HOT AIR SAFARI

HOT AIR SAFARI. Home to the "Great Migration" Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve is a place to view unfenced wildlife, leopards, lions, hyenas, hippos, crocs and the vast landscape of rivers and earth. One of our favorite ways to show you the migration is by hot air balloon. To rise with the African sun and have a birds eye view is an experience that one will carry with them for a lifetime. To top it off, our wonderful family-run operator concludes the hot air safari with champagne brunch complete with a crepe station and the kindest servers imaginable upon landing in the middle of the Mara. 

THE PERFECT EQUATION

THE PERFECT EQUATION. The largest sheet of falling water in the world, rural roads, rhinos, elephants, lions, cozy lodges, and... mountain biking?

O.K., so perhaps it is the perfect equation for an avid adventurer, but the Victoria Falls Mountain Bike Challenge offers all the above for riders of various skill sets.

The "Vic Falls MTB" challenge not only pushes the body, but also the mind through the necessity for acute awareness for crossing paths with wildlife. The intensity of the three-day challenge is balanced by comfortable accommodation, refreshment points along the ride, and incredible scenery.

For more information including a training program on how to maneuver around a baboon, email info@elevenpointseven.com.

FIVE WORDS

FIVE WORDS. In a brand proposition survey for 11.7, I posed the question, “what are five words that you associate with Africa?” The results were honest, telling and reaffirmed my gripe with the common perceptions of Africa.

I truly believe we need to change the way the world sees Africa. Common perceptions are often antiquated and skewed by what headlines can accommodate. Pictures of ragged clothing stretched across a malnourished child’s bloated belly are hard on our eyes. The sound of helicopter blades and artillery fire from movies like Blood Diamond and Blackhawk Down are heavy on our ears. And while this is part of Africa and absolutely cannot be ignored, forgotten or glossed over, there is another side – actually other sides. Africa is multidimensional, complex and of course a very large and diverse continent.

I took the 11.7 survey before it was sent out and these are the five words that I associated with Africa: heart, night, sky, warmth and hope. I’ve made it part of 11.7’s mission not only to change common perceptions but also break down the glass wall that makes Africa seem so inaccessible to the majority of people. I want to expose travelers to something that they never expected, put people in touch with those who are like-minded, forge mutually advantageous partnerships and most of all prove that Africa is so much more than any five words. 

-Jen Johnson