Flying high up in the skies above the Masai Mara is the ultimate safari experience. There is really nothing quite like the feeling of freedom and exhilaration you get when flying high above the African plains.
Against a backdrop of stunning sunrises, hot-air balloon flights in the Masai Mara give you a unique vantage point of the abundant wildlife living below. The landscape below is a never-ending exciting mixture of riverine forests, sprawling savannahs, towering escarpments and rugged rivers.
Why Choose a Hot Air Balloon Safari?
Want A Balloon Safari In Masai Mara? A hot air balloon safari over Masai Mara National Reserve, though, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Hot air balloon rides are exhilarating in any setting.
Best of all, hot air balloons fly over areas of the reserve that are restricted to safari vehicles! No two hot air balloon safaris are the same. The balloons rely on air currents, such as wind direction and speed.
The pilot only controls the up and down movement. This is why hot air balloons require a chase team, and why you will have a unique and exclusive tour of Masai Mara National Reserve during each hot air balloon safari!
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What to Expect on Your Hot Air Balloon Adventure
Kenya: Hot air balloon safari over Masai Mara
Launching at dawn, rising as the sun rises, you gently float over the plains of the magnificent Serengeti. Your Balloon Safari adventure starts early morning when you depart your lodge or camp (usually around 4:15 am - 5:00 am) to the balloon staging site.
When you arrive, you will meet your pilot and witness your balloon being inflated and prepared for launch. After a thorough safety briefing and demonstration of boarding and landing position you board your balloon and lift off!
It is an adventure - we know where we have started, we genuinely do not know where we will land as we float in the direction of and speed of the wind. Your pilot will use varying altitudes and layers of air to navigate the balloon over this amazing area.
Watching the inflation and preparation is an incredible experience, as you soon see the truly massive size of the balloon. Typically, staff of 20-25 people are required for the launch and recovery. The ground crew opens the envelope by laying it across the ground. When you arrive at the launch site, you may have a chance to see the balloon, also known as an “envelope,” being inflated.
A large fan is used to inflate the envelope partially. When the envelope is about half-full, the crew attaches the basket and burner. The basket remains fully secured to the ground during inflation.
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Once the balloon is fully inflated, the crew helps passengers aboard. The basket of your balloon is sectioned into multiple compartments for both your comfort and safety. The ground crew steadies the balloon as your pilot gives you and other guests a safety overview.
When everyone is set, the burner is turned on once again, and you feel the balloon aloft the ground. The crew guides the basket until the balloon is safely launched.
Wildlife Viewing from Above
If you decide to visit the Masai Mara between the months of July and October, you will have a chance cathing the 'Great Migration' while flying above the African plains. There’s nothing quite like this phenomenon of migrating herds of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles.
Flying above the herds in a hot air balloon is one of the best ways to grasp the enormity of what’s taking place. Other exciting sights to behold include watching predators such as lions hunting their prey, spotting leopards perched up high in trees and seeing active hyena dens. Every hot air balloon flight brings with it the opportunity to see new and exciting sights below.
From this vantage point, you realize that you can locate wildlife with little guidance - giraffes, elephants, gazelles, hippos and many other grazers and foragers. If you are lucky, you may even spot the lordly predators like lions, hyenas, cheetahs and other hunters.
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As you sail above the reserve, you gain a greater perspective and deeper appreciation for the intricacies of the Mara ecosystem, as well as the synergistic relationship between flora, fauna and human. You see how animals feed upon vegetation, moving when a new supply is needed. You watch herds move toward the water to drink and bathe.
You watch as two elephant bulls fight for breeding rights. You notice how a cheetah mother gracefully moves through tall grasses to hunt food for her young. You observe a fish eagle soar in the open skies before diving to the river’s surface where it elegantly extracts a fish.
Practical Information
We highly recommend that adventurous guests plan to stay at the reserve for at least three days to allow time for this activity along with your other safari activities such game drives, bush walks, village visits and more. Additionally, hot air balloon flights need to be pre-arranged by your AfricanMecca trip representative to ensure guaranteed availability due to the limited space of only 16 passengers in a balloon.
