Safari experience
Lift off at dawn and drift silently over the Maasai Mara, the most memorable hour you can spend in Africa, ending with breakfast on the plains.
A balloon flight over the Maasai Mara begins before dawn, with a briefing by lamplight and a slow ascent as the sun rises. Because a balloon travels with the wind and makes no sound, the wildlife below barely registers its presence, you will often drift low over herds of elephant or a pride of lion that simply carries on.
The flight itself lasts around an hour, covering anything from a few kilometres to twenty depending on the wind. Pilots are highly experienced and licensed, and take-offs are gentle enough for nervous flyers and children old enough to see over the basket.
On landing you are met with a full bush breakfast, cooked on site, served on linen under an acacia tree, with champagne. It is a well-worn tradition and it remains genuinely wonderful.
Flights operate in the Maasai Mara and a handful of other locations, and are almost always booked in advance. We recommend adding a balloon flight to any Mara itinerary of three nights or more, and booking it at the same time as your camps to avoid disappointment.
Itineraries
Route
Maasai Mara › The Great Migration › Big Five Safaris
Maasai Mara
8 days
Eight days built entirely around the wildebeest migration, with four nights in the Maasai Mara, a private conservancy stay and a dawn balloon flight over the plains.
From
£4,250pp
Route
Maasai Mara › Luxury Tented Camps › Big Five Safaris
Maasai Mara
5 days
Five days and four nights in a single exceptional camp in the Maasai Mara, with a private guide, private vehicle and no moving between lodges.
From
£3,450pp
