Your balloon ride safari trip begins when you get your wakeup call at your tented camp or Lodge in the early hours of the morning, as you yawn away, and thoughts about your wildlife viewing from an elevated position begins to stir your mind. The fresh Kenyan traditional hot tea and coffee quickly awaken you, in fact preparing you for a "mission".

By 6.00 a.m. you are almost arriving at the hot air balloon site in the Masai Mara. As you approach the site, the balloon seems bigger than you expected, the experience is one that has never been visited, and you are about to have a trip of a lifetime. A full day to go searching wild-game with a beautiful ariel view, return to camp or Lodge by 09.00 p.m.

Preparation

The adventure begins just before dawn. The pilot lights up the banners and as the flames flare and the balloon begins to inflate. The first, pink tongues of sunlight flicker across the skies and the balloon fills then rises. Suspended in a basket beneath the rainbow coloured canopy, you're off for an awesome game-viewing adventure.

One thing that amazes most first-time balloonists is the absolute stillness, the silence as you float above the plains, the forest and the rivers of the Masai Mara. And suddenly you are flown elsewhere and everywhere, you've seen nothing like this. The sounds below drift clearly upwards: a lion's roar, elephants crashing through the bush, baboons perched in the tips of the trees startled and screeching to see something above them.
For an hour or so you drift wherever the air currents take you. If you're lucky you'll climb high above for the view of a lifetime. Then your balloon safari finishes with a flourish. In the time honoured tradition of balloon flights the world over, you toast your return to earth with a champagne breakfast. The difference is that this breakfast happens in the bush, wherever you land, and it's cooked as you see with the burners that minutes before kept you suspended in the air.

Safety and Requirements

Passengers should be able to climb in and out of a basket and stand for the duration of the flight. Warm clothing is required for early mornings.

Best times to go

Available most of the year round but subject to prevailing weather conditions. All balloon flights begin soon after dawn, it means an early start.

Flights last an average of 1 hour over the Masai Mara. Balloon flights often get booked up in advance, we recommend you book early.