The balloons can accommodate adults and children, with some limitations. Children must be at least four years old and must be accommodation by a parent or guardian. We recommend that adults be in good physical condition. Adults who are over 265 lbs (120 kg) may be required to purchase an additional spot on the balloon (twice the cost) for safety precautions, though this can be waived depending on flight occupancy at the discretion and prior approval from the pilot.
Your hot air balloon ride lasts about one hour, but your experience lasts a lifetime and very much worth its high price. After landing, the ground crew helps you out of the basket and escorts you to a lovely setting for a bush breakfast.
Cost of a Hot Air Balloon Ride
Hot-air balloon flights are quite pricey, especially in remote areas such as the Masai Mara. Hot air balloon ride prices start at US$ 450 per person. One of the reasons for this is the fact that balloons can only be used for a limited number of hours before they need replacing.
After approximately 850 flight hours, balloons are retired and a new balloon must be purchased in order to guarantee the safety of those who board a balloon. What also makes hot air balloon flights expensive is the cost of fuel and crew to operate the hot air balloon.
Crews are made up of six crew members and a licenced balloon pilot. An additional ten people behind the scenes (per balloon) are responsible for getting each hot air balloon airborne. In total, this adds up to quite a group of people whose livelihoods depend on the proceeds from hot air balloon flights.
In addition to this, each hot air balloon flight requires recovery vehicles, transfer vehicles and back-up operations.
What to Wear and Bring
You are sure that the air will be cool, so you don long trousers and a comfortable shirt before putting on your hiking shoes. As you head out, you grab the last of your belongings - a hat, long-sleeved jacket or warm fleece, camera and binoculars.
Contingency Plans
So, what happens if the hot-air balloon flight is cancelled due to poor weather? Naturally, safety is top priority to the hot air ballooning crew, so if weather conditions aren’t favorable your flight may be cancelled. If this occurs, you will be scheduled for a later flight if possible.
Booking Your Adventure
We can arrange departures for a Masai Mara balloon safari from most lodges and camps in the Greater Mara area. We strongly recommend booking a balloon safari in advance, as it concerns a very popular activity and gets booked out early (especially during peak season).
Balloon safaris are only available at designated camps and lodges in Masai Mara based on 5.00 am pick-up. Professional balloon safari pilot guiding services.
Please enter your complete flight arrival and departure details, exact passport names and date of birth, passport number and expiration, dietary meal requests, any kinds of allergies and any other requests.
Select your payment option. US $1000 booking registration deposit by Credit Card is required to process your booking. Once your booking is confirmed, 40% deposit is due upon confirmation and invoice issuance. The deposit payment can be made by Bank Wire Transfer, Check or Credit Card (card bank fee applies).
Customer Testimonials
We had a fantastic trip to the Masai Mara. Thank you for helping to organise it. We will definitely recommend yourselves to our friends who are planning on travelling to Kenya. Thank you again.Tadhg Jones - AIG Inc - Croydon, United Kingdom
We had a fantastic trip to the Masai Mara. It was well organized by AfricanMecca Safaris and I had no worries. We loved the baby lions and were also able to see the leopard stalking its prey.Ken and Pam Daut - California, United States
Jambo Raza!!! The safari trip was spectacular! Everything went off without a hitch. We loved the Masai Mara. The migration was awesome. Judi & Chaim Platt - Toronto, Canada
My trip to Kenya was beyond fantastic. I loved every second of it and I must thank you and your staff at AfricanMecca Safaris for making my travels to Masai Mara possible and most enjoyable.Katie Chakey - New Jersey, United States
Raza, Thank you for all your diligent assistance in coordinating our photo safari to the Masai Mara. Thanks again for all of your help in making this a truly dream vacation. I will be recommending you.Rusty Phenix - (Phenix & Crump Attorneys At Law) - Texas, United States
We had an incredible experience in Masai Mara & on the beach. Everything went very smoothly and the AfricanMecca representatives were fantastic. Thank you for putting together this amazing trip for us.Dr Cory M. Bryant - US FDA - Washington D.C, United States
I cannot say enough about the quality of AfricanMecca. Their teams in Kenya and Tanzania were top notch. Raza, again thanks to you and your entire organization!
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