covered the valleys below as we floated calmly in the air, suddenly the mist below gave way to a spectacular column of life that stretched from horizon to horizon, it is the annual migration of the wildebeest in the theater. Maasai Mara, within the Great Rift Valley, our vehicle, a hot air balloon. For the nest, an hour we float above the treetops, vast meadows along the valley, all mixed with wildlife, our pilot occasionally coming down to give us an up-close look and snapshot of life below.

The Great Rift Valley, where the Mara is located, was dubbed the Happy Valley by British settlers in Kenya and for good reason. Hot air balloons, the most romantic way to watch the game, were not in use in the middle of the last century, but for them it was a year-round adventure through the vast valley, parting, hunting, riding and discovering the beauty hidden. But with all these settler activities, some of the world’s greatest treasures and the best wildlife havens on earth remained.

Starting from Lake Turkana in the north, the ultimate adventure destination, teeming with Africa’s largest population of Nile crocodiles and home to tribal cultures, largely untouched by the outside world, time has stood still here. However, on the shores of the lake are the world’s greatest treasures, the Koobi Fora, a 3-million-year-old paleontological site within Sibiloi National Park, first discovered by Dr. Richard Leakey and his team in 1972. Sibiloi is now universally recognized as the “Cradle of Humankind”. `and the most likely site of the Biblical Garden of Eden.

Further down the valley is Lake Baringo, a freshwater lake and a bird watcher’s paradise. It is extremely hot and arid here and with perhaps the highest count of sighted bird species anywhere in the world. Verreaux’s eagle, the rare bristle-crowned starling, and Hemprich’s hornbill are included, but the list is too numerous to do them justice here. Close by is Lake Bogoria, an untamed beauty, a coordinated sea of ​​vivid pink and blue, set dramatically at the foot of the Laikipia Escarpment, right in the sweltering deserts north of Nakuru, at an altitude of over 1000 m. Aside from its excellent geographic location, standout features include its famous geysers, spectacular displays of superheated water gushing from its natural underground rock cauldrons, and its coastline, which is home to countless thousands of flocks of stunning pink flamingos. The surrounding national park is also the perfect habitat for an unusually beautiful antelope – herds of the Greater Kud.

Lake Elementaita part of the Delamere Soy-sambu Estate. The deeper waters of Elementaita are considered to be a more reliable habitat for flamingo sightings. Hundreds of bird species have been recorded in the area, from pelicans, black-winged stilts and avocets to the winter guest list that includes a host of sparrows. Lake Elementaita is the best starting point for a balloon safari early in the morning to see the Great Rift Valley expanse with its awe-inspiring beauty.

Lake Naivasha, the highest and purest of the Great Rift lakes, this shimmering pearl is best seen along the way, before descending the eastern Rift escarpment. It sits in the shadow of volcanic cones, Mts. Longonot and Suswa and is immense, almost 13 km long and covering about 110 square km. During the 1930s and 1940s, the lake and its hotel were one of the first ‘BOAC Nairobi Air Bases’ for seaplanes. Today more than 600 species can be seen in the serenity of this lake with somewhat more glorious launches. Along its coast are Waterbuck, Gazelle, and Hippo.

Away from the Rift Valley lakes and volcanic mountains are the two world-famous game sanctuaries of Maasai Mara and Amboseli, where you can lose yourself in herds of the world’s animals on horseback, track down a rhino on foot with an expert guide, watch the sunset. golden sky, relax by a campfire while the distant roar of a lion ends the day.