Celebrate Africa: My Canon Adventure in the Masai Mara

The Challenge

Canon recently launched their latest camera in their 5D range, the MK IV. I have some experience with the MK I and the MK II but hadn’t gotten round to the MK III so it was an amazing opportunity to skip right ahead to the MK IV. As if that wasn’t amazing enough, the testing of the MK IV would be done in one of the most beautiful places in the world, The Masai Mara.

The Team

Canon put together a great team of photographers and bloggers from across Africa including Samson Baranga  (Uganda),  Ameyaw Debra (Ghana), Adam Michuzi (Tanzania), Emmanuel Oyeleke  (Nigeria), Vanessa June (Nigeria) Joe Makeni (Kenya) and Lyra Aoko (Kenya).

The Journey

We kicked off at the Intercontinental Hotel at 5.30am on a Wednesday morning for a briefing and set out at about 6am. We were a team of about 30 people in 6 vans. The itinerary was a packed one as the Canon team wanted us to experience their wide range of cameras in different locations. We all got an SD card with our name on it so we could easily swap cameras on the trip. I have to admit that I was a little intimidated as I am not a professional photographer. Still, I figured it would be a great learning opportunity as they even had the Canon ambassador, Simeon Quarrie, on hand to give tips on how to make the best of every camera available.

After two stops at the breathtaking Great Rift Valley viewpoint as we made our way to The Mara. The drive was basically akin to being in the safari rally as the road to the Mara is non existent.  We arrived at the Hotel at around 2pm with brown hair and eyelashes thanks to the dusty road.

The Culture

I sometimes forget how wonderful our diverse cultures are as it’s always around us and so easy to take for granted. I had never been to a Masai village before and it was an eye-opening experience. The community was welcoming and shared their stories and gave us a quick overview of their vibrant culture.

The Safari

There’s a reason the Masai Mara is a world famous travel destination. It is one of the best places to spot a variety of animals and I was excited to go on a game drive there. The scenery is gorgeous and we spotted all kinds of animals including zebras, giraffes, elephants, wilderbeest and buffaloes. The most special sighting though was of mating lions, which is quite the rare sighting. I have to say that it’s a pretty short affair (less than 5 seconds!) but apparently, a honeymooning lion couple can mate up to 100 times over a few days. I was enthralled by the whole experience as I hadn’t been on a game drive in years and it gave me an appreciation of nature and of Kenya. We have an incredibly beautiful country.

The Hot Air Balloon Ride

This is probably one of the best things I’ll ever experience in my life, especially considering that it costs Ksh 40,00 per person! We had to be out of our rooms on Thursday morning by 4.30am to get started on a 1 hour drive to the hot air balloon launching site. The drive is rough but amazing as you can spot a range of animals out and about. The driver used his headlights to illuminate animals we came across for a better view and though it was too dark for photography, we got a good look. One of the most beautiful sights was seeing a tower of giraffes; they move in elegant waves. When we got to the launching grounds, we got to meet our pilots and were given a safety rundown for our flight. We then got to watch the balloon getting filled up. It is huge! The balloons we used carry 16 people so you can imagine the size of one!

The hot air balloon is divided into 4 cozy compartments that sit 4 and there’s a bench to sit on, unlike the balloons in other parts of the world that are smaller and have people standing throughout. It is recommended that you wear closed shoes for the ride. I was really nervous about take off because I assumed it would be similar to an airplane which always leaves me with terrible motion sickness. The pilot had us seated for take off and I don’t know how to explain it but none of us felt it. He literally told us to stand up as we were up in the air and none of us could believe it as we didn’t feel ourselves leaving the ground at all.

The view is breathtaking, as you can imagine. The flight itself is serenity – it’s as though you are standing still but over 1000 feet in the air. We got to see various animals in the air but my favourite thing was the perspective. The ground looks like a painting from up there and it’s awe inspiring. It’s the kind of experience you want to fully take in so you can remember every single detail. We also had a wonderful pilot that had us in stitches making the 1.5 hour flight even more memorable. Funny enough, it’s not cold up there mostly because of the heat from the balloon’s propane burners, but it’s a good idea to dress warmly as 5am in the bush is freezing.

Landing was a little rough but not as terrible as I had imagined it would be. The crew were on hand to help us disembark and we got into vehicles for another hour drive to where the champagne breakfast had been set up. Yes, the hot air balloon ride comes with a champagne breakfast. The drive there was pretty eventful with sightings of hyenas and jackals. I actually realized that I had never seen a hyena in the flesh – they are bigger than I thought they would be.

The breakfast layout was fantastic. Champagne and a full English breakfast with wait staff and chefs on hand. I could hardly move after breakfast but it was the cherry on the top of an unforgettable morning. The 2 hour drive back to the hotel was pretty much another game drive as we came across more animals.

The Photography

Throughout the short but jam packed trip, we got to experience some of the Canon cameras including the PowerShot SX600 HS and more advanced options like the PowerShot SX60 HS and the EOS 700D. Of course, the highlight was the newly launched Canon 5D MK IV, which is a full-frame DSLR with GPS, WiFi  and 4K video. It was amazing to experiment in my photography and to watch seasoned photographers work and I learned a lot from them.

Check out some of the pics from the trip from Canon’s official Instagram page.