Maasai Mara Balloon Tour & Safari

Hot air balloon rides are exhilarating in any setting. A hot air balloon safari over Masai Mara National Reserve, though, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 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 Hot Air Balloon Mara Kenya 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. For our guests who have not been on a hot air ballooning excursion in Africa or elsewhere, we offer some general information about how a hot air balloon works and what to expect. Typically, staff of 20-25 people are required for the launch and recovery. When you arrive at the launch site, you may have a chance to see the balloon, also known as an “envelope,” being inflated. The ground crew opens the envelope by laying it across the ground.

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. The burner is used to inflate the envelope fully.

Watching the inflation and preparation is an incredible experience, as you soon see the truly massive size of the balloon. 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. 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! Best of all, hot air balloons fly over areas of the reserve that are restricted to safari vehicles! During your flight, even the altitude of your balloon flight is different – sometimes, you rise high above the plains so you can see for miles while at other times, you remain closer to earth, giving you close-up views of the animals. Hot Air Balloon Mara Kenya Safaris can arrange hot air ballooning in Masai Mara for all guests staying either in the reserve or in private conservancies; though, pickup times do vary depending on the distance from the launch site.

Private hot air balloon safaris can also be arranged for multi-generation families and small groups during their bush holiday, and a discounted rate may be available depending on your month of travel.

Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve is the ultimate ballooning destination. The landscape is stunning and free, and the abundant wildlife can make for spectacular viewings from above. As this is a wilderness area contiguous with the Serengeti National Park of Tanzania, with free-ranging wildlife that is not fenced in, we of course cannot guarantee what we will fly over and what we will see during a particular flight. However, we typically see a good diversity of animals, and it is likely you will spot elephants, giraffes, various antelope species, and ostriches from the balloon. Many of our guests also see hyenas, lions, and cheetahs, and ballooning is one of the best ways to search for the elusive black rhino, of which there are less than 40 in the Mara.

We have had some truly amazing sightings over the years, including leopards in trees, lions on kills, and active hyena dens. If you visit the Mara between July and October, you will probably see the “Great Migration” of over a million wildebeest, along with large numbers of zebras and gazelles.

Observing this phenomenon from the balloon is the best way to grasp just how huge the migrating herds really are, and is an experience not to be missed. Regardless of whether the “Big Five” are seen from the balloon, most people say that the balloon flight was a highlight of their safari.