Fine wine safari launches in Masai Mara

South African wine merchant Wine Cellar and wildlife photographers Daryl and Sharna Balfour have joined forces to offer a fine wine safari in the Masai Mara.

A million wildebeest sweep across the plains of the Serengeti into the Masai Mara each year

Called The Wine Cellar Wines of the World Wildebeest Migration Safari, the week long adventure will run from 17-23 August this year in Kenya’s flagship game reserve.

As many as one million wildebeest and zebra sweep across the plains of the Serengeti into the Masai Mara each year, attracting an entourage of leopards, lions and cheetahs.

Against the backdrop of this natural wonder, Roland Peens of Wine Cellar will guide 12 safari guests through the world’s leading wine-producing regions each evening.

Wine Cellar will present the most revered wines of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, Champagne, Italy, Spain and South Africa – from Pétrus, Yquem, Chapoutier, Cristal, and Sassicaia to Pingus and Vin de Constance.

Some of the wines included in the safari

“Not only will guests enjoy the greatest migration safari in Africa, each evening they will also have the opportunity to sample the world’s finest wines in a unique setting,” said Roland Peens, director of Wine Cellar.

Daryl and Sharna Balfour are renowned wildlife photographers and have published more than a dozen best-selling books.

Their ‘Wildphotos’ safaris offer spacious accommodation in a traditional walk-in tented camp, reminiscent of the mobile camps of the colonial era.

The camp is situated in one of the finest game-viewing areas in the Masai Mara and the safari has been timed to provide the best chance of viewing river crossings, when thousands of wildebeest and zebra traverse the crocodile-inhabited Mara River.

The cost of the six-night safari is US$9,695 per person sharing and includes park fees, full-board accommodation, drinks and private charter flights to and from the Masai Mara ex-Nairobi.

Dinner in the Masai Mara