From above
The plains, in total silence.
You lift off before dawn and the savanna opens beneath you: herds moving, shadows stretching, and no sound at all but the burner. It is the one add-on we suggest without hesitation.
Why we recommend it.
A game drive puts you inside the landscape. A balloon shows you the shape of it: the river lines, the migration corridors, the way the herds braid across the plain. Most travellers describe it as the hour they think about years later.
You lift off at first light, when the air is still and the animals are moving. You drift low over the grass, then higher as the sun clears the horizon. It ends, traditionally, with a champagne breakfast set out on the plains where you land.
Where it works best.
The Serengeti and the Masai Mara are the two great balloon grounds, and for good reason: open horizon, reliable morning air, and enough game beneath you to make the drift extraordinary rather than merely scenic.
It is a genuine expense on top of a safari, and we will not push it. But if the budget stretches to one indulgence, this is the one we would spend it on.
Straight answers
What people ask us.
- Is a balloon safari worth the money?
- It is the single most expensive hour of most safaris, and it is also the one travellers most often say they would pay for again. If you take one add-on, take this one.
- Is it safe, and do I need to be fit?
- Balloon operations in the Serengeti and Mara are run by long-established, licensed operators with excellent safety records. You need to be able to climb into and out of the basket, and to brace for a landing that can be bumpy, but no particular fitness is required.
- When should I book it?
- Book it with your itinerary. Balloons carry limited seats and fill months ahead in high season, and they cannot be arranged reliably once you have arrived.
Tailor-made
Add the hour you'll never forget.
Tell us which safari you are considering and we will fold a balloon morning into it, on the right day and in the right park.