Serengeti Balloon Safari

Hot air balloon rides stir feelings of thrill, excitement, and anticipation. Although it’s a premium experience, it provides unmatched views of the scenery and wildlife. Currently, balloon safaris are available in Tarangire and several regions of the Serengeti (South, Central, West, and North). We typically partner with expert providers, Miracle Experience and Serengeti Balloon Safari. Visit their websites for more details.

Serengeti Balloon Safari

The adventure begins before sunrise. Depending on your camp’s location, you’ll be picked up as early as 4:00 a.m. and taken to the balloon launch site. As the balloon’s massive envelope is inflated with fans powered by a mobile generator, you’ll receive a safety briefing and an overview of what to expect. By around 6:30, just as the sun rises, you’ll climb aboard with the balloon still tethered. The deep basket is equipped with compartments and rails for safety, providing stability as you prepare for takeoff. Once everyone is aboard, the pilot ignites the burner, releases the tether, and you lift off.

For the next hour (with flight times varying from 50 to 70 minutes), you’ll float over the plains with the winds, while a ground crew follows below in vehicles. Depending on conditions, you might glide high above forests, getting a close look at vulture nests and watching baboons wake in their treetop roosts. Or, you may hover just a few meters above dew-covered grass, watching zebras and antelopes scatter. Skilled pilots can follow rivers, bringing you close to snorting hippos or lions drinking at water sources, and even descend low enough to capture incredible aerial photos of the wildlife. Much of the journey will feel like soaring with a tawny eagle, as the sun rises from a burnished glow on the horizon to a bright disc above the plains. Other balloons might even accompany you in the sky.

Landings vary: as you descend, the balloon may tip the basket onto its side, leaving passengers holding the rails in a joyful tangle of arms and legs; or, if conditions allow, your pilot may make a perfect upright landing as the balloon gently folds to one side.

After landing, a full bush breakfast awaits, complete with photos and certificates as mementos of your journey.

You’ll then resume your day with game drives and other activities, based on your itinerary with your guide.

Balloon Safari Cost: USD 500 per person