Balloon Safari Over The Serengeti
When I was researching for my African safari I noticed that some safari tour operators offer optional balloon rides. The safari operator that I ended up using called Safari By Leo like all the other operators do not run balloon rides directly but they partner up with balloon companies in Tanzania so I had them add this into my safari itinerary. I was booked for a balloon flight with a company called Serengeti Balloon Safaris.
A driver from the Serengeti Balloon Safaris picked me up very early at 4:30 am from my safari lodge and since it was still obviously dark outside, I had to be escorted from my tent to the main area of the lodge where the driver came to get me. We picked up a few guests from other campsites and along the way we saw some wildebeest moving in the fields which was my first night time wildlife sighting in Africa.
We were brought to the balloon launch site where the crew gave us hot tea and snacks while they prepared the balloon. The balloon pilot gave our group of 16 passengers a safety briefing for our morning flight. Apparently all balloon flights in the Serengeti are done in the morning because of favourable winds.
Interesting thing is that we all got into the balloon basket as it was resting on its side on the ground so it was much like getting into a space capsule like the way astronauts do. Once the balloon starting getting lift, the basket of course went back to upside position. The entire flight was super smooth once the balloon was off the ground which wasn’t a surprise to me since I’ve done paragliding in Mexico before and it was a similar feeling up in the air. The only noise came whenever the pilot fired up the balloon.
I shot a lot of video during the balloon flight which lasted a bit over an hour but had to use both my camcorder and my iPhone since my camcorder’s memory card became full during the flight. The video below is a collection of the scenes of the Serengeti I saw from the sky along with some photos that the balloon company provided of the group.
The balloon flight gave me another perspective of the Serengeti with the views from the air which would not be possible from the ground. It showed another side of the natural beauty of the landscape. But I can also tell that most of the animals below do not like the sound of the balloons firing up as they would be running each time we flew over them. As shown on the video, we saw herds of wildebeest, zebras, giraffe and some hyenas, hippos and baboons.
We also got a dose of the reality of nature in the Serengeti when we saw a few younger and smaller wildebeest dead on the rocks in the middle of the river we flew over. These poor wildebeest probably got swept away during river crossings.
When we got lower to the ground and closer to the herds, we can hear the wildebeest and their sounds are captured in parts of the video.
We were warned during the safety briefing that the landing would be quite bumpy. Once again much like with the boarding, the landing would involve the basket (and us) on its side rather than upright. The ground crew then pulls the basket back upright once we are on the ground. I found the bumps riding in the safari vehicle on all those Serengeti roads to be much more bumpy than the balloon landing.
Is The Balloon Safari Worth It?
After we landed, the balloon operator vehicles came to pick us up. We were also given champagne which is apparently a balloon flight tradition even though it was still morning. They gave us the option of adding mango juice into the champagne which was quite nice as I never had that mix before. The drivers then drove us to a location where they were set up for a breakfast that was quite good. After breakfast, we were driven to the airfield where our safari tour guides were waiting so we can all continue with the rest of our game day drives in the Serengeti.
So was this balloon safari worth it considering it cost $600 US? This was probably the most expensive one hour activity I have ever paid for. Like I mentioned in the video — I don’t really know if this balloon flight was worth $600 which seems to be the standard price. But I can say that I really enjoyed this entire experience and it was very unique (my first ever balloon flight). I would recommend it to others going on safari in the Serengeti and hopefully my video will give folks an idea of what the balloon flight is like so they can make their own decisions on whether to include one or not to their safari itinerary.
