Balloon safaris are a romantic and evocative way of experiencing the wilderness of East Africa, as you gracefully and silently fly over the plains teeming with herds of wildlife in the early morning. 

Typically, a Hot Air balloon safari begins at break of dawn, about 6 am, and lasts for around 1 hour, during which you will fly over parts of the vast Masai Mara plain, seeing the magnificent wildlife below, spread over several square kilometres of the reserve.. 

Balloon flights are available daily in Maasai Mara and take off from designated sites where the disturbance to animals is kept to a minimum. Your safari vehicle drops you off at the take off site and picks you up from your landing site. The flight is followed by a champagne breakfast “in the bush”, with a well laid out seating arrangement and waiters on hand, to give you a fitting finale to your memorable flight in the wild.

Hot Air Balloon Safaris

The scenery from a hot air balloon is unforgettable due to its spectacular and breathtaking nature; the ultimate safari experience. The balloon flight takes you over the diverse habitats of the Masai Mara Reserve; the great Mara River, swamps, forests, wildlife and the African Savannah. The diversity of our flight trail enables passengers to experience a unique opportunity to be a part of the Masai Mara from the air.

The gentle and silent nature of the balloon flight allows the passengers to view the wildlife from a comfortable distance. The big five; the lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo can be seen frequently along with other animals such as hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, birds and many more.

Probably the most beautiful balloon flight in the world and the ultimate Safari Experience. We provide bookings for Balloon Safaris in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania . Book your Serengeti Balloon Safari online.

5:00 am, Serengeti Balloon Safaris will collect you from your Central Serengeti, Western Corridor, or Serengeti South lodge or camp, and transfer you by Landrover/Landcruiser to our launch site.  Here you will meet your pilot, receive a briefing and watch the inflation of your balloon.

At dawn we take off, rising as the sun rises and float whichever direction the winds of the morning take us.  Your pilot can precisely control the altitude of your balloon: sometimes flying at treetop height, sometimes lower, offering a unique perspective and great photographic opportunities of the wildlife below.  At other times our pilot may ascend to 1000 ft or more to see the enormity and wonderful panorama of the Serengeti.  From time to time the pilot must put more heat into the balloon with the powerful whisper burners.  In between these burns, there is silence apart from the natural sounds below.

The flight is for about one hour depending on conditions, and eventually you must land.  You celebrate in the traditional manner with champagne (well, an excellent sparkling wine) before sitting down to a full English breakfast prepared and served in the bush in “Out of Africa” style with bone china, linen table cloth, King’s silver etc.

After breakfast you receive your Serengeti Balloon certificate and later meet up with your safari driver ready to continue your day’s activities.

The most famous game reserve in the world, the awe-inspiring Maasai Mara is what safari dreams are made of – rolling grasslands, wide-open savannah and rich in wonderful African wildlife. Here is the place to witness the incredible annual wildebeest migration between June and October as over a million animals thunder across the plains in search of water and grazing – but the Maasai Mara has a mass appeal all year round. Spot prides of lions basking in the shade or seek out an elusive solo leopard. And a magical hot-air balloon safari here is a must – gently drift over the plains as the sun rises, with game roaming below.

Highlights

The Maasai Mara National Reserve is located in the Rift Valley in southwest Kenya, bordering Tanzania, 45 minutes’ flight or approx. six hours’ drive from Nairobi. It offers incredible wildlife viewing amongst stunning African landscapes of rolling plains and wide-open savannah. Around July each year, herds of wildebeest and other grazing herbivores travel over the border from the Serengeti to the Mara during the Great Migration.

The reserve offers fantastic chances of seeing the Big Five – and even better opportunities for viewing big cats. The BBC’s Big Cat Diary team has been following the lives of the Mara’s resident lions, leopards and cheetahs here since 1996. Other wildlife to spot includes elephant, giraffe, zebra, hyena, impala, wildebeest, topi and buffalo.

The landscape is predominantly open grassland, with areas of acacia woodland and occasional bushes. The Mara River bisects the reserve – its waters are inhabited by crocodile and hippo, and many a wildebeest has come into danger when making the crossing during the annual Great Migration.

As Kenya’s most popular reserve, the Mara can become busy at times – but even experienced safari-goers admit that the game viewing opportunities here can be wonderful. The conservancies outside of the reserve boundaries also offer excellent – and often less crowded – wildlife viewing. There are no fences so the wildlife roams freely throughout the Mara region. The land on these surrounding conservancies is owned by local tribes, with camps and lodges leasing the land from them. This system benefits the local community and also allows for activities that are not permitted within the reserve, such as Maasai-guided bush walks.