Overview: Balloon flight over the Mara
At about 06:30, as the balloon towers overhead, but with the basket still safely tethered to the ground, you climb aboard. The basket is divided into compartments, each equipped with harnesses and hand holds. The balloon may be standing upright at this point, in which case you enter by climbing some steps. Or it may be lying on its side, in which case your entry is a bit more of a scamble: you need to be reasonably mobile – but not a gymnast. As soon as all the passengers are on board (and usually after some pictures have been taken by others on the ground), the pilot starts the burner, the lines are released, and you lift off. The sun will be just about to break above the horizon, sending beams of golden light across the landscape.
If the atmosphere is cool, the balloon rises very quickly and you’re at treetop height in seconds, drifting in a generally south-westerly direction with the prevailing wind.
From now on, where you go and what you see depends on a combination of the pilot's skill, the speed and direction of the wind and that permanent safari companion, luck. You may fly at treetop height along the forested banks of the Mara River, peering into vultures’ nests, watching monkeys and baboons as they wake in their roosts, or peering through the trees to see elephants or even potentially a leopard. Or you may fly low across the grasslands, with the pilot using a puff of the burner every so often to lift the balloon above a lone tree or a termite mound. Periodically, the pilot will turn the balloon so that those at the back of the basket are facing forwards.
Wildlife tends to move away at the approach of the balloon’s shadow and the sound of its burner, but you will still see some remarkable sights, from jostling, muddied hippos, to prides of lions and even the occasional rhino, as witnessed by one lucky Expert Africa consultant on her flight.
After an hour or so in the air, the pilot lands the basket in a convenient spot close to where the ground crew have prepared a site for the bush breakfast.
A full breakfast is served and you toast the flight with sparkling wine. Everyone gets a certificate and the chance to take photos, before loading into safari vehicles to go back to their camps or continue with a morning game drive.
Height and age restrictions: The basket height is 1.2m (4ft). Children need to be at least 1.2m in height and can then fly at the pilot’s discretion, depending on their age and maturity.
Availability: Balloon flights are available every morning, subject to suitable weather conditions. If the flight is cancelled because of poor weather, you will be re-booked on a later flight or your money refunded.
Please note: Expert Africa only books excursions as a part of a full, Expert Africa itinerary.
- Start location
- Pre-dawn from your safari camp in the Maasai Mara
- End location
- Back at your safari camp
- Meals included
- Full bush breakfast with sparkling wine
- Duration
- 3 hours in total - morning only
- Maximum group size
- Usually 16
Ballooning over the Maasai Mara: Picture Gallery
What to look forward to.
There are often several balloons in the air.
The experience starts with the pre-launch inflation…
…which is a spectacle in itself.
Once the balloon is aloft, it drifts south…
…sometimes flying close to the Mara River…
…and sometimes above the plains.
At other times, you'll fly close the ground…
…and sometimes close enough for wildlife photography.
Landings vary, and tipping sideways is quite normal.
As is being helped out by the pilot and fellow passengers.
This is the moment for selfies…
…and a big bush breakfast…
…accompanied by sparkling wine.
Balloon flight over the Mara reviews
36 independent first-hand comments from our travellers.
Ideas for holidays which can include Balloon flight over the Mara
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Inspiration and great ideas for other experiences in Kenya to include in your safari.
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