African Safari Trails · Travel Guide
Hot air ballooning in East Africa lets you drift silently over the Serengeti and Maasai Mara at dawn, watching wildlife and the migration from above. African Safari Trails arranges balloon safaris in the Serengeti, the Mara and beyond, ending with a bush breakfast. A dawn flight over the plains is a safari highlight like no other.
There are few finer ways to see the African plains than from a hot air balloon at first light. Lifting off as the sun rises, you drift in near silence over the Serengeti or the Maasai Mara, looking down on herds, lions and the endless grass, before landing to a champagne breakfast laid out in the bush. It is the most magical hour of any safari. African Safari Trails arranges the balloon safari and the trip around it.
Where to go
Tanzania
The Serengeti is the classic balloon safari destination, and in Tanzania these balloon safaris drift over…
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Kenya
Kenya's Maasai Mara is the other great balloon destination, and a dedicated hot air balloon flight…
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Kenya
A balloon safari ends in style. After landing, the crew lays out a full champagne breakfast…
ExploreA balloon safari offers a perspective nothing on the ground can match. From the air you grasp the true scale of the plains and the herds, see the land roll away to the horizon, and drift silently close to wildlife that pays the balloon little mind, all in the soft golden light of dawn.
It is peaceful and dramatic at once, and the champagne breakfast on landing rounds it off in style. It suits couples, families and anyone wanting a special morning. The view is the whole point. African Safari Trails arranges flights in the best areas.
The Serengeti is the classic balloon safari destination, and in Tanzania these balloon safaris drift over vast open plains made for the aerial view. A dawn flight drifts over grasslands dotted with game, and in season over the massed herds of the migration, with the Grumeti River and the endless horizon below.
Balloons fly from several parts of the park, so a flight fits wherever you are based, and the scale of the Serengeti from above is unmatched. It is ballooning at its grandest. The plains seem to go on forever. African Safari Trails arranges Serengeti balloon flights.
Kenya’s Maasai Mara is the other great balloon destination, and a dedicated hot air balloon flight in Kenya shows its rolling grasslands and river country superb from the air. A dawn flight crosses the plains and the Mara River, with the chance to drift over big cats, elephants and, in the dry season, the migration herds gathered for the crossings.
The Mara’s wildlife density makes for fine aerial sightings, and the flight ends with the traditional bush breakfast. It is a highlight of any Mara trip. The light at dawn is glorious. African Safari Trails arranges Maasai Mara balloon flights.
Ballooning and the great migration are a perfect match. To drift above the massed herds of wildebeest and zebra, stretching across the plains in their hundreds of thousands, is to grasp the scale of the migration in a way no ground-level game drive can convey.
In the Serengeti and the Mara, timing a flight to the migration season puts the herds below you, with the river crossings a dramatic possibility. The aerial view of the herds stays with you. The scale only makes sense from above. African Safari Trails times a flight to the herds.
Beyond the two famous plains, balloons also fly over Tanzania’s Tarangire, with its baobabs and elephants, and Kenya’s Amboseli, where a flight can take in the elephants and the backdrop of Kilimanjaro. These add variety for those wanting to balloon away from the busiest areas.
Each gives its own character, from baobab-dotted plains to the great mountain, though the Serengeti and Mara remain the classics. The choice often follows your safari route. The options are growing. African Safari Trails can arrange flights in several parks.
A balloon safari ends in style. After landing, the crew lays out a full champagne breakfast on the plains where you touched down, one of the finest bush breakfasts in the region and a tradition of ballooning going back to its earliest days, eaten in the open air with the bush around you before a game drive back to camp.
The toast to the sunrise and the meal in the wild are as memorable as the flight itself, turning the morning into a celebration. It is the perfect close to the experience. The breakfast is part of the magic. African Safari Trails arranges the flight and its breakfast.
A balloon safari is an early start, with a pre-dawn pickup to reach the launch site for lift-off at first light, and a flight of around an hour depending on the winds. The pilot controls the height, drifting low over wildlife and rising for the wider view, in a sturdy basket holding several passengers.
It suits most people, with minimum height rather than age the usual limit, and needs only warm layers for the cool dawn. The landing can be bumpy but is well managed. The flight is gentle and safe. African Safari Trails explains what to expect before you fly.
The classic balloon safari over vast plains and, in season, the massed migration herds, ballooning at its grandest.
A dawn flight over rolling grasslands and the Mara River, with big cats, elephants and the migration in the dry season.
A full champagne breakfast laid out on the plains where you land, a ballooning tradition and the perfect close to the flight.
Flights over Tarangire’s baobabs and Amboseli’s elephants below Kilimanjaro, for ballooning away from the busiest areas.
Balloons fly year-round in the main parks, weather permitting, but the dry seasons give the calmest, clearest mornings, and timing a flight to the migration puts the herds below you. Flights only go in safe wind conditions.
Calm, clear dawns and, in the Serengeti and Mara, the migration below you, making this the prime balloon window.
Warm, settled mornings ideal for ballooning, with calving on the southern Serengeti plains and good general wildlife.
Greener and quieter, with flights still operating in fair weather, though more mornings are cancelled for wind or rain.
A balloon flight is an add-on to a wider safari, fitting into a morning in the Serengeti, the Mara or another ballooning park. It replaces the usual morning game drive, with the bush breakfast and a drive back to camp rounding off the morning, and it sits well alongside the region’s other safari activities.
Most travellers add a single flight as a special highlight on a longer safari, often in the migration season when the herds are below. It is a memorable splurge on a bigger trip. One flight is usually enough. African Safari Trails builds a balloon morning into the itinerary.
A balloon safari is based in a park that offers flights, chiefly the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara in Kenya, with Tarangire and Amboseli among the others. You simply need to be staying within reach of a launch site, which most camps in these parks are.
The flight is booked through your camp or operator as part of a safari, with the early pickup and breakfast included. A little planning secures the morning and the season. The balloon does the rest. African Safari Trails arranges the flight within the trip.
The classic destinations are the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara in Kenya, with flights also over Tarangire and Amboseli. The Serengeti and Mara are best for the migration. African Safari Trails arranges flights in the main ballooning parks.
A balloon safari is a premium experience, typically costing several hundred US dollars per person for the roughly hour-long dawn flight including the champagne bush breakfast and a game drive back. African Safari Trails includes the current price in a clear quote.
At first light, so the pickup is before dawn to reach the launch site for lift-off as the sun rises, when the air is calm and the light at its best. The whole morning, with the breakfast and drive back, runs to mid-morning. African Safari Trails arranges the early pickup.
Yes, flights are run by experienced pilots and only go in safe wind conditions, in sturdy baskets holding several passengers. Most people can fly, with a minimum height rather than age the usual limit, and the landing, though sometimes bumpy, is well managed. African Safari Trails explains what to expect.
The dry seasons give the calmest, clearest mornings, and timing a flight to the migration in the Serengeti or Mara from around June to October puts the herds below you. Flights run year-round in fair weather. African Safari Trails times the flight for the best of the season.
Yes, a flight is added to a wider safari as a special morning, replacing the usual game drive and ending with the bush breakfast and a drive back to camp. Most travellers add one flight on a longer trip. African Safari Trails builds it into the itinerary.
Securing a flight in peak season, choosing the right park and timing it to the migration all go more smoothly with someone who builds these trips for a living, so you drift over the herds at dawn rather than missing a fully booked morning. African Safari Trails has spent years building safaris across the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara, and knows the balloon operators and the best mornings to fly. They will tell you straight where and when to balloon, how to fit it around the game drives and what to expect on the flight, and handle the booking, pickup and breakfast quietly in the background.
Want a proper quote, or just a steer on adding a balloon safari to your trip? Reach out to African Safari Trails and a real person gets back to you.
